Dictionary

greenovator en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Blend of green + innovator. First introduced in a German-language 2009 study on customer segments of automobiles by management consulting firm Arthur D. Little Zukunft der Mobilität 2020 – Die Automobilindustrie im Umbruch?, though it seemingly circulated under the radar with American city engineers.

Meanings

1. (neologism) A consumer focusing on environmental and sustainability concerns rather than prestige offered by the opportunity of owning a luxury item.
   • Sustainable urban mobility plans aim at streamlining this flow and integrating the different areas of urban management in order to develop space for residents, city workers, and tourists. Besides, the car is still seen in some societies as a symbol of material status. In addition, within the group of car users, there are several specific groups that differ in priorities and preferences, such as Greenovators, High-frequency Commuters, Silver Drivers (Szmelter & Woźniak, 2016). 2019 July 12, Agnieszka Szmelter, “Car-related mobility patterns of Polish Y generation – implications for future urban transport”, in Transportation Research Procedia, volume 39, →DOI, page 515:
   • The Greenovators are particularly interested in small vehicles, with the most advanced low-emission technologies, and electric vehicles. 2019 October 4, Elena Candelo, “Towards the 2030s: Unusual Times Call for Unusual Strategies”, in Marketing Innovations in the Automotive Industry. Meeting the Challenges of the Digital Age, volume 37, Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, page 191:
   • Peter Nierengarten, Director of Sustainability and Resilience for Fayetteville, AR, told me how he participated in an hour-long discussion about the use of the term sustainability at the 2012 USDN meeting in Portland, OR. Cities are using terms such as livable (Milwaukee), homegrown (Minneapolis), and greenovator (Boston). 2015 July 16, Myria Allen, “Changing Paradigms, Shifting Societal Discourses, and Organizational Responses”, in Strategic Communication for Sustainable Organizations. Theory and Practice, Springer, →DOI, page 55:

Forms

wikipedia: Arthur D. Little