Thank you to Callie Spaide of Takepart for this article!
It’s National Pollinator Week and what better way to honor bees, butterflies and other pollinators than protecting them from deadly pesticides and insecticides? Below are 6 simple ways you can do your part, from urging the White House Pollinator Task Force to take swift action on pollinator-toxic neonicotinoid pesticides to joining the #BuildtheBuzz twitter chat on Wednesday June 17 at 5pm PST.
Tell the White House Task Force that We Can Do Better on Pollinator Protection
The White House Pollinator Task Force just released an ambitious new strategy calling to reduce honeybee colony losses to no more than 15% in 10 years and increasing the number of monarch butterflies to 225 million by 2020. Unfortunately, the policy fails to address suspending the use of neonics for seed coatings, one of the leading causes of massive bee and butterfly declines in recent years. Tell the White House Task Force that in order to protect proactive, they need a proactive plan that tackles neonics head-on.
Tell Congress to Support the Saving America’s Pollinator’s Act
The United States’ is lagging behind when it comes to pollinator protections: in 2013, the European Union began a 2-year moratorium on the sale of the three deadliest neonics. That can be remedied by the Saving America's Pollinators Act (HR. 1284), which would suspend the use of dangerous neonics within the US. Stand with Pesticide Action Network, Center for Food Safety and Beyond Pesticides in writing your representative to support this legislation.
Protect Monarchs under the Endangered Species Act
Monarch populations have declined by 90% in the last 20 years and will continue to drop without stronger regulations of herbicides on milkweek, the monarch’s main source of food and breeding habitat. Stand with SierraRise and urge Dan Ashe, Director U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, to add these beautiful creatures to the endangered species list before it’s too late!
Share Your Efforts to #SaveOurBees!
Are you a backyard beekeeper? Or maybe you’ve created a pollinator-haven in your garden? Tell us what you’re doing in your daily life to protect bees below and inspire others to do the same!
EPA Must Get Serious About Protecting Bees From Toxic Pesticides
Even though the EPA has acknowledged that neonics are a contributing factor in mass bee die-offs and no longer approve any new neonic products, they’re unwilling to pull these toxins from the market. Join Beyond Pesticides in urging the EPA to suspend the use of neonics.
For original article and to Take Action go to "6 Simple Ways You Can #BuildtheBuzz For Pollinator Week"
