Are natural resources vital to the economy? Why should nature be taken into account when looking at the economy as a whole? "A Bee's Invoice" uncovers and incorporates the hidden value of natural capital in the measurement of our economy.
Directed by Adrian Grenier
Producers: Peter Glatzer and Robin Garvick
A SHFT Production
In association with Reckless Productions
Animation by Nocturne
Director of VFX and Animation: Galen Pehrson
Animation Producer: Sara Cline
Editor: Jeff Cowan
Music by Moby
Cast:
Adrian Grenier
Gernot Wagner
Jodi Beggs
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Featured Players:
Alfredo Flores
Brandon Flores
Kate Bea Goldman
Theodore Havel
Victor Joro
Monica Ollander
Thomas James Reed
Julian Teran
Victor Teran
LA Crew List:
Director of Photography: Chris Greco
Camera OP: Julian King
Key Grip: Cameron Bryant
Grip: Alex Francis
Gaffer: Justin Raths
Best Boy: John Iadarola
Sound: Nick Campbell
Production Assistant for SHFT: Kate McLamb
Hair and Makeup: Gabrielle Pascua
Production Coordinator / Transcription / Archivist: Marisa Gill
ADRIAN GRENIER recently wrapped production on the Warner Bros. feature film adaptation of the HBO series “Entourage,” set for release in June 2015. His other acting credits include: ”The Devil Wears Prada,” “Sex, Death & Bowling,” “Cecil B. Demented,” and “Goodbye World.” Founder of Reckless Productions, Grenier has also produced and directed such documentaries as “Shot in the Dark,” “Teenage Paparazzo,” and “How to Make Money Selling Drugs.” He is currently in pre-production on “52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World,” which will take audiences on a journey to search for the forgotten “52 Hertz Whale.”
In 2009, Grenier co-founded SHFT.com, a content creation/curation hub promoting sustainable green living through film, design, art and food. Its non-profit endeavors include the SHFT Mobile Kitchen Classroom, which provides New York City high school students with opportunities to engage in experiential lessons around food, health and sustainability.
Director's Note
"I have always been passionate about the state of our environment. There's a giving aspect to nature and what it provides us in both its ineffable beauty as well as its contribution to the things we make from it, that I found making a film about the hidden value of nature and its impact on the economy interesting to explore. Nature's material contribution to our economy is usually behind the scenes. 'A Bee's Invoice' gives me the opportunity to use state-of-the-art digital technology and computer graphics to animate and celebrate the functional wonder of nature and all the raw material it provides us without asking for anything in return. The animation allowed us to create a hyper-realistic vision of nature to help illustrate the story for a modern audience that is used to heightened visual experiences.
This topic was a learning experience and has helped to clarify for me some ideas that I've been exploring in my environmental work with SHFT.com that we need to find market-based solutions to our environmental problems. Getting accurate economic calculations by including the value and costs of climate change and exploitation of our resources are the only way we can make sure that the free markets can work to protect long-term prosperity for us and the planet. In today's economic climate I also thought it was important to excite people about what is possible for the future. I aimed to give a taste of economic principles which take nature into account, and to encourage people's economic empowerment - so that they may actively participate in building strong economies of tomorrow."
Quiz
The theory of “global warming” goes back to:
32%The 1800s
31%The 1970s
25%The Ice Age
12%Al Gore
32% of respondents chose the correct answer: The
1800s.
The theory of the “greenhouse effect” was proposed by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and
discovered in 1860 by John Tyndall, but the term “global warming” was coined in 1975 by geochemist Wallace
Broecker of Columbia University in an article published in Science magazine.
Nature has “economic value” because:
3%Bees pollinate crops
5%People are willing to pay for clear air and clean water
23%Nature provides goods and services like fish, a stable climate, and natural areas like the Grand
Canyon
69%All of these
69% of respondents chose the correct answer: All of
these.
A recently published article estimated the total value of the environment at $145
trillion per year. Environmental economics is a growing field that, in part, tries to put a price tag on how
much nature benefits people. The hope is that policymakers and businesses will be more likely to preserve nature
if they understand its importance.
The National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE) was formed by:
8%Habitat for Humanity
15%The President
10%The National Parks Service
67%The Environmental Protection Agency
67% of respondents chose the correct answer: The Environmental
Protection Agency.
The NCEE offers a centralized source of technical expertise to the EPA, as
well as other federal agencies, Congress, universities, and other organizations. NCEE staff specializes in
analyzing the economic and health impacts of environmental regulations and policies.
Twitter
where is the govt supported accessible clean water, food, access to housing? in MI, they're all being dropped or privatized.
@RustBeltRebel
Do you have clean water? Lucky! 80% of all illness in the world is due to water-borne diseases. Dirty water kills 5 million people a year.
@KeyaMorgan
I would like to see a question about the new EPA USA clean water act. How will you as governor protect the farmer? #okvotes14
@MichaelDRam
Because she had access to clean water, this 15 yr old girl is a leader in her community. How awesome is that? https://t.co/GDxC1LzOMG
@sarahhsalisbury
Why drive when you can skate? Doing our part to help Mother Earth and take in this clean air she's given us #outdoorshttp://t.co/eRdwYgU6X1
@milkco_au
Did you know?
Around 2007, China became the #1 source of CO2 emissions in the world. Today, China produces nearly double U.S. levels.
Since the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century, the level of CO2 on Earth has increased by 34%.
One economic analysis (the Stern Review) argued that failure to stop global warming could reduce world GDP by up to 20%.
