5 New phrases for our Planet – Reclaiming Environmentalism

You know something’s gone really wrong when you hear oil companies using the
words “local”, “sustainable”, and even “green” in their advertisement lexicon. Nothing an
oil company does or sets out to do, other than plug the very hole from which the black gold
oozes out, is green and sustainable. Far from it!

As a result of green washing, overuse, misuse and highly effective PR campaigns by very
rich people we’ve never heard of, the words and phrases we’ve been using to talk about
the precarious situation of the earth: climate change, save the earth, global warming,
sustainability, environmental, are no longer effective because they’ve been coopted by
advertisers and their meaning has been totally lost. But the problems are only getting
worse, so what to do? Seems most people, with the exception of a few saints and my
Grandmother, are motivated by self interest and locked into their belief systems. And the
conservatives seem to be less inclined to believe we have a problem. So with that in mind
we’ve come up with new words and phrases to replace five of the old words and phrases
that no longer seem to have any impact when you hear them.

Which are your favorites?
Please leave comments with your ideas.

1. Old phrase that is longer effective: Climate Change

New Phrases: Climate reversal, climate end, climate fail, climate collapse, climate out of
control, climate malfunction, climate chaos, weather pattern disruption, weather pattern
collapse, weather pattern malfunction, the sky is falling, crisis for civilization, crisis for life
on earth, global boiling, our deteriorating atmosphere, God save us…

2. Old phrase that is no longer effective: Save The Earth

New phrases: Save the humans, save ourselves, save the species, save the golf course,
save the cute little yellow birds that visit the garden in the spring, save the pretty Monarch
butterflies that my kids like to catch and torture, save the football season, save my
retirement account, save the beautiful autumn leaves, save America, lets keep the property
value up shall we?, shop locally and stop buying Chinese goods, famer’s market anyone?,
buy the electric car powered by the solar array on your roof, treat your neighbor as

3. Old phrase that is no longer effective: Global Warming

New phrases: Regional heat wave, local drought, county water shortage, the tornado
threat, state-wide crop failure, one hundred degree summers, constant wildfires, more
flash floods, unseasonal rain deluge, the well is dry and the baby’s cryin’, the vegetables
done wilted again, how come all the deer’s dead on the first day of huntin’?, food costs
twice as much as it used to be just a few years ago, why are all the evergreens in Colorado turn brown and dyin’?

4. Old word that is no longer effective: Sustainability

New words & phrases: Conservative measures, conservatism, conservation, maintaining
the status-quo, traditional values, back to the good old days, small family farms, taking
care of all of God’s creatures, waste not want not, self-sufficiency, food-independence, food
entrepreneurs, victory gardens, Grandma and Grandpa use to say…

5. Old word that is no longer effective: Environmentalism

New phrases: Conservative stewardship, taking care of divine creation, personal property
protection, self-preservation, habitat security, securing waters, securing rivers, securing
oceans, securing forests, preserving our species…


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