Enlarge When the Once-ler's factories pollute the area, the Lorax, above, sends the Bar-baloots to look for a better home. GOING GREEN GOING GREEN Latest news: On environment | From Green House blog | Quiz: What's your eco-score? Earth Day: Your photos | Ways to help Green homes: 10 tips for building one | Room-by-room energy savings Backyard: Certify it a wildlife habitat | Organic gardening Looking ahead: Houses of 2020 Looking back: 40 years in the making Greenest colleges, cars and more EASY TO BE GREEN EASY TO BE GREEN As the world's rain forests disappear, one of Dr. Seuss' most powerful and controversial characters has been summoned back into action to issue a post-millennium warning. The Lorax, the story of a furry-cheeked little creature who fights to save the environment from the greedy Once-ler, has been a perennial favorite of kids and parents since it was published in 1971. Now, Dr. Seuss Enterprises is teaming with Conservation International and Random House to use The Lorax to help save the forests. The book is being reprinted with a special environmental message that describes "The Lorax Project," which is being launched today in honor of Earth Day. Ten percent to 15% of profits from the book and from Earth-friendly consumer products featuring the Lorax's image will be used to stop deforestation in Madagascar, Brazil and China. It's time to remind people of the Lorax's message, says Susan Brandt, executive vice president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises in California, which owns the rights to the works of author Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), beloved for such quirky children's books as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. "Ted Geisel wrote the book in 1971, and we all are just catching up with him," Brandt says. "We woke up to his message finally. Not just Americans — the global community as a whole." The Lorax became a cultural icon as a cautionary tale about the dangers of industrialization. It was banned in a California school district, and the band Rage Against the Machine used its image as cover art. After it was published, several timber industry groups underwrote a book called The Truax with a pro-tree-cutting hero. The Lorax depicts how the Once-ler came upon a beautiful landscape filled with colorful Truffula Trees, playful Brown Bar-ba-loots and Swomee-Swans. His first thought, however, was to exploit. He begins cutting down the Truffula Trees and using them to make sweaterlike "Thneeds" (which "EVERYONE needs!"), then builds a factory to speed production. The Lorax, a "mossy" manlike creature, tries repeatedly to stop the destruction. The book's depiction of how environmental destruction is bad for everyone is especially relevant to today's world, says Leeanne Alonso, director of Conservation International's rapid assessment program. Her job sends her to some of the most fragile areas on the planet. These include 34 "hot spots" marked by high biodiversity, endemic species (ones found only there) and the loss of 70% of their original tree cover. Three of these, Alonso says, are especially vulnerable: Madagascar, the Atlantic Forest on the east coast of Brazil, and the forest of Southwest China. How important are the 34 hot spots? More than 50% of all species are found in this tiny fraction of the world's surface, according to Alonso. These include 75% of the world's most threatened animals, birds and amphibians. She says the disappearing forests are our Truffula Trees. The Lorax "was the harbinger of what's happening now. He's saying, 'Stop cutting the forest now, or you're going to regret it later.' We're protecting the forests that are left, like The Lorax is saying." Dr. Seuss Enterprises is sending a free digital download of The Lorax to public schools around the country. The message on the book and products gives The Lorax Project's Web address, theloraxproject.com, which details how people can lead less environmentally destructive lives. Companies planning to use the Lorax image on their products include New Leaf Paper, one of the largest environmentally friendly paper companies, and nZANIA, a California apparel company that makes "hoodies, jumpers, little hats, onesies and sweatshirts" popular with kids, Brandt says. The Lorax message may also appear on children's bath and beauty products and gardening supplies, she says. The Lorax ends with a message that Alonso hopes will resonate on Earth Day. The Once-ler saved a single Truffula Tree seed, which he drops into a little boy's hands, saying: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. 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