Ripping off Dr. Seuss in the name of coal

Massachusetts-based coal company LoraxAg reached deep into the well of greenwash when they picked their name. Too bad it'll probably get them sued.

Thu, Jan 28 2010 at 11:13 PM EST

Someone told the Lorax about LoraxAg. (Photo: RyanInc/Flickr)

Yuck. Some yahoos in Massachusetts thought it'd be a good idea to name a dirty coal company (there's no such thing as clean coal) after Dr. Seuss's beloved the Lorax, the scruffy little character who tried in vain to defend the Truffula trees from the wacking axes of the Once-ler who was keen to turn their tufts into Thneeds. Lots and lots of Thneeds.

LoraxAg, the offending company, should be receiving their cease and desist letter from Dr. Seuss Enterprises any day now after the Wonk Room called up Dr. Seuss lawyer Karl Zobell for comment on the story. It turns out that it was the first time Zobell had heard of LoraxAg, a newly formed venture that's raised over $4 million to build a high-sulfur coal factory and that didn't secure permission to use "Lorax" in their name.

Reading this quote from LoraxAg president Mike Farina makes me want to kick him in the shins (not that I would, but still...): "“The Lorax is the protector of the truffula trees. We think this is the greenest use of coal"

No, as Brad Johnson at the Wonk Room put it:

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.

I hope Dr. Seuss Enterprises is able to pry at least some of that $4 million from the bank account of soon-to-be-re-named LoraxAg.

Mass High Tech via Get Energy Smart! NOW! via The Wonk Room

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