Universal Pictures: Let the Lorax Speak for the Trees!

Mr. Wells' 4th Grade Class -- the gang behind CatalogCancelingChallenge.com, the initiative to reduce unwanted, wasteful mail catalogs -- was excited about Dr. Seuss's The Lorax coming to movie theaters in March. But when they saw the movie trailer and visited the Universal Pictures website, they were disappointed at finding almost nothing relating to what The Lorax story was about: protecting the environment.

But that disappointment didn't lead to discouragement; it led to action! These 4th graders from Brookline, Massachusetts have created an online petition urging Universal Pictures to "green up" the promotion of this film. Complete with a video, suggestions, and a convincing argument, the petition now has over 3,500 signatures and counting.



The class writes:

Our world, like the Lorax’s, is facing major environmental problems like pollution, global warming, oil spills, littering, a Great Pacific Garbage Patch, deforestation, and loss of animal habitat. These problems will affect our future.

The Lorax movie, with its millions of dollars in advertising and massive audience has the potential to help heal the Earth. This movie can show the world we should not take our sky, water, trees, and animals for granted. It could inspire more and more people to treat Earth with the same respect you would give a child.

We’d like to see the movie live up to the potential of the book. We’re encouraging Universal to make an improved Lorax movie website that Dr. Seuss would be proud of. We recommend a “Lorax Tips” button shaped like a Truffula seed sharing ways people can help the planet. Maybe a Truffula Tree overflowing with tips and links pops up when you click on the seed! We can help you make this list, too!

With this film, Universal Pictures has an opportunity to spread the word about caring for the Earth, which is at the core of Dr. Seuss's original story. Kids for Saving Earth fully supports this tremendous effort by these ambitious 4th graders. If you love this story as much as we do, please sign this petition.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to get better, it’s not." - Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Happy New Year! Earth-saving activities for 2012

Hello Friends of Kids for Saving Earth!

Happy January and Happy New Year to all! It's not too early to begin planning your activities for Earth Day. Check out suggested and inspiring activities included in our January calendar.

One good way to get started is to send letters and drawings about environmental issues to Kids for Saving Earth. We will create a Defenders of the Planet web page for you on our KSE web site by Earth Day. You can also attach it to your school web site to spread your Earth-saving message to your school community.

To help you get started with your Defenders page, join our Write On letter writing challenge. It will encourage your students to think about what they might want to do for Earth Day. Writing a letter can cover many of your curriculum requirements: printing/writing lessons, grammar, social studies, science, geography and even music. You might want students to write a letter about polar bears and the problems they face due to global warming.

Print out these post cards on Friday the 13th and give them to your students. It will be a lucky day for the Earth when your kids agree to notify those businesses that are water-wasters. Letting these companies know that their faucets are dripping or toilets are running will help conserve the Earth's precious water. You can learn even more about water issues by checking out H2 Oh Oh. After you have studied water issues ask these water related questions to your students. Next print out the test form and ask them to test an adult to see how well they do. You can email your test results to KSE.


Finally have you ever wanted to give a special Earth-saving gift to a fellow teacher, friend or a child? Here's your opportunity to order a Kids for Saving Earth gift card. Check it out. You can order it and have it emailed or mailed to you or directly to your recipient. It's easy to redeem by using the code on the gift card. Think about Valentines Day, Earth Day, and birthdays as possible days to give gifts.

I'd like to give a special thank you to Naturepedic for fabulous donations this year to Kids for Saving Earth. We so appreciate them. Check Naturepedic out on our KSE Green Shop. The products have "no harmful chemicals, period."

For the Earth and its children,

Tessa Hill
President, Kids for Saving Earth
www.kidsforsavingearth.org
Office: 763-559-1234
37955 Bridge Road
North Branch, MN 55056