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Tasia Rasmussen
BIOL-1120
Kristen Taylor
08 November 2015
The Lorax
Comprehension and Reflection on Aspects of Conservation

Comprehending the morals and attitudes posed in The Lorax:

1. The Truffula Trees were scarce and valuable natural resources for many reasons. They
were valued for their softer than silk tufts, and they smelled good, of fresh butterfly
milk. They were scarce because it takes each seed 10 months to germinate, and 10 years
to grow into a sapling.
2. The Once-ler chopped down the first Truffula Tree because after seeing them, feeling
them, and smelling them he envisioned the large amounts of money he could make off of
them.
3. The Thneed was beneficial to consumers because of its versatility. Consumers could use
it as a sock, shirt, glove, hat, etc.
4. The Lorax thought that no one would buy a Thneed. However, the Once-ler thought that
consumers would buy them because the consumers valued convenience and versatility,
and the Once-ler was right.
5. The Once-ler created a capital resource, the Thneed, a versatile solution for everything.
Because of its universal versatility, the Once-lers business boomed, the Thneeds were
selling so quickly that he could hardly make the Thneeds fast enough.
6. As Truffula Trees began to disappear due to deforestation the forest creatures began to
suffer. The Brown Baraloots had to leave to find food since there was no more Truffula
fruit to feed on. The Swammy Swams could no longer sing due to the smog in the air.
The Humming Fish had to leave because they could no longer live in the slop.
7. It was not wise for the Once-ler to chop down all of the Truffula Trees. Not only were
they an important part of their ecosystem, they also took a very, very long time to
reproduce. The Once-ler used the Truffula Trees up without thought of replenishing the
population.
8. In the modern U.S. Economy there would be public outrage if all of the trees were
chopped down because people are so aware of their importance to the air quality and our
environment. That being said, I believe there are many other plant species suffering. If a
plant is considered a valuable resource then land is cleared in order to make room for

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farming of the valuable plant. In these cases, not only do the cleared plants suffer, the
natural state of the affected soil and ecosystem suffer as well.
9. There is not one situation which calls for the overuse of any natural resource,
unfortunately, exploitation of natural resources has become an everyday occurrence.
Human beings have become complacent, and in modern industrialized countries
convenience to the consumers has become the most important ideal to uphold. A
consumer who lives a convenient life will do all convenient things with little thought;
such as drive to work in the convenient but polluting vehicle, buy food from the
convenient grocery store or fast food joint, drive home in the convenient vehicle, waste
water out of the convenient tap while making dinner and getting ready for bed. All of
these seemingly insignificant acts are actually the major cause of the exploitation of
natural resources. A consumer who lives a convenient life will stay complacent and
ensure the future of the current economic structure and the global market place.
10. As a natural resource becomes scarcer the price will continue to rise, ensuring the wealth
and continuation of the people and companies who control it.
11. At the beginning of The Lorax the Once-ler was short sighted and full of greed. By the
end of the story the Once-ler was ashamed of himself and full of regret.
Reflecting on important issues relevant to and presented in The Lorax:
1. The Once-ler and the Lorax were both very passionate with their own views and morals,
but in the end the Once-ler won and the Lorax failed. The Once-ler was so successful in
his quest for industrialization because all of the consumers were of the same mind as him.
There was no thought of protecting the land or resources; this was a picture of
consumerism at its best. The Lorax thought to protect the future of all species, rather
than a single one. Unfortunately, he was alone in his struggle as no one else gave any
ethic or thought to the land. The consumers continued to consume but no one attempted
to replenish the precious resources which were being so quickly used up. Furthermore,
the environment was decimated by the pollution and waste which industrialization
produces.
2. Desert tortoises are important because people enjoy seeing them. I wish that this were
not a valid argument for the protection and appreciation of any species, but unfortunately
in present day this is actually a useful and valid argument. Cartoons and media exploit
certain animals for human entertainment and enjoyment such as lions (The Lion King),
tigers (Tony the Tiger), and bears (Whinny the Pooh). Because people associate feelings
with these animals, if anything is done to these animals that is widely considered immoral
(such as the killing of Cecil the lion) then there will be a public outrage and the
offender(s) will face consequences. Unfortunately for all of the other creatures who are
not widely known or cute, there will be no consequences or public outrage when their
homes are destroyed due to deforestation. There will be no help when their populations
are decimated due to pesticides intended to protect crops. I wish this were not the case

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and that such a statement were not true, for all creatures and all land should be respected
and loved in order to protect the future of the planet as a whole.
3. Aesthetic appreciation may possibly be taught, however, the way would be difficult. A
human learns values and appreciation throughout childhood, so if a parent instills
materialistic values in their child then they are likely to grow up and to the same with
their own children. What we are facing here is a continuous cycle of a poisonous
mindset. Until an individual who does not appreciate nature witnesses or experiences
something that invokes feeling toward nature as a whole, they are likely to continue about
their lives with little more than a passing glance. For example, if a person who gives
little thought to the environment has a life threatening experience, such as living through
a hurricane, they will most certainly be more conscious of the weather and the
environment at some level. Experiences change individuals perspectives on life, so in
order for attitudes to change one must have certain feelings and emotion attached to a
personal experience.
4. The reason that many countries have laws to protec animals from abuse and neglect is
because, as a species, human attitudes towards other creatures are slowly starting to shift.
Rather than viewing the world as being here for human taking, humans are beginning to
recognize, through the advancement of science, our true connection to nature and the
universe. Unfortunately, the changes in perception and attitude are coming on much too
slowly, and quite possibly too late. Though some laws do exist to protect animals, they
do not stem from humans seeing animals with their own moral standing. Rather, seeing
such abuse and exploitation of animals brings about uncomfortable thoughts, issues, and
feelings within our species. For example, if I see a beaten and bloodied animal on the
television, I feel sad and disgusted. Those are uncomfortable feelings, so I am going to
turn the channel and go about my life. However, if a petition to pass a law protecting
animals ever falls into my lap then surely I will remember the poor bloodied animal that I
saw on television and I will sign that petition. Does that mean that I feel that the animal
in question has its own moral standing, or does that mean that selfishly I do not like to
see such things, and I do not like to feel that way? Generally speaking human attitude
towards nature and creatures is similar to the general view that society has on disability.
Most people will hold the door for someone in a wheel chair. However, how many
people will, rather than just holding the door and hurrying away, care to have a normal
everyday conversation with that person? Most people will make an effort to escape while
doing the bare minimum of social courtesies because disability is uncomfortable to think
about and be around; generally speaking, disability invokes feelings and thoughts of our
own mortality, it is uncomfortable, so it is much easier to escape and ignore it than it is to
face it. This is the similar attitude which I am referring to. If humans were to view
animals as having equal moral standing as any human being then we would be forced, as
a species, to answer to our own conscience for every spider we have killed, every bug
weve killed with bug spray, and every weed we have pulled out of the garden. It is much
easier and much more mentally and emotionally comfortable for our species to continue

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5.

6.

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living from atop our high horses than to face the true reality of the destruction which we
have wrought.
I believe that the industrial use of hydrocarbons, though it does pollute the environment,
has a much lower impact on the planet than the byproducts of the agricultural industry. I
believe that the major source of the increase in greenhouse gases and global warming is
not due to me driving my car to work. Yes, driving my car is harmful to the environment,
but the many millions of pounds of pollutants released into the air each year due to the
agricultural industry is the major causer, and therefore should be the main concern to
address with regards to global warming. The agricultural industry is a major cause of
deforestation. Also concerning is the amount of excrement and waste which is washed
away from these farms and either soaks into the soil or makes its way to our water
systems. Not to mention, the amount of food and water it takes to raise one cow, for
example, compounds on the issue because it takes more farms, more deforestation, more
pollution, and more waste to feed the agricultural animals.
The Once-ler proved his greed with how he single handedly caused the devastation of the
Truffula forest, without little though for anything but money until the trees were already
gone. The Once-ler stated, I biggered my money, which everyone needs.
Unfortunately, to exist in our society today a person does need money in order to provide
for their self. There are, however, different places a person can go to in order to live off
of the land with no need for money and all that money can buy. The problem with our
society is that, generally speaking, no amount of money is ever enough, people just keep
raising the bar and want more. It is not okay to make large amounts of money while
destroying the environment, rather, those who have the money to do so should strive to
make a large and positive impact on conservation efforts.
The inscription UN-LESS is meant to make a person stop, take a moment to really
view the world around them, and contemplate that the state of things will remain the state
of things unless individuals recognize this and strive to make a change. So many great
and meaningful changes have occured throughout history because one single person came
up with an idea and passionately drove themselves to strive towards a goal. The idea is
that it only takes one singe rain drop to cause a ripple, and each of us humans are
raindrops with the ability to make changes in our personal lives. These changes will
surely cause rippling effects, furthering our progress towards a more sustainable future,
and a brighter and more hopeful future. Passion breeds passion, it is contagious, if one
person becomes passionate enough to make a change in their own life, then their example
of living is likely to bleed into the lives of those individuals who they come into contact
with.
The Once-ler stated, If I didnt do it, someone else would. This, most certainly, is not
an excuse for the havoc he wreaked on the environment. If each and every person lived
their lives hiding behind this excuse then the planet would have died long ago. If a
person ever reaches a personal dilemma which inspires this thought, or a similar thought
to pop into their head, they should immediately recognize that the action they were

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contemplating is likely wrong and not morally sound. This is a shallow and weak excuse
which people may use to hide behind and to justify their own actions to themselves in an
attempt to assuage their guilt. This is not a statement of a strong person, but that of a
confused or morally weak person who needs to sincerely consider the true nature, reality,
and consequences of their actions.
9. When the Lorax states that he speaks for the trees he is trying to convey the fact that
though the environment may not be able to speak for itself in human language, that
doesnt mean the environment cannot communicate or that it does not have a message to
be heard. Though the environment doesnt speak in English it does communicate in
different ways such as a healthy ecosystem. Healthy populations of organisms, such as
plants and animals show that the earth is healthy and functioning as it should for life to
continue as we know it. The Loraxs attitude is so sad and regretful at the end of the
movie; he truly seemed to pity the Once-ler who was so lost in his greed that he could not
see the true loss which was right before his eyes. I feel, and fear, that in present day the
human race as a whole is currently sitting in the exact same spot as the Once-ler was
when the Lorax finally left him alone and went away. If drastic changes do not occur,
and quickly, then we will know the true fear, regret, and remorse that the Once-ler felt.
Only, our story doesnt end with a second chance, rather, our story could close with the
end of everything period.