News Words: Initiative

Officials at Sri Lanka’s main seaport are decreasing its depend-ence on gas-powered vehicles.

INITIATIVE

At the deep-sea container port in Colombo, 100 free bicycles are available to port workers while on the job. The bicycle initiative is aimed at saving fuel as the island nation faces huge fuel shortag-es.

In this example, initiative means a plan or effort meant to solve a problem. If you “take the initiative,” you are the first person to take action on a situation.