How do you get people to recycle? It is a quandary that we, as a nation, have yet to figure out.
In an effort to combat this age old problem, this August, Kansas State University tried to rally their community to be more ecologically conscious by inventing a mascot called "Ecokat." Ostensibly, she is a sort of super-hero that helps you recycle? In K-State's words she is a "crusader of conservation and fanatic of fluorescents."
Suffice it to say, this is not going well. Much of the publicity about EcoKat has been mocking, especially on twitter, where it is one of Kansas City's top trending topics. A youtube video featuring Ecokat already has 152 dislikes and only 7 likes.
The Kansas CIty-Star has more:
For every tweet in defense of EcoKat are dozens more mocking the mousy mascot. A sampling: “#EcoKat makes me want to leave my porch light on 24hours and drive two blocks to the gas station for a pack of gum”; “In honor of #EcoKat, I will separate my plastics, glass and aluminum from one another... then put them in the trash anyways”; and “Pretty sure I have my halloween costume figured out this year. Thanks, #ecokat.”
For our part, we have to commend Kansas State for trying to get people to recycle. Talk about giving the old college try! What do you think of Ecokat? Cool or the worst?