My sister in Jerusalem sent me this link from Lake Superior State University, which (apparently) has been issuing lists of words for 34 years that should be banished for overuse. This year, the top two are "green" and "carbon footprint" or "carbon offsetting."

To which I say, what do you want to call it instead?

The list is composed via nominations made throughout the year, so this does express the people's voice. But "it" needs a moniker and I haven't thought or heard of anything better.

Of course it's the season for gatherings of friends and neighbors. But increasingly, 'tis also the season for solar power — and I'm speaking of "season" in the eon sense. Friday night, I joined about 30 other guests at a neighbor's home not to share holiday cheer but to learn details about home photovoltaic installations.

People who know of my interest in sustainability sometimes ask where to start, and my answer has varied over time, dependent on what new action I've been exposed to.

Perhaps this states what's obvious to others, but I've only recently come to understand that the right answer is the first one, whatever that is. Whether one starts with here or there doesn't matter nearly as much as having started.

According to Noah Bierman at the Globe, Boston-area commuters stayed with the T in October, even though gas prices had declined from their outrageous highs.

It will take at least another month to know if that is just a blip or if it signifies a long-lasting change. But it's promising news.

Shannon Koenig and I met this morning to talk about conservation. We met through Sustainable Arlington, a grassroots effort to promote planet-friendly consciousness and practices in our town.

Georgie and I have trekked twice to Western Mass. recently to check out green buildings (though the first time, we had the added incentive of attending our niece's 7th birthday party.

I mention a few action items in my post about GreenFest. But also that day, I got on the mailing list of The Green Decade Coalition/Newton, an apparently very active group. Here are some events from my first mailing from them...

Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 4, a tour of four solar homes and a community solar project. Gather in Newton at 9:30; tour is 10-2. $18 at the door. More information here.

I don't know anyone who doesn't have some reservation with the term "green" to describe the movement toward a more environmentally sound future. (Brian Butler, owner of Boston Green Building and a recent respondent to my "Green People" series (and how inadequate is that as a name for a series!) is the most recent example I've encountered.)

Nature showed a bit of ingratitude this weekend, washing out the two planned days of Greenfest and dampening the make-up day Sunday. Though the tables were protected top and sides by tenting, there were still plenty of opportunities to get wet, and I watched an informative presentation by architect Bill Boehm with my shoes in puddles of rainwater.

Still, I learned a few things...