Every year for the past 22 years, Lake Superior State University issues a list of newly banished words based on write-ins and suggestions from people fed up with words that essentially mean nothing and/or are overused.
I’m sad to say that green and all its relatives took a pretty big hit. Check out the 2009 list here.
I have to admit that I agree with the reasoning, the term green being the first one on the list for reasons, mainly, of overuse. Everyone is going green, being green, greening themselves, their business….but what does it all mean? Does recycling your extra print outs make you green? Not especially. Sure, it’s preferable to tossing it in the garbage…but…you’re not going green by throwing a few pieces of paper in a separate bin.
Others in the list include carbon footprint and carbon offsetting to which I say – amen! Carbon offsetting is just about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of. Paying money to random companies for bad behavior does not erase the bad behavior. Come on people.
Of course there were some non-green related words, including Main Street/Wall Street, maverick and bailout (who would like to never hear those words in 2009 – raise your hand!).
I feel pretty confident that we can all work harder at making the word green more of a real action and less of a buzz word in 2009.
Posted by: Ashley / ashleyatcaster on Twitter
Filed under: Green
