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Defining going green
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Going green by shopping with canvas bags or buying organic products. But what does going green mean?
You try to recycle plastics and aluminum cans; you use totes when you go shopping to avoid using plastic bags. In short, you’re trying to live as green as possible. You should be proud of the contribution you’re making to help your community as well as the earth.
But what does being green mean? There are so many words being thrown out there that are associated to the term ‘going green’ or in environmentalism in general. If you’re confused as to what many green terms mean, you are not alone.
Let’s first look at the phrase, ‘going green’. Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability or LOHAS defines ‘going green’ as “[a] phrase referring to individual action that a person can consciously take to curb harmful effects on the environment through consumer habits, behavior, and lifestyle.
Eco-friendly refers to products that are made without harming the environment.
Organic usually refers to products or processes that use natural (from animals or plants) rather than using chemicals as man-made pesticides( http://dictionary.reference.com).
Sustainable means that products are being created with long-term effects to the environment being kept at a minimum. The natural resource won’t be used up to the point that it can’t be produced anymore (http://www.thefreedictionary.com).
Energy efficiency is when a product uses less energy then the standard product. For example, the LED light bulb is more energy efficient than a standard light bulb.
Energy conservation is the act of saving energy and using energy efficient products.
These are only few of the words being used in reference to being green and the environment. Some of them may have obvious meanings while others may be more difficult to decipher. A study done by Ecoalign, found that many people do not understand some of today’s green terms. They state that, “Less than one third of consumers could differentiate between energy conservation and energy efficiency.” Ecoalign further states that when the media continue to use these terms, it only confuses people more and their understanding decrease.
It is important to know what these definitions and others mean. The more informed you are the more eco-conscious (which, by the way, means you think about and make choices with the environment in mind) decisions you will be able to make.
For more information, please visit the following:
Middletown Thrall Library http://www.thrall.org/special/goinggreen.html
Merriam-Webster Dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/
The Natural Resources Defense Council http://www.nrdc.org/reference/glossary/e.asp
Green Lifestyle Magazine http://greenlifestylemagazine.net/Issue-2/go-live-be-green.php
Care2.com http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/green-terminology-leaves-consumers-confused-finds-new-study/
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