They call me The Lorax.

I speak for the trees;

that help me breathe.

Take a moment; a breath of fresh air.

Let me tell you the story of a day in The Lorax’s lair.

The day starts like all others,

He turns off his fan in the heat of summer,

He laughs at the air conditioner user’s wallet,

Will alone keeps him cool, calm, motivated.

He saves the Swomee-Swans with a bike,

A twenty minute ride compared to a ten minute car hike,

Not a bad trade to save the day,

The lab is his final destination,

As it is the spot of his technological innovation,

Towards renewable energy salvation,

Fuel cell technology, the future of oil elimination.

Ten weeks of it under his belt,

Add in some solar panel escapade,

He spent six weeks in Malaysia learning its trade,

To him knowledge is gold,

To keep it to yourself is to scorn the world,

New information is what he seeks,

On how to power the masses,

And throw off these self-made oil sheets,

He is no rabbit, slow and steady,

For the world, one day he will be ready.

Some days are spent in the office,

Of sustainability, there he is no novice,

Where he makes his green to survive,

A work study position, here he thrives,

A green machine on campus hill,

Protests against any oil spill,

The twelfth hour rings, lunch is served,

Here a short time ago, something struck a nerve,

A life sworn off meat,

Meat: unsustainable venture he refuses to eat,

Fresh, seasonal, local all in the name of Earth,

In the name of community,

In the name of nature and all that is healthy,

It’s the change, a life style alteration,

A quick slap in the face of food industry corrupted corporation,

On his way home, he stops at the store,

No plastic bag please, my backpack will work for sure,

Spend only what you need,

The golden word is moderation,

The silver lining is to stay away from greed,

Controlling the temptation for the impulsive “thneed.”

But there’s much more to do to save that truffula tree,

Be all that you can be,

He turns of the lights when they have no necessity,

Showers in the dark because he memorized the scenery,

Living alone would be an inefficient use of space,

Many peers still waste with haste,

As an eco-rep,

He must take a step,

He tries to change their ways,

Allow them to see a future of better days,

But the task isn’t easy, the task isn’t small,

An army of Loraxes to do it all,

The job needs all the energy to spare,

Add in a composting initiative and it’s a dirty mess,

You actually have to care,

That’s why I said: UNLESS

 

By: Jonathan Witt

Aka The Lorax