Don’t Buy: Misuse of Green
Kermit the frog is green.
No, that does not mean he is recyclable nor does he recycle, he is simply green.
I am sick and tired of having to clarify what I mean when I say green. It’s a color. I use the word when I refer to color. When I say green, I mean Green as in Roy G. Biv’s middle name. I’m tired of all the save the planet references to “green”. In January, I read a few articles (1)(2)(3)(4) saying that blue would become the new “green” to symbolize eco-friendliness. (The reasoning was because the earth is covered with more water (blue) than land (green). Genius.)
Regardless, this little adjective is being abused and confused. When I ask someone to hand me the green folder, I don’t want to have to explain the green-colored folder. It just shouldn’t be an issue. 
Not to mention, the new meaning of “green” can have so many other names. Eco-friendly, environmental, reduced carbon emissions, pollution free, pollution less, even organic can be used when describing this trend.
By using the word green for anything else is just annoying and unnecessary.
And Kermit, in today’s world, it really isn’t easy being green if you don’t know what green means!
(Image from ibloga)
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4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Today I drank some green tea.
I mean. It was green, but it was also organic.
So does that mean it was green green tea?
I totally agreen with you.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/green - it’s in there, so it must be right
I would agree with you…except I would call it a fad. I don’t think being “Green” as a trend is entirely a bad thing…in fact I’m sure thats what the people using it WANT it to become. What it’s really becoming tho is a fad that people buy into with no real care, then they think of ‘environmental’ because it might be cool to do so.
But, has this actually happened to you? Did you really use the word green to mean a color and someone mistook you for meaning environmental??
@Arnie: Interesting…I’ve never seen this use for green…but I will use it ALL the time now!
#5 Inexperienced - John’s kind of green, so take it easy on him this first week.
(that could mean soo many things)
Matt, it really did happen to her, and I was the one guilty of it!
Sara: “..and their offices were green”
Ryan: “You mean like, environmentally sustainable? That’s cool.”
Sara: “No I mean like lime green.”
Ryan: “Oh, that’s not so cool.”
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