Today, when you go to website for the Lorax movie, you'll find links to educational resources, but only days ago, this was not the case. When fourth-grade students from Mr. Wells’ class in Brookline, Mass. saw the Universal Studios website for The Lorax, they were appalled. Universal Studios had failed to use the website to honor the message of the Lorax. Where was the environmental material? What would Dr. Seuss have thought about a Lorax website aimed only at commercial interests? The 4 graders responded by launching the "Lorax Petition Project," a petition on Change.org that has gained more than 57,000 signatures to date.
Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
The young activists rallied 57,000 like-minded Lorax lovers (including celebrities like Ed Norton and musicians like 30 Seconds to Mars and Solving for X!) who know the meaning of "Unless." The kids made posters, wrote a script in the style of Seuss, then shot a video!
And Universal changed their site! According to Mr. Wells:
The students learned many lessons along the way, most importantly, that they can make a difference.
An executive at Universal Studios told Mr. Wells that development was already in the works, and that his class accelerated their plans. The studio has also developed environmental partnerships (to be launched soon) with Scholastic lessons, an AdCouncil USDA Forest Service "get outside" public service announcement, and two other projects with Whole Foods and Seventh Generation. With five weeks until the movie’s release, these programs may help millions to live like the Lorax.
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