John,

Bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides are being applied to lawns, gardens and parks across the country, with deadly consequences for bees.

These pesticides attack bees' brains and make it harder for them to do just about anything, including forage for nectar and find their way home -- and now, as many as 1 in 4 bee species are in peril.1,2

We've set a goal of raising $30,000 by midnight on Sept. 30 to help save the bees. Will you donate today?

Bees are critical to our ecosystems -- they pollinate 80% of all flowering plants.3

But the pesticides that harm them are used on the plants they pollinate. These pesticides are even being applied to seeds as a coating before they're planted. As the seed grows, the pesticide spreads to every part of the plant -- the stem, leaves, pollen and nectar -- making it all toxic to bees.4

Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement store, agreed to stop selling plants grown with bee-killing neonics in its garden centers by 2018.5 That's a good step -- but, venture a little farther into the store and you can still find jug after jug of neonic pesticides for sale.

Through our Save the Bees campaign, we're urging Home Depot to take bee-killing neonics off its shelves, and so much more.

Donate to our Fall 2023 Drive before the deadline to help save the bees.

Your support will give us the boost we need to double down on our efforts to save the bees. Together, we're:

• Urging major companies, including Home Depot, Amazon and more, to stop selling bee-killing neonicotinoids to consumers.
• Calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the worst uses of these pesticides, including restricting their use as a seed coating.
• Working with our national network to build momentum for banning the worst uses of these pesticides state by state, and for convincing governors to take action to protect bee-friendly habitat in their states.
• Calling on the Biden administration to protect particularly at-risk species like the American bumblebee by listing them as endangered.6

With bees dying off at alarming rates, this work can't wait. That's why we set a goal of raising $30,000 in our Fall 2023 Drive to supercharge our campaign in the critical months ahead. Will you join us?

Donate before the Sept. 30 deadline to help save the bees.

Thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Katie Hunt, "Pesticides damage the brains of baby bees, new research finds," CNN, March 3, 2020.
2. MaryEllen Kennedy Duckett, "Nature needs us to act -- now," National Geographic, March 4, 2020.
3. "The buzz on native bees," U.S. Geological Survey, June 15, 2015.
4. Stephen Leahy, "Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides," National Geographic, August 6, 2019.
5. "How Home Depot's addressing 'neonic' concerns," Home Depot, May 4, 2016.
6. Elizabeth Gamillo, "The American Bumblebee Has Nearly Vanished From Eight States," Scientific American, October 6, 2021.

Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. Environment Colorado may transfer up to $50 per dues-paying member per year into the Environment Colorado Small Donor Committee.