Carbon Neutral

On January 3, Channel 11's "Chicago Tonight" host Phil Ponce interviewed Chicago's own Erin McKean, Editor-in-Chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary. The dictionary annually selects a Word of the Year, and this year "carbon neutral" won the prize.

A blog posting about the occasion: http://blog.oup.com/oupblog/2006/11/what_do_al_gore.html.

What does this say about the penetration of global warming into society? I'm not sure, but this news coupled with the fact that even the cashier at the thrift store I visited in a suburb of Indianapolis over the holidays mentioned global warming in her chit chat about the weather, is the final word for me that something is shifting.

What does carbon neutral mean, and how do you achieve it? Check out this great article on Grist.org about the companies that offer services to help you reach your goal. And don't forget about Chicago Climate Exchange.

Thanks to Betsy Martens of the Lake Forest Open Lands Association for the heads up!