Writing Prompt for Earth Day
Recently I re-read the 1971 Dr. Seuss book The Lorax. It has such a powerful message that it actually made me sad. Who knew a Dr. Seuss book could do that?!
Basically, it's told from a "Once-ler's" (a boy who's grown up) point of view. He once came upon a wondrous land filled with Truffula trees, Bar-ba-loots (like bears), Humming Fishes, and all sorts of amazing creatures and plant life. The Once-ler was captivated by the Truffula trees and chopped one down to make a "Thneed." Then he chopped down more, and more, and more to make more Thneeds. Thneeds were shirts, hats, gloves, etc. Before you knew it he was greedily mass-market producing Thneeds in his factories, and selling them all over the world. But it created pollution, killed the plant and wildlife, and soon all the Truffula trees were gone, and plant and wildlife dead.
He went to the Lorax for advice. The Lorax was a creature we never saw, but apparently he had banished himself from the ruined earth, and lived up above a rock etched with the word, "UNLESS." The Lorax told the Once-ler to plant the last saved truffula seed, and maybe, just maybe, all would not be lost. It leaves you with a sense of hope. But also, the story is a cautionary tale not to fool with Mother Nature. This line really stuck with me from The Lorax:
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it's not going to get better. It's not."
It made me think we EACH have to take responsibility to the best of our ability, to take care of the earth so our world doesn't end up like the one the Lorax left behind. So inspired by Dr. Seuss. . .
There are so many simple things to do. To begin, I'll name a few.
- Bring your own bag to a store to shop for clothing, school supplies, etc. Nag your parents to bring re-useable grocery bags.
- Re-use wrapping paper to wrap gifts. Or use newspaper or magazine pages. (not only eco-friendly, but you can start a new trend!)
- Use a metal water canister instead of water bottle.
- Use a cloth towel instead of paper towels to dry your hands.
- Conquer your fears of the dark, and skip the night-light!
What are YOUR tips? Let me know in the Comments below, and also join other eco-friendly kids on the Save the Planet Message Board. Let's see how many great ideas we can share.
—Ratha, Stacks Writer
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