Choosing Your Own "Word of the Year"
Hypermiling has officially been chosen as the Word of the Year by the good people at the New Oxford American Dictionary.
We're sort of personally calling Change the official word of the year, but different strokes for different folks, right?
In brief, hypermiling, for those who may not know, is "an attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques." Hypermilers will do almost anything to cut down gas usage, from always making sure tires are properly inflated to driving without shoes to increase foot sensitivity to pedals. Talk about extreme green!
We share this not because we think you should become a hypermiler (though reducing gas usage isn't the worst idea ever.) We just LOVE the idea of a word of the year for personal use! Think about it...if you look back on a past year of your life, there's probably been a theme or central idea running through it. Maybe 2004 was the year of Transition. 2006 could have been the year of Family. What will 2009 be for you? Find a theme or idea that conveys the essence of what's important to you. Who will you be in the next 12 months? What will you do?
There are so many words out there, the possibilities are endless. We can't wait to hear what your choices are!
Love this! Last year my word (or resolution) was "YES" - I had been afraid of trying new things, so the idea was to say yes to anything and everything, so as to kick fear in the butt and experience life! I ate sushi, became more social, and, ironically, said "yes" to my boyfriend's question "will you marry me?" :)
This year I think my word of the year will be "relax" - in this day and age, there's plenty to worry about and I think it's the perfect year to remember that it will all be okay - so breathe and relax!
What a great idea! I actually like hydroponics as a concept better than hypermiling. It's unreasonable to suggest we should get rid of our cars, but a bit sad to think we occupy our time devising ways to squeeze more out of each tank of gas.
Very timely, though, no? With the automakers struggling to keep their heads above the wave of sea change that's hit Detroit like a tsunami.
My "Word" for 2009: "hydroponics" - The process of growing Vegetables and Fruit in Water (no Dirt) using controlled feeding in a controlled environment, anywhere, continuously.
The process is "Green" from TOP ...
Why is that important or of interest?
1. Sustainability - 15,000 people can be sustained (fed) 24/7/12
from 2 acres of land (space) producing 10 to 12 crops per year.
2. "Better than Organic" food is produced because the 52 nutrients
that determine taste, size, and nutritional value are monitored
and controlled.
3. True Bio-Fuel (Ethanol) can be produced continuously from
Sugar Beets which have an 85% conversion ratio to this
"Sustainable Fuel". How much do you need?
4. Less water (1/10 th) is used to grow Hydroponic crops than
required to irrigate earth grown and the water is purified.
5. Produce is harvested daily and delivered "Fresh" to local market.
Long distance Import or transportation cost are eliminated with
reduced Tail Pipe emissions.
6. Environment is rescued and enhanced i.e. no pollution.
7. All waste i.e. all waste is converted to Electricity through bio-
mass conversion.
... To Bottom. We're "Evergreen"