go green

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

to adopt environmentally sustainable practices, reduce one's ecological footprint, or transition to products, behaviours, and systems that minimise harm to the natural environment; the phrase emerged with the modern environmental movement and has become a broad cultural shorthand for any shift toward ecological responsibility, from individual choices such as recycling and reducing meat consumption to organisational commitments to renewable energy, zero-waste operations, and sustainable supply chains; going green encompasses both genuine systemic changes that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental damage, and the shallower practice of greenwashing in which superficial environmental gestures are used to cultivate a positive public image without substantive change