I have a new crush.  He’s 2 feet tall, rusty and cleans like nobody’s business.  Problem is, his heart belongs to someone else…his name is Wall-E.  After weeks of whining, negotiating, and all out begging, my husband and I finally broke down and took our boys to the movies.   I cozied up in the seat with my Junior Mints and soda, thinking this was going to be yet another hour and a half of animated silliness.  What I didn’t expect was leaving that theatre completely enlightened.  Caution!!  If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want to spoil your Wall-E experience, skip this next paragraph!

The story is set in 2700.  Wall-E is a robot that works for the Buy ‘n Large retail conglomerate. He has been left behind on Earth to clean up excess garbage left behind after humans destroyed and abandoned their beautiful planet and jumped ship to a luxury space liner.  On the space liner, humans live with their every whim attended to by simply pushing a button on their automated moving chairs.  Change of clothes? Push button 1.  Lunch? No problem… button 2.  With this automated lifestyle you can only imagine what these dynamic people are reduced to.

Wall-E is left behind to clean up the planet and he methodically does so, just as he always has. Earth has become one large garbage dump and Wall-E assumes the monumental task of cleaning up all the waste left behind by humans.   Then comes Eve…a beautiful, sleek robot who is sent to Earth from the space liner to look for any signs of life.  Wall-E eyes her from across the wasteland and immediately falls in love.  In an effort to win her over, Wall-E gives Eve a small struggling plant, which she takes back to the space liner.  This is the one morsel that can help grow and sustain life on Earth once again.   Eve and Wall-E are successful in fighting off a string of bad guys and manage to free the humans from their trance and return them to Earth with the precious plant. They have received a second chance.  We may not be so lucky.

WallE gives us a glimpse of what our future could be like if we don’t take better care of our planet.  A planet with more material waste than trees. 

Our wish is that we all take a little time to assess the way we are currently living.  It doesn’t have to be so difficult!   My sons even came away with a better understanding of what impact their habits can make on this planet.  They don’t hesitate to point out “glitter” (3 year old speak for litter) on the side of the road.  They noticed a couple of plastic bags adorning the beautiful beaches on our last vacation and scaled the sand dunes to grab them…saving their beloved birds and turtles.  They are all about saving their Earth.  If only we could all have that passion.

What small change can we make on a daily basis to reduce our consumption? 

~Recycle more 

~Change our lightbulbs to more energy efficient ones

~Purchase groceries with less packaging (and carry them home in a Neela bag instead of a plastic one!)

~Plan meals for the week to reduce the amount of food tossed out.  

These little changes can add up to big change over time.  I think Wall-E and our future generations would greatly appreciate our efforts.  Let’s lead by example in teaching our children that less is more … and to take care of our beautiful planet.