Good—simple choices for a better life

Good glossary

Home » Blog » Good glossary

By Andy Kenworthy

What does it all mean?

At what exact moment does an eco-warrior become an eco-worrier? Is emissions trading legal between cousins?

In the latest edition of Good we reality-check some of the eco-jargon sauntering into our lives:

Eco-worrier
What we become when it takes 15 minutes for us to analyse the global ecological and humanitarian impact of buying a tin of spaghetti.

But we reckon you can do better.

Hit us with your own breakdown of well-known eco-terminology in the comments below. We’ll use the best in the next edition.

Comments

Annabel McAleer
 
Thu May 07, 2009 @ 03:39 PM
Albedo The reflective power of a surface; not to be confused with libido, the power of an attractive service. A high albedo reflects more sunlight back to space, keeping Earth cooler.
Tania McGowan
 
Mon July 13, 2009 @ 12:59 PM

Green A word formerly known to refer to the colour of trees and grass.  Now can be used to describe almost everything from our individual to global choices and everything inbetween.

Craig Riley
 
Tue July 14, 2009 @ 11:38 AM
Carbon Footprint: a measure of the amount of carbon (or carbon equvalent) emissions emitted in order to produce an item or sustain a lifestyle. Also the impression left on the ground by government-subsidised farmers in the Amazon basin as they survey the land they have just cleared with fire in order to grow beef for overfed westerners.
Craig Riley
 
Tue July 14, 2009 @ 12:02 PM

Carbon credits: Brownie points awarded to businesses or individuals who can prove that what they do will reduce rising global carbon emissions. These are given a monetary value and can be sold to those that are less proactive about reductions. A bit like paying someone else to do your homework.

Craig Riley
 
Tue July 14, 2009 @ 12:18 PM
Certified Organic: An industry standard applied to Organic produce in order to assure consumers that it's the real McCoy. When modern organics was in it's infancy, mainstream society used to apply this term to the proponents of this "whacky" fringe movement. Thankfully we're more enlightened now.

Add your comment

Anonymous comments are queued before publishing and it may take some time before they appear. Please consider creating an account and your comment will appear automatically. If you already have an account, please log in.








If you have trouble reading the code, click on the code itself to generate a new random code
 

More Goodness

The Good blog
  • Winter pick-me-ups
    article illustration

    May 15, 2012

    As gloomy weather sets in, it's the little things that lift your mood. Like these candy-coloured retro leather purses from Green With Envy – a splash of gorgeousness on the daily shop. And we've got two to give away!

  • How to get rid of oxalis?
    article illustration

    By Zoe Carafice, May 15, 2012

    Good's new gardening expert Zoe Carafice is ready and waiting to solve your dilemmas! Each question published on Zoe's blog or in Good receives a fab prize from Tui Garden. This week: how to eradicate oxalis bulbs.

  • One good reason to skip lunch
    article illustration

    By Siobhan Leathley, May 15, 2012

    Plenty of food that’s good enough to eat (but not good enough to sell) is disposed of every day. Kaibosh Food Rescue is aiming to change all that by collecting extra food and distributing it to charities. Now they're calling on Kiwis to donate the cost of a meal on Miss a Meal in May Day – so they can expand their mission to help out the hungry.

Good magazine
  • Urban harvest
    article illustration

    By Nancy Howie, April 16, 2012

    Could you live off the land? Nancy Howie travels to Canada to discover how one grassroots movement is redefining the suburban dream.

  • Where has fracking been allowed on the East Coast?
    article illustration

    December 1, 2011

    Armed with exploration licenses issued by the New Zealand government, Tag Oil and its partner Apache intend to extract oil and gas from the East Coast. See the map here >

  • Man-made earthquakes
    article illustration

    By Good, November 15, 2011

    Is it possible for human activity to cause quakes? One investigation in Blackpool, England discovered that more than fifty tremors in the region were caused by fracking operations. Read the article >

article illustration

Latest issue

Discover what gives your home soul, tips for easy entertaining and making favourite clothes last longer. Find latest research on honey for health and the brainiest breakfasts, plus guides to greenwashing, distilling and the best loo paper to buy.

Follow us

Latest comments

  • Anne on Winter pick-me-ups:
    To survive the cold winter wear wool next to the skin, pile the wood into the woodburner, cook winter soups on top and invite friends in. An  …
  • Olivia Winter on Winter pick-me-ups:
    We live in a tiny old house that gets very cold! We lounge around in front of the fireplace in our onesies and our yearly bought novelty sli  …
  • Olivia Winter on Spice up your breakfast:
    When I was a child I used to go to my grandparents claybrick house on Waiheke and the first morning I was there nana would bring me breakfas  …
  • Vicki Olsen on Winter pick-me-ups:
    Wear lightweight but warm layers of merino clothing, and eat lots of warming soups and crockpot meals.  Get outside on sunny days to bo  …
  • Pam Harrison on Winter pick-me-ups:
    Comfort food.  Home made winter soups are the best. Also the humble roast with lots of veggies, gravy and cheese sauce. I als  …
  • Kama Scarf on Winter pick-me-ups:
    Open the doors and windows when the sun is shinning during winter to let some fresh air through the house.  Yummy scented candles also  …
  • ck smith on Winter pick-me-ups:
    Love those Phoebe purse's, wonderful bright coloursMy best winter-proofing tip is never leave the house without a scarf, hat and gloves  …
  • Fi Bennett on Winter pick-me-ups:
    Gorgeous purses - really soft looking and fantastic colours!My husband is a digger operator and will often have to remove old trees to clear  …

Blogs

Good pages

Good Shopping Handbook