John,

On Earth Day, we may first think of great big animals that need our help. But a creature that's not even an inch long is a top Earth Day priority for PIRG.

That's because we rely on bees for an incredible one-third of our food supply -- but toxic pesticides are putting many bee species at risk of extinction. Without bees, we would lose many of the foods we eat every day.1

We set a goal of raising $25,000 by midnight on Earth Day to help reduce toxic pesticides and save the bees. Will you donate?

When bees land on a plant, they should find food and shelter, not a toxic chemical that could kill them.

But neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides that is incredibly toxic to bees, are used on hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland each year. As a result, our agricultural landscape is 48 times more toxic to honeybees and wild bees than it was just 25 years ago.2

Neonicotinoids can contaminate and even destroy entire colonies of bees when pollinators unwittingly bring them back to the hive. Neonics attack bees' central nervous systems, causing paralysis and even death.3

We need to protect our precious pollinators from the invisible, deadly threat of toxic pesticides.

Will you donate today to help save the bees?

Imagine if there was no more broccoli. Or apples. Or almonds.4

Honeybees pollinate a number of essential crops, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables. Neonics threaten the essential role that bees play in our food supply.5

We need to take action for the bees, whether they're domesticated honeybees or their cousins in the wild. With the help of PIRG members, we're:

• Getting more native, pollinator-friendly habitats planted along roadways and in public spaces so that humans and bees can thrive alongside each other.
• Convincing companies like Amazon and Home Depot to phase out the sale of neonic pesticides.
• Passing restrictions on some of the worst uses of neonics, like our national network has helped do in 12 states so far.6

A donation today can help us continue to win important bee protections, reduce harmful pesticides, and advocate more effectively on behalf of our pollinators. Will you donate to our Earth Day Giving Drive today?

Thank you for your support,

Faye Park
President

1. Brianna Randall, "The Value of Birds and Bees," Farmers.gov, June 22, 2020.=
2. Oliver Milman, "Fears for bees as US set to extend use of toxic pesticides that paralyse insects," The Guardian, March 8, 2022.
3. Jim Kleinschmit, "Unknown Benefits, Hidden Costs - Neonicotinoid Seed Coatings, Crop Yields and Pollinators," Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, August 5, 2015.
4. Barra Ó Súilleabháin, "Without Bees, We Wouldn't Have Apples, Almonds, or Avocados," Shelby County Reporter, June 21, 2024.
5. Brianna Randall, "The Value of Birds and Bees," U.S. Department of Agriculture, June 22, 2020.
6. Wendy Wendlandt and Steve Blackledge, "What's being done to save the bees?" Environment America, August 21, 2024.

Your donation will power our dedicated staff of organizers, policy experts and attorneys who drive all of our campaigns in the public interest, from banning toxic pesticides and moving us beyond plastic, to saving our antibiotics and being your consumer watchdog, to protecting our environment and our democracy. None of our work would be possible without the support of people just like you.

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