Thursday, October 2, 2014

Dear friend,

Bees are dying by the million--but pesticide companies have just asked the EPA to increase the allowable level of bee-killing pesticides by as much as 400 times.1

Chemical companies like Dow, Bayer, and Syngenta are making billions selling bee-killing pesticides called neonics--chemicals that scientists have compared to DDT in the level of threat posed to the environment.2

In fact, neonics are wiping out bee colonies so fast that the European Union has enacted a continent-wide moratorium on their use.3

Increasing the allowable levels by 400 times? That’s insane.

The EPA is only accepting public input on this decision until October 6, so we don't have much time. Can you chip in to help convince them to reject this awful proposal?

Yes, I’ll make a donation to help stop the increase in bee-killing pesticides.

If you don’t think bees are important, think again. Of the world’s major food crops, 71% are dependent on bees for pollination.4

It’s this simple: No bees, no farms. No farms, no food.

Earlier this year, our state affiliates in Texas and New York helped our allies at Friends of the Earth and the Pesticide Research Institute discover that half the "bee-friendly" plants we tested from stores like Home Depot contained the bee-killing pesticides.5

Now we need to blow the whistle on the pesticide industry’s plan to jack up the allowable level of bee-killing pesticides. If you donate today, you’ll help us mobilize grassroots support to convince the EPA to reject the pesticide industry’s petition.

Click here to make a donation to help stop the pesticide industry’s request to increase the allowable level of bee-killing pesticides.

Thanks for making it all possible.

Yours,

Dan Jacobson
Environment California

United Nations News Centre - Filling classrooms with poorly trained teachers undercuts education gains, warns UN

United Nations News Centre - Filling classrooms with poorly trained teachers undercuts education gains, warns UN

United Nations News Centre - Honouring Gandhi’s legacy, Deputy Secretary-General reaffirms power of peaceful protest

United Nations News Centre - Honouring Gandhi’s legacy, Deputy Secretary-General reaffirms power of peaceful protest

Avaaz.org

Oct 1 (2 days ago)


to me
Thank you for playing your part to keep India clean. Please spread the word by sharing the original email from Avaaz below.

In hope,

Alaphia and the rest of the Avaaz team

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Dear friends,

Tomorrow, on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, the government is launching a ‘Clean India’ campaign. While we may not agree with everything the government does, we can recognise that we can all play a part to bring about a sanitation revolution in India.

From beaches to beautiful hill stations - everywhere we turn in India, mountains of litter mar our landscape. Littering seems to be a pervasive problem but even more deadly is the total lack of sanitation for millions of Indians. Let’s pledge to care as much about the state of our public spaces as we do about our private homes.

When over 1 million of us take this pledge, we will take it to the media to show the massive support to clean up India. Pledge now!

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/clean_india_together/?tNYSFbb

Half of India’s population still doesn’t use a private toilet and India tops in open defecation all over the world. This means that even well fed children under five are at risk of malnourishment, deadly disease and death from diarrhea and encephalitis. Experts have warned that just building toilets won’t do, because having a toilet doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Indians will use it. It is only a change in public attitudes towards hygiene and sanitation that will guarantee lasting change.

This is where all of us come in. If we pledge to change our own behaviour in public spaces, and politely request other people to do the same, each of us could lead this change in attitude that is so crucial to saving millions of lives in India.

Of course the government needs to support this sanitation revolution by keeping its promise of building toilets and work on changing attitudes. But we can all make a start with our own actions by committing to respect our public space and making sure others do as well. Pledge now!

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/clean_india_together/?tNYSFbb

Nearly half a million of us just marched all over the world to demand that our leaders take decisive action to tackle climate change. This includes hundreds of people in India. Avaaz members have repeatedly shown that caring for our environment is caring for humanity. Let’s do the same for a clean and hygienic India.

In hope,

Alaphia, Shreya, and the rest of the Avaaz team

More Information

Why India’s sanitation crisis is a public health emergency (LiveMint)
http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/nKCx2zwO66c29nj3vkyNhL/Why-Indias-sanitation-crisis-is-a-public-heal... (http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/nKCx2zwO66c29nj3vkyNhL/Why-Indias-sanitation-crisis-is-a-public-health-emergency.html)

The final frontier (The Economist)
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21607837-fixing-dreadful-sanitation-india-requires-not-just-build...

Modi orders officials to clean loos on Gandhi’s birthday (Reuters)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/09/29/modi-gandhi-toilets-idINKCN0HO1C420140929

From littering to spitting: sanitary problems in India’s public spaces (Urban Times)
http://urbantimes.co/2013/02/from-littering-to-spitting-sanitary-problems-in-indias-public-spaces/

India tops in open defecation (The Hindu)
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-tops-in-open-defecation/article5993478.ece

Nearly half of India’s population still defecates in the open (Development And Cooperation)
http://www.dandc.eu/en/article/nearly-half-indias-population-620-million-still-defacates-open

Avaaz.org is a 38-million-person global campaign network
that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.