Friend,

Just a tiny amount of neonicotinoids -- a dangerous class of bee-killing pesticides -- can cause permanent brain damage in baby bees. This is just one of the factors contributing to the rapid population collapse we're now witnessing.1

These neurotoxins are wiping out honeybees, native bees and other pollinators that we depend on for everything from wildflowers to watermelons. That's why this Earth Day, we've set a goal of raising $100,000 to help save the bees from toxic pesticides. Will you donate today?

Our bee populations are in freefall, and neonicotinoids -- or "neonics" -- aren't helping.2

In addition to poisoning baby bees' brains, studies have shown that neonics slowly kill bees and diminish their ability to learn and forage for food.3,4

But it isn't just bees that are threatened by neonics -- these potent pesticides are toxic to fish, birds and mammals.5,6

We're working on this problem from every angle. Building off our national network's previous victories across the country, earlier this year New York and New Jersey became the latest states to ban some of the worst uses of neonics.

But we aren't stopping there. We're lobbying the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the worst uses of bee-killing pesticides, and we're asking President Biden to reinstate the ban on neonics in wildlife refuges so bees can forage where they should be safest.

And since we can't same-day ship a new species, we're also calling on Amazon to pull neonics from its online shelves and protect the precious pollinators we have left. Six years ago, we urged Home Depot and Lowe's to take neonics off their shelves, and even though there's still work to be done on completely removing these bee-killing pesticides, it led to progress: Both companies have taken important steps to phase out neonics.7

These are campaigns that we know we can win, but only with your help. Will you make your Earth Day gift to help save the bees today?

Of course, this is on top of our other ongoing work to end offshore drilling, protect endangered wildlife and the wild places they inhabit, and move toward a future powered by 100% renewable energy, among other critical campaigns.

Earth Day is the one day a year we not only celebrate our planet, but remember the hard work it takes to keep our air, water and land safe. We've set a goal of raising $100,000 to advocate for a greener, cleaner, healthier planet -- will you donate?

Yes, in honor of Earth Day, I'll donate to Environment Colorado to help save the bees and so much more.

Thank you,

Rex Wilmouth
Senior Program Director

1. Katie Hunt, "Pesticides damage the brains of baby bees, new research finds," CNN, March 3, 2020.
2. Jim Daley, "Safety concerns mount over neonicotinoid pesticides in unexpected places," PBS, May 6, 2019.
3. Roni Dengler, "Neonicotinoid pesticides are slowly killing bees," PBS, June 29, 2017.
4. "Pesticides impair baby bee brain development," Science Daily, March 3, 2020.
5. "Pollinators vital to our food supply under threat," Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, last accessed February 9, 2020.
6. Elizabeth Royte, "These widely used insecticides may be a threat to mammals too," National Geographic, February 2021.
7. "Lowe's to Stop Selling Neonic Pesticides Linked to Bee Deaths," NBC News, April 9, 2015.

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.