There are few people more beloved by generations of America's parents and America's youth than Dr Seuss, the (One indicator: search Dr Seuss and there are only 3.6 million web hits.)
Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr Seuss) had a real passion on the environment. From the bio at Suessville.com,
On a broader spectrum, however, Ted was concerned about the environment as a whole; he wanted manufacturers, business, and individuals to take responsibility for their actions. The Lorax ... weaves a familiar tale of a good thing gone wrong. ... Ted remained true to the Seussian style, but still managed to shame the current generation and challenge the next generation by demonstrating the pitfalls of progress ... "unless"
Unless, of course, it is convenient for a fossil-foolish venture to stomp all over this legacy
While far from the only environmental theme amid his writing, theoretically a children's book, The Lorax remains one of the strongest pieces of literature highlighting the serious necessity to understand the implications of our actions on the complex systems-of-systems in which we live.
With this in mind, it is rather shocking to learn that this iconic statement of environmental values and morality is being associated with a commercial activity that is far from the standards that a 21st century Dr Seuss would apply to judging 'environmentally friendly' activity.
LoraxAg is planning to build plants to convert coal to fertilizer. Coal is far from what The Lorax would value yet this linkage is quite direct.
"The Lorax is the protector of the truffula trees," [company president Mike Farina] said. "We think this is the greenest use of coal.
Coal as clean? Where have we heard that greenwashing mendacity before?
Now, even assuming that this is a zero-pollution activity post mining, there is that issue of mining, that pesky little issue of mining ... of blown-up mountains and contaminated rivers, of unremediated moonscapes on earth, of black lung disease, of ... Yes, green ...
And, well, it is hard to see that The Lorax would strongly endorse industrial farming supported by large-scale fertilizer activities.
Now, with more detail in hand, is it possible that the coal gasification approach to reducing natural gas requirements for agricultural fertilizer demand could, actually, make sense as part of the path toward an Energy Smart future? Perhaps ... perhaps. On the other hand, would we be far better off to pursue a renewable energy option to make fertilizer? Without a doubt. (Note: LoraxAG makes a point, strongly, about how their approach would bring jobs back to the United States. Well, so would using renewable power to make fertilizer such as via S.A.F.E.)
Even so, even if it would 'make sense', does it seem likely that Dr Seuss and The Lorax would endorse this product?
Well, Brad Johnson at the Wonkroom followed up my original post on this issue and found that the answer is, well, no.
The "greenest use of coal" is keeping it in the ground — not blowing the tops off of mountains to burn it. While advanced technology to find less toxic use for high-sulfur coal is admirable, comparing it to the Lorax’s call to protect natural resources instead of plundering it is ludicrous. Furthermore, the comparison is an unauthorized copyright violation, the Wonk Room has learned.
"We had never heard of it until we heard from you," Dr. Seuss Enterprises lawyer Karl Zobell told the Wonk Room in a phone interview. "We did not give permission for them to use the Lorax, which Dr. Seuss created. Typically we don’t like people to use Dr. Seuss terms without permission."
Now, perhaps this arrogant greenwashing and, well, likely copyright violation should be given a pass. After all, those involved are Republican operatives, including Michael Sununu, John Sununu's son. What, after all, would you expect from them?
Sadly, their greenwashing has an echo coming from the Halls of Congress. What, after all, did President Barack Obama say during the State of the Union address the other night?
But to create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. That means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies.
Coal is clean, coal is clean-energy jobs ...
What would The Lorax say?