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Increasingly customers are looking for more conscious shopping options. According to a Nielsen survey in 2018, nearly half (48%) of U.S. consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment.
But while many consumers are interested in spending their money on products that are more sustainable, few actually follow through. An article in the 2019 issue of Harvard Business Review revealed that 65% of consumers said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, but only about 26% actually do so. It's unclear where this intention gap comes from, but thankfully it's getting more convenient to shop sustainably from many of the retailers you already support.
Amazon recently introduced Climate Pledge Friendly, "a new program to help make it easy for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products." When you're browsing Amazon, a Climate Pledge Friendly label will appear on more than 45,000 products to signify they have one or more different sustainability certifications which "help preserve the natural world, reducing the carbon footprint of shipments to customers," according to the online retailer.
Amazon
In order to distinguish more sustainable products, the program partnered with a wide range of external certifications, including governmental agencies, non-profits, and independent laboratories, all of which have a focus on preserving the natural world.
<p>To qualify as Climate Pledge Friendly, a product must be certified by one of the 19 different sustainability certifications, including Amazon's own <a href="https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=21221609011" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Compact by Design</a> certification. Compact by Design-certified products are made with more efficient packaging by removing excess air and water, making them lighter and therefore more efficient to ship. "At scale, these small differences in product size and weight lead to significant carbon emission reductions," according to Amazon.</p><p>Other certifications include <a href="https://www.bluesign.com/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesign</a>, which means qualifying products are responsibly manufactured by using safer chemicals and fewer resources, including less energy, in production; <a href="https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fairtrade International</a> products are produced in line with ethical and environmental standards, including supporting farmers to tackle climate change challenges; and <a href="https://fsc.org/en/about-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Forest Stewardship Council</a>-certified products support responsible forestry, helping keep forests healthy for future generations.Details about the other Climate Pledge Friendly Certifications can be found <a href="https://www.amazon.com/b?node=21221608011" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>All the Climate Pledge Friendly products can be found at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ClimatePledgeFriendly" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon.com/ClimatePledgeFriendly</a> and include grocery, household, fashion, beauty, and personal electronics products, and more. </p><p>With shopping more sustainably now easier than ever before, there's no reason not to.</p>
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People who downplay the threat of this pandemic are as deadly as the disease itself
01.26.21
Images via Canva and Unsplash
If there's one thing that everyone can agree on, it's that being in a pandemic sucks.
However, we seem to be on different pages as to what sucks most about it. Many of us are struggling with being separated from our friends and loved ones for so long. Some of us have lost friends and family to the virus, while others are dealing with ongoing health effects of their own illness. Millions are struggling with job loss and financial stress due to businesses being closed. Parents are drowning, dealing with their kids' online schooling and lack of in-person social interactions on top of their own work logistics. Most of us hate wearing masks (even if we do so diligently), and the vast majority of us are just tired of having to think about and deal with everything the pandemic entails.
Much has been made of the mental health impact of the pandemic, which is a good thing. We need to have more open conversations about mental health in general, and with everything so upside down, it's more important now than ever. However, it feels like pandemic mental health conversations have been dominated by people who want to justify anti-lockdown arguments. "We can't let the cure be worse than the disease," people say. Kids' mental health is cited as a reason to open schools, the mental health challenges of financial despair as a reason to keep businesses open, and the mental health impact of social isolation as a reason to ditch social distancing measures.
It's not that those mental health challenges aren't real. They most definitely are. But when we focus exclusively on the mental health impact of lockdowns, we miss the fact that there are also significant mental health struggles on the other side of those arguments.
<p>For one, what about the mental and emotional distress of watching people you love die of a preventable disease? If lockdowns are hard on mental health, what do we think allowing the virus to spread unchecked (even more than we already have) and kill even more people would do? People talk about lockdowns causing economic distress as if the alternative would eliminate mental health struggles. I don't see how a drastically increased death toll would be better. </p><p>The top five life stressors, according to University Hospitals, are: </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Death of a loved one</li><li>Divorce</li><li>Moving</li><li>Major illness or injury</li><li>Job loss</li></ul><p>Only one of those stressors comes with lockdowns (unless you count divorce from being cooped up with your spouse, but relationship troubles are <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201203-why-the-pandemic-is-causing-spikes-in-break-ups-and-divorces" target="_blank">even being reported from</a> countries without lockdowns). Two of them at least, death of a loved one and major illness, would be experienced far more without public health measures. </p><p>The pandemic was always going to be a choice between a rock and a hard place. There was never a way to avoid suffering here—we were either going to have mass death or mass economic strife (or both, as we've found out the hard way by really screwing up the response). And both of those options come with a mental health toll. </p><p>Arguably, however, the economic struggles are preferable to the deaths in every way. The government can choose to help citizens financially, thereby easing the mental health burden of a job loss until the economy rebounds. The government can't undo the death of a loved one, and that impact is permanent. </p><p>Then, what about the mental health impact of losing our faith in our fellow citizens?<span></span></p><p>We've spent the past year going through the largest mass death event of our lifetime, and half of us have spent that year trying to convince the other half that it's actually happening. Not even trying to convince them of the best way to handle it, but <em>simply that it's real</em>. The constant battling of denial and misinformation is exhausting and demoralizing. Handling the pandemic would be hard enough if we were all on the same page. But seeing and hearing people treat 400,000+ dead Americans as either not real or not a big deal is enough to make you lose your mind.</p><p>And then there's the emotional toll of realizing that a number of your fellow countrymen see elderly/disabled/overweight/Black Hispanic people as expendable, that an unreal number of Americans would rather see hundreds of thousands of us die than wear a mask, and that a disturbing percentage are far more likely to listen to conspiracy theorists than the world's most respected scientists. The ignorance and paranoia are hard to take. The inhumanity of it all is devastating.</p><p>So now people who already struggled with their mental health also have to process a loss of faith in humanity. That kind of existential stress is hard to quantify, but it's real. Some of us have tried to teach our children that most people are good and kind, that selfishness and self-interest are the exceptions and not the rules. Now we're stuck with this daily deluge of evidence that a startling number of people simply aren't willing to sacrifice at all for the greater good, and trying to explain why that is to our kids. </p><p>As a result, we feel less safe and secure. We feel frustrated and angry. We feel sad and weary because it didn't have to be like this. We struggle to find hope that we'll be able to turn this thing around. Watching our fellow Americans insist that basic public health measures are tyranny, that their individual liberty is <a data-linked-post="2649453818" href="https://www.welcometoterranova.com/american-freedom-in-a-pandemic" target="_blank">more important than collective freedom and well-being</a> no matter what the cost, and that objective reality isn't real—and then seeing all of this result in far more sickness and death than there needs to be—has an emotional impact every single day. </p><p>So yes, let's keep talking about mental health in the pandemic, but let's not pretend that people are only struggling due to lockdowns and social distancing. The inhumanity we've seen from far too many is taking its toll as well. </p>
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Let's Do More Together
Meet the people infusing their communities with love and support when it’s needed most
01.16.21
True
If the past year has taught us nothing else, it's that sending love out into the world through selfless acts of kindness can have a positive ripple effect on people and communities. People all over the United States seemed to have gotten the message — 71% of those surveyed by the World Giving Index helped a stranger in need in 2020. A nonprofit survey found 90% helped others by running errands, calling, texting and sending care packages. Many people needed a boost last year in one way or another and obliging good neighbors heeded the call over and over again — and continue to make a positive impact through their actions in this new year.
Welcometoterranova and P&G Good Everyday wanted to help keep kindness going strong, so they partnered up to create the Lead with Love Fund. The fund awards do-gooders in communities around the country with grants to help them continue on with their unique missions. Hundreds of nominations came pouring in and five winners were selected based on three criteria: the impact of action, uniqueness, and "Welcometoterranova-ness" of their story.
Here's a look at the five winners:
Edith Ornelas, co-creator of Mariposas Collective in Memphis, Tenn.
Edith Ornelas has a deep-rooted connection to the asylum-seeking immigrant families she brings food and supplies to families in Memphis, Tenn. She was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old with her parents and sister. Edith grew up in Chicago, then moved to Memphis in 2016, where she quickly realized how few community programs existed for immigrants. Two years later, she helped create Mariposas Collective, which initially aimed to help families who had just been released from detention centers and were seeking asylum. The collective started out small but has since grown to approximately 400 volunteers.
<p>
In 2020, Mariposas shifted gears somewhat to help immigrants in the community who have lost their job or income stream due to the pandemic. The volunteers bring food and other essential supplies to families' homes, but Edith often lingers beyond the initial drop off, providing a sympathetic ear for families dealing with high levels of stress. Her patience and genuine concern inspires other Latinx people to come into the Mariposas circle and become community leaders, which in turn is making Memphis a more welcoming place for immigrants.
</p><p>
<strong>Tom Dittl, a first-grade teacher in Wisconsin</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUzMzI5Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTMxMDU4MH0.6vIYClSTWC5slsZNaSd72jt2c54VN9xCKCQEsNPKjjc/img.png?width=286&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=381" id="cdf24" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9de87c04606a9667dfeea201fac3a16a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="286" data-height="381">
</p><p>Like most teachers in 2020, Tom Dittl had to find fun, creative ways to navigate the challenges of teaching his students virtually. And he took it to the next level. Recently, Dittl made a music video of Jack Johnson's song "Upside Down" while dressed up as The Man in the Yellow Hat — a character from Curious George children's stories — to cheer up his students who've been cooped up at home. But the song also had a deeper purpose: He hoped it would inspire them to be kind to one another and spread that kindness around their communities.<br></p><p>
In the video, he tells his students that you can always be kind, even when you're going through something tough. In response, many of them made "kindness rocks" and put them all over their neighborhoods as reminders for others to be kind.
</p><p>
Teachers have had one of the toughest jobs last year (not to mention every year). When a teacher like Mr. Dittl makes such a noticeable impact on his students, despite the obstacles and distractions of 2020, it's unequivocally a win.
</p><p>
<strong>Nikki and Jonathan Romain, creators of the Art Inc. Center in Peoria, Ill.</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUzMzI5OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MzM1NDM3M30.nT5owLlOTiGZAw7cGt3NEJbgn86aZVWB2FZwDffz-EA/img.png?width=336&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=270" id="264c8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76dabc58784ed75d9500a605634efea4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="336" data-height="270">
</p><p>Arts education is so often overlooked, even though it can be a pathway to creative thinking, personal growth and a successful future. It's typically the first thing to go in lower-income public school curriculums, which leaves inner-city youth without an artistic outlet, or at least one that's professionally guided. So Nikki and Jonathan Romain decided to open up another artistic avenue for the inner-city youth of Peoria, Ill., in the form of an art center called <u><a href="https://www.artincpeoria.org/about" target="_blank">Art Inc.</a></u><br></p><p>
The Center provides space and tools for the entire community to have an experiential arts education. Nikki and Jonathan also offer support and structure for young people to try their hand at various forms of artistic expression and pursue higher education goals. Nikki is the Executive Director and handles most of the business of the nonprofit, whereas Jonathan, using his professional artist expertise, runs development of the art and culture programs. He also serves as a counselor for youth who may be struggling to find their way. Together, they've made Art Inc. a haven for all community members and a place where art is always valued.
</p><p>
<strong>Kari Harbath, 'involuntary expert in grief' in Utah</strong></p><div id="cdd67" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="69268fcd99582b6116b71bf5b45dbcd8"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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</div></blockquote></div><p>Kari Harbath is no stranger to hardship and suffering. In April 2019, due to pregnancy complications, she gave birth to a daughter who is deaf, blind and has <u><a href="https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/charge-syndrome/" target="_blank">CHARGE syndrome</a></u>, a rare disorder that affects multiple organ systems in the body. If that weren't challenging enough, the following September, Kari lost her mother, and then this past June, she lost her husband of 13 years.<br></p><p>
Yet somehow, after a year of unimaginable loss, Kari has managed to carry on with life and the care of her daughter, Sloan. In fact, she's taken what she's learned through her experience with grief and uses it to support others dealing with similar hardships. She's willing to return to that uncomfortable place over and over again just so she can help someone else climb out of it. Kari is <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sloan_strength_/" target="_blank">available as a resource for anyone who's struggling</a></u> or caring for someone who has disabilities and may feel lost.
</p><p>
<strong>Chavonne Hodges, Founder of Grillzandgranola in New York</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUzMzMwMS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NjM4ODM2Mn0.taU1KBmingcwNtQGbx_sDvoqKDqBrj1wQkZUfN4RLZ8/img.png?width=316&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=236" id="35ad2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dc123f1e7b44b1d2a3e99c38a02152fa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="316" data-height="236">
</p><p>When Chavonne was 26, she was going through a divorce and struggling with a panic disorder. She knew she needed to do something to help herself feel better, so she started working out at a gym. While there, she noticed a serious lack of racial and body diversity, so she decided to create her own gym and exercise program that caters to both. The gym is called <u><a href="https://www.grillzandgranola.com/" target="_blank">Grillzandgranola</a></u>, and aside from physical health, it's dedicated to mental wellbeing and community collaboration.<br></p><p>
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Grillzandgranola has moved classes online and created a space for group therapy called FEEL Better. These free therapy sessions are led by a diverse group of mental health professionals and are designed to help Black, Indigenous and people of color cope with grief, isolation, and negative emotions during these challenging times.
</p><p>
<strong>Love Wins<br>
</strong>Kind, selfless acts have the power to change lives. It doesn't matter how big or small your act of kindness is, if it's thoughtful and genuine, you're doing it right. Not sure where to start? By joining <u><a href="https://www.pggoodeveryday.com/" target="_blank">P&G Good Everyday</a></u>, you can lead with love through your actions. Each time you answer surveys, take quizzes and scan receipts, you can feel good knowing that P&G will automatically donate to your favorite cause like ending period poverty, saving wildlife, or providing natural disaster relief.
</p><p>
<strong>Join us and #LeadWithLove.</strong> We know that even the smallest acts of good can make a world of difference.
</p>
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With 16 years of sobriety under his belt, Dax Shepard has served as a beacon of hope for people in recovery. With a reset of his sobriety clock last week after confessing to a slip with prescription painkillers, he still is.
The actor has been open about his addiction to alcohol and cocaine, and that transparency and honesty has undoubtedly helped many people through their own recovery journeys. But recovery from addiction is not always a one-way, detour-free road. Even people who have been sober for years must be diligent and self-aware or risk relapsing in ways that are easy to justify.
That's the scenario Shepard described in his recent podcast, in which he announced that he's now seven days sober. For people who struggle with addiction, it's a cautionary tale. He didn't take a drink, and he didn't touch cocaine. His slide into addiction relapse happened with prescription painkillers—Vicodin and Percocet. He started taking prescription pain pills after a motorcycle accident in 2012, moved to taking pills with his dad who was dying of cancer, and then came a gradual spiral of justifications, lying, gas lighting, and other addictive behaviors that enabled him to abuse those pills without acknowledging he was doing so.
<p>Shepard laid it all out to his podcast partner, Monica Padman, last week. The way he was careful at first to only take the pills his wife, Kristen Bell, administered. Then how he'd save his two nighttime pills, because they made it hard to sleep, only to take them the next day with his morning pills to get the high he wanted. How he'd ask himself if this was a slip, start feeling like he was maybe in trouble, then convince himself he had it under control.</p>
<div id="e24df" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5fa414c937c8d8549e3a7799690184c4"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<p><br></p><p>He talked about how easy it was to convince himself it wasn't really a problem because the pill use felt "manageable." He knew if he started drinking or doing cocaine, he'd be out of control—he understood those to be unmanageable addictions. But the pain pills didn't keep him from doing his work or his dad duties or his normal daily life, so it was easy to keep using them.</p><p>Then he explained how, after more injuries this year, his painkiller use got "shadier and shadier." He started buying pills instead of just using the ones he was prescribed. When he started lying to his loved ones and was high at his 16-year sobriety celebration earlier this month—which he called "the worst hour of my life"—he knew he was in trouble.</p><p>So in recent weeks, Shepard came clean to Bell and Padman privately and gave them all of his remaining pills. He spoke to a friend he looks up to, who frankly told him that his biggest character flaw was arrogance, that he basically thought he was smart enough to outsmart addiction. He realized the only antidote to that was extreme humility.</p><p>Shepard attended an AA meeting and shared the whole story with them as well. He said it was one of the most powerful experiences he's had ever had. </p><p><em>"So Tuesday really was day one. Yeah. And then, so I went to this meeting and I…man, I've known the men in this meeting for seventeen and a half years because I had many attempts before I got going. And I told my whole story and I told it honestly. And I went first and I was crying and it turned into the most incredible, like, 90 minutes I've ever experienced, where there was just so much love and there was so much understanding and kindness in unconditional love.</em></p><p><em>And it's the only—there's probably been many others—but it's the only experience I can remember having that was just grace, the definition of grace, and it was very emotional and it was a really, really surreal kind of experience.</em></p><p><em>And when it was over, I actually mentally, for the first time in a very long time, felt optimistic because for the last while, a long time, I've known intellectually that things are going to get worse, that each encounter with it has gotten more shady and more dangerous, and I recognize that the next go around would be, oh, I can't get pills, let's snort heroin. And, you know, and I've had a lot of friends that I've watched go through this whole cycle.</em></p><p><em>And I finally have the humility to say I will not be any different, I won't be special, I won't be smarter. I will be exactly like everyone else."</em></p><p>Then he decided to come clean publicly, despite a great deal of fear and embarrassment in doing so. He said he worried about how it affect opportunities for Kristen, how it might impact him financially due to companies that might not want to work with him now, how the bombardment of judgments about what he should have done or could have done might feel, how people who looked up to him for his sobriety might feel betrayed or misled.</p><p>He ultimately decided that total and complete honesty was the only way to go. And of course, that authenticity is what his fellow recovering addicts really need to see. </p>
<div id="3201f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fa88aed86ee360d179d9878b226b4d1d"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1309576972771655680" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Dear @daxshepard - Thank you. Our recovery journeys are long and difficult AND the most incredible part of our live… https://t.co/ezBPIeoQhR</div> — Brené Brown (@Brené Brown)<a href="https://twitter.com/BreneBrown/statuses/1309576972771655680">1601062455.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><br></p>
<div id="56626" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8d0c25cd5a60a784046807a8de4245f5"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1309695440611409921" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Day 7. Can’t stop getting real emotional about how sad and beautiful, how scary and empowering this is to listen to… https://t.co/EwTCtyQyb3</div> — Andrew Zimmern (@Andrew Zimmern)<a href="https://twitter.com/andrewzimmern/statuses/1309695440611409921">1601090700.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"So if you got more than seven days, you got more than me. So you're my elder and I look up to you," said Shepard. "And, you know, onward and upward for all the people who have been along on this whole journey for the last few years. I feel—and this is not to sound cheesy, but I feel the same responsibility to the people who love the show and are with us, because I think it's such an emotional connection we all have."<br></p><p>Congratulations on your sobriety and thank you for your honesty, Dax. Onward and upward. </p><p><em>You can listen to Shepard's Armchair Expert "Day 7" podcast episode <a href="https://armchairexpertpod.com/pods/day-7" target="_blank">here.</a> </em></p>
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Culture
Budweiser cancelled its Super Bowl ad and donated the money to fight COVID anti-vaxxers
01.26.21
via Budweiser
Budweiser beer, and its low-calorie counterpart, Bud Light, have created some of the most memorable Super Bowl commercials of the past 37 years.
There were the Clydesdales playing football and the poor lost puppy who found its way home because of the helpful horses. Then there were the funny frogs who repeated the brand name, "Bud," "Weis," "Er."
We can't forget the "Wassup?!" ad that premiered in December 1999, spawning the most obnoxious catchphrase of the new millennium.
<p>And who amongst us hasn't lost a bet on the Bud Bowl?</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGTUNXZS5naWYmaG89aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZpLmdpZmVyLmNvbSZzPTQxMSZoPWU5YTE4MjVkYTM2NWQ3ZDQ3N2YyNmRlYTEwYzVjNTkyODIwZGRlYjIzNGQzNTVkNzhiNzA2NjVjOTc3MjQ0ODMmc2l6ZT05ODB4JmM9MzE0NjUyMjgzMCIsImV4cGlyZXNfYXQiOjE2NTYxNjg2NDZ9.JVsE5a0cVMeHnI-gYPG4DI8-FLl_6vu_ZB72_mlTWqY/img.jpg" id="cb4fd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5765504e9ee0a3e082cb702081bc7e96">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://i.gifer.com/MCWe.gif" target="_blank">i.gifer.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>However, when you turn on the TV on February 7 to watch Tom Brady's Buccaneers go up against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, you won't find a 30-second TV spot from Budweiser beer.<br></p><p>Instead, the beer's parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, has decided to donate portions of its advertising budget this year to the Ad Council, a nonprofit heading a $50 million campaign to fight back against COVID-19 vaccine skepticism.</p><p>The current cost of a 30-second TV ad during the Super Bowl on CBS is roughly $5.5 million.</p><p>The decision comes at a time when shares of AB InBev <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/25/super-bowl-budweiser-to-sit-out-the-big-game-fund-covid-vaccine-ads.html" target="_blank">have fallen 14.5%</a> over the past year. Although at-home beer consumption has risen during the pandemic, COVID-19 has drastically reduced the sales of alcohol in bars and at sporting events.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUzMzc5Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTIyNzUwNH0.3a9x3n4PFxrbvVh0XI6Yd8EFeho9bN-gGUuhxxQWEcU/img.jpg?width=980" id="f9a3c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a93779f6abeeb5ff743c097f0d88d414" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="627" data-height="527">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..."><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicafm/246707351/in/photolist-nNrv2-9XoYim" target="_blank">via Jessica Merz / Flickr </a></small></p><p>"For the first time in 37 years, Budweiser isn't airing a commercial during the Super Bowl. Instead, we're redirecting our advertising dollars to support COVID-19 vaccines awareness and education," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Working with partners like the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative, we're helping to safely bring people back together again soon.<br></p><p>Who knew that America's most iconic beer would one day lead the fight against anti-vaxxers?</p><p>In the run-up to the big game, the beer brand has created a 90-second online pro-vaccination ad voiced by "The Office" star Rashida Jones. In the ad, Jones urges viewers to "turn our strength into hope" while "Lean on Me" plays in the background.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1e31ff60fd60b6feecf0237834b1d052"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/on04UnEzCt8?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Bigger Picture | Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on04UnEzCt8&ab_channel=Budweiser" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p><a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/covid-collaborative-ad-council-launch-vaccine-education-campaign/" target="_blank">Last November,</a> the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative, a coalition of experts in health, education, and the economy, launched the vaccine education campaign<br></p><p>At the time, polls showed that 40% of Americans were not confident in a potential vaccine. That level of vaccine skepticism could seriously endanger any chance of a full recovery.</p><p>"Frankly, this is the biggest public health crisis we've ever faced, and we don't have time to waste," said Lisa Sherman, t<a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/covid-collaborative-ad-council-launch-vaccine-education-campaign/" target="_blank">he group's chief executive. </a>"We're working in advance so that once those vaccines are proven to be safe and approved by all the right people, we're ready to go."</p><p>The Ad Council launched a similar campaign back in the 1950s when it was tasked with encouraging Americans to get vaccinated against polio.</p><p>Budweiser isn't the only Super Bowl regular to pull its ads from this year's broadcast. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have said they won't be running ads during the broadcast. Although Pepsi will be sponsoring the halftime show.</p>
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