Made by Me is a sustainability standard that an ekko.world trader might claim.

Products that are Made by Me are made specifically and only by the trader, with no assistance from anyone else. (I made this myself. Totally. Go direct, no middle man, no miles.)

Managed growth refers to the concept of limiting the development or expansion of commercial and residential infrastructure to existing urban areas, to reduce harm to rural and sensitive environmental areas.  This goal is achieved by implementing social and ecosystem limits, increasing the density of development in areas with existing infrastructure, and decreasing the density of development in outer, more rural and undeveloped areas.

Marine conservation is a systematic approach to protect and preserve vulnerable marine species and protect marine environments.  It also focuses on limiting the damage caused to marine ecosystems by humans, including the depletion of ocean and coastal resources. 

A marine reserve refers to an area of the marine environment that is legally protected by federal, state, territorial, tribal, or local laws against fishing, mining, resource extraction and development to provide permanent environmental protection.  Currently less than one percent of the world’s oceans are protected by marine reserves.

A mass burn facility refers to a facility where municipal solid waste is incinerated as a source of power generation.  Oversized, noncombustible items, hazardous and explosive materials are removed prior to the incineration process.  Pollution control technology is used to limit air pollution.

A materials recovery facility or MRF (pronounced ‘murf’) is a specialised industrial factory that receives and processes residentially collected recyclable materials and prepares them for end-user manufacturers.  A ‘clean MRF’ accepts only recyclable material for sorting, while a ‘dirty MRF’ accepts a mixed solid waste stream.

Medical waste refers to any solid waste generated by hospitals and health facilities in the treatment or diagnosis of humans and animals.  This waste must be managed professionally as it may contain used syringes and needles, soiled dressings, blood, drugs, radioactive materials and toxic chemicals.

A megacity refers to a metropolitan area with an estimated population of more than ten million people. Some megacities are expanding so quickly that they are experiencing problems with waste disposal, transportation, housing, air pollution and environmental degradation.

Mercury (Hg) is a heavy metal that commonly occurs in soil deposits throughout the world. It can accumulate in the environment and is highly toxic if the dust is ingested or inhaled.  Mercury poisoning may occur as a result of inhaling mercury vapour, exposure to water-soluble forms of mercury, or consuming food such as fish or seafood that is contaminated with mercury.  While mercury can be found in items such as thermometers, barometers and fluorescent lamps, it has been largely phased out due to health concerns.

Methane (CH4) is a colourless, non-toxic, flammable gas that is produced naturally through anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of organic waste and from volcanoes, wetlands and the ocean.  It is also produced by human activities including agricultural practices, natural gas and petroleum production and distribution, coal production, and incomplete burning of fossil fuels.  Methane is a hydrocarbon with a greenhouse effect estimated at being 23 times greater than of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Methanol is a clear, colourless, and flammable liquid alcohol that can be used as a petrol additive or fuel alternative.  As a fuel, methanol produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than those from petrol. Methanol may cause health problems in humans and animals if ingested in large quantities.

A micro wind turbine is smaller than a large commercial wind turbine, and is generally placed on or near buildings to produce electricity directly for the property.

Microbeads are micro-plastic particles found in a wide range of personal care products, including face scrubs, soaps and toothpaste.

Microbeads pose a great threat to the environment. These microbeads, hardly visible to the naked eye, flow straight from the bathroom drain into the sewer system. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to filter out microbeads, and they end up in the ocean. Fish and other cratures absorb or eat these microbeads. When humans eat these fish, it is likely we are also ingesting this micro plastic. 

Microbeads are not biodegradable and after entering the marine environment, they cannot be removed. 

Microgeneration refers to small-scale power generation systems such as solar panels, small wind turbines and small biofuel plants which are implemented by individuals, business premises or communities to meet their own electricity needs.  This varies from traditional and centralised grid-connected power.

Micropollutants refer to particles and sediments that exist in the aquatic environment in small concentrations.  Micropollutants originate from the human use of products such as pharmaceuticals, toiletries, and detergents, and partially enter the aquatic environment through the urban wastewater treatment system, stormwater drains or as runoff from rural areas.  In large quantities, micropollutants can have an adverse effect on aquatic life or contaminate drinking water resources.

A minimal risk level is an estimate of the acceptable daily exposure that a human can have to a hazardous substance, without significant risk of adverse non-cancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure.

Minimisation often refers to the comprehensive efforts that are made to minimise or eliminate waste production during the manufacturing process.

Mitigation refers to human activities that attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the use of alternative power sources such as wind and solar power, and the use of carbon sinks to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. 

Moisture content refers to the amount of water that is found in materials such as soil, water, rock, or organic matter.  In reference to snow, moisture content may indicate the flood potential of snowmelt.

Monoculture refers to the cultivation of a single species crop.  Monoculture is commonly used in agricultural practices and allows for harvesting to occur with minimal labour.  As monoculture does not replicate the original biodiversity of the land and the crops are genetically similar to each other, any disease that the crops are not resistant to may destroy the entire crop population.

The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement that was signed in 1987 with the aim of phasing out the production and use of ozone-depleting substances for the protection of the ozone layer. 

Mulch refers to organic material such as leaves, straw, bark or compost that is applied over soil and placed around growing plants.  Mulch can help to protect or improve the soil quality and the soils ability to hold moisture, reduce weed growth, and to provide nutrients to plants.