Time to vote: New expressions, sans oil & gas
Plus a frustrating update on electric vehicles at the Rose Parade.
Last month, I griped about common expressions that use oil and gas lingo, the classic example being “cooking with gas,” which was coined by gas companies as a marketing slogan. I listed five fossil fueled turns of phrase that I find especially annoying, even if they aren’t actually industry propaganda:
Cooking with gas
Burning the midnight oil
Well-oiled machine
Out of gas
Step on the gas
Why not come up with new expressions, I suggested, maybe even expressions inspired by clean energy? I asked you all to brainstorm, with the promise that we’d vote later.
The time has come. Dozens of people offered more than 100 ideas. Thank you!
Some were a bit clunky (“step on the speed selection pedal!”), others clever but wonky (“cooking with gauss”). Many were endearingly sincere. (“Well-nurtured meadow” as a substitute for “well-oiled machine” was one of my favorites, although not original).
Rather than send you 100 options, I picked out a few of my favorites. Click here to vote; I’ll share the results soon. The creative minds behind the top vote-getters will win one-year paid subscriptions to Climate-Colored Goggles, free of charge.
As I wrote last month, language matters. The words we use affect how we think about the world, often subconsciously. Let’s try to be intentional in 2026.
My personal New Year’s resolution? Start describing the Dodgers as a “well-nurtured meadow” instead of a “well-oiled machine” in casual conversation. Maybe I can’t get the team to stop taking fossil fuel money. But I can probably get some fellow baseball fans to stop and look at me funny and ask what on Earth I’m talking about.
And then, hopefully, I can spark a conversation.
A sad day for the Rose Parade
This time last year, I wrote about going to see the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena and loving that the very first float was a giant ad for electric vehicles. Sure, the “Electrified Dreams” float was arguably greenwashing by its sponsor, Honda. But still, what a gorgeous reminder that clean cars are the future.
With the 2026 Rose Parade three days away, I’m frustrated to report that Honda — the event’s top sponsor — isn’t even bothering with greenwashing anymore.