Wish-cycling. Fast fashion. Greenwashing. There are so many new terms that describe the environment and our planet’s problems it can be hard to keep track. To help you understand what environmentalists are talking about, here are 10 greens terms you need to know to be more environmentally conscious, effectively advocate for a more sustainable future or start on a new career saving the planet.
1. Climate Crisis and Climate Emergency
Record-breaking temperatures, wildfires, floods and droughts make headlines every other week. These extreme weather events and the threat of hazardous, irreversible changes to the climate due to global warming are known as the climate crisis or climate emergency.
Publications such as The Guardian and Scientific American have begun to use these terms to emphasize the consequences of climate change, convey a sense of urgency and encourage people to take action. Follow their lead and use the terms climate crisis and climate emergency when you talk to others about the causes, effects and solutions to this phenomenon.
2. Climate Refugees
You’ve seen them on the news. People displaced from their homes because the climate crisis has made their living environments hostile. These individuals are known as climate refugees. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, 20 million people leave their homes each year due to the extreme weather events caused by the climate crisis.
With the climate crisis projected to cause issues like sea-level rise, hundreds of millions of people from coastal communities are in danger of displacement in the future. If you’d like to help climate refugees today, support policies that protect them and donate to organizations that provide aid.
3. Net-Zero
You’ve likely heard commercials on the morning news about companies combating the climate crisis by pledging to achieve net-zero. Reaching net-zero is a goal for countries and organizations to eliminate as much or more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere as they emit.
Although these pledges sound inspiring, be sure to learn how these companies plan to achieve their goal. Be an informed supporter by understanding details such as the company’s methods for reaching net-zero, target dates and how they’ll hold themselves accountable.
4. Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice
Some communities are disproportionately affected by pollution than others. A recent study by the University of Washington and University of California Berkeley shows that historical policies like redlining correlate to higher levels of air pollution for people of color than white people. When leaders or organizations create environmental policies that benefit some groups of people at the expense of others, it is called environmental racism.
To help fight environmental racism, people and organizations are engaging in environmental justice, ensuring that policies are fair regardless of a person’s or community’s race, color, national origin or income level. When you hear about a new environmental action or policy, check if it treats people equally. If it doesn’t, speak out and elevate the voices of the people from the harmed communities.
5. Distributed Renewable Energy Systems
The solar panels on your office building. A windmill powering a small community farm. These distributed renewable energy systems generate electricity close to where people use it to power their daily activities, instead of at a centralized power plant.
The advantages of a distributed renewable power system are harnessing energy that may otherwise be wasted and reducing loss during power transmission across long distances. Find out what distributed renewable energy options are possible for your community and encourage your community leaders to invest in sustainable energy infrastructure.
6. LEED
If you’re working in a LEED Silver Certified office, that’s excellent news for the environment. One of the most popular environmental rating systems for buildings is LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
According to the United States Green Building Council, “To achieve LEED certification, a project earns points by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality.” Because commercial buildings produce about 16% of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, we must actively design and upgrade buildings with the planet in mind. If your building isn’t LEED certified, ask your facility's management about environmentally friendly upgrades.
7. Fast Fashion and Slow Fashion
Have you discovered that your work outfits don’t seem to last as long, and you can’t keep up with the latest trends? Fast fashion is an approach that encourages styles to change quickly, pushes manufacturers to make cheap clothes and inspires people to buy new items constantly. Fast fashion causes problems like excessive use of resources and overfilling landfills.
Some people are turning to slow fashion to combat fast fashion. Slow fashion focuses on clothing made to last, often with natural fibers like cotton and linen. Next time you shop for a new outfit, consider the fabrics and support brands that design durable clothes.
8. Plant-Based Diet (PBD)
Perhaps you’ve noticed your colleague has swapped their favorite ham and cheese sandwich for peanut butter and jelly at lunch. Or they talk about how they’re trying out Meatless Mondays to help the environment. Eating habits that exclude animal products such as meat and dairy are plant-based diets (PBD).
Some people turn to PBDs as a form of environmental activism because animal agriculture is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. If you’re not on a PBD but are interested in trying one, experiment with vegetarian recipes or opt for a meatless entrée the next time you’re at a restaurant.
9. Wish-Cycling
Tempted to toss your empty chip bag from lunch into the recycling bin? When a person puts a questionable item into the recycling bin believing that the recycling center can easily choose to accept it for recycling or divert it to the trash, that is wish-cycling.
Unfortunately, adding the wrong items into the recycling bin can cause problems for recycling centers. Dirty objects can contaminate materials. Items that are not the right size can jam machines. Every municipality is different, so take a moment to understand what items your local recycling program can manage.
10. Greenwashing
You may have seen products at the store that claim to use 25% less plastic or environmentally conscious packaging when they’re still contributing heavily to global waste. When a company makes misleading claims that its product or service is environmentally friendly, it’s called greenwashing.
Greenwashing is also a marketing tactic where a company focuses its messaging on a small, positive action to the environment to divert attention away from a more significant environmental impact. Before you make your purchase, take a moment to think about the messages companies are delivering and whether their actions are beneficial as they seem.
Ready to Learn More?
Build a Green Career
If you’d like to shift to a career that will help you make a significant environmental impact, check out these UW Professional & Continuing Education degree and certificate programs geared toward sustainability:
Take a Course or Program With UW Summer Sessions
You can also dive deep into topics about our planet and sustainability by taking a course or program with the University of Washington College of the Environment, College of Built Environments or College of Arts & Sciences during UW Summer Sessions. You don't have to be a UW student to attend UW Summer Sessions. Current and incoming UW students, those visiting from other U.S. colleges, high school students, international students and working professionals and other learners are all invited to attend.