[BIRDS CHIRPING]
Inside Apple Park, a woman carries an iPad and walks briskly down an interior corridor.
[QUICK FOOTSTEPS]
[NERVOUS PANTING]
She picks up her pace and mumbles under her breath.
[SUSPENSEFUL INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYS]
In a conference room, Tim Cook sits at a long table.
Tim Cook: [TO HIMSELF] Welcome to Apple, welcome to Apple. Hi, I’m Tim.
The woman with the iPad enters the room.
Woman with iPad: She should be here any minute.
Tim: [TO HIMSELF] How was the weather coming in? Hi, I’m Tim.
Lisa Jackson sits across from Tim. She breathes deeply. At the table, a man in an orange sweater turns to a woman in a turquoise jacket.
Man in orange sweater: [WHISPERING] I’m going to do the ‘office is already carbon neutral’ thing, right?
Woman in turquoise jacket: Yeah, all yours.
The woman with the iPad turns to a shelf and spots a dead plant.
[NERVOUS BREATHING AND MUTTERING]
She puts her iPad down and lifts up the plant. She collects its fallen leaves, tucks them into her pocket, then hides the plant behind her back.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
The light in the conference room dims. Members of the team look up. Tim turns to the window.
[WIND BLOWING AND WHISTLING]
Outside, orchard trees sway from a wind. A cluster of leaves bends in the air. The Rainbow Stage stands bright below a cloudy sky. Back in the conference room, the table rumbles. Water glasses tremble.
[GLASS CLINKING]
[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
[MUSIC STOPS]
A lady bug lands on a glass.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
Mother Nature: I hope we didn’t keep you waiting.
Tim and team turn.
[CHAIR SQUEAKS]
Mother Nature, played by Octavia Spencer, sits at the table.
Woman in plaid blazer: [WHISPERING] Mother Nature.
Tim: Mother Nature, welcome to Apple. How -- How was the weather getting in?
Mother Nature tilts her head and grins.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
The room darkens. Outside, clouds block the sun.
Mother Nature: The weather was however I wanted it to be. Let’s cut to the chase. In 2020, you promised to bring Apple’s entire carbon footprint to zero by 2030. Henry David Thoreau over here…
Tim blinks.
Mother Nature: …said, “We have a profound opportunity to build a more sustainable future for the planet we share.”
While Mother Nature speaks, the woman with the iPad silently mouths the speech.
Mother Nature’s assistant: I think our 10 o’clock said the same thing.
Mother Nature: They all do. All right. This is my third corporate responsibility gig today, so who wants to disappoint me first?
Lisa Jackson: Well, we’ve got some updates we’re excited to share with you —
Mother Nature: Materials! Status.
Mother Nature’s assistant: Is there a materials person here?
Woman with iPad: Yes. We are in the process of eliminating all plastic from our packaging by the end —
Mother Nature: Let me guess. Fifty years from now when someone else is left holding the bag?
Woman with iPad: By the end of next year, actually.
Lisa nods and smiles. A man wearing black sitting to Mother Nature’s left speaks.
Man wearing black: And we’re also currently using 100 per cent recycled aluminium in the enclosures of all our MacBooks, Apple TVs, Apple Watch.
Mother Nature: What about iPod shuffle?
Man wearing black: The... Well...
Members of the team glance at each other.
[AWKWARD CROSSCHATTER]
Mother Nature: It’s a joke! Don’t you people make Ted Lasso?
Man in leather jacket: Oh, that’s a different group.
Man wearing black: Um, we’re also phasing out leather in our iPhone cases —
Mother Nature: What about Brando over there? They phasing you out too?
The team member looks down at his leather jacket.
Man in leather jacket: Oh.
Mother Nature: What’s next?
Mother Nature’s assistant: Electricity.
Mother Nature: Electricity. Status.
Man in orange sweater: Uh, we -- we’re operating on 100 per cent clean electricity.
Mother Nature: What runs on 100 per cent clean electricity?
Man in orange sweater: Every Apple office, store and data centre runs on clean electricity, thanks to you and your powerful wind and sun.
Mother Nature: Mm.
Woman in turquoise jacket: And Apple offices are already carbon neutral.
Mother Nature: This building is carbon neutral?
Man in orange sweater: Well, yeah, we do it with a mix of clean energy and eliminating greenhouse emissions. It’s kind of like if you were to —
Mother Nature: You’re seriously explaining carbon neutrality to Mother Nature?
Mother Nature’s assistant shakes his head and swings his hand back and forth across his neck.
Man in orange sweater: Right. No, I’m sorry.
Mother Nature: You want to tell me how photosynthesis works too?
Mother Nature points to him.
Mother Nature: Don’t.
Woman in turquoise jacket: Um, also, over 300 suppliers have committed to using 100 per cent clean renewable electricity.
Mother Nature: [TO HER ASSISTANT] What’s next?
Mother Nature’s assistant: [INHALES DEEPLY] Transportation.
Man in leather jacket: I’m proud to report that we’re shipping more products by ocean rather than air, which reduces transportation emissions by 95 per cent.
Mother Nature’s assistant: Ninety-five percent?
The assistant turns to Mother Nature, who stares back unaffectedly.
Mother Nature’s assistant: Not too bad.
Man in leather jacket: I’m also happy to report that we’re investing in projects around the world that protect the earth’s soil, plants and trees.
Mother Nature: [SCOFFS] Everyone says they’re planting trees.
Mother Nature rises. She walks towards Lisa.
Lisa: We’ve planted forests.
Mother Nature’s assistant: Oh! Hello.
Mother Nature: Where?
Lisa: Paraguay, Brazil.
Mother Nature: What, are you trying to save the tropical savanna?
Lisa: Yes. And we’ve also restored mangroves in Colombia.
Mother Nature: What else?
Lisa: Grasslands in Kenya.
Mother Nature: Why?
Lisa: Our aim is to permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Members of the team nod and closely watch Mother Nature.
Mother Nature: What about your water usage?
Lisa: We’ve reduced it.
Mother Nature: By how much?
Lisa: Sixty-three billion gallons.
Mother Nature: Sixty-three million?
Lisa: Billion.
[SERENE CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
Lisa nods, her hands clasped calmly on the table. Mother Nature suppresses a smile. She turns and walks slowly to the window, her hands joined behind her back. The team watches anxiously. Outside, the sun breaks through the clouds. Tim and Lisa stand.
Tim: As you can see, we’ve innovated and retooled almost every part of our process to reduce our impact on the planet. But there’s still a lot more work to do.
Lisa: And there’s something else we wanted to share with you.
Lisa presents Apple Watch devices.
Mother Nature: You’re not trying to bribe Mother Nature with Apple swag?
Lisa: It’s Apple’s very first carbon-neutral product.
Mother Nature looks down at the Apple Watch devices on a stand. A logo with five green petals and the words “Carbon Neutral” appear below the devices. Her lips subtly turn up.
[SERENE STRINGS MUSIC PLAYS]
Mother Nature: Hm. I want to see you do more of this.
Tim: You will.
Mother Nature: When?
Tim: By 2030, all Apple devices will have a net zero climate impact.
Mother Nature: All of them?
Tim: All of them.
Mother Nature: They better.
Tim: They will.
[SUSPENSEFUL STRINGS MUSIC PLAYS]
Mother Nature stares at Tim. He looks back, a serious expression on his face. Mother Nature squints one eye slightly.
Mother Nature: OK! Good! See you next year.
Team members: [DEEP SIGHS]
Mother Nature and her assistant walk towards the exit.
Mother Nature: [FROM A DISTANCE] Don’t disappoint your mother!
The assistant looks back and nods. Tim rubs his head. Members of the team smile.
[RELIEVED SIGHING]
Team members: That was awesome.
[GLEEFUL SQUEAL]
Team members: Woo!
The woman with the iPad continues to hold the dead plant behind her back. Now, it grows.
Five green petals transform into the black Apple logo with a green petal.