While on vacation recently, my daughter and I decided we needed some relief from the sun, so we snuck away for an afternoon film about a trash compactor. I was hesitant, though, wondering of all things, what Hollywood would come up with next. However I was completely charmed! Two hours later and despite the fact that the first half of the film is silent, I didn't want it to end. My heart was touched as I was thrown into the world of WALL-E, a futuristic glimpse at a passionate, dutiful, savior-of-the-last-green-thing-on-the-planet trash compactor who was the last one on earth left to clean up the humans' mess. To say the least, I was riveted!

An Eery Similarity

Hats off to Pixar! Kids and adults alike were thrown messages that were easily digested. I pondered and used my imagination without being beaten over the head to "get it." From the looks of it in that theatre, we were all drawn in and taken away to a world that, interestingly enough, was not too far away from where we live today: personal high-tech devices in overdrive; fewer and fewer personal connections giving way to TV watching; epidemic nutritional concerns fueled by fast food at every meal; robot-like powerful and omnipresent characters; an environment (or lack thereof) in peril; computers running the world; and so on. Eerily, the similarities between film and real life continued to match up.

WALL-E grabbed me with his commitment to save the last bit of green life at all costs, even if his motivation was for the love of his life. During a skirmish between good and evil and when given the choice to save himself or the green plant, WALL-E chose to save the planet for the sake of humanity. Such selflessness is endearing in a character that doesn’t even have a real heart. The environment, incredible waste, choices we make in the name of love, lack of mindfulness, and standing up for something meaningful are just a few of the general themes fueling this sweet yet sadly reflective tale.

Time to Reboot

I walked away with a refreshed commitment to the environment. I will remind myself to walk or bike ride instead of driving the car to the store, and to run back into the house for my reusable cloth grocery bags when I forget them. I want to make these small efforts and more before our environmental problems spin further out of control. I hate needing to learn a lesson more than once. Do we need a major catastrophe or apocalypse as in WALL-E to change our current behavior?

For further validation, ask a child about the film and really listen to the response. When we were leaving the theater, my 6-year-old said, "We've really got to do something, Mom!" "You are absolutely right!" I replied emphatically. Since then, I have noticed a piqued awareness on her part. She has dutifully reminded me to turn off my car when idling for under a minute, turn off the water immediately when washing dishes and brushing teeth, and to roll down the car windows instead of turning on the AC. She and her friends are thinking, so why can't we?  What is going to take to wake us up? 

Without question, WALL-E is a must-see for those who need a reboot in order to reset their innate green button!

PLUS: See what iVillagers are saying about the movie!

This weekend, my 6-year-old daughter and her 7-year-old best buddy decided they wanted to support Earth Day by honoring their 4th grade friends who founded G.R.E.E.N. (Get Ready for Green Education Now) with an iced tea and lemonade fundraiser. I was quite happy to accommodate them since there was no way around their infectious giddiness to help out and get involved. Their pursuit to raise money on a spring break weekend while many of their friends were out of town impressed me. They were out to do good and thrilled to do so.

After making their signs out of brown paper bags, arranging the fruit bowls, preparing the lemonade and honey-sweetened peppermint tea, setting up their table and umbrella, and encouraging each car to stop, I was stunned at how few passersby actually did. The girls looked at one another in disgust while car after car flew by without stopping, and they began shout even louder. Thankfully several local police officers, a few really nice bikers, and a couple of cars ladened with kids cheering for lemonade all patronized the stand. With smiles and abounding energy, each took turns explaining where the proceeds were headed; the innocent patrons didn’t know who they were dealing with! As each used cup went into the makeshift brown paper bag garbage pail, one of girls would immediately add that tips were welcome (despite a reprimand from me!), all of which would also go to G.R.E.E.N.  Now who could resist that?!

After 1 1/2 hours, the gals made an impressive amount and had me directly drive them to their friend's home to present the donation. I have never seen my daughter so diligently approach a task like this and was very impressed with the determination of both of them. Neither of them gave up when at the beginning no one wanted to be bothered. Rule of thumb: Always stop to support and encourage a child selling lemonade, and you may just witness their joy in supporting a worthy cause. Don’t get caught up with the minutia—just keep it simple and joyful!