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Follow links for a more in-depth look at each word's origins and images. (In-depth pages are in progress and still being added!)
A
anarboralgia : loss of concentration due to lack of exposure to views of trees through windows
anthropodenial : "the a priori rejection of humanlike traits in other animals or animallike traits in us." Frans de Vaal, NYTimes, April 2016
april dregs : garbage left behind after snow melt
arbormunch : when a tree grows to engulf a statue or sculpture
arborphoria : the benficial effect of looking at trees on mood and mental performance
B
barge bums : barnacles living on the side of a boat
bitterchoke : damage done to vegetation by the invasive vine Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
bodhisizing : when a group of people resonate or communicate in a way that transcends language or words
C
candefic nex : a human-made substance unintentionally ingested by an animal which then become deadly. E.g. bleach or oil.
churum : a creature that lives exclusively in urban puddles
cleat mulch : goose poop on an athletic playing field
crowdpathing : extra paths that people make in parks
D
dauthus plasticus : death by plastic ingestion
digital jungle : the way in which nature is becoming more an engineered object and technology is becoming more complex, more like nature (Danny Hillis)
directree : when a tree grows to engulf a street sign
Disney's Law of Evolution : the process by which animals found cute by humans experience population growth and habitat protection
dove slop : trash eaten by pigeons
E
enscorcle : the act by an animal or bird of incorporating a human-made substance into a nest, den, or other object
envirolexicide : the act of removing from a dictionary a word that describes something in nature
F
fauxtotropism : a plant that grows towards artificial light, or light reflected by a mirrored building
fence-burl : chunk of tree trunk or branches remaining on a chain link fence after the rest has been cut away
filthtration : water that becomes polluted when filtering through layers of city ground-covering, rather than purified when filtered through soil
fishluv : the curiosity, affinity, and anxiety that seals and people have for each other when playing in the surf
floral confusion : when you mistake a real plant for a fake plant
florapportunist : weeds growing out of cracks in sidewalk, as in purslane or dandelion
frondlebath : the way the color of new leaves highlight the patina on a bronze statue in the spring
G
ghost hall : the structure left behind inside an abandoned mineshaft
gobsprout : to generate new words and otherwise fiddle with language
gold dust : coating of pollen on outdoor objects and infrastructure
gravenant : a man-made material being reabsorbed by a tree, rock, or dirt
gravening : tree bark wrapping around a man-made material, e.g. the remnant of a wire once used to hang a wind-chime or bird-feeder, barbed wire a plastic cord
greenfluence : green spaces are more numerous in affluent areas
H
heap what you throw : creating mountains of garbage
heir conditioning : turning on the air conditioning so you can use the fireplace in the summer
high bunk : a bird's nest on a tall building
hominal conflagration: wild fires caused by matches
hoop sag : how car tires get flat when the weather gets colder
hubcap lap : the way an animal runs from car traffic, darting
human work : a structure you come across in the woods that could only have been made by a human
K
killit : a group of wild turkeys walking around a city neighborhood at Thanksgiving time
kinderpluck : the instinctive grasping and picking of plant material, especially flowers, by children aged twelve months to 7-8 years
L
log zap : a tree that has fallen on a power line
M
maliptution : an inability or shame in communicating your natural self
Mamalite : plastic synthesized from human breast milk
mary-ding : dent in a car made by hail
melt-down break : a genetic mutation in a plant or animal caused by nuclear power plant disaster
metrocones : stalagmites and stalactites in a subway system
Milkaline : plastic synthesized at home from milk (see Slow Plastic)
mistaken trash can : litter thrown in flower pots
moshnoshing : when a vegan is eaten by another animal
N
natspeak : when a human makes any sound or gesture to imitate any sound in nature - or - the sound a human makes when they natspeak - or - any sound or gesture made by a human that is like natspeak
nutnick : dent in a car made by a falling acorn
O
origin amnesia : sense of separateness from the star dust we're made of. You are a product of thousands of loves. your one-celled elders. see also: unicellular estrangement
other air : air that arrives to your living or workspace inside inflatable packing material
P
pan-nature : all of nature including animals, plants, and humans and the objects and results of animal, plant, and human activity
petrol mortis : corpse of an animal killed by oil spill
plasmat : a mixture of garbage, leaves and dirt forming a mat on the ground
polyflor : a discarded plastic bag on natural ground, dirt, or plants
prismus lacu : rainbow sheen of oil on water
prosthetic irony : when an animal loses a limb due to human industrial activity, and is outfitted with an artificial limb
R
reanimalia : animals living in abandoned vehicles or buildings
roadwort : ivy on traffic lights and signs
root-kilter : a slab of sidewalk forced out of place by a growing tree root
rubbish kill : animal death from ingesting human garbage
S
saver culture : a lifestyle of conscious, sustainable use of materials and objects, in opposition to consumer culture
screenaxed : the way trees look on video
skreek : the sound made when a branch scrapes against the side of a building
solastalgia : "people's emotional distress when their home landscapes become unrecognizeable through environmental change"
Slow Plastic : a movement of people synthesizing plastic and plastic objects from food ingredients, to reclaim an awareness of and responsibility for plastic production and use
snowfelled : early spring garden flowers toppled by snow
sootwhistle : asthma caused by smog
spamm : when an animal ingests inorganic human-manufactured waste that can't be digested
spectrum of influence: the spectrum whose poles are: no human influence (untrammeled wilderness) to all human influence (fully manufactured cityscape)
station-weed : weeds growing in an underground subway station with minimal water and light sources
sticky rime : frost on a car windshield that's hard to wipe off
stuckwood : tree that has grown through a metal chain link fence
sunscream : the sound produced when sunscreen is applied to a 4-year old at the beach
T
the entanglement : the way in which nature and technology are becoming more and more entangled, the distinction between the two is becoming meaningless (Danny Hillis)
the murks : feeling of unwellness produced in city residents by high levels of smog
the whole anthill : the whole earth as a site of human activity
third-floor visitor : plastic bag stuck and billowing in the branches of a tree
timbercake : property squashed under a fallen tree in extreme weather
track-flaque : rain puddles in a road
transatmosphobia : worry about climate change
tuarne : the act of putting nature in a museum in order to experience nature
U
unicellular estrangement : sense of separateness from the star dust we're made of. You are a product of thousands of loves. your one-celled elders. see also: origin amnesia
Universal Declaration of Earth Rights : a resolution proposed for adoption by the United Nations General Assembly insuring the fundamental, inalienable rights of the earth and its resources
unsettling the veil : the way an airplane changes the shape of a cloud as it moves through it
V
volksunder : lying about your emissions standards
W
wet blaze : electrical fire caused by a rainstorm shorting the electricity in a building
Z
zooicide : when an animal or human is killed during an encounter at a zoo
zygoat : animals born from artificial insemination