You'll find that my hobbies outside of schoolwork consist almost entirely of watching movies. A couple of weeks ago I was watching Disney Pixar's "Wall-E" with a couple of fellow space-fanatics in the Whitin Observatory. As someone who had seen the movie numerous times as a child (and even dragged myself through the video game), I welcomed the nostalgia.

In case you need a bit of a refresher: trash-compacting Wall-E has been spending the last 1,000 years creating skyscrapers of garbage, curating a collection of his favorite relics of modern history, and befriending a cockroach. When shiny, trigger-happy probe EVE arrives on Earth looking for plant life, Wall-E develops a crush so strong that he rides a rocket ship back to one of the human space stations so he doesn't lose her. The robots then work together to get the plant they found on Earth to the ship's core, so the humans (who all look like DJ Khaled) know it's time to return home and rebuild. For a love story between two robots, "Wall-E" has always been regarded as emotionally moving and inspirational for viewers of all ages. And, as a college student, the imagery of Wall-E holding his own hand, rocking himself to sleep, and making the Windows startup noise in the morning is still painfully relatable.

But, of course, with this nostalgia comes an ominous sense of foreboding, especially in light of recent events (if I had a dime every time we heard that phrase in the past month). With new reports coming out about emission levels, the deviousness of oil companies, and the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, we find that our country is drifting a lot closer to that desolate, garbage-filled wasteland than we are willing to admit. Surely this was the original message that Pixar intended to represent, but with the news cycle closing in on the formation of President-elect Trump's cabinet I can't help but wonder if the writers of "Wall-E" are considering opening an augury business. If you're still unconvinced, remember how the Buy-n-Large Superstore CEO became the President of the United States, then proceeded to destroy the planet?

Speaking of powerful white men, Trump promises to repeal environmental protections and to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement as soon as he steps into office. Alongside him in this endeavor is Myron Ebell, who will likely be running the Environmental Protection Agency. And who, coincidentally, does not believe in global warming, and has been described lovingly as an "oil-industry mouthpiece."

When it comes to environmental issues, many of us advocate over Twitter, Tumblr, and online petitions. Like the compliant, lounge-chair-ridden humans of the "Wall-E" world, we prefer the world on our screens than the one that actually needs help. As effective as online advocacy can be, there's only so much you can accomplish from inside your living room. There are little things you can do, like buy rechargeable batteries and eBooks, but also find ways to explain your concern to your legislators, aka the people who actually set the guidelines for what kind of carbon footprint our nation will leave on the world. It's actually far more effective to call their offices (even though you will be talking to one of their aides, who will later brief your representative in person on the lives of his or her constituents) than to write a letter that'll just join the pile. Don't know who to call? This website helps you find your congressional representative, and most calls are automated.

At this point, our only redeeming quality is that most of Americans actually believe in the detrimental effects we are having on our planet, even if world leaders don't. Rewatch "Wall-E" to remind yourself of what we are capable of. And what will undoubtedly happen if we're not careful.