environmentally friendly
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environmentally friendly
Describes products, processes, or behaviors that put little or no strain on the environment or damage it little or not at all.
Wir versuchen, umweltfreundliche Reinigungsmittel zu verwenden.
We try to use environmentally friendly cleaning products.
The adjective is composed of 'die Umwelt' (the environment) and 'freundlich' (friendly). So it literally means 'friendly to the environment', which makes the meaning very transparent.
Der Kauf von regionalen Produkten ist oft umweltfreundlich.
Buying regional products is often environmentally friendly.
The ending '-freundlich' is very productive in German. It can be attached to many nouns to express that something is good or positive for that thing, e.g. 'benutzerfreundlich' (user-friendly) or 'familienfreundlich' (family-friendly).
Das Hotel wirbt damit, besonders familienfreundlich zu sein.
The hotel advertises itself as being especially family-friendly.
Common nouns that are combined with 'umweltfreundlich' (environmentally friendly) include 'Verpackung' (packaging), 'Energie' (energy), 'Heizung' (heating), 'Verkehrsmittel' (means of transport), or 'Produktion' (production).
Wir heizen unser Haus mit einer umweltfreundlichen Wärmepumpe.
We heat our house with an environmentally friendly heat pump.
'Umweltfreundlich' (environmentally friendly) can also be used as an adverb to describe how an action is carried out. In this case, it is not declined.
Viele Menschen versuchen, umweltfreundlicher zu reisen.
Many people try to travel in a more environmentally friendly way.
green
'grün' and 'umweltfreundlich' can both mean that something has to do with environmental protection. 'umweltfreundlich' is more precise: it says that a product, action, or method puts little strain on the environment. 'grün' often sounds more general and can also refer to a political direction, an idea, or a lifestyle. Learners may confuse the words because 'grün' is often used in advertising and everyday language to mean sustainability. If you want to say precisely that something does little harm to the environment, 'umweltfreundlich' is usually clearer.
Beim Einkaufen achte ich auf umweltfreundliche Verpackungen.
When shopping, I pay attention to environmentally friendly packaging.
Die Stadt plant ein grünes Projekt mit mehr Bäumen und weniger Autos.
The city is planning a green project with more trees and fewer cars.