Dear John,
Germany just announced that it’s banning glyphosate -- a.k.a. Monsanto’s Roundup®. This is an important step for saving pollinators like bees and monarch butterflies, whose decline is linked to pesticide use.
But here in the U.S., Trump’s EPA is still allowing the massive overuse of this toxic pesticide. And the impacts are devastating -- monarch butterflies have declined by over 90% in the last 20 years. They could vanish within our lifetimes.
Monsanto is working round-the-clock to prevent our leaders from banning Roundup®. But Germany’s recent action shows that we can overcome pesticide industry spin and get this toxic pesticide out of our food system. We’re not going to let monarchs disappear on our watch -- but we need your help to save these iconic butterflies before it’s too late!
Help save monarchs from Monsanto’s Roundup®: Donate $15 or more now!
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Over the past 20 years, what used to be a roaring river of monarchs migrating to Mexico each year has become a trickle. These iconic pollinators are now at risk of extinction. And a key culprit is the massive increase in the use of Monsanto’s Roundup®.
The use of Roundup® has increased exponentially -- wiping out milkweed, the only food source for monarch caterpillars. It’s a simple formula: More Roundup® = less milkweed = fewer monarchs.
But it’s not just Roundup® -- and it’s not just monarchs. The use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides, which also harm butterflies, has also increased over the past 25 years. America’s agricultural land is now 48 times more toxic to honeybees, and likely other insects, than it was a quarter-century ago.
Monarchs are the canaries in the coal mine, showing us that the toxic way we grow our food isn’t working anymore. Scientists are increasingly sounding the alarm -- if we don’t stem insect decline fast, we could be on the brink of a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems.”
The EPA could ban the use of pesticides like Roundup® that imperil monarchs. The problem is, it’s facing pressure from Donald Trump and his cronies in the pesticide industry to do nothing. That’s why it’s so important that you join us in fighting back. It’s going to take every one of us acting NOW if we want to save the monarchs.
Help save monarchs from extinction: Donate $15 or more before it’s too late!
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We’re going up against huge corporations and their powerful cronies in the Trump administration -- a daunting task. But with Friends of the Earth members like you at our side, I know we can win this fight and save the monarchs from extinction.
We have a comprehensive plan to get toxic pesticides out of our food system and stem insect declines:
- We co-authored the first study to quantify how hazardous our agricultural lands have become for insect life by providing a way to compare changes in the toxicity of U.S. agriculture year-to-year. The study shows that pesticide use has increased massively since the mid-2000’s. Bee-killing neonics are the main driver of the toxicity increase. The study will help push the EPA to take action by proposing a new way for the EPA to assess future potential risks to biodiversity before introducing new pesticides into the environment.
- We recently held a petition delivery with allies outside EPA and delivered nearly 150,000 comments demanding that the agency revoke Monsanto’s license to pollute. The pressure is working -- the EPA extended the comment period to seek even more public input.
- Our campaigners are going to Capitol Hill to urge Members of Congress to restrict toxic pesticides. We’re building support for bills like the Saving America’s Pollinators Act and a bill to ban Dow’s nerve gas pesticide chlorpyrifos.
- We’re working at the state and local levels to protect pollinators from pesticides. In the last few months alone, New York and Vermont passed bills to ban pollinator-toxic pesticides like neonics and chlorpyrifos, and California announced a new plan to ban chlorpyrifos. We’re continuing work in five other states to pass bills this legislative session to ban toxic pesticides, including glyphosate. Plus, we’re working with cities to pass policies to ban this and other toxic pesticides.
- We’re pushing food retailers to eliminate pesticides, including glyphosate, from their supply chains. In response to pressure from Friends of the Earth members like you, Kroger updated its pollinator policy to help reduce the use of bee-killing pesticides in the food it sells and increase its organic offerings. But the commitment doesn’t go far enough. So we’ll keep pushing Kroger to do better -- while demanding other supermarket giants follow suit.
These actions won’t only help monarchs. Bees, butterflies and other insects are dying at alarming rates. We must greatly reduce our use of pesticides if we are to save these crucial species and prevent a “Second Silent Spring.”
You know that when we work together, we can move mountains. You and I have already transformed the garden industry, including convincing Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco, True Value, Ace Hardware and Walmart to eliminate bee-killing pesticides in garden plants.
Imagine what we can do for the monarchs! But we’ve got to act fast, before these beautiful and iconic pollinators disappear forever.
Make a generous contribution today and help Friends of the Earth save the monarchs and our food system!
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Standing with you,
Lisa Archer,
Food and agriculture program director,
Friends of the Earth
