D’Arcy Carden knows you’re not perfect.
In a new Yellow Dot Studios comedy short, written by “Reductress” author Casey Rand, the actress — who’s known for her roles in “The Good Place” and “Nobody Wants This” — wants to give you the benefit of the doubt.
She says she knows about that time you “stole a pen from the bank” or “borrowed money from your kid’s college fund” to pay for lip filler.
Thankfully, she has “good news” for people trying to change their karmic balance.
“There’s an easy way to cancel out all the bad things you do in your life,” Carden says, entering the kitchen. “Reducing your food waste!”
Citing a study by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Carden says that food loss and waste accounts for 10% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
“That’s five times the amount of all airplanes,” Carden cautions. “And that makes the planet hotter than your undies when your office crush walks by.”
That’s where Carden’s “karma score” comes in.
“In just a few easy steps, you can make your karma score go way up,” Carden explains, pulling up a karma score scale reminiscent of “the point system” from “The Good Place” — which tallied up all of the good deeds and bad deeds that characters committed on the show.
“Did you start a rumor that your ex can’t do basic math?” Carden asks, as the karma score scale dips down to the “evil” side.
“[Then] start storing food properly to keep it fresh,” Carden advises, tossing bread in the freezer drawer as the scale’s needle flew back over to the “good” side.
“Maybe you slept with your subordinate, but he’s older than you, so it’s confusing,” Carden says, as the karma score tilts back and forth.
“There’s always going to be food scraps, so make sure they go in the compost and not the trash,” she added, dropping carrot tops in a small compost bin.
Carden’s PSA is this year’s latest installment in a series of sketch comedy shorts from Yellow Dot Studios, a nonprofit production studio founded by Adam McKay. Each short highlights environmental concerns and encourages viewers to take action.
“By shining a light on the urgency, responsible parties, and scientifically proven solutions, we aim to empower more people to be part of the conversation about what we’re facing and what we can do about it,” reads a mission statement on the Yellow Dot Studios website.
Climate change won’t be solved overnight, but reducing food waste is a “good place” to start.
“You could even axe murder someone,” Carden jokes cheerfully at the end of the video, “as long as you plan to eat the remains!”
Then she pauses, knife in hand.
“Oh, I guess that’s too far,” she admits.
Carden continues pretending to chop vegetables with an innocent smile as the camera zooms out with the message:
“Reduce food waste. Boost your karma. Help the planet.”
You can click below to watch the short:
Header image via Yellow Dot Studios
