The State of Canada's Environment — 1996

Glossary of Selected Terms - L

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Sources for definitions

leaching: Washing out of soluble substances by water passing down through soil. Leaching occurs when more water falls on the soil than is lost by evaporation from the surface. Rainwater running through the soil dissolves mineral nutrients and other substances and carries them via groundwater into water bodies (adapted from Arms 1990). The leaching of mercury and other heavy metals into water supplies is believed to be a serious consequence of acidic deposition.

life cycle: Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product or service, from the extraction of natural resources to the final disposal (International Organization for Standardization 1995). It refers to the full sequence of events that begins with the production of the raw material components, through assembly, distribution, consumption or use, and possibly reuse, and ending finally with the disposal and recycling of wastes (adapted from Mendis 1995).

life cycle approach: An approach to evaluating the environmental impacts of a consumer commodity through examination of the environmental considerations during all phases of the product's life cycle (adapted from Mendis 1995).

life cycle assessment: Systematic set of procedures for compiling and examining the inputs and outputs of materials and energy and the associated environmental impacts directly attributable to the functioning of a product or service system throughout its life cycle (International Organization for Standardization 1995).

lifestyle: The behaviour and activities of an individual on a day-to-day basis that reflect the attitudes and values of the individual or group that he/she is part of. A range of lifestyle characteristics is common to many (but not all) Canadians. Some of these characteristics include going to school, going to work or somehow participating in the wage economy, taking time for leisure activities, access to climate-controlled housing, access to a range of food products, use of a range of electronic products, use of private automobiles, and so on. Individuals can make choices about lifestyles, but these are constrained or conditioned by economic circumstances, available products, infrastructure, technology, and social norms and expectations (adapted from Chapter 2).

loadings: Total mass of contaminants to a water body or to the land surface over a specified time (e.g., tonnes per year of phosphorus) (adapted from Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels Study, Management Committee 1988).