Bees are in trouble...can they count on you?

Dear Friend, Protect people and pollinators -- Join Friends of the Earth today! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $10 immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( It doesn’t take a genius to do the math. A full 40% of invertebrate pollinators, including bees and butterflies, are on the brink of extinction thanks in large part to bee-killing pesticides, including neonicotinoids (neonics). Yet one of every three bites of our food is pollinated by these same threatened pollinators. We’re heading for disaster – what some scientists are calling an “ecological Armageddon” – unless we act NOW. YOU can help fight back against this frightening threat to our planet and our food by donating to Friends of the Earth today. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $10 immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( By joining this bold and aggressive group, you’ll join thousands of like-minded citizens worldwide who are helping us wage a no-holds-barred fight for the bees’ future and the future of our planet. The crisis facing the world’s bees gets worse every day. In fact, over 700 North American bee species are now at risk. A growing body of science points to a key driver: the world’s most widely used insecticides — neonics. The science is so clear that the EU and Canada have banned or restricted the most harmful neonics. And states from California to New York and more than 115 cities and universities have taken action on neonics…but our EPA has failed to act. Well, if our government won’t step up and protect bees, food, people and the planet, you and I must. Join Friends of the Earth today and help fight for pollinators and the planet! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $10 immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( I hope you understand how truly urgent this is. After all, 75% of our most nutritious food crops rely on bees and other pollinators. From nuts, soybeans, squash and cucumbers, to apples, oranges, avocados and melons, bees play a critical role in producing the food we eat. What’s more, pollinators, including bees, also contribute $34 billion to the U.S. economy. Clearly, the bees can’t wait…and neither can we. That’s why Friends of the Earth has been fighting to save pollinators from all angles: - We’ve transformed more than three-quarters of the home and garden industry. We delivered more than a million petitions from bee-lovers like you to top garden retailers in the U.S., demanding that they stop selling plants pre-treated with bee-killing neonic pesticides. In response, over 140 retailers, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Costco, True Value, and Ace Hardware have all taken steps to eliminate neonics. - We’ve supported introduction of federal legislation to ban neonics and delivered nearly five million signatures to the EPA urging an immediate ban on bee-killing pesticides. And we’ve organized congressional briefings on neonics and their impacts on wildlife and people, as well as throwing our support behind the Saving America’s Pollinators Act and other pollinator-friendly bills in Congress. - We’ve exposed the shady practices of leading pesticide-producers and their undue influence on our government. In fact, the EPA, among other actions, green-lighted Bayer’s glyphosate based largely on a study funded by the chemical giant itself. - We’re pushing for neonic bans at the state level. In New York, we successfully aided in the passage of the Birds and Bees Protection Act — the strongest bill in the nation aimed at protecting people and pollinators from toxic neonic pesticides. Governor Hochul signed this bill into law in early 2024. Minnesota, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Oregon, Maryland and California have all taken steps to introduce or pass legislation to eliminate neonics, and we’re pushing for more to do the same. This really is one of our most important fights right now. A recent metastudy recently found that nearly half of insect life could disappear from the planet within the next century, leading to a “collapse of nature’s ecosystems” — and pesticide-intensive industrial agriculture is a key driver. That’s why it’s so crucial that we ban neonics right now. Unfortunately, our EPA is putting the needs of pesticide producers ahead of pollinators and people. Well, if our government won’t step up and protect bees, food, people and the planet, Friends of the Earth will…and YOU can help! That’s why I hope you’ll decide to join me in helping Friends of the Earth wage this all-important battle by [making a Membership gift today.]( If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $10 immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( As a Member of Friends of the Earth, you will be a major force for change. Please, join us today. The Earth and all those who call it home — including the bees! — are counting on you. For the bees, Erich Pica, President, Friends of the Earth P.S. With your help, we can – and will – win this fight…for pollinators, people and the planet. [Become a Member of Friends of the Earth today!]( Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 [Contact us]( Email Preferences: [Click here to unsubscribe]( Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Flickr]( © 2023, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]