5 Grains of Environmental Wisdom & Humor from Hacks for Earth Month
Hacks is back in bloom this Earth Month, with Season 4 episodes blossoming away. Starring Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart as Ava Daniels and Deborah Vance, the Emmy-award winning show has cultivated green characters and plotlines throughout. Now pitted against each other, the two women have to overcome simmering tension while working on their late night show.
Showcasing how climate change fits into comedy, Hacks won the Paul Junger Witt Comedy Award for Season 3, Episode 5 ‘One Day’ at the lastest EMA Awards. Creators Lucia Aniello, her husband Paul W. Downs, and their friend Jen Statsky, gathered Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) climate script feedback for that episode. Offscreen, NBCUniversal, the studio behind Hacks, went from earning an EMA Green Seal for the production of its show in 2021 to earning Gold Seals in 2022 and 2024. The studio set up its Greenerlight Program in 2023, taking sustainability into account from script to screen.
Diva Cups vs. Tampons
If there were an Emmy for cutting plastic, Diva Cups and reusable pads would win Best Eco-Friendly Performance. A single Diva Cup can replace over 2,000 tampons, which means skipping hundreds of plastic applicators and wrappers and up to 180 kg of waste over a lifetime. Since disposable pads are up to 90% plastic and take centuries to decompose, switching to reusables gives the planet some much-needed reprieve.
One ecofeminist moment from the get-go is Ava using a Diva Cup for her period in Season 1, Episode 9. Unfortunately, Ava’s falls out of her bag while trying to escape a snarky, undercover job interview. Luckily, another woman picks it up for her! Menstrual cups can be expensive, but pay out in the long term. Ava’s cup could last up to 10 years if she doesn't drop it again, eliminating the recurring costs associated with purchasing disposable products monthly.
Boomer vs. Gen Z
It would seem that Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to care about the environment and come off as being fussy for this. But this doesn’t have to be in a silo. Ava attempts to bridge the informational and empathetic gap between her generation and that of Deborah’s, mirroring Hannah Einbinder’s personal climate efforts offscreen.
After asking for oat or soy milk at a comedy club in Sacramento for her coffee, Ava is confronted with an unfriendly waitress and Deborah, being the Boomer she is, making fun of her, screeching, ‘Oh, God. The entitled millennial is gonna have to drink 2%. Emergency! Somebody get an EPIPEN!’ (Season 1, Episode 8).Ava counters, ‘Tell me, what exactly do people think millennials are entitled to?’
‘Oh God, here we go, ’ groans Deborah.
Ava continues, ‘Expensive-ass health care? The planet ruined by ignoring climate change? Yeah the only thing millennials are entitled to is our future grandchildren running around the desert hellscape sucking shriveled dicks for water or whatever. And also, most importantly, I’m Gen Z, okay? Some millennials are like 40.’
Russell Crowe vs. Big Oil
Climate terrorism is no laughing matter, but Hacks manages to make it one. (I still get paranoid when I have to fly after reading The Ministry for the Future).The dramedy has Jimmy, played by writer Paul W. Downs, sent to anger management in Season 2, Episode 4. Over the phone with Deborah, he reports how bad his situation is and divulges that Russell Crowe is his accountability partner.
‘Does he scream a lot?’, Deborah asks.
‘Worse, he just whispers. Pretty sure he’s a climate terrorist because he talks a lot about finding the oil men in their homes (...) Chilling, Jimmy responds, clearly still affected.
In real life, Russell Crowe has been praised for his climate advocacy. During the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, amidst the Bushfires in Australia, he used the awards platform to share a powerful message through Jennifer Aniston: ‘The tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate change-based. We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy, and respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is.’
Dolphin vs. Trash
The average American produces 4.9 pounds (2.2 kg) of trash per day, which adds up to nearly 1,800 pounds (around 820 kg) of waste per year—about the weight of a small car. This is a heavy load for the planet, which is why small swaps (like a Diva Cup or reusable pads) can actually tip the scales in sustainability’s favor.
When kicked off a lesbian cruise in Season 2, Episode 4, Ava’s Molly kicks in, she starts dancing while the dingy pulls them away. She notices what she assumes is a dolphin, only to have Deborah give her a harsh reality check, ‘No, that’s just trash’. The dancing continues nonetheless. Juxtaposing dolphins with trash beautifully encompasses the hope vs reality of some environmental situations.
Reality vs. Not This Reality
According to the IPCC's Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, coral reefs are projected to decline by 70–90% with global warming of 1.5°C, and by over 99% with 2°C of warming. Those numbers are depressing enough to send anyone into an eco-anxiety spiral or straight out denial.Having ‘had to read like 500 pages of fucking research on how the coral reefs are collapsing’, Ava resorts to escaping into an ‘alternate reality’ (Season 3, Episode 1). Wearing a bulky headset and playing an alternate reality game, she appears comically to be blindly jabbing at the air - opting for denial over depression.
Hacks continues to champion climate scriptwriting, proving the relevance and humor of planetary plots and subplots. Celebrate this Earth Month by looking out for further (if slightly more interspersed) grains of Earth wisdom and humor in the rest of Hacks Season 4. And for those in LA, EMA’s Impact Summit returns this May 8-9, bringing entertainment and sustainability closer together.