the eco-ubiquity

On a recent search for Travel Scrabble in the Union Square Barnes & Noble, I was visually assaulted by book upon book claiming eco-this or that.  I was prompted to grumpily grumble when I passed by a Health and Wellness table showcasing a girly green diet book.  While I'm sure there is some merit to "The Gorgeously Green Diet: How to Live Lean and Green," I was annoyed by a glaringly obnoxious application of the ubiquitous "eco" prefix: "Nearly 100 Ecolicious Recipes."  Ecolicious? Stop for a second and think about it, and you'll quickly realize that it doesn't make sense at all.  Of course, you can figure out what the author was intending, but if they're sustainable recipes why didn't she just say so? It wouldn't be one word, but at least it wouldn't sound so silly.

This led me to question as I waited in line, under what circumstances is the eco-prefix acceptable?  Some over-used examples: eco-friendly. I'm torn on this one.  If it were to be used honestly, it's a simple way to signify to the consumer that this product can be used with minimal or no environmental impact. Unfortunately, there are no government standards to regulate the usage of "eco-friendly," so as it's slapped on to the labels of more and more services it's becoming meaningless. Eco-chic.  That's pushing it, but I like the way it sounds.  But ecolicious?  Absurd.