Our friends at Triple Pundit have posted a thought-provoking article about the erosion of the environmentalist language we use. Do words like “sustainable” or “green” impart any significance or are they merely the PR-friendly, self-congratulating currency we pass around to mask a lack of real understanding or change? This is the question William Brent, the piece’s author, forces us to think about. He writes,

“I’m not sure the term ‘Green’ does more than add another cool-sounding, but largely meaningless term to the existing lexicon of self-indulgence.”

On the other hand, how can there be a movement without unifying words to describe it? How can people know what to search for? It’s a complicated question, and doubtfully one to which anyone has the answer. So what do you think: should we do away with these problematic categories, or should we accept the ever-transforming, decomposing language we’re used to using? What words or terms would you recommend we use instead? Sound off in the comments, and look for a blog post on this topic later this week.