There are several parts to this – you may do one part, all three, or any two of them 
Your choice.
Part 1
Relate the following two quotes from “The Lorax” to the current issue of Climate Change:
1. “I chopped down just one tree, I’m doing no harm!” – the Once-ler to the Lorax
2. “But if I didn’t do them (meaning bad deeds) than someone else would.” – the Once-ler to “himself”
Part 2
This will be more challenging in terms of research online. One of the Humming Fish states “I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie” while he is leaving the “glorious place.” – To what is the Humming Fish specifically referring to? Keep in mind the time period (which you will need to include) of the movie and this problem and include the link(s) where you found your information.
Part 3
Response to the “Unless” at the end of the movie. What is your “unless” in the face of climate change?
Reminder – responses are due on Sunday, 04/26! Ms. F
Part 1
We always say, ‘I’m just one; I can’t do any damage, and I can’t do any good’. Imagine if all our lives we all thought like this? In that case, we’d all be running wild doing wahtever we like and absolutly destroying our planet.
One paper towel roll, or even just one sheet, doesn’t seem like much at all, but several sheets a day used everyday by everyone can certainly add up to ALOT. The same theory can be used to describe the Once-ler and his original one tree. His one tree turned into one factory, eventually killing and endangering entire populations. The one once-ler turned into many employees and families polluting the earth!
Just think: that one tree might be home to thousands of birds, insects, squireels…. the list goes on and on. One thousand Once-lers who kill just one tree each adds up to 1,000 trees killed. This math is very simple.
‘If I don’t do something wrong-then someone else will’ is also another horrible thought. Whether or not the Once-ler did bad to the earth, does NOT determine whether or not someone else will harm our precious planet or not. The Once-ler was simply adding to the bad of the dangerous harm being done to Earth.
By: Meagan (7th) on 04/26/2009
at 3:59 pm
PART 1
1. The Once-ler said to the Lorax that he only chopped down one tree but one soon turned to many and many turned to almost all. We thought that if we only cut one tree, it wouldn’t do any harm. Today we are stuggling with global warming. Deforestation is 20-25% of all carbon emissions entering the atmosphere. We are losing millions of acres of rainforests each year which is equivalent to the siz of Italy. Imagine that!
2. The Once-ler said to himself that if he didn’t do the bad deeds, then someone else would have. This is probably very true. If the Once-ler didn’t start the problem, someone else would have eventually found out about it and started it themselves. Perhaps it also means that fires could start on their own causing carbon emissions to enter the atmopshere. Either way, we would still end up with the same problem… global warming.
PART 2
When the Humming Fish states his line, he is referring to the pollution in the water. He knows that this problem (global warming) isn’t just happening in the “glorious place,” it’s happening all over the world. “The Lorax” was first published in 1971, which means that global warming was been going on since the then and maybe even earlier.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=when+was+the+lorax+published%3F&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=3&u=http%3A%2F%2Fclubs.ncsu.edu%2Florax%2Fl-analysis.html
PART 3
At the end of the movie, the little boy asked the Once-ler why the Lorax left “Unless.” My “Unless” for global warming consists of many things. We, as one, can do so much to help prevent global warming. We can drive less, decrease air travel, replace all light bulbs with energy-efficient flourescents, line-dry our clothes whenever possible, and PLANT A TREE! All are good ways to help prevent this world-wide situation.
By: Dafina A. on 04/26/2009
at 4:10 pm
Part 1
The quotes“But if I didn’t do them than someone else would.” and “I chopped down just one tree, I’m doing no harm!” can both be justifications for destroying forests and keeping factories running. The first quote can mostly relate to deforestation which many forests are facing today. The second quote can relate to how people today are trying to protect the environment, but are not willing to give up activities that are actually harming the environment because everyone does them, or because they may feel that it wont make a difference.
Part 2
By: Viktoria on 04/26/2009
at 4:24 pm
Part 2
The Humming Fish is referring to the phosphorous and algae pollution in lake Erie in the 1960s. This pollution killed many of the fish in the lake.
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/lakeerie/primer.html
Part 3
The unless I think the Lorax meant was unless people start to close down polluting factories and cutting down rain forests, the world is going to come to a similar end as in The Lorax. Also, unless could mean that we will not be able to stop global warming unless an alternative energy source is found other than the one we use today.
By: Viktoria on 04/26/2009
at 4:33 pm
I have studied the Great Lakes many a time, and know that in the not so distant past there was large quantities if pollutants dumped into the Great Lakes water system especially by factories and industries, not excluding the Detroit automakers. Anyways when these pollutants are dumped in any of the Great Lakes it all flows through the system, eventually traveling through Lake Eerie, not that they really had to travel far seeings how many of the pollutants came from local sources. Lake Eerie is a rather thin and shallow lake and is diverse compared to the other great lakes in that this causes the pollutants to become very concentrated. When environmental restrictions and ideals were at there worst during the past century or so (the same time period as Dr. Seuss) there was such a concentration of flammable pollutants that the surface of the Lake was actually in flames for several days. With this occurrence the need for environment protection greatly increase because people started to realize that “UNLESS” something was done the same occurrence may happen again.
Unfortunately for our (humans and all organisms alike) Earth is suffering the effects of bad decisions especially those made by humans. Anyways, people have yet to (on a massive, as in billions of people) realize that “UNLESS” something is done about the problem that the Earth may not be saved, or will be saved to late and will not recover, like Lake Eerie has.
By: Dallas on 04/26/2009
at 10:51 pm