The Lorax Environmental Panel and Movie Review

The Message of The Lorax for Today
Last week, Hewlett-Packard and Seventh Generation sponsored a panel held at the beautiful Hampshire House in downtown Boston in honor of Universal Pictures upcoming film and classic Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax. Besides showcasing some of their cross-branded Lorax products and microsites, executives from Seventh Generation, HP, World Wildlife Fund, and Forest Stewardship Council served as panelists to discuss the environment, business practices, and the overall message of The Lorax.

Companies like HP and Seventh Generation are two of the most forward thinking out there in terms of environmental strategies and taking care of our planet.

Hewlett-Packard created a tagline  “Every Inkling Makes a Difference” – which means that every little thing you think about that could help the environment, do it! HP executives take that into consideration when designing their products and enhancing their recycling policy. HP has simple advice for their users to help the environment: recycle your print cartridges, use sustainably-sourced paper, and choose your printer wisely. HP does its job by creating new printer cartridges and other products made up of a mixture of old cartridges and crushed water bottles.

HP’s Lorax microsite has incredible features to play around with such as Lorax branded printable posters and instructions on proper recycling, not to mention it’s one of the first ever dual-sided microsites. The site also features videos on HP recycling process and their partnerships with WWF and FSC.

HP has teamed up with Scholastic to provide teachers with Lorax-inspired curriculum in schools to promote discussions about environmental consciousness among kids early on. To further encourage students to think about the environment, HP is sponsoring a writing contest called “Every Inkling Makes a Difference,” open to 3 – 5 graders with a grand prize of a $10,000 scholarship.

Seventh Generation displayed their new packaging, but their environmental strategy goes much deeper than what we see on the shelves. Every product Seventh Gen offers is aimed at helping the environment in some way from packaging to raw materials. This is their first foray into movie sponsorship, but The Lorax paralleled their brand views so well they could not pass up the chance.

Representatives from the World Wildlife Fund and the Forest Stewardship Council stressed the importance of considering the long-term viability of our planet’s natural resources. They won’t be here forever! If businesses gain a better understanding of their supply chain and eliminate unwanted waste, it will greatly help the environment. The WWF and FSC will continue to fight to upgrade the quality of forest management and create standards acceptable to all to save the forests and animals living in them.

The overall message from each representative was strikingly similar: let’s be smart about what we do, what we purchase, and whom we purchase it from. Every decision we make in regards to the environment can be world-changing. If consumers agree to think about their carbon footprint, and brands agree to be transparent and keep the environment at the forefront of their decisions, we all win. That’s something the Lorax can be proud of.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

When the invitation to attend the Boston premiere of The Lorax arrived, the ten-year-old boy in me accepted without second thought. After seeing Horton Hears a Who, and enjoying every Seusical moment, the approaching premiere date represented the highlight on my February calendar.

The movie did not disappoint with its bright colors, quirky jokes, and adorable characters. The story follows 12-year-old Ted (Zac Efron) as he sets out to find a Truffala Tree to impress Audrey (Taylor Swift) because the town in which they live has forgotten all about nature. Ted enlists the help of a strange hermit named Once-ler (Ed Helms) living beyond the city limits who possesses the ability to help Ted restore trees to his town. The Lorax (Danny DeVito) serves as the protector of the Truffala Trees and may hold exactly what Ted desires to restore the natural environment of the city and win over Audrey.

The movie stayed true to the story and portrayed the environmental lesson capable of evoking emotion in viewers of all ages. Jumping through screens across the country this Friday, March 2^nd the 3D movie depiction of Dr. Seuss’ timeless tale delivers a double dose of heart and magical enjoyment.

Disclosure: Matt Moretti attended a panel and pre-screening of The Lorax on behalf of Mom Central.

Mom Central