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MTV Launches PSAs for Environmental Causes — Unrelated to Recent Trashing of Panama Rain Forest and Beach

Seemingly unrelated to — and uncognizant of — recent news and outcry about the destruction of rain forest and beach in the Republic of Panama, as sustainablogger Alex Felsinger wrote about earlier this week, MTV Networks International is issuing 10 public service announcements to rally youth for the environment.

In a Sept. 15 article published by AdWeek, the new “MTV Switch” initiative will roll out as five PSAs and five short films, potentially reaching, MTV says, 560 million 15- to 25-year-old viewers in 162 countries.

The AdWeek article lists out the scope of MTV’s efforts in the campaign:

  • An animated clip about “False Greens,” with an animated character encouraging viewers to think about the meaning of ‘green.’
  • Kids reenacting a video game rather than playing it, hoping to spark creativity in youth for ways to entertain themselves away from the need for electronics.
  • “Connected,” which links imagery such as Greenland’s ice caps to consumer-generated waste, and to the broader ecological message.
  • “The Element Climate Change Series,” telling the stories of five young people who are making a difference, such as Marsha, who won the Australian Young Designer of the Year Award for creating a bio-plastic molded car that is nearly fossil-fuel free.

John Jackson, director of social responsibility at MTV, kicked-off the “Switch” campaign in June with some spots, but the full roll-out on 165 channels began last week. In the article, he says:

“MTV wants to tackle the issue of the environment in a way that provokes thought and engages the audience,” Jackson says. “We wanted to show opportunities for change. What are the things that you could be doing rather than the things that you shouldn’t be doing.”

Related posts:

MTV Cuts Down Rainforest for Reality TV Show

MTV Taps Online Video to Kill Greenwashing

Image credit: Joe Crawford on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

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