Princess must choose between a lifestyle of luxury (boring!) and cleaning up a mountainous mess. The only question is: will her parents let her have her way? This ecological fairy tale involves an unplanned pony ride up steep and stinky Trash Mountain, and the simple steps back to an entirely different future.Set on a vast and beautiful prairie, the story follows royal farming folk (the Hays) on their journey as they take neighborly advice and transition from living off the land to living a life of consumerism. Seeking to live like the rest, King and Queen Hay learn some difficult lessons. Lucky for them, their princess has eyes and ears, a nose, and a will of her own. Retracing their steps together, with the help of a wise old pony, they find their way home to a life with a future, one they can enjoy together.Suitable for children of all ages, this story is about rural North Americans, and it leaves us questioning what we are doing to our own kingdoms and what legacy we will leave our children.Following this fairy tale is a list of resources to current research on the effects of burning garbage and the alternativesan indispensible tool in the practical teaching of environmental truths.