By Elise Jones, blog editor
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” The Lorax
With a message so strong it is hard not find it applicable to any of the environmental threats we face today. Dr. Suess wrote the book The Lorax in 1971. In 1971, Greenpeace formally came into existence. Cigarette advertising ended on television in US. Oil was being spilled on America soil and thermonuclear warheads were being tested in the U.S. It was not lost on Americans that our environment mattered and was in trouble.
Fast forward to 2012 and our children are also acutely aware of the environment, whether it is from recycling or from our choice of eating organic foods. But as a parent, I find so many times I am making the green choices for my children and they aren’t quite sure as to why, except it is the healthier choice. This is where The Lorax became the poster child for my green reasoning (not to mention my top Dr. Seuss book).
The book and movie (which are different; the movie creates a rated-G, puppy-love story that doesn’t exist in the book) are all about how a man discovers Truffula trees and uses their soft tufts to create a thneed (a shirt, sock, scarf, rug, etc all in one). Once the thneed become popular, the man cuts all the Truffula trees down to create more thneeds. This causes a ripple effect in the habitats of the animals that live there (bears, fish, birds) and the Lorax is the creature that speaks for them all and tries to stop the man from chopping down the trees and ruining the environment. The Lorax isn’t successful and it paints a grim picture of what happens when we use up our natural resources for economic reasons. But in the end there is hope and message of care.
Do yourself a favor and pick up the book. Then go see the movie. I took my three- and five-year olds to it and they were enraptured. Once you are home, read the book again and talk to your children about why the man is wrong in his complete need for greed and money in disregard to the need for others and the environment. Share why it is important to not cut down all of the trees and how polluting the waters leaves the fish with nowhere to live. These simple lessons are so easily illustrated with the choice words only Dr. Seuss could imagine and made part of our lexicon.
There are so many lessons to be learned from the Lorax and the language and simple plot are a very easy way for parents to introduce these important environmental messages to children.
You can also join the campaign to help save the real-life Lorax forest: www.theloraxproject.com. This initiative is designed to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire earth-friendly action worldwide for individuals of all ages. The website has ideas on how to lead a green life and projects to do with children.
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