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to go green

to go green

7 3.8
Start choosing and doing things that help the environment, like recycling or using solar power
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡoʊ ɡriːn/
translation icon : volverse ecológico
  • To help reduce waste, many households are now going green by composting their food scraps.
  • way to go green
  • help you go green
  • simple steps to go green

We want to go green, but we don't want to produce any of our own.

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Examples

  • Making the Most of the Stimulus Bill: It Pays to Go Green

    Blog text (9)
  • Companies help your city or business go green, but they keep a lion's share of the financial rewards.

    Blog text (28)
  • You have a chance to actually go green through technology.

    Academic text (2010)
  • If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.

    Blog text (27)
  • As I hope you can see, we take the matters of "going green" and sustainability very seriously.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Come on, let's fix many of the world's problems, go green, and mean it.

    Blog text (29)
  • As I've often said, going green does not have to cost the earth.

  • Because if we don't go green, then there might not be a future at all.

    Blog text (4)
  • The two companies decided to build the Super Great Toilet Keeper to highlight their efforts to "go green."

    Blog text (12)
  • Solar lights are a great way to go green and get those walkways lit up bright!

    Blog text (27)

Antonyms

109 3.4

To make water, air or land dirty by adding harmful waste

How Green

to go green
7 3.8
to recycle
62 2.6

Surface Forms

go green infinitive
went green past
gone green past participle
going green present participle
go greens third person singular

Morphology

go + green

The phrase combines 'go' (come to be in a particular state) with 'green' (relating to ecological protection) in a standard English pattern 'go + ADJ' meaning 'become [ADJ]'. The meaning 'begin to adopt environmentally friendly practices' is directly derivable from the constituents and is a common, widely attested usage, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.

Etymology

The phrase go green comes from the color green, which people link to plants and nature, and the word 'go' meaning to change into a state. So to go green means to start doing things that are 'environmentally friendly' and help the planet.