[Occupymendocino] [Fwd: No bees, no pumpkin pie]

[agnes at mcn.org]

News about some federal legislation to stop use of neonicotinoids killing
bees.

--------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: No bees, no pumpkin pie
From:    "Center for Food Safety" <office at centerforfoodsafety.org>
Date:    Thu, November 21, 2013 9:35 am
To:      agnes at mcn.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear supporter,

What would your Thanksgiving dinner look like without pollinators?

Did you know bees are responsible for providing us more than 1/3 of the
food we eat? Whether it's pollinators like managed honey bees, or native
bees like bumble bees, these species are absolutely essential to our food
supply.

How would your Thanksgiving table look if we lost these vital pollinators?

No apples for the kids' hot cider. No cranberries for your relish. No
celery for your stuffing. No butternut squash or gourds to dress the
table. No green beans for grandma's casserole, and no almond slivers for a
topping, either. No pumpkins for that delicious pumpkin pie, and no
after-dinner coffee to go with it.

In fact, bees are responsible for pollinating nearly every fruit and
vegetable we eat every day.

While this illustration may seem dramatic, the fact is that our
pollinators are in real danger and their numbers have plummeted over the
last few years. Why? While there are a handful of likely culprits, chief
among them are rampant pesticide use and the loss of habitat and
nutritious forage as a result of industrial agriculture.

Will you donate $20 to help us protect pollinators from these threats by
industrial agriculture?
[
https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=10509
]

Vast expansions of monocultures like corn and soy are seriously
threatening the health and continued existence of many pollinators. This
is only worsened by the exponential use of toxic herbicides, insecticides,
and fungicides, which are building up in our environment and poisoning
their habitat. The state of pollinator health is an indication of our
environment's health – and right now, bees are the canary in the coal
mine, sounding the alarm for bigger problems ahead.

Thankfully, with the continued support of members like you, Center for
Food Safety is taking action to protect honey bees and other critical
pollinators. In the last year, CFS:

  * Filed a ground-breaking lawsuit on behalf of beekeepers and CFS
members like you to force U.S. regulators to suspend the use of a
particularly bee-toxic class of pesticides, known as neonicotinoids;

  * Worked with Congress to introduce a landmark piece of legislation to
protect our vital bees and other pollinators from pesticides – known
as the Saving America's Pollinators Act;

  * Launched the BEE Protective Campaign to protect pollinators at the
local level-in city and county governments, college campuses, and
backyards across the country.


While it was a successful year for CFS, it was one of the worst for honey
bees, bumble bees, and other pollinators. Between the 40-100% losses
reported by commercial beekeepers across the country, to the massive
bumble bee kill in an Oregon parking lot (the largest ever recorded), our
bees and other pollinators are in real danger, and we need your help to
fight for them.

We have big plans ahead to broaden our campaign to protect pollinators
like honey bees, bumble bees, and other wild bees, and even butterflies.
In the next year, we'll be launching some exciting and hard-hitting
campaigns to stop the assault on our pollinators. But we won't be able to
carry out our plans without your help.

Please make a $20 donation to CFS this Thanksgiving to help us protect our
critical pollinators!
[
https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=10509
]

P.S.  For your generous donation of $100 or more, we'll send you a limited
edition CFS 15-year anniversary tote bag and our Shopper's Guide to
Avoiding GE Foods.
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