Columbia Encyclopedia

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bibliography

(Encyclopedia)bibliography. The listing of books is of ancient origin. Lists of clay tablets have been found at Nineveh and elsewhere; the library at Alexandria had subject lists of its books. Modern bibliography b...

recycling

(Encyclopedia)recycling, the process of recovering and reusing waste products—from household use, manufacturing, agriculture, and business—and thereby reducing their burden on the environment. During World War ...

National City

(Encyclopedia)National City, city (1990 pop. 54,249), San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1887. Structural metal is fabricated, and there is shipbuilding and the manufacture of recycling machinery, plas...

Springdale

(Encyclopedia)Springdale, city (1990 pop. 29,941), Benton and Washington counties, NW Ark.; inc. 1878. It is a poultry-processing center, and there is vegetable canning, printing, and the manufacture of air conditi...

biosphere

(Encyclopedia)biosphere, irregularly shaped envelope of the earth's air, water, and land encompassing the heights and depths at which living things exist. The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system (see e...

Sabin, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Sabin, Joseph săbˈĭn [key], 1821–81, American bibliophile, b. England. Sabin came to the United States in 1848 and established himself as a dealer in rare books in New York City and Philadelphia....

solid waste

(Encyclopedia)solid waste, discarded materials other than fluids. In the United States in 1996, nearly 210 million tons—about 4.3 lb. (2 kg) per person daily (up from 2.7 lb./1.2 kg in 1960)—were collected and ...

South Bend

(Encyclopedia)South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. An industrial city, it...

pollution

(Encyclopedia)pollution, contamination of the environment as a result of human activities. The term pollution refers primarily to the fouling of air, water, and land by wastes (see air pollution; water pollution; s...

Vernon, cities, United States

(Encyclopedia)Vernon. 1 City (1990 pop. 152), Los Angeles co., S Calif., industrial suburb 2 mi (3.2 km) S of downtown Los Angeles; founded and inc. 1905. Vernon has a workforce (c.44,000) that hugely exceeds its f...