Dear John,
Last year marked a milestone for bees. But it wasn’t a good one.
U.S. beekeepers reported losing nearly half of their hives last year. They experienced the worst winter losses ever on record.
But it’s not just beekeepers who are noticing. Scientists found that nearly one million plant and animal species -- including many insects -- are at risk of extinction. They’re warning of an “ecological Armageddon” if we don’t change course fast.
A key driver of this crisis is the widespread use of toxic pesticides like Bayer’s neonicotinoids, Monsanto’s Roundup®, and Dow’s chlorpyrifos. At Friends of the Earth, we’re pulling out all the stops to get these pesticides out of our food system -- but we need your help, John.
Help prevent an “ecological Armageddon”: Donate $10 or more and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar!
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Express Donate: $10
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Bees and other pollinators are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat. But they’re dying at alarming rates. To stop this disaster, we must immediately act to change the toxic way we grow our food.
Which is why Friends of the Earth is working overtime to convince grocery companies to wake up to this threat. Supermarkets like Kroger could start insisting on sustainable, organic food to sell in their stores. If these companies take action, it will increase the pressure on giant agribusiness corporations to stop producing food grown with bee-killing pesticides.
Kroger is the nation’s largest conventional grocery chain. It owns stores like Harris Teeter, Ralphs, and Smith’s. So it has a lot of power to change the way we grow our food and help save bees and butterflies.
But your help is critical, which is why I’m asking you to make a generous contribution today -- before it’s too late for the bees, butterflies and our food system.
Help save bees from toxic pesticides: Donate $10 or more to Friends of the Earth!
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Express Donate: $10
Express Donate: $25
Express Donate: $50
Or, donate another amount
You have already helped Friends of the Earth make a difference in this fight. After three years of pressure from members like you, Kroger put out a policy supporting the expansion of organic food and products that are affordable for many families.
This is a step in the right direction. But it doesn’t go nearly far enough. It's vague and doesn’t commit the company to a time-bound phase-out of some of the most toxic pesticides, like neonics and Roundup®, that are contributing to bee and butterfly decline.
I’m not satisfied with that -- and you shouldn’t be either. In fact, we recently tested Kroger-brand food specifically for a wide array of these pesticides. We found dangerous pesticides in Kroger-brand cereals, apples, applesauce, spinach and beans -- foods families eat every day.
So we’re going to have to convince Kroger to get serious. And if we can get Kroger on board, together we can transform the rest of the grocery industry in short order. But we can’t do this without you.
Please, John, make a generous contribution to Friends of the Earth and help save bees from toxic pesticides. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar -- up to $930,000!
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Express Donate: $10
Express Donate: $25
Express Donate: $50
Or, donate another amount
Standing with you,
Lisa Archer,
Food and agriculture program director,
Friends of the Earth
