Eva Longoria — actress, director, advocate, mother, and wife — has been busy during the coronavirus pandemic like many adults. In her case, stay-at-home orders led her to spend more time at home, caring for her young son and cooking. Longoria said she has been lucky to be able to take this time away from her career, but recognizes that many people, especially women, have been struggling to juggle additional responsibilities with work outside of the home. Now she is encouraging women to find ways to protect their mental well-being..
"I am, of course, very privileged to be able to stay home and be with my baby. There are so many people that don't have that luxury and still have to go to work and still have to be in danger without PPE," Longoria said.
In addition to family duties, this summer the Desperate Housewives star emerged as part of a women-led ownership group behind Angel City, the new Los Angeles-based team in the National Women's Soccer League.
"It was really exciting because it was a venture capital group that is by women, looks for women. I mean, it's all-around a holistic approach to having representation," Longoria said.
The urge to be part of a groundbreaking moment, in sports and soccer history in particular, according to Longoria, was sparked by the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, whose years of domination on the field was often coupled with demand for equal pay.
"We should have equal representation in government, in companies, in life, in media. So, this was a good way to exercise that," she said.
Longoria has long been recognized as an advocate and activist, and this year she was selected to be the host for the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention.
"I wasn't there as a celebrity or as a famous person. I was there as an American. I was there as the daughter of a veteran, the daughter of a teacher, as a small business owner," she explained.
Now, Longoria has a new project underway: a campaign with Tillamook Creamery to draw attention to the country's agricultural needs, especially as food insecurity becomes a growing concern amid the pandemic.
"They're going to donate 10 percent of their sales, up to a donation of $1.6 million dollars, to the American Farmland Trust. That's to help farmers in many ways, whether it's protecting their farmlands, improving their farming methods, so many things," she said.
The actress, who admits to being a fan of the co-ops' ice cream, also noted the public campaign that encourages social media users to thank farmers and use the tags #AllForFarmers and #Sweepstakes. Tillamook will randomly select 10 lucky consumers to win a year's worth of free ice cream.
VR/AR collaboration platform Spatial is diving head first into the Metaverse. The company is switching up its image--now branding itself as 'the metaverse for cultural events,' aiming to become the new virtual hub for NFT galleries, brand experiences, and large-scale conferences. Jacob Loewenstein, Head of Business, Spatial, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the company's pivot.
e.l.f Beauty is celebrating a significant milestone in its sustainable journey. Since launching its Project Unicorn initiative in 2019, the company has eliminated more than one million pounds of packaging materials. Ashley Rosebrook, e.l.f. Beauty's chief creative officer, who spearheaded this effort and has continued to work to reduce the brand's carbon footprint, joined Cheddar to discuss this initiative and what the company aims to do next.
The Omicron variant is raising concerns about how safe it is to travel, just as millions of Americans were getting ready to jet set away for the holidays. Scientists are still trying to understand how much protection vaccines offer against the new variant, and many questions remain unanswered. Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, gives tips on how to travel safely and comments on the aviation industry's ongoing recovery from the pandemic.
Carlo and Baker cover the latest data showing the Omicron wave has likely started, Pfizer's Covid pill, Jan. 6 and a box office rescue attempt courtesy of Spider-Man.
As 2021 is approaching its end, the meme stock mania that surrounded companies like Gamestop and AMC this year doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Stocks for both companies plunged to their lowest levels in months on Monday, but on Tuesday, traders seemed to come to the rescue, as the stocks for both companies saw rebounds. Great Hill Capital Chariman Thomas Hayes joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Upward Farms is an indoor vertical farming company on a mission to heal our broken food system and reconnect consumers with organic locally-grown food. The Brooklyn-based company uses its controlled environment farms to grow organic leafy greens, which are sold at whole foods markets in New York City. Upward Farms co-founder and CEO Jason Green joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. Today's word of the day is "Infrastructure." Definition: (noun) the basic physical and organizational systems that uphold the structure of the economy.
The U.S. cannabis industry is on track to hit almost $25 billion in sales, according to New Frontier Data. Vivien Azer, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, and Russell Stanley, managing director and equity research at Beacon Securities Limited, join Cheddar News to give their predictions for the budding industry in 2022.
As more states begin to legalize recreational marijuana, there's a growing interest in legalizing cannabis cultivation. As the rise in cannabis farms expands across the U.S., more research is being done to examine its impact on the planet. Michael Katz, executive director at Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, joins Cheddar News to talk about the carbon footprint of cannabis farms.
