Green Words of the Decade, Grass Station, Hypermiling, Locavore, Carbon Neutral

In his Scrapbook and on the air (December 29) , Brian Lehrer (WNYC Radio) was just sharing Words of the Decade as offered by Webster’s New World College Dictionary and the New Oxford American Dictionary in the company of Ammon Shea and Mike Agnes.

Amongst the 15 words, they mentioned a couple green words that did not live past the freshness date.

First was 'grass station' (Webster, 2007) which NetLingo describes as:

"A pun on "gas station" this term refers to a theoretical fill-up spot in the not-too-distant future; it reflects America's growing love affair with hybrid cars and vegetable-based fuels, including ethanol and biomass fuels, some of which are distilled from grass."

Second was the even geekier 'hypermiling' (so last year, Oxford, 2008).

Here's Wikipedia's take on 'hypermiling':

"Hypermiling is the act of driving using techniques that maximize fuel economy. Those who practice these techniques are referred to as "hypermilers."

Hypermiling is defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as the attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one's vehicle and one's driving techniques."

Ecomodder shares no less than 108 hypermiling / ecodriving tips ...

Let me mention 2 of them so I don't exhaust your patience:

1) Drive less

The best way to reduce fuel use is to drive less:

a) Live closer to work;
b) carpool;
c) bicycle;
d) walk;
e) take public transit

4) Clean junk from your trunk

The additional weight you carry in your vehicle doesn't ride for free. It takes energy to move it around. Removing unnecessary stuff from your vehicle saves fuel.

In the 15 Words of the Decade, I did see two Green Words that have found a place in our vocabulary,  locavore (2007) and carbon neutral (2006), both selections from the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Green Living Tips compiled a Green jargon and terminology list (in 2008).

On the practical side, want to eat local like a locavore and not sure where to start, there are local food wheels (picture above, available for San Francisco and New York areas). You can buy it here for $12.95 (plus shipping and handling).

Chewing on Green Words for Green Day # 108

Previously: Green Living Begins at Home on menu of Greener Gadgets Conference 2010, NY