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MTV Teaches Panama About Hypocrisy: Destroys Rainforest for Real World/Road Rules

MTV Real World/Road Rules Challenge Cast Members Pose on Panama BeachEditor’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?

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MTV launched the Switch campaign to try to teach people that not every thing that’s “green” is really green. And the TV ad that’s been all over the air-waves features a cartoon character singing a ‘green song’.

And, wait, last year, MTV totally built the Real World houses with solar panels and sustainable wood. So, that means they’re cool right?

Unfortunately, no. After the recent filming of the Real World/Road Rules challenge on an uninhabited island in Panama, locals came back to find the beach and environment destroyed and rainforest demolished. All so that a tiki hut, road and generators could go up on the beach.

See pictures of the devastation here.

This, I think, is what the little cartoon guy was warning us about.

Watch the ‘Green Song’ here.

Photo Credit: MTV

Read More About MTV’s Environmental ‘Efforts’:

MTV Taps Online Video to Kill Greenwashing
MTV Cuts Down Rainforest for Reality TV Show
MTV’s The Real World Goes Green?

Written by Kelly Dunleavy

Kelly lives in San Rafael, CA (which is across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco). She competes competitively in triathlon and spends nearly all her time on her bike, in the pool or out running some of the best trails in the country.

After graduating from UC Berkeley, she worked at a start-up fashion magazine for a year and learned more about fashion and photo shoots than she ever wanted to know. She's starting a new job as a reporter for the local MarinScopes newspapers and harbors dreams of becoming the female Edward Murrow. You can read more about her at her website and blog: kellydunleavy.com

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