Living Earth Project: The Lorax Environmental Issues Research

NGO for Environmental Aid

THE END

Team Trees original goal was to plant 20 million trees to combat deforestation and mitigate climate change by planting trees globally. Their mission was successful, so their goal now is to plant as many trees as possible to restore forests, protect biodiversity, and reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere. 

Methods and approaches:  One of the major contributions to Team Trees is the funds they raised through donations to support the project. Their partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, a tree-planting NGO, ensures funds are used effectively and trees are planted in areas of need. Community engagement has also played a huge part in gathering supporters through social media, campaigns, and fundraising events to raise awareness. 

How to provide support: To support team trees, we can fundraise within our school so we can donate and contribute to the efforts. Spreading awareness and sharing information about their mission on social media platforms and with individuals within our community is also a good way to provide support.

https://teamtrees.org/

Littering

• Littering is the improper way of disposing waste products.

• Throughout the movie when the business has a lot of other factories they throw banana peels out the window alongside with other trash

• Another scene where they show littering is when a truck full of trash is dumped in the river, after that it pans out to the road where you can see how dirty and how full of trash it is

• The Lorax depicts the consequences of littering on the environment, such as pollution and habitat destruction.

Real-World Example

• A real-world example of littering The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean, between the west coast of North America and Japan.

• The existence of the “patch” was brought to public attention by a racing boat on a voyage from Hawaii to California in 1997. This led to the formal recognition and exploration of the environmental phenomenon. 

• A circular motion occurs if the gyre draws debris into a stable center where it becomes trapped, creating swirling vortexes of plastic waste and other debris. 

• This threatens marine life and ecosystems by disrupting the habitas and endangering them through entanglement, ingestion, and habitas degradation. 

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-pacific-garbage-patch/

Urbanization

Deforestation

The Lorax Environmental Issues Research Project

• Urbanization is defined as the creation of larger cities and urban areas as well as the increase of population in said areas.

• Once-ler’s business booms, and enables the construction of his factory and eventually the city, all being built into the Truffula forest.

• More and more people move to the forest, increasing population pressures and excessive use of the resources have a devastating result on the forest, destroying animals homes and causing habitat destruction.

• In The Lorax, urbanization is portrayed through the development of Onceler hills.

• The action of clearing a wide area of trees (forests) and or vegetation to make way for human development

• The Lorax highlights deforestation through the destruction of the Truffula trees as it emphasizes the dire consequence of deforestation as it leads to the displacement of many species

( Brown-Bar-ba-loots, Swomee,-Swans and Humming-Fish )

• Lorax talks about the the real world impact of deforestation on biodiversity and habitat loss, underlining the importance of preserving the forest and protecting the ecosystems they support.

https://les.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/the-hub/environmentaldrseuss#:~:text=While%20visiting%20Once%2Dler%20he,regret%20of%20his%20selfish%20actions.

Real-World Example

https://monetix.io/magazines/lessons-of-the-lorax-dr-suess#:~:text=Seuss'%20%22The%20Lorax%22%20reminds,the%20need%20for%20collective%20action.

• A real-world example of urbanization is the rapid expansion of cities like Shanghai, China as it has the highest rate of urbanization among cities

• Population density of Shanghai reached 3,030 people per square kilometer in 2009, up by 19.5 percent from 2000, leading the rise to 16,000-44,000 people per square kilometer

• Population density is positively related to the death rates of many diseases, suggesting that density has something to do with two of the top three killing diseases in Shanghai.

• Density reflects the negative effect of a crowded living environment on certain health conditions, making urban growth a huge factor to environmental challenges such as air pollution and habitat destruction.

https://urbanage.lsecities.net/essays/urbanisation-and-disease-patterns-in-shanghai

Real-World Example

• Deforestation of the Amazon

• The main causes of forest conversion in the Amazon include fires and agricultural activities, with large-scale agro-industrial sectors being of particular concern

• Completion of Brazil's BR-163 highway may clear 22,000 to 49,000 km2 of rainforest, leading to harmful impacts such as erosion, river siltation, and water pollution.

• Deforestation due to soy cultivation affects not only rainforests but also other biomes like bush savannah, leading to loss of natural areas and biodiversity, threatening indigenous communities, wildlife, and contributing to climate change.

• Regulatory measures and sustainable farming practices are needed to mitigate environmental impacts.

Topics: Urbanization, Deforestation and Littering

https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/amazon/amazon_threats/mechanized_agriculture/#:~:text=It%20is%20expected%20that%2022%2C000,enforcement%20measures%20are%20not%20adopted.&text=Loss%20of%20natural%20areas%3A%20The,powerful%20agent%20of%20rainforest%20loss.