1. Green
2. Carbon footprint or carbon offsetting
3. Maverick
4. First Dude
5. Bailout
6. Wall Street/Main Street
7. Monkey
8. <3 (Emoticon for “heart” used in text messaging and email)
9. Icon or iconic
10. Game changer
11. Staycation
12. Desperate search
13. Not so much
14. Winner of five nominations
15. It’s that time of year again

The university’s 34th version of the Banished Words List was just released. Selected from 5,000 entries, these are the 15 most useless, overused, or misused words and phrases of ’08 and should/will be banned from the Queen’s English, according to LSSU sources.

Here’s a clip from their press release about the environmental terms that are driving them crazy:

Environmental buzzwords are getting the axe this year. “Green” and “going green” received the most nominations.

GREEN – The ubiquitous ‘Green’ and all of its variables, such as ‘going green,’ ‘building green,’ ‘greening,’ ‘green technology,’ ‘green solutions’ and more, drew the most attention from those who sent in nominations this year.

“This phrase makes me go green every time I hear it.” Danielle Brunin, Lawrence, Kansas.

“I’m all for being environmentally responsible, but this ‘green’ needs to be nipped in the bud.” Valerie Gilson, Gales Ferry, Conn.

“Companies are less ‘green’ than ever, advertising the fact they are ‘green.’ Is anyone buying this nonsense?” Mark Etchason, Denver, Colo.

“If something is good for the environment, just say so. As Kermit would say, ‘It isn’t easy being green.’” Kevin Sherlock, Hiawatha, Iowa.

“If I see one more corporation declare itself ‘green,’ I’m going to start burning tires in my backyard.” Ed Hardiman, Bristow, Va.

“This spawned ‘green solutions,’ ‘green technology,’ and the horrible use of the word as a verb, as in, ‘We really need to think about greening our office.’” Mike McDermott, Philadelphia, Penn.

CARBON FOOTPRINT or CARBON OFFSETTING – “It is now considered fashionable for everyone, tree hugger or lumberjack alike, to pay money to questionable companies to ‘offset’ their own ‘carbon footprint.’ What a scam! Get rid of it immediately!” Ginger Hunt, London, England.

Mike of Chicago says that when he hears the phrase ‘carbon footprint,’ “I envision microscopic impressions on the surface of the earth where an atom of carbon forgot to wear its shoes.”

Christy Loop of Woodbridge, Va., says that ‘leaving a carbon footprint’ has become the new ‘politically incorrect.’ “How can we not, in one way or another, affect our natural environment?”

BTW, you gotta love an institution for higher education that has a duck hunter on its home page. Perhaps it’s their mascot.