word choice

Half of everything at this school has the word "sustainability" attached. It's a buzzword that will get you grants and make it look like you are being environmentally conscious, whether or not you are. It's gotten to the point where the word doesn't get past the filters in my brain. Instead of scanning for key words in event summaries, I'm always looking to see if there will be actual substance or not. Too bad people are afraid to talk about interconnectedness, environmentalism and the like.

Interestingly enough, factory farms love co-opting this language, as well. In the same way they claim that no one cares about cows/chickens more than them, no one cares about the earth more than these giant farms. The funny thing is, they actually have a point. Their argument is that factory farms (though they detest the term) are far better because they requires less land for more animals. This is absolutely true. With so many people demanding meat on a daily basis (often multiple times), free range meat will not go far, and would have to expand on to far more land. Of course, it's still cruel and uses far more resources than a plant-based diet. But their use of the word is technically correct, in their context.