23
Mar
Take Action! Join the national call-in to President Obama to save our bees
(Beyond Pesticides, March 23, 2015) The fight to save our bees and other pollinators is at a critical moment. The Obama Administration charged federal agencies with improving pollinator health this last June, and now, after months of delay, the President’s plan is expected imminently. Your voice is needed because the chemical companies that manufacture bee-toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, Bayer and Syngenta, have been working aggressively to stop the President from taking action to restrict their chemicals, despite the critical threat they pose to bee health.
A week ago, more than four million Americans called on President Obama to take swift action to protect bees from toxic pesticides, and Beyond Pesticides joined with allies to rally in front of the White House to reinforce this important message.
We urgently need to ramp up pressure on the Obama administration to do the right thing for bees and our food system. Call President Obama’s office TODAY to deliver this message. It’s easy, we’ll patch you straight through.
Call details:
Call number: 1-877-796-1948
Just dial the number, you’ll hear an automated message with instructions and then be patched through to the White House to deliver your urgent message.
When you’re connected to the White House, deliver this message:
“Hi, my name is _______ and I’m calling to urge President Obama to protect bees from toxic pesticides immediately to protect our food supply and the environment.”
The administration is being lobbied by Bayer, Syngenta and other big chemical companies to withhold action on pesticides, but President Obama needs to hear directly from the public to know that we’re invested in this issue and will support his decision to direct his administration to protect bees from pesticides.
Industry has already launched an attack against preliminary recommendations from the task force. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) updated federal guidelines to require pollinator friendly plantings without the use of systemic pesticides at federal buildings, but AmericanHort and the Society of American Florists has called the proposal “not a viable recommendation.” Despite recent research showing the value of pesticide-free pollinator habitat, industry continues to jeopardize pollinator populations.
As the scientific record increasingly identifies neonicotinoids as key contributors to declining pollinator health, the pesticide industry has attempted to stymie free speech. In early March, Bayer lost a lawsuit that sought to silence Friends of the Earth Germany for its efforts to speak out against the use of thiacloprid, a harmful neonicotinoid insecticide not covered under the EU suspension of these chemicals.
At the same time, industry is investing heavily in attempting to spin the pollinator crisis through outreach and PR campaigns such as “Bayer Bee Care Tour” and their latest “Feed a Bee Initiative,” which encourages people to increase habitat by planting seeds or plants without any warning that they may contain the company’s neonicotinoids. Non-profits like Beyond Pesticides and our allies have the resources that assist with the development of pesticide-free pollinator habitat and a directory to find organic seed and nursery stock and suppliers that don’t utilize systemic chemicals that make the whole plant poisonous to bees.
Please make a call for the bees by dialing 1-877-976-1948 today!
When we stand up, voice our concerns, we will show the administration there is a strong and powerful movement in this country that wants him to save the bees and our food system. Together, we can win this.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
