And the Word of the Year Is...

Expect to hear about more people going carbon neutral

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 12/1/2006

The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and even Rupert Murdoch have all gone carbon neutral. What about you?

If you’re wondering what the term means, don’t be ashamed. You’ll soon be hearing a lot more about it, partly because it’s just been named the 2006 word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Carbon neutral essentially means adopting a greener way of life. Every time we drive a car, turn on our computers, or board a plane, we’re taking part in creating greenhouse gas emissions. Going carbon neutral involves calculating your total climate-damaging emissions and then offsetting them by doing something environmentally positive, like planting a new tree or investing in energy conservation projects that reduce emissions.

The folks at New Oxford American Dictionary chose carbon neutral for several reasons: it’s a word that’s on the cusp of being used everywhere, it’s indicative of a trend that’s not just a passing fad, and it’s understandable by most people, says Erin McKean, the dictionary’s editor-in-chief.

“We know that people love fun, flashy words like 'truthiness’ or the latest Bushism, but we are always looking for a word that is both reflective of the events and concerns of the past year and also forward-looking: a word that we think will only become more used and more useful as time goes on,” McKean adds.

Other words like elbow bump (a new greeting recommended by the World Health Organization to reduce the spread of germs); ghostriding (dancing beside, on the hood, or on the roof of your car while it’s still in motion); pregaming (the practice of consuming alcohol before attending a sporting event, or a party where alcohol may be limited or banned); and Islamofascism (a controversial term equating some modern Islamic movements with the European fascist movements of the early 20th century) were all runners-up. Oh, and don’t start correcting your students if you hear them using the word funner (an informal, nonstandard comparative of fun)—because it also made the short list.

Between five and 10 lexicographers spend the year compiling potential words for word of the year, and by Labor Day they start narrowing down the list. The word of the year can be a phrase, acronym, or anything that “acts like a word,” says McKean. You’ll see carbon neutral and its runners-up on the online version of the dictionary by January 2007, and all of the words will appear in the next print edition expected at the end of next year.

Don’t confuse the New Oxford American Dictionary with its older, bigger cousin the Oxford English Dictionary, which is more scholarly and historical, McKean says.

By the way, the Stones were the first band to stage a completely carbon- neutral tour in 2003; DiCaprio drives an electric car; and Murdoch has spearheaded a carbon-neutral policy for his company, News Corp.