A friend of mine sent me a story on December 31 about how Lake Superior University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan has targeted environmental words as part of their annual “”Words to Be Banished from the Queen´s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”
The annual list, includes “green” and “going green” as well as “carbon footprint” and “carbon offsetting,” the university reports. The list, issued each year since 1975, comes from thousands of nominations each year. Other favorite words to make the latest list include: “maverick,” “staycation” and “bailout.”
This comes on the heels of an article in the 2008 titled, “Green Goal of ‘Carbon Neutrality’ Hits Limit” taking a shot at carbon neutral claims. One of the points made is that “carbon neutral” has no standard meaning and is confusing for customers and the public in general.
And finally, Parade Magazine declared that in 2008, “green went mainstream.” It is official. I wasn’t sure when it occurred (perhaps after Wal-Mart and GE dove into it?), but I am now relieved that green is mainstream and we can now move on.
2008 was the year that “consumers turned to reusable shopping bags, and automakers sold about 360,000 hybrid cars (led by Toyota’s Prius).” Renewable energy (with the help of the unlikely pair of T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore) gained momentum with solar power growing by at least 30% and wind energy projects creating approximately 9,000 new jobs in Texas, Utah, and other states.
“Green industries” now generate up to 8.5 million jobs in the U.S., and President-elect Obama has promised an ambitious program to develop an additional 5 million jobs in renewable energy. On top of this, the Green Jobs Act of 2007, expected to be funded next year, will authorize $125 million to train new workers in needed skills for the new green economy.
So, let’s jettison the jargon and move on to reinvent our industries and grow our economy.