Anonymous, there are just a few hours left in this historic 50th anniversary of Earth Day -- and that means there are just a few hours in Environment Colorado's Earth Day Drive.
We need to stand up for bees, but the bee population is being decimated by bee-killing pesticides.
Bees are critical to our food supply. We rely on bees to pollinate 71 of the 100 crops that provide 90 percent of most of the world's food -- from strawberries and coffee to grapes and almonds.
No bees, no food. It's that simple.
Will you make a special Earth Day donation to support our campaign to save the bees, and all of our work to defend the environment?
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Thank you for your support,
Hannah
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Environment Colorado <
[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Apr 17, 2020
Subject: Half the bumblebee population gone since the first Earth Day
To: Anonymous Donor <
[email protected]>
Anonymous,
Fifty years ago, the world celebrated the first Earth Day, and since that day, we've made enormous progress to clean our air and water.
But it's not all good news. In fact, since the first Earth Day, the country has lost half of its bumblebee population.[1]
Bees are a critical part of our ecosystem -- but the bee population is being decimated by bee-killing pesticides. That's why we've dedicated this Earth Day to banning the worst uses of neonicotinoids and saving these precious pollinators.
Right now, the Environmental Protection Agency is inviting public comments on the use of neonicotinoids, and we have to use every tool available to collect as many comments as possible to stop these bee-killers from being reapproved.
Will you donate today to our Earth Day Drive?
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We've known for years that neonicotinoids have contributed to colony collapse for bees, but just recently, scientists discovered that the pesticides harm bee brains from birth, resulting in adult bees with impaired function.[2] Not only do colonies die off, but bees dosed with neonicotinoids are unable to pollinate correctly while they live.
And it's not just bees that suffer. Researchers have connected the chemicals to deaths in fisheries and of bird populations that eat contaminated foods.[3]
The effects of neonicotinoids on wildlife are so severe that the European Union banned them entirely in 2018. But the pesticide industry lobby has kept these bee-killers in wide circulation in the United States.[4]
Right now, the EPA is considering reauthorizing the widespread use of four of the most-used neonicotinoids, and the agency is only taking public comments until May 4 -- and that means we need to gear up to make sure they hear that Coloradans want bees to be protected.
We can't save the Earth without saving the bees. Will you donate to Environment Colorado's Earth Day Drive to keep all our campaigns to protect the environment going strong?
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Thank you,
Hannah Collazo
State Director
P.S. Our work to defend the environment can't stop and won't stop in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. We'll keep advocating on your behalf -- at a safe social distance -- for clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate.
1. Chris Mooney, "Bumblebees are dying across North America and Europe as the climate warms, scientists say," The Washington Post, February 6, 2020.
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2. Katie Hunt, "Pesticides damage the brains of baby bees, new research finds," CNN, March 3, 2020.
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3. Douglas Main, "How the world's most widely used insecticide led to a fishery collapse," National Geographic, November 13, 2019.
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4. Lee Fang, "The playbook for poisoning the Earth," The Intercept, January 18, 2020.
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