Dear friends and family,
I'm writing to you on behalf of my dear friend in Wayland, Kaat Vander Straeten, a local bee keeper, mother, and environmental crusader. Please heed this call to save our bees...maybe one of the most critical issues of our time. Time's running out; we must save our bees. Simple as that. --Pat
I am writing (last time, I promise) to remind you of three local actions this Saturday, February 15, to ask Home Depot and Lowe's to take bee-killing pesticides and plants off their shelves.
This action is coordinated with Friends of the Earth and many allies (*), who have already collected over half a million signatures and who have heard from over 27,000 people who have committed to "swarm" the retailers.27,000 people... that does not mean there is no need for each of us to show up. On the contrary, it shows us that success is within our grasp and that each of us is necessary to grab it!
So I ask you to come to any or all of these actions to show your love for the bees and for the food they pollinate. I ask that you send this email to friends, family, neighbors and colleagues and ask them to join us. If you are a member of an organization, a house of worship, or have influence with the local media, please spread the word. This action is for all of Massachusetts. Local and regional media have been invited.
Thank you,
Kaat, beekeeper617 739 5870
Massachusetts beekeepers demand Home Depot and Lowe’s stop selling bee-killing pesticides and plants
On Saturday, February 15, beekeepers in costume and friends of bees will swarm to the Home Depot stores in Natick and Waltham and the Lowe's store in Framingham as part of a national week of action to support the bees. Bees and other pollinators, essential for the two-thirds of the food crops humans eat every day, are dwindling worldwide. Last year, U.S. beekeepers reported losing 40-100 percent of their hives, and they are likely facing another winter of historic bee die-offs. Neonicotinoid pesticides have come under scrutiny in this context. A groundbreaking pilot study (*) released last summer found that many so-called “bee-friendly” garden plants sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s contained neonicotinoid pesticides with no warning to consumers.Protesters will collect signatures on Valentines cards, asking that these stores “Show Bees Some Love” by removing bee-killing pesticides and plants from their shelves.(*) www.foe.org/news/news-releases/2013-08-bee-die-offs-new-tests-find-bee-killing-pesticides
When and where: Saturday, February 15, 11 AM – 2 PM
- 11 AM – 12 PM: Natick Home Depot ( 339 Speen St, Natick, MA 01760)
- 12 – 1 PM: Framingham Lowe’s ( 350 Cochituate Rd, Framingham, MA 01701)
- 1 - 2 PM : Waltham Home Depot (00 1st Ave, Waltham, MA 02451)
