每日英語 #012: 環境與「綠色洗腦」

ESLPOD

原文: 環境與「綠色洗腦」

The Environment and “Greenwashing”

The importance of protecting and not harming the environment is an issue that more and more Americans are paying attention to, especially after Vice President Al Gore’s influential 2006 “documentary” (movie based on true events) An Inconvenient Truth.

保護環境並不傷害環境的重要性是越來越多美國人關注的問題，特別是在副總統阿爾·戈爾具有影響力的2006年紀錄片《不願聽的真相》之後。

American companies are trying to “appeal to” (make themselves more attractive to) consumers by claiming that their products are “earth-friendly” or “eco-safe,” when it is not clear whether they are or not. (“Eco” is short for “ecology,” which is the study of how people and other living things interact with their environment.)

美國公司試圖通過聲稱其產品是「對地球友好」或「環保安全」來吸引消費者，但目前尚不清楚它們是否真的如此。

This “practice” (way of doing things) is called “greenwashing,” since the color green is associated with nature and the environment. This new word comes from the old term “whitewashing,” which means to cover up or hide a mistake, problem, or “flaw” (imperfection; weakness) by putting something appealing or correct in front of it so people can’t easily see those problems. “Greenwashing,” then, means that a company is trying to hide the real way it does business by saying or claiming that the way their products are made does not harm the environment.

這種做法被稱為「綠色洗腦」，因為綠色與自然和環境相關聯。這個新詞源自舊詞「whitewashing」，意思是通過在問題前面放置吸引人或正確的東西來掩蓋或隱藏錯誤、問題或缺陷，使人們無法輕易看到這些問題。因此，「綠色洗腦」意味著一家公司試圖通過聲稱或宣稱其產品的製造方式不會傷害環境來隱藏它真正的商業行為。

The U.S. government “regulates” (controls; supervises) how some words are used in advertising. For example, companies must meet “minimum” (lowest acceptable) requirements before they can call their products “organic” (grown or developed naturally, without chemicals) or “recycled” (turning waste or garbage into new products). However, as of 2012, there are no regulations about who can use terms like “eco-friendly” and “environmentally-safe.” So, buyers looking for “green” products have to “beware” (be careful). Consumers have to ask themselves: “Is this a product that will not harm the environment or is the company simply “greenwashing?”

美國政府監管廣告中某些詞語的使用。例如，公司必須在將其產品稱為「有機」（自然生長或發展，不含化學品）或「再生」（將廢物或垃圾轉化為新產品）之前達到最低要求。但是，截至2012年，尚無法規定誰可以使用「環保」和「環保安全」等詞語。因此，尋找「綠色」產品的消費者必須小心。消費者必須問自己：“這是一種不會傷害環境的產品，還是公司只是在進行「綠色洗腦」？

重要單字：

1. Greenwashing [ˈɡriːnˌwɒʃɪŋ] - 綠色洗腦，指公司試圖通過聲稱或宣稱其產品不會對環境造成傷害來隱藏其真正的商業行為。
2. Documentary [ˌdɒkjʊˈmɛntri] - 紀於真實事件的電影。
3. Eco [ˈiːkoʊ] - 環保的縮寫，指與生態學有關的。
4. Whitewashing [ˈwaɪtˌwɒʃɪŋ] - 掩飾，隱瞞或掩蓋錯誤、問題或缺陷的行為。
5. Regulation [ˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən] - 監管，指控制或管理某事物的行為。
6. Organic [ɔrˈɡænɪk] - 有機的，指自然生長或發展，不含化學品。
7. Recycled [riˈsaɪkld] - 再生的，指將廢物或垃圾轉化為新產品的。
8. Minimum [ˈmɪnɪməm] - 最低的，指最低可接受的水平或要求。
9. Beware [bɪˈwɛər] - 注意，警惕，指提醒他人小心或警惕某事物。
10. Green [ɡriːn] - 綠色，通常用於表示與自然和環境有關的事物。
11. Appeal [əˈpil] - 吸引，指使某事物對他人感到吸引力或慷慨。
12. Ecology [iːˈkɑlədʒi] - 生態學，研究人類和其他生物與環境之間相互作用的科學。
13. Flaw [flɔ] - 缺陷，指錯誤或不完美的部分。
14. Regulate [ˈrɛɡjuleɪt] - 監管，控制或管理某事物的行為或過程。