Green Options

Editor’s Note: MTV’s Rainforest story was also covered on our network by Sustainablog.org.

This US News headline – ‘Is MTV Being Hypocritical?’ — may seem a little obvious. But, this time, the mixed messages aren’t about body image issues or consumerism. The hypocrisy is about the environment.

At the same time that people are praising the channel for bashing green-washing with their Switch campaign, the crews of MTV are taking part in some green-washing of their own. Hmm, hypocrisy about hypocrisy?

After the Viacom-owned network finished filming their new treasure-hunt themed “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” on a remote, uninhabited island in the Republic of Panama, locals returned to find their beach tattered and abused.

The television show, which premieres on September 17^th, took over the neighboring, inhabited island in militant style by hiring the local police to prevent residents from accessing a public beach. As it turned out, according to local witnesses, MTV had cleared a small patch of rainforest to build a tiki-hut structure near the beach, developed an access road through the forest, and installed generators and lighting on the beach.

What happens when corporations stop greenwashing…and start being real? MTV wants to find out. The NYC-based network just launched a global marketing push to tackle climate change with TV ads attacking those guilty of greenwashing. All of this is part of their youth-targeted climate change initiative called MTV Switch.

The launch includes not only TV ads, but also a series of five short films. With the

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MTV just released information about the 20th (yes, 20th!) season of granddaddy of reality television shows, The Real World, and looks like RW will revisit the city of its second season, Los Angeles (more specifically, Hollywood).

What’s this got to do with the environment? Well, MTV is claiming that this season will have a green slant. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the show, The Real World

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According to a new poll by Youthography, America's youth consider being environmentally friendly a top priority. Sixty-percent believe the government should be doing more to protect the environment, and seventy-five-percent believe the world will be more polluted in twenty-five years. However, the poll also reveals that this concern doesn't always translate into action.

MTV has been trying to change that. With a year long campaign launched last Earth Day

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MTV's Pimp My Ride will give a '65 Chevy Impala an eco-makeover, transforming the car into a real green machine. With a little help from the show's crew (Xzibit and Mad Mike), and the guys at G.A.S (Galpin Auto Sports), this beat up classic will get a 800 horsepower diesel engine modified to run on biodiesel.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a special appearance in the episode and gives his approval for the pimped

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