Tag Archives: Bayer

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Our bees are dying


Tell the EPA: Save our bees and crops! Ban toxic pesticides!

Take action!Disaster struck for Mark, a Minneapolis beekeeper last month. His precious backyard bees were spilling out of their hive “like they’re drunk” and falling to the ground dead — victims of toxic agricultural pesticide.

[1] A quarter of everything we eat — from apples to onions — depends on pollination.

[2] But now, Mark and fellow beekeepers from around the world are reporting a pandemic of the worst bee population collapses ever recorded. While you and I know chemical-giant Bayer for aspirin and alka seltzer, their toxic agricultural pesticides are unfortunately linked to this unprecedented bee die-off.

[3] The EPA has the power to ban the pesticides, but so far has bowed to pressure from Bayer.

[4] Our nation’s food supply is at risk — it’s time for the SierraRise community to step in and speak out! Over 1 million people have stood up for the health of our bees and our food — will you join them?

[5] The EPA has the power to protect our bees and our food supply. Let’s send 50,000 more letters by Tuesday, demanding they ban Bayer’s toxic pesticide! The same story of shocking bee die-off — called Colony Collapse Disorder — has been heard all over the country. Bret Adee, whose family owns Adee Honey Farms of South Dakota, the nation’s largest beekeeper, described mounting losses. “We lost 42 percent over the winter. But by the time we came around to pollinate almonds, it was a 55 percent loss,” he said in an interview.

[6] This isn’t just bad for our nation’s food supply — it’s also crippling family businesses like Bret’s and the local economies. Independent, unbiased studies have linked Bayer’s pesticides to colony collapse — when picked up by bees, the chemical can act like a nerve agent, compromising a bee’s ability to feed and make its way back to the hive.

[7] It’s no wonder the European Union just adopted a continent-wide ban on these toxic chemicals. It’s time we do the same![8] The EPA continues to dither while Bayer peddles its toxins and puts our nation’s crops at risk. Not on our watch — together, we are more powerful than any chemical company. Make sure the EPA knows where you stand. The safety of our food supply is at risk.

Demand the EPA stands up to big chemical companies like Bayer and bans bee-killing pesticides! In it together, Ashley Allison SierraRise Senior Campaigner P.S. To keep up with the latest about climate change and other campaigns from SierraRise, like us on Facebook and follow @SierraRise on Twitter! Share this page on FacebookShare this page on TwitterShare this page with other services

References:

[1] Colwell, Hailey (2013 September 16). “U investigates sudden slew of bee deaths.” Minnesota Daily.

[2] Collman, Ashley (2013 June 14). “What your supermarket will look like if bees die out: Empty shelves, scant produce options.” Emerging Truth.

[3] Carrington, Damian (2013 March 28). “Study: Pesticides Make Bees Forget the Smell of Food.” Mother Jones.

[4] Staff (2013 August 22). “EPA announces new bee warning labels for neonicotinoid containing pesticides.” Underground Health.

[5] DeWitt, Dan (2012 March 31). “A Pasco County beekeeper knows why bees are dying and colonies are collapsing.” Tampa Bay Times.

[6] Wines, Michael (2013 March 28). “Mystery Malady Kills More Bees, Heightening Worry on Farms.” New York Times.

[7] Eban, Katherine (2010 October 8). “What a scientist didn’t tell the New York Times about his study on bee deaths.” CNNMoney.

[8] Carrington, Damian (2013 April 29). “Bee-harming pesticides banned in Europe.” The Guardian.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress … Bee a Champ!


Greenpeace
A new bill in Congress would ban pesticides responsible for poisoning millions of honeybees.
Save the honeybee!
Tell your representative to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act today!
take action today

Bees are dying by the millions all across America.
According to leading scientists, they’re being poisoned by a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids (also known as “neonics”). If we don’t stop using these chemicals soon, the bee population could be done for – and so could all the fruits and vegetables that rely on bees for pollination.
But there’s hope. A bill was just introduced in Congress that would impose a ban on neonics until a scientific review and field studies prove no harm will come to bee populations from their use. 
Passing this bill won’t be easy. Big Agriculture and chemical companies like Bayer are already lobbying hard to defeat it. Massive public support is the only chance the bees have. Over 100,000 Greenpeace supporters helped raise the profile of this issue last month. Together we now have a chance to save the bees before it is too late.
Write your congressperson today and urge them to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act and save the bees!
The stories are shocking. Some 50,000 bees dropped dead a few weeks ago in Oregon after being exposed to the deadly pesticides. And last winter  alone, 31% of beehives in the United States collapsed. Sobering stuff.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been dragging their feet on this issue for too long. EPA is currently conducting a study on neonics that they don’t expect to finish until sometime in 2018! At this rate, there may not be any bees left by that time.
By allowing toxic chemicals like neonics to weaken and kill bees, we  threaten our food and our environment. Every day these chemicals are allowed to be used is one day closer to disaster.
Now’s the time to act. Tell your congressperson to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act today.
The world is stepping up to take action and it’s time for the US to do the same.
Policymakers in Europe pulled three commonly used neonics off the market earlier this year, citing the growing body science showing their harms to pollinators. Just a few weeks ago, the EU added another bee-harming pesticide to their restricted list.
However, the Industrial Agriculture lobby has no intention of backing down and Congress is going to need all the support it can get. 
Write your Representative now and tell them to support this critical bill and save the bees.
Without immediate action to save bees, many of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves. Avocados, almonds, apples…the  list goes on. A world without bees.
A win for the bees here in the US is possible, but only if we keep the pressure up on Congress to do the right thing.
Thanks,
Mark Floegel Greenpeace Senior Investigator and Beekeeper
P.S. America’s bees are being poisoned. There’s a bill in Congress that would help save them. Write your representative today and tell them to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act today! Then forward this message to your friend and family.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

USA: Save the bees


Across the USA, millions of bees are dying, threatening our food supply. Scientists blame one group of pesticides some of which have just been banned in Europe. A new bill could save America’s bees, but big Agriculture and the pesticide industry are lobbying hard against it. We only have days to make sure Congress acts to stop the Chemical Armageddon — sign the emergency petition now!Quietly, across the USA, millions of bees are dying, threatening our crops and food. A new bill this week could ban one group of deadly pesticides and save bees from annihilation, but only if Congress feels the sting of public opinion.

America’s bees are facing a chemical Armageddon — just last week, 50,000 died in a single car park in Oregon after being exposed to pesticides, and last winter over 50% of all California’s bees died. Leading scientists blame one group of pesticides called neonicotinoids. The evidence is so compelling that the entire European Union has begun banning them, and the Save America’s Pollinators Act could impose a ban on these deadly poisons in the US.

Now it’s up to us to get our politicians to save America‘s bees. Big Agriculture and powerful chemical companies like Bayer are already lobbying hard to stop the bill, but if we show an overwhelming public support for a ban, we can counter their influence. Sign the petition below and tell everyone — when we reach 250,000 signers, we’ll take Avaaz’s giant inflatable bee to Capitol Hill to tell Congress to save our bees:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/usa_save_the_bees/?biEWLbb&v=27215

Bees don’t just make honey, they are vital to life on earth, every year pollinating 95 types of fruits such as avocados, almonds, apples, and that’s just the A’s — with an estimated $30bn value. Without immediate action to save bees, many of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves.

Recent years have seen a steep and disturbing global decline in bee populations — some bee species are already extinct and some US species are at just 4% of their previous numbers. Scientists have been scrambling for answers. Some studies claim the decline may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals.

But increasingly, independent research has produced strong evidence blaming neonicotinoid pesticides, forcing the European Union to temporarily suspend use of one or more of these bee killers. But, in the US, the EPA has been slow to react — their review won’t be completed until 2018 condemning our bees to 5 more years of chemical Armageddon.

This issue is now coming to the boil as major new studies have confirmed the scale of this problem, and Representatives Blumenauer and Conyers have introduced legislation. If we can get other members of Congress to act, we could shut down once and for all Bayer’s influence on policy-makers and scientists. The real experts — the beekeepers and farmers — want these deadly pesticides prohibited until and unless we have solid, independent studies that show they are safe. Let’s support them now. Sign the urgent petition to Congress now, then forward this email:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/usa_save_the_bees/?biEWLbb&v=27215

We know we can win on bees. Last April, over 2.5 million of us signed a petition calling on the EU to adopt a ban on bee killing pesticides and won! And in the US, nearly a million of us persuaded the EPA to review their position on these poisons. Now let’s go one step further towards saving bees!

With hope,

Iain, Luis, Anne, Alex, Allison, Ricken, and the whole Avaaz team

PS – Many Avaaz campaigns are started by members of our community. It’s easy to get started – click to start yours now and win on any issue – local, national or global: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=23917

MORE INFORMATION

Mystery Malady Kills More Bees, Heightening Worry on Farms (NY Times):
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/science/earth/soaring-bee-deaths-in-2012-sound-alarm-on-malady.html?pagewanted=all

Bee protection: US in spotlight as EU bans pesticides (The Guardian):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/30/bee-protection-us-eu-bans-pesticides

Legislation to restrict pesticide use proposed by Rep. Blumenauer (Oregon Live):
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/07/legislation_to_restrict_pestic.html

Some US bumblebees see 96% drop in last decades (Treehugger):
http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/some-us-bumblebees-see-96-drop-in-last-decades.html

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Pesticides are killing bees

1 Comment

 

Pesticides are killing bees and threatening our food supply. In 24 hours, shareholders at the biggest chemical producer, Bayer, could vote to stop their toxic production. Massive public pressure has forced this debate at their Annual General Meeting, now let’s make sure they vote to stop the pesticides and save the bees. Sign the emergency petition:

 

Quietly, globally, billions of bees are dying, threatening our crops and food. But if Bayer stops selling one group of pesticides, we could save bees from extinction.

Four European countries have begun banning these poisons, and some bee populations are already recovering. But Bayer, the largest producer of neonicotinoids, has lobbied hard to keep them on the market. Now, massive global pressure from Avaaz and others has forced them to consider the facts — and in 24 hours, Bayer shareholders will vote on a motion that could stop these toxic chemicals. Let’s all act now and shame the shareholders to stop killing bees.

The pressure is working, and this is our best chance to save the bees. Sign the urgent petition and send this to everyone — let’s reach half a million signers and deliver it directly to shareholders tomorrow in Germany!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/bayer_save_the_bees/?vl

Bees don’t just make honey, they are vital to life on earth, every year pollinating 90% of plants and crops — with an estimated $40bn value, over one-third of the food supply in many countries. Without immediate action to save bees, many of our favourite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves.

Recent years have seen a steep and disturbing global decline in bee populations — some bee species are already extinct and some US species are at just 4% of their previous numbers. Scientists have been scrambling for answers. Some studies claim the decline may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals. But increasingly, independent research has produced strong evidence blaming neonicotinoid pesticides. France, Italy, Slovenia and even Germany, where the main manufacturer Bayer is based, have banned one of these bee killers. But, Bayer continues to export its poison across the world.

This issue is now coming to the boil as major new studies have confirmed the scale of this problem. If we can get Bayer shareholders to act, we could shut down once and for all Bayer’s influence on policy-makers and scientists. The real experts — the beekeepers and farmers — want these deadly pesticides prohibited until and unless we have solid, independent studies that show they are safe. Let’s support them now. Sign the urgent petition to Bayer shareholders now, then forward this email:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/bayer_save_the_bees/?vl

We can no longer leave our delicate food chain in the hands of research run by the chemical companies and the regulators that are in their pockets. Banning this pesticide will move us closer to a world safe for ourselves and the other species we care about and depend on.

With hope,

Alice, Antonia, Mia, Luis, Ricken, Stephanie, Pascal, Iain, Ari and the whole Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION

Studies fault Bayer in bee die-off (Christian Science Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0406/Studies-fault-Bayer-in-bee-die-off

2 Studies Point to Common Pesticide as a Culprit in Declining Bee Colonies (New York Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/science/neocotinoid-pesticides-play-a-role-in-bees-decline-2-studies-find.html?_r=1

Leaked document shows EPA allowed bee-toxic pesticide despite own scientists’ red flags (Grist) http://grist.org/politics/food-2010-12-10-leaked-documents-show-epa-allowed-bee-toxic-pesticide/

Bayer’s Annual Stockholder’s Meeting (ASM website) http://www.asm2012.bayer.com/en/counter-motions.aspx

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Save The Bees … Corinne Ball, Change.org


Change.org
EPA: Ban the pesticide that’s threatening American bees with extinction
Sign Susan’s Petition

Here’s the buzz: American honey bees are disappearing at an alarming rate and the government knows why.

Scientists say a pesticide called clothianidin, made by chemical giant Bayer, is strongly linked to the rapid decline in bee populations. When exposed to the chemical, bees get lost: they are literally unable to find their way home back to the hive and drop dead from exhaustion.

Susan Mariner uses her backyard garden to grow extra fruits and veggies for her family and teach her children where their food comes from — and in the past few years, she’s seen the decline in bees firsthand.

When Susan heard about the recent studies linking this specific chemical to the widespread death of the bees who pollinate our food, she started a petition on Change.org to get the chemical banned. Click here to sign Susan’s petition asking the Environmental Protection Agency to ban these bee-killing pesticides ASAP.

One-third of the U.S. food supply relies on honey bees. Without bees to pollinate crops, many essential (and favorite) foods are at risk, including apples, squash, tomatoes, strawberries, almonds, and even chocolate.

Several countries, including Germany and France, have already banned clothianidin. And after the bans, bee populations began to rise again.

But in the U.S., clothianidin is used on millions of acres of crops and American beekeepers report losses of up to 90% of their bees. Many worry that their hives won’t survive another season. Sign Susan’s petition urging the EPA to save the bees and immediately end the harmful pesticide’s use.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Corinne and the Change.org team