What Is Eco-Friendly?

While each project needs to define the term "eco-friendly" for itself, based on its environmental goals, this site defines Green Service Projects as:

Volunteers working together

to implement community-chosen projects

using environmentally safe practices and materials

that can be maintained over the long term and

have a low impact on the environment.

This definition is based on interviews and discussions with professionals in a wide range of organizations.

The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission, which was created to assess the world’s environmental issues, offered this definition:

Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present

without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

By designing, planning and implementing eco-friendly practices into your volunteer work, you can have a positive impact on the environment, while building community capacity and reducing future maintenance costs. Your project and team can meet the needs of the present and the future.