Celebrate Earth Day with Lessons from The Lorax

Celebrate Earth Day with Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax movie with these fun ideas. And learn why protecting the trees is so important. This post is part of a sponsored blog tour with Universal. All thoughts and comments are my own.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax has always been one of my favorite books, so I was very excited when I learned it was being turned into a movie. 

The Lorax movie is great but I have to say, the part where the girl is talking about trees and how she has never seen a real live tree is horrifying to me. It’s horrifying because we may see a time when kids have never seen a forest, what a sad world that would be.

We are cutting down our forests at an alarming rate, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that we lose 13 million hectares of forests per year.

These trees are being cut down for a number of reasons; logging, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, ranching, and more. There are many impacts deforestation will have (and in many cases, is having) but one that is often overlooked is the impact it has on animals.

One example is how the loss of rainforests has greatly impacted orangutans. The Sumatran species is now critically endangered. A lot of their habit is being lost due to palm oil production. Without trees, orangutans can’t survive. So what does all this mean? Well as the Lorax said in the book, we must speak for the trees.

“I am the Lorax! I speak for the trees,
Which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please;
But I also speak for the brown Barbaloots,
Who frolicked and played in their Barbaloot suits,
Happily eating Truffula fruits.
Now, since you’ve chopped the trees to the ground
There’s not enough Truffula fruit to go ’round!
And my poor Barbaloots are all feeling the crummies
Because they have gas, and no food, in their tummies.”

How to Save Trees Lessons from The Lorax Movie

These are some things we can do to learn and do more to save our trees and protect our forests for future generations to enjoy. They are also great activities for Earth Day or Arbor Day.

Learn from The Lorax

It’s a good idea to start by reading The Lorax book and watching The Lorax movie. It will get everyone thinking and you can have a discussion after the book and movie. 

Do a Fun Lorax Craft

There are a lot of fun Lorax crafts and recipes out there. You can search for some favorites or choose from this list of Lorax crafts that I put together on my other blog Green Oklahoma.

Plant a Tree

Let your kids choose a tree they want to plant and help find a good place to plant it. Over the years they can care for the tree and watch it grow. Make sure to choose a tree that is native to where you live and good for the location where you are planting it.

Avoid Palm Oil

Palm oil is in a lot of packaged food and is often grown in the rainforest and is responsible for a lot of deforestation. You can also learn more about palm oil and ways to avoid it.

Eat More Local Food

Eating local food means less transportation and often less deforestation. When possibly buy from small farms and look for farms that use sustainable farming practices.

Buy Recycled Paper Products

Reducing your use of virgin paper products means fewer trees need to be cut down. You can find recycled paper products in most stores. You can also find paper products made from more sustainable resources like sugar cane.

One of my favorite places for sustainable paper products is Thrive Market. They care a lot of paper alternatives for your home as well as recycled paper products.

You could even start working on setting up a  paper-free kitchen together.

Recycle Your Paper

Get the kids involved by having them help you make recycling bins. You can get simple cardboard boxes and let them design them, or paint nicer containers, the ideas are endless.

Where to Watch The Lorax

Looking for a good place to watch The Lorax? There are many ways to watch this classic film, even some free ways to watch The Lorax.

One of the best ways to watch The Lorax for free is to check your local library. Also check to see if your library offers Hoopla which can allow you to stream movies for free.

You can also purchase The Lorax so you can watch it every year for Earth Day. It’s a fun tradition to start with your family. The best option is to look for it at local used stores if possible.

Follow the Lessons from The Lorax Blog Tour

Want to see whatelse you can learn from The Lorax? Check out all of these great posts from The Lorax Blog Tour!

• You Don’t Need a Thneed
• Why Nagging Doesn’t Work
• 3 Ways Your Family Can Protect the Earth
• Ways to Channel Our ‘Inner Lorax’ at Home

More Sustainable Living Posts

Looking for resources on sustainable living? You will find a lot here on Retro Housewife Goes Green, here are some to get you started.

• Ways to Make Earth Day Every Day
• 40 Frugal Tips for Sustainable Living
• The Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Tips
• Eco-Friendly Tips from 1950s Housewives

You can also find more sustainable living resources on my other website Green Oklahoma. It’s not just for people living in Oklahoma.