The Student PIRG S Campaign to Save the Bees

Spring 2017 NO BEES, NO FOOD: The Student PIRG’s Campaign to Save the Bees

Scientists, farmers and beekeepers have sounded the alarm: bee colonies are in collapse. So the Student PIRGs are working together with Environment America and other coalition partner groups in our states and local communities to pass policies that will help save bees.

THE PROBLEM

What’s at stake? The problem has been building for most of a decade and now each season we’re losing between 30 – 40% of all bee colonies. You can imagine that bees play a role in the ecosystem so losing bees matters. But what you might not know is that if we lose all our bees, our food supply will be dramatically affected. Bees pollinate about 70% of the foods that most of us eat. The foods affected are everything from apples and broccoli to coffee beans and chocolate. And bees pollinate alfalfa, one of the main crops on which dairy cows feed. So there goes our milk, cheese and ice cream as well!

Why is it happening? There are a number of explanations for the dramatic loss in bee populations. Certainly global warming is one of the problems. Over development and loss of biodiversity are others. But a critical problem affecting the bees, and the one we’re most focused on solving right now is that bees are increasingly exposed to a relatively new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids (neonics). These chemicals have been used in exponentially increasing quantities in the last few years and studies definitively link loss of bees to exposure to neonics.

How do neonics work? For some crops neonics are sprayed directly and if bees visit those plants soon after spraying they experience acute toxicity and often die right away. One study showed that neonics are even 6000 times more potent than DDT – the pesticide we banned decades ago. But this isn’t the biggest piece of the problem. Seeds treated with neonics are the chronic problem facing the bees. Treated seeds mean neonics spread throughout the plant including getting into the pollen. Bees are then exposed on an on-going basis to these chemicals.

Some studies show that the repeated exposure over a year or so is even more damaging to the bees. Neonics are neurotoxins. In addition to weakening bee immune systems and making them more susceptible to disease, the neonics disorient the bees meaning they can’t find their way back to their hives. And unfortunately the NIC in neonics acts just like nicotine in cigarettes – it can be addictive to bees. So bees are exposed and the go back and back again to plants that have been treated increasing their exposure and speeding up the die off.

THE SOLUTION

To save the bees we need to get neonics off the market Currently most neonics are used by big agriculture to grow corn and soybeans. Most GMO corn and soybean seeds are treated with neonics. In addition neonics are used by some cities and states along their highways or in their

2 landscaping and unbeknownst to most home gardeners many commonly used backyard pesticides also contain neonics.

To fully save the bees we need to phase out and then ban the use of neonics and we need to ensure that they are not replaced with equally or more dangerous chemicals. We need to stop home gardeners from using them; making sure that garden supply stores don’t see them; getting cities and states and other major landscapers to stop using them; and it means getting agribusiness to stop using neonics.

OUR OPPOSITION

Bayer (you know them from the aspirin they make); Syngenta and Dow are amongst the biggest producers of neonics. As you can imagine they are making their case loud and clear to government officials and to major agricultural interests. They have done some of their own studies that deny the link between neonics and the bee die off. And Bayer has even set up a BEE CARE center and educational program to let us know how much they “care” about bees.

OUR CAMPAIGN

For the past year we worked on a campaign to get the EPA to stop neonics from being approved for any new usage and eventually to phase out any approved uses. We targeted Gina McCarthy, administrator of the EPA, because the EPA is the federal agency charged with approving (or not) new permitted uses for any pesticide.

With a new administration taking office in January, we are changing the strategy of our campaign. The President-elect Trump has already appointed cabinet members and top officials that do not believe in global warming and have anti- environmental track records, so action on the national level is unlikely. Instead we will focus on state level and local level action. There has already been a lot of progress at the state level to ban neonics! Minnesota and Maryland have passed policies that ban or limit neonics, and so have cities like Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. As an organization of state-based groups, we can make an impact to ban neonics in our states and cities, which will decrease neonic use in the short term and build support for the issue in the long-term. We will also demonstrate to other states and cities that change is possible, which will make the adoption of bans in other states besides ours more feasible.

GOAL: Pass a state or local policy to ban neonic pesticides

STRATEGY: Our strategy is pressure. We believe the science is in. The public and other well-respected messengers are with us. We need to overcome the chemical manufacturers, which we will do by building public support.

PROGRESS ON THE CAMPAIGN: SOME RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

DEMONSTRATING SUPPORT ON CAMPUS LAST SCHOOL YEAR Last school year, the Student PIRGs ran this campaign on 21 campuses across the country. We engaged 398 student volunteers who collected 1,181 photo petitions and 11,696 public comments to the EPA. Students held on-campus panels, visibility events, and dining hall press events to educate the campus and community about the issue.

3 CANVASSING ACROSS THE COUNTRY

From more than 30 field offices in 15 states around the country, we sent out teams of canvassers every day to talk to Americans about the loss of pollinators. These staff had more than half a million conversations, gathered nearly 200,000 petition signatures, recruited nearly 250 farmers and restaurant owners to join the campaign and generated hundreds of phone calls to the EPA.

CALLING ON EPA TO TAKE ACTION

Rally outside EPA’s offices in recognition of National Pollinator Week, where we called for an immediate ban on bee-killing pesticides. Press release:http://environmentamerica.org/news/ame/ millions-dead-bees-millions-more-signatures- highlight-threat-bees-other-pollinators

Our coalition held a rally in DC to cap off the “Keep the Hives Alive” national tour. We brought 80 volunteers to the event and delivered 150,000 petitions along with 4 million public comments from our national coalition, as well as a letter signed by nearly 200 businesses and organizations. Along with the rally the coalition organized briefings to educate Congress about the need to protect pollinator health.

BBQ WITHOUT BEES EVENTS

“The problem is pesticides…in my third year, I lost 30 percent of my bees. The fourth year, 50 percent. The fifth year, I lost 90 percent. It's very rough on our bees.” --Michael Long, Beekeeper, Uriah Creek Apiary

4 To draw attention to the vast number of foods that depend on bees, we organized more than 20 visibility events around the country at which beekeepers, restaurant owners, local elected officials shared their stories of how pollinator health affects our food systems. These events generated media hits from Berkeley, CA to Portland, ME. Media hit examples: http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/06/23/environmentalists-offer-gloomy-glimpse-of-world-without-bees/ http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/glencoe/news/ct-gln-bees-tl-0630-20160627-story.html http://news.mpbn.net/post/maine-environmentalists-urge-ban-pesticides-linked-bee-die-offs

NATIONAL FALL UPDATES

In November, Environment America joined several coalition partners in delivering nearly 120,000 petitions to the Department of the Interior in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to grant Endangered Species Act protection to the rusty patched bumble bee. The agency accepted public comments on the proposed rule until November 21. This effort was a part of Environment America's No Bees, No Food campaign. Rusty patched bumble bees pollinate everything from cranberries and blueberries to squash and clover, but they are dying quickly. Studies indicate they have disappeared from 87 percent of their historic range and by as much as 95 percent in recent decades.

Environment America released this new Facebook video for Thanksgiving, thanking the bees that pollinate 30% of our food. It got 12,000 views, was shared 714 times, and got 400 likes and 45 comments!

In the month before Inauguration Day, Environment America is pushing very hard for the Obama administration to act on this issue in their last days in office.

RECENT NEWS ON THE ISSUE

'Like it's been nuked': Millions of bees dead after South Carolina ... Zika spraying kills millions of honeybees - CNN.com Minnesota Cracks Down On Neonic Pesticides, Promising Aid To Bees Bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides face total EU ban Trump's top environmental advisor says #pesticides aren't bad for you In an unprecedented settlement over false advertising of pesticides, the Massachusetts Attorney General forces Bayer to stop misleading consumers about whether its lawn products harm bees

5 Picking your Target

Get your school, city government, or state legislature to take action to protect the bees! The more schools and cities and states across the country that take immediate action, the more bees we can protect in the short term, and the more support for national action we can drum up. Many cities and states have taken action. For example, Eugene OR has banned neonics. And recently Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton took a step to help protect our pollinators: he issued a set of restrictions on commercial neonic use in Minnesota. You can:

Make your campus a “Bee Campus”:

On April 8, 2015, Southern Oregon University and Bee City USA announced the launch of the national Bee Campus USA program, designed to marshal the strengths of college and other educational campuses for the benefit of pollinators. The University collaborated with Bee City USA on developing the application for certification. On October 25, 2015, Southern Oregon University was named the winner of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Best Case Study sustainability award. SOU won for its project “Bee Campus USA as a Model for Pollinator-Friendly Campuses.” Check out the website: http://www.beecityusa.org/bee-campus-usa.html

Lobby your City to Become a “Bee City”: http://www.beecityusa.org/become-a-bee-city1.html

Pollinator Resolutions

Encourage your local municipality, schools and businesses to support pollinators and pollinator habitat, and pass the Pollinator Resolution to eliminate the use of bee-killing pesticides in your community.

Lobby your City to Ban Neonics: Collect petitions, meet with city council members, attend city council meetings, and lobby your city council to ban neonics in the city. The cities of Seattle and Spokane WA, Skagway AK, and Eugene and Portland OR have banned neonics, and your city can too!

Hardware stores:

Private companies can also make commitments. For example, after large grassroots organizing campaigns, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware all made commitments to stop selling neonic pesticides. You can lobby “mom and pop” hardware stores in your city to do the same!

Opportunities for In-State Action

6 Maryland

The Maryland Pollinator Protection Act (Senate Bill 198/House Bill 211), passed in 2016, will prevent consumers from buying pesticides that contain neonicotinoids starting in 2018. Certified pesticide applicators, farmers and veterinarians will be still be allowed to use neonicotinoids.

Municipalities in Maryland can adopt local pesticide restrictions that are more restrictive than state policy on all property within their jurisdiction, so they could enact stricter neonics local bans, as well. In 2015, Montgomery County banned toxic pesticides on public and private land within its jurisdiction. This local ban is facing a legal challenge filed last week by an industry group.

Connecticut

Bill No. 231, An Act Concerning Pollinator Health, passed in 2016, restricts consumer use of neonicotinoids. In addition, it requires the creation of pollinator habitat on state lands, and begins to address the use of these chemicals in agriculture by developing best practices on neonicotinoid coated seeds, and model pollinator habitat in farm preservation programs.

Massachusetts

Bill H. 4187, which is still pending, would restrict the sale, purchase, and use of neonics while establishing labelling requirements. The legislature is still in session, but this bill is stuck in the House Ways and Means Committee. http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/06/massachusetts_lawmakers_consid_3.html

New Jersey

 A 1373, to prohibit the use or sale of neonicotinoid pesticides, was introduced but not passed in the New Jersey legislature.

Washington

 The Seattle City Council voted unanimously in to prohibit the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on land owned or maintained by the city (2014). Seattle is the largest city thus far to enact a local ban to protect pollinators.   The Spokane City Council in late June voted to ban city purchase and use of neonicotinoids. The ban does not apply to private use. 7 California

The California legislature last acted on this issue in 2014 when they voted to delay a requirement for action on bee- harming neonic pesticides until 2020. Assembly Bill 1789 provides the California Department of Pesticide Regulation another four years to reevaluate neonicotinoid pesticides, and an additional two years to implement any measures that would be needed to protect pollinator health.

Oregon

Oregon cities have made a ton of progress on protecting the bees! SOU is the first “bee campus” in the country. And the cities of Portland and Eugene have banned neonics. This spring we will work with our coalition partner Beyond Toxics to pass a bill through the Oregon state legislature that bans neonic use in the state.

8 SPRING CAMPAIGN TACTICS

Priority 1: Build Public Support The science is in. The public and other well-respected messengers are with us. So now we need to overcome the chemical manufacturers by building enough public support. We made a lot of progress this summer by SWARMING the EPA offices with public comments. We will continue this drumbeat and and replicate that BUZZ for the campaign by collecting petitions for our state target, doing visibility events on campus, and generating traditional and social media product.

Petitions to the Target (state legislature, city council, state EPA, school, etc)

One of the best ways to educate the public on the issue and bring public pressure to our target is through petitions. These signatures will show that students and citizens care about the future of our bee populations, asking them to ban neonics. Collecting these petitions in a concentrated 2-3 day effort will also help you build power by building your name recognition on campus. However, you can also collect petitions from community members by canvassing or going downtown, to community events, or to farmers markets.

Photo Petitions and Social Media

Photo petitions will also help us educated the public, and like petitions, we can deliver them to demonstrate public support. However, photo petitions also allow us to add a “human touch” to the campaign and show the faces of young people across America who care about this issue. You can maximize your impact by also posting these photo petitions on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. When you do this, make sure you or the photo-taker tags your target with an @. That way someone in their public relations office will actually get a notification and see the photos. Other videos to share on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentAmerica/videos/10157231197565188/ https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentAmerica/videos/10157290443435188/

9 ThunderClap

You can create a “ThunderClap” by heading to their website. If you ask students to sign up for the ThunderClap, on the day of your choosing everyone who signed up will automatically post a message with a #hashtag and a @tag for the target in support of the campaign on the same day. This will make your hashtag more likely to trend, and Facebook’s algorithm will allow more people to see your message than if people posted individually over the course of many days.

Dining Hall Day of Action

Bees pollinate a huge portion of the foods that we eat—about 1 in 3 forkfuls. University dining halls will definitely feel the impact of losing so many critical foods if mass populations of bees continue to die-off. Much of what bees pollinate are fruits and vegetables, which are a necessary part of a healthy diet and central to most dining hall menus.

To raise awareness about this issue and to get students involved, host an educational event on campus in the dining hall to identify foods we eat now that we won’t have without bees. For example, put a sign up near the salad bar that lists foods pollinated by bees with a prohibition sign around it. In addition to the visibility inside the dining hall, table to collect petition signatures and hand out information about the bees, and contact your campus paper to generate media attention for the issue.

No Bees, No Valentine’s Day Events

Without bees Valentine’s Day won’t be the same… no bees, no chocolate! Across the country our coalition will do big publicity and media events again on this key date. Hold a press conference and invite speakers like beekeepers, restaurant owners, or store managers. Post videos or graphics on social media to magnify your effort.

Meet with your Target

Schedule a meeting! Deliver your comments and photo petitions, share press clips, and bring students to share their person stories and talk about why they care about saving the bees and our food supply.

10 Campus Panel Host an educational panel on campus. Invite grasstops leaders and experts, like professors who study agriculture or ecology and can speak about the impact neonics have on bees. Invite the campus paper or local media, and recruit students to attend and learn about the issue.

Priority 2: Getting Creative with New Constituencies Another priority for the campaign is to bring in new diverse voices to the coalition.

Grasstops endorsements

We have had a ton of success signing on environmental groups or experts to the campaign, so now we will focus on adding new voices. We created a “Bee Friendly Food Alliance” that will mobilize “foodies,” farmers, and restaurateurs.

 We’ll reach out to professors who have clout on the issue-- expertise in food science, ecology, or agriculture—and ask them to endorse our campaign and add their name to an endorsement letter. Focus on professors who teach subjects that might seems against the campaign, but are not and know that saving the bees is important for our food supply and the economy. These could include professors of chemistry, business, agriculture, etc.

 We’ll also be mobilizing constituencies that have one of the biggest stakes in the issue-- restaurant owners and florists-- to endorse the campaign.

 Sign on small farmers who need bees to keep their business alive. You can organize a trip to local farmers market and send volunteers around to all of the booths to ask the farmers to sign on to the letter.

 Strange bedfellows. We know this campaign is protecting the public interest at large, and groups from “all sides of the aisle” will support it. Work to get co-signed letters from Campus Dems and the Campus Republicans, from the city Chamber of Commerce and the community environment group.

 Dining halls and dining services. Most dining halls are run by company- signing on these companies will show that saving the bees and our food supply is good for business as well.

11 MATERIALS

Tabling Rap

 Greeting: Hi, how are you?

(Choose one of the following:)

o Can you help save the bees? o Can you sign a petition to ban bee-killing pesticides? o Can you sign to save the bees?

After someone stops –

 Introduce yourself: my name is __ and I’m a volunteer with XXPIRG – what’s your name? (Susie) Cool – thanks for stopping. (hand over clipboard with petition).

 CAMPAIGN: We’re working save the bees. Millions of bees are dying off and we rely on them to pollinate everything from coffee to chocolate to strawberries. No bees, means, no food. We need XX to ban the worst of the bee-killing pesticides, but to do that we need public support.

 Campaign ASK – Can you sign our petition/will you take a photo petition to XX asking them to ban bee-killing pesticides?

THANKS!

 PIRG: This is one of XXPIRG’s campaigns. We’re a student advocacy group here on campus and we are working on a variety of other issues too like…(list others)

 VOLUNTEER ASK: We have tons of ways to help out on the campaign. Are you interested in volunteering or learning more about our leadership opportunities? (sure!) Great – fill out our interest card and check off anything that you want to know more about.

 Here’s more information about our campaign (hand flyer)

OTHER KEY FACTS:

*Bees pollinate 71 of the 100 crops that provide 90% of the world’s food.

*Companies like Dow Chemical are pushing the EPA to allow even more use neonics like sulfoxaflor, a particularly toxic bee-killing insecticide. 12 *Neonics are about 6,000 times more toxic than DDT.

13 List of Foods that Bees Help to Pollinate

Fruit:

 Apples  Avocado  Blackberries  Blueberries  Cantaloupes  Cherries  Cranberries  Cucumbers  Grapefruit  Grapes  Kiwi  Lemons  Limes  Oranges  Peaches  Pumpkin  Tomatoes  Raspberries  Strawberries  Squash  Watermelon

Vegetables:  Carrots  Broccoli  Onions  Peppers Other:  Almonds  Alfalfa  Cocoa beans  Coffee beans  Vanilla

Sources: https://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/files/bees.pdf http://pollinator.org/list_of_pollinated_food.htm http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/pollination/crop-pollination.html#other

14 15 Campus Dining Hall Event Materials

Media Advisory for XXDay, Month XX, 2016, TIME, PLACE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Name, xxxPIRG Students, email, phone number

“No Bees, No Food” campus visibility event

Scientists, farmers and beekeepers have sounded the alarm: bee colonies are in collapse. Bees are dying off in unprecedented numbers. The problem has been building for most of a decade and now each year we’re losing between 30 – 40% of all bee colonies1. Scientists point to the increased use and exposure to a class of bee killing insecticides known as neonics as a major cause of colony collapse disorder. To raise awareness about this issue and to encourage XX to take action to protect the bees, xxxPIRG is hosting an educational event in the dining hall. Students will identify common foods in the dining hall that won’t exist without bees.

WHO: xxxPIRG

Educational event about the bee epidemic including information about foods currently served in the X DINING HALL that would be lost if bee populations die off

DAY AND TIME

WHERE:

University Dining Hall

Address

xxxPIRG Students is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security, or our right to fully participate in our democratic society.

www.xxxpirgstudents.org 16 http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2015/150513.htm

17 Sample Student Newspaper Article/Opinion Editorial

Do you need a cup of coffee to help pull you out of bed each morning? Or to help keep you awake during those all-nighters when you’re studying for midterms or forgot to write that 10-page paper? What about chocolate? Who doesn’t love a warm hot cocoa on a cold, wintery day? What if I told you that one day these staples in your daily routine may not exist? Coffee, chocolate and overall 1 in 3 forkfuls of food we eat every day could be gone if we lose our bees.1

Bee colonies are in collapse. The problem has been developing for most of a decade and now each year we’re losing between 30 – 40% of all bee colonies.2 Bees pollinate about 70% of the foods that most of us eat.3 If the bees go, most of our food will go, too – beyond coffee and chocolate we could lose everything from apples to avocados to the alfalfa used to feed dairy cows – which could mean no more milk, yogurt, or ice cream!

There are a number of explanations for the dramatic loss in bee populations. Certainly global warming overdevelopment and loss of biodiversity are taking a toll. But a critical problem affecting the bees, and the one we’re most focused on solving right now, is that bees are increasingly exposed to a relatively new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids (neonics). Almost all mass-produced corn grown in the nation uses treated seeds.4 This is up from just 30% in 2000. Approximately 1/3 of our soybean crops rely on treated seeds as well, up from just 5% in 2000.5

To save the bees we need to phase out and then ban the use of neonics and we need to ensure that they are not replaced with equally or more dangerous chemicals. Home gardeners should not use them; garden supply stores shouldn’t sell them; cities and states and other major property owners and landscapers need to stop using them; and most importantly agribusiness need to stop using neonics.

So the next time you’re grabbing a meal at the dining hall, take a minute to think about where your food comes from. Are you tossing together a salad? You won’t be able to add any tasty green or red peppers, onions, or carrots to your salad. Grabbing some fruit on your way to class? You’ll no longer be able to pack an apple on your way out.

On Thursday, look for signs throughout the dining hall identifying common foods that bees pollinate that will be lost if bees die-off. You may be surprised to find out how much of your meal relies on bees.

What can you do to help the bees? Stop by the xxxPIRG TABLE, this Thursday outside the dining hall to sign our petition calling on XX to ban the use of neonics. You can also learn more about our campaign No Bees, No Food and xxxPIRG. Want to do even more? Visit our website, www.xxxPIRGStudents.org, and apply for an internship with us!

1 http://pollinator.org/pollinators.htm 2 http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2015/150513.htm 3 Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. at www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0512sp1.htm; http://www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/Global_Bee_Colony_Disorder_and_Threats_insect_pollinators.pdf 4 http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/05/catching-my-reading-ahead-pesticide-industry-confab

18 5 http://news.psu.edu/story/351027/2015/04/02/research/rapid-increase-neonicotinoid-insecticides-driven-seed-treatments; http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1282246/err162.pdf

19 Sample Call Script to Dining Halls

Hello, so-in-so speaking.

Hi, my name is ______and I’m with xxxPIRG, the campus public interest group. How are you doing today?

Pretty good, how can I help you?

Great! I'm calling you today because we're working on a campaign to save the bees and we’re interested in hosting an event at the dining hall on campus

I’m not sure if you know this, but bees pollinate nearly seventy percent of the world’s food and they are facing mass die-offs. Without bees, we could lose major sources of food, including a variety of fruits and vegetables and even chocolate and coffee! And of course lots of these things are foods I’m sure you serve regularly if not daily in your dining hall. We want to do an educational event on campus, in the dining hall to get students aware of the impacts of letting the bees die-off. Are you the right person to talk to about setting up an event?

If yes: Great! So, have you heard much about the bee die off before? (AND SOME OTHER GET-TO-KNOW-EACHOTHER- STUFF HERE!!!) How long have you worked here? Have you done any other events like this before?

What we were thinking of doing was having an event next week to raise awareness about this issue. We would ask if you could put up signage, either a poster or signs of some sort that identify foods we eat now but foods that we won’t have without bees. So for example, we could put a sign up near the salad bar that lists foods pollinated by bees with a prohibition sign around it (circle with a line). We’re working with students on campus to put this event together and they would set up a table outside of the dining hall to collect petition signatures and hand out information about the bees. Does this sound like something we could do at xxx dining hall?

-If yes: Awesome! We would prep all the materials and send them to you, before the event. Does Day/Time work for you?

-If no: Okay, thank you for your time. Have a good day!

If someone else: No problem, who is the best person to speak to about this? (re-do the conversation with that person)

If maybe/I would need to read it/etc: Sure, I understand. For the past decade or so, beekeepers have dealt with mass populations of their bees dying off, often unexpectedly. Scientists point to several causes of these die-offs, including a class of bee killing insecticides known as neonics. The problem has grown worse over the years and many groups have taken the initiative to raise awareness about this issue. Bees actually pollinate 1 out of every 3 bites of food that we eat, so losing bees could have a really big impact on our food sources.

Does this sound like something we could do in xxx dining hall? Does Day/Time work for you?

20 Sample Email to Dining Halls

Hello {{name}},

I called and left a message/spoke with _____, but wanted to follow-up with a quick email.

As you have probably heard, bees are dying off at an alarming rate. Scientists, farmers, and beekeepers have sounded the alarm: bee colonies are in collapse. The problem has been building for most of a decade and now each year we’re losing between 30 – 40% of all bee colonies. Scientists point to several causes of these die-offs, including increased use and exposure to a class of bee killing insecticides known as neonics.

If bees continue to die, our food supply will be dramatically affected. Bees pollinate about 70% of the foods that most of us eat; approximately 1 in 3 forkfuls are pollinated by bees. The foods affected are everything from apples and broccoli to coffee beans and chocolate.

All of us, including university dining halls, will feel the impact of losing so many critical foods if mass populations of bees continue to die-off. Much of what bees pollinate are fruits and vegetables, which are a necessary part of a healthy diet and central to most dining hall menus.

To raise awareness about this issue and to get students involved, we were thinking of doing an educational event on campus, in the dining hall. We’re planning to have the event on Day/Time and would ask if you could put up signage, either a poster or signs of some sort that identify foods we eat now but foods that we won’t have without bees. So for example, you could put a sign up near the salad bar that lists foods pollinated by bees with a prohibition sign around it (circle with a line). We will be working with students on campus to put this event together and they would set up a table outside of the dining hall to collect petition signatures and hand out information about the bees.

Does this sound like something we could do in xxx dining hall? If so, we’d love to set something up!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

21 22 FACT SHEET

XXPIRG Students Campaign: No Bees, No Food

What’s the first thing you look forward to when you wake up in the morning? If it’s a hot cup of coffee, you may soon need to find a new “pick-me-up.” You’re cravings for a bite of chocolate mid-afternoon or after dinner may soon go unfilled, too. These staples in your daily routine, amongst others, might not exist some time soon.

We may lose everything from coffee and chocolate; from apples to avocado to watermelon because bees might not exist anymore. And of course bees pollinate alfalfa --- one of the main crops on which dairy cows feed. So there goes milk, cheese and ice cream as well!

Where are all the bees going?

Scientists, farmers and beekeepers have sounded the alarm: bee colonies are in collapse. Bees are dying off in unprecedented numbers. The problem has been building for most of a decade and now each year we’re losing between 30 – 40% of all bee coloniesi.

Why does it matter?

Bees play a big role in the ecosystem. If we lose all of our bees, our food supply will be dramatically affected. Bees pollinate 1 in 3 forkfuls of the food we eatii; about 70% of the 100 major crops that people eatiii.

Why are we losing so many bees?

There are a number of explanations for the dramatic loss in bee populations. Certainly global warming, overdevelopment, and loss of biodiversity are parts of the problem. But a critical problem affecting the bees, and the one we’re most focused on solving right now: bees are increasingly exposed to a relatively new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids (neonics).

The bulk of exposure is through crops grown with neonic-treated seeds, which then imbues the whole plant as it grows right up into the pollen that bees pick up. Rather than an acute reaction, the neonic affects the bee over time. It is a neurotoxin that can corrupt the bee’s immune system making it more vulnerable to disease. Some neonics are sprayed directly on crops and plants. If a bee visits a recently sprayed plant it likely has an acute impact and kills the bee right away. We need to stop using neonics to save the bees, but it won’t be easy.

Who are we up against? 23 Right now, neonics are used in all sorts of ways and places, but the largest and most destructive use is on agriculture. Big agrichemical companies that both produce and sell neonics, like Bayer, Syngenta, and Dow Chemical are fighting to prevent bans on the use of neonics. And Syngenta has asked federal regulators for permission to use even larger quantities of these pesticides — as much as 400 times more than currently allowed, which will only exacerbate the current problem. These companies are also lobbying hard to keep them on the market and are simultaneously selling their product to mega factory farms, while also working to convince farmers and the public that their products are not only efficient but also safe --- even for bees.

What can we do?

We need to urge the XX to reject the pesticide industry’s requests to use more neonics and to instead put in place an immediate moratorium on neonicotinoid pesticides. We simply cannot afford to lose anymore bee colonies or the dozens of crops that they pollinate.

Find out if your school uses neonics and ask them to go neonic-free. If you have a garden, urge your local garden stores to stop selling neonicotinoids. Ask your city and state governments to ban the use of neonics. Then join us and call on the XX to place the ban on these dangerous insecticides.

Take action:

Sign our petition urging XX to place an immediate moratorium on neonicotinoid pesticides.

24 i http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2015/150513.htm ii http://pollinator.org/pollinators.htm iii Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. at www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0512sp1.htm; http://www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/Global_Bee_Colony_Disorder_and_Threats_insect_pollinators.pdf