I wrote a request on a green news forum for examples of ways that people try to be green yet end up with unintended consequences: Following reply
“How about the truly horrible and totally counterproductive national “phones4schools” project – which encourages recycling in kids – supposedly – by rewarding them with revolting, tacky, totally non-sustainable rubbish toys for each mobile phone they bring in to school. The more mobile phones you bring in, the more toys your child gets…
I have several major problems with this project:”(continued)
I’ve had my reservations about this project too, but haven’t stopped to think it through until now. Is this too controversial to debate through VoiceBox/ website? what do people think. Mark
it reinforces the message “consumption = good”
it links recycling with getting more, rather than making clear the message we all need to cut down, massively!
it rewards at the individual level, rather than encouraging children to see themselves in a wider context of the class or school – it would be so great to reward the class as a whole for instance!
I suspect that it indirectly encourages or absolves adults who are getting a new phone – “oh, it’s going to a school recycling project, so that’s a good thing” – or even, “well I wasn’t going to get a new phone, but I will now – surely new phone plus old phone to school plus kid with new toys is a good thing…”
last and least but no less frustrating – there are brand new jazzy project-specific plastic bags you’re supposed to put the phone in. Why is that necessary?
I could spit about this project, I really could. Even my daughter [5 years], who understands some of the reasons we try to live as low impact as possible, has been pestering me “Can’t you take your phone into school and get a new phone so I can win a prize?” when she’s only too happy to help pick up cans on the way home for us to recycle…
Some of the other parents at my daughter’s school also felt the project was counterproductive [and incidentally, discriminatory against those green or financially-limited families who didn’t have multiple mobile phones lying around]. But hey, some parents pointed out that this was a project proposed by other parents and we shouldn’t complain or discourage the small steps people take… So I haven’t sent my letter to the head or PTFA. An article in a wider publication about this might be far more effective!