:
John,
Wild bees are being wiped out so fast that scientists warn that many species are now at serious risk of extinction. State wildlife action plans have identified more than 100 bee species that are in serious trouble.[1]
Neonicotinoid pesticides are killing wild bees.[2]
Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, continues to sell these bee-killing pesticides online. Environment Colorado is calling on Amazon to join the effort to save the bees.
We've set a goal of raising $200,000 by midnight on Dec. 31 to help make 2025 the year that Amazon stops selling bee-killing pesticides.
Will you make a year-end donation to help urge Amazon to stop selling bee-killing pesticides?
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Bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides didn't come into use until the 1990s, and since then, bees have been disappearing at an alarming rate.[3]
The rusty patched bumblebee became the first-ever bumblebee species to be added to the endangered species list in 2017.[4] It won't be the last.
And this isn't just bad news for bees. It's a threat to humans as well, because bees play such a key role in agriculture as pollinators. Without bees, we wouldn't have many of the fruits, vegetables, nuts and other produce you see on grocery store shelves.[5]
We believe that 2025 is the year we can convince Amazon to stop selling bee-killing pesticides. Other retailers and garden stores have taken the step, and as the world's largest online retailer, Amazon could play a major leadership role to save the bees.
Help save the bees by donating to Environment Colorado's Year-End Drive today.
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Thankfully, together we're making progress. People all around the country are planting bee-friendly gardens, and 12 states have now adopted restrictions on the use of bee-killing pesticides. Just eight years ago, that number was zero.[6]
Here's the rub: As a nonprofit, membership-funded organization, Environment Colorado relies on donations from grassroots supporters like you to support all the work we do, from saving the bees to tackling global warming and preserving our last old-growth forests.
And our year-end fundraising drive is absolutely crucial. As we plan for the year ahead and look at what resources we can devote to our campaigns, the money we raise this month could set us up for success in 2025.
That's why we're asking you to donate whatever you can and help meet our all-important goal of raising $200,000 by midnight on Dec. 31.
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Thank you,
Ellen Montgomery
1. "Compiled National List of Species of Greatest Conservation Need," U.S. Geological Survey, last accessed November 18, 2024.
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2. Laura Melissa Guzman, et. al., "Impact of pesticide use on wild bee distributions across the United States," Nature Sustainability August 27, 2024.
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3. Oliver Milman, "Fears for bees as US set to extend use of toxic pesticides that paralyse insects," The Guardian, March 8, 2022.
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4. Steve Gorman, "U.S. Lists a Bumble Bee Species as Endangered for First Time," Scientific American, January 11, 2017.
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5. "Would we starve without bees?" BBC, April 25, 2024.
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6. Wendy Wendlandt and Steve Blackledge, "What's being done to save the bees," Environment America, August 21, 2024.
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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.
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