A sprout in a boot, a river who lost his name and a speaker of trees.
These are the stories of our childhood: “Wall-E,” “Spirited Away” and “The Lorax.” Gen Z and Millennials are some of the first generations to grow up with an environmental consciousness. A mindset where we think about the environmental impact of our daily lives.
Maybe that has made some of us worried about the future. But really, it has made us more prepared than we may have realized to battle climate change. We just need to remember the lessons of our childhood.
Sprout in a boot
While we haven’t gotten to the point where we need motorized chairs because we are so attached to our screens, we have distanced ourselves from nature. As the internet has become easier to access and smartphones allow for instant entertainment, we have become more reliant on the digital world.
However, technology, like solar panels and hybrid cars, can aid us in reversing the effects of climate change. But “Wall-E” reminds us we are still part of nature regardless of technological innovation.
The futuristic humans of “Wall-E” are so detached from Earth they aren’t even on it anymore — surrounded instead by metal. However, Wall-E’s devotion to the sprout in the boot shows us that humans and the Earth rely on each other.
We are part of an ecosystem, and we need to maintain a balance between technology and nature. This cautionary tale shows we cannot let technology consume us to the point we believe we are above Mother Nature.
A river who lost his name
“The river was called the Kohaku River. Your real name is… Kohaku,” said the protagonist of “Spirited Away,” Chihiro Ogino. Up until then, Kohaku was nameless, under the control of the greedy bathhouse owner, Yubaba.
Yubaba was said to be able to take away one’s name in order to control them. However, as a river spirit whose river was filled in to build apartment complexes, Kohaku lost both his identity and his home.
Hayao Miyazaki, the director of “Spirited Away,” often highlights environmental themes in his works. “Spirited Away” tackles many other issues, but one of the main environmental issues brought up is urban development through the character of Kohaku.
According to a research article in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, if population density continues, by 2030 it is estimated there will be an increase of 1.2 million kilometers to urban areas.
It is also no coincidence the main villain of the movie is greed. “Spirited Away” touches on themes of overconsumption from resources to material goods. We can even think of urban development as consuming the natural world around us.
“Spirited Away” gives us the lesson to respect nature and reminds us to use its resources in moderation.
A speaker of trees
A circular pile of rocks, one word remaining: “Unless.” These ominous words remind us, readers, that the future will be worse unless we start to care and take action. The Lorax was originally written by Dr. Seuss in the 1970s and was made into an animated film in the 2010s. However, both works put an emphasis on the dangers of capitalism.
Unlike in movies, in real life, there is no bad guy. We are all players in this. We do good acts and bad ones, which is why we must hold ourselves, our loved ones and institutions accountable.
There is power in the consumer, as the multipurpose Thneed shows us. But we are meant to use that power, collectively, to demand companies be more eco-friendly in their practice.
We are all speakers through our consumerism, and we are all meant to be speakers of the trees.
However, the lessons all these films hold is hope: “Wall-E” with the planting of farms, “Spirited Away” with Chihiro saying “I think I can handle it” and with The Lorax with the message of “Unless.”
We, students, are already living through one global crisis, and we know better than anyone that acting now and working together are key. We already have the answers.
While we have a long way to go, we are heading in the right direction. We just need to approach this with a little bit of hope and through our inner child’s eyes.
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Abigail Murphy, senior in journalism with minors in history and women and gender studies, is the operations managing editor at The Auburn Plainsman.
