Environmental awareness, education, campaigning, promotion, marketing, blah blah blah.
Here we are doing all of this work, and Dr. Seuss had it figured out all along!
The Lorax is a book I read from time to time to my four-year-old daughter. What? You have never read The Lorax? It is the quintessential story of character v. nature, and though this part may not sound good, it does end with character very much still in the lead.
While reading it the other night it occurred to me that it would make an excellent blog topic. But of course Hollywood had to come along and trump my idea and create a feature-length film based on the book (in theaters March 2nd).
In a nutshell, The Lorax is the story of a character who discovers that Truffula trees are great for making thneeds – things that everyone needs! Well, the more he makes (reads cuts down the trees), the more he sells (reads produces in pollution-creating factories). In no time at all the land around the factory is decimated, the wildlife gone, and all the Truffula trees cut down. The illustrations resemble images of the moon – gray and lifeless.
But wait! While it ends with a bleak landscape, we do learn that there is one Truffula seed remaining - one that could be planted and cared for to bring back the Truffula trees. So there is hope…
It is at this point that Dr. Seuss manages to encapsulate the green message in the simplest of terms:
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not. “
Unless someone like you:
Conserves water by using a rain barrel;
Composts food scraps in a compost bin from the County;
Recycles as much as possible at your curb, and at the Convenience Center;
Volunteers to clean up litter in your neighborhood;
Educates themselves by attending GreenFest;
Plants a tree along a stream;
Reduces your waste;
Or even just follows the simplest of tips;
“Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Laura A.T. Miller
Sustainability Coordinator
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