First there was “clean coal”, now there’s “green coal” – though neither would gain the approval of the Lorax. But that hasn’t stopped a Massachusetts coal startup from calling themselves “LoraxAg“, after the beloved Dr. Seuss character.
The coal-gasification company plans to make farm fertilizer from high-sulfur coal, which currently has little use, and claims that it can do so without pollution. It also runs a chemical production facility. Mike Farina, President of LoraxAg, defends the company’s use of the name.
“The Lorax is the protector of the truffula trees,” he told Mass High Tech. “We think this is the greenest use of coal.”
As the Wonk Room notes, “the “˜greenest use of coal’ is keeping it in the ground – not blowing the tops off of mountains to burn it”. It seems the Lorax would agree.
The character, who famously spoke for the Truffula Trees when a businessman chopped them down to make Thneeds, is not a fan of smogulous smoke or machinery that makes Gluppity-Glupp and Schloppity-Schlopp.
But the question of whether coal can ever be green is the least of LoraxAg’s problems. According to Karl Zobell, a lawyer for Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company is using the name unlawfully.
“We did not give permission for them to use the Lorax, which Dr. Seuss created,” Zobell told the Wonk Room.
LoraxAg, which was co-founded by the son of former New Hampshire governor and White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, is currently seeking investors. Since the Lorax isn’t here to speak for himself, we can only imagine what he would say.
“Sir! You are crazy with greed. There is no one on earth who would buy that fool Thneed!”