The Center for Food Safety Thanks You for Saving the Bees!
Earlier this month, we made our yearly donation to support bees and other pollinators to The Center for Food Safety (“CFS”). Since our customers join us in this part of our mission and shop for this cause, by donating 1% of their purchases to CFS, we thought you would appreciate seeing their thank you note for saving the bees:
THANK YOU so much again for your incredibly generous donation! Here is the 17 victories YOU helped make possible in 2019:
https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/blog/5855/17-cfs-victories-you-helped-make-possible-in-2019
Even though times are tough, I hope these victories remind you all that we have accomplished together in 2019!
I Didn’t Know I Was Saving the Bees
by Shopping with Bee Wild!
As you may be aware, John and our staff always say, “Every day is Giving Tuesday at Bee Wild!” That is because one percent of every purchase you make is donated to One Percent for the Planet. If you haven’t heard about our relationship with One Percent for the Planet and CFS, here is a bit of background.
What Is One Percent for the Planet?
To start this conversation, here is a video from the founders and current CEO of One Percent for the Planet:
Here is their mission:
Our business and individual members give directly to highly vetted environmental nonprofit organizations. We’re here to certify that giving, and ensure our members’ donations make the most impact possible.
So, at the end of Bee Wild’s fiscal year, we take 1% of our gross sales and donate them through One Percent for the Planet to the organization that has made the most difference saving the bees and other pollinators. The last few years we have nominated CFS for our donations.
Why We Chose The Center for Food Safety
Originally, we were introduced to One Percent for the Planet by an organization that QueenBee follows, EarthJustice. We knew that they were lawyers for our bees and other pollinators and originally asked them to accept our donation. Since receiving donations from an interested party (a business where the bees were partners) might be seen as a conflict of interest, they referred us to The Center for Food Safety. We are so glad they did, because CFS is such a good fit!
Here is a description of CFS:
Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a national non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. CFS also educates consumers concerning the definition of organic food and products. CFS uses legal actions, groundbreaking scientific and policy reports, books and other educational materials, market pressure and grass roots campaigns through our True Food Network. CFS’s successful legal cases collectively represent a landmark body of case law on food and agricultural issues.
We have been pleased by CFS’s stand against pesticides that effect bees and pollinators.
CFS’s Bee and Pollinator Victories
CFS highlighted these efforts in 2019 for saving our bees and pollinators:
CFS is saving the bees! Our legal team scored a groundbreaking legal victory when a federal court concluded that the EPA approval of dozens neonicotinoid pesticides was illegal. As a result of our lawsuit, a dozen of these bee-killing pesticides will be taken off the market this year! EPA has also agreed to assess neonic impacts on other endangered pollinators and species by specific deadlines. Both of these announcements are the first time in U.S. history such steps have been required for addressing the impacts of neonic pesticides on pollinators. To complement this legal work, CFS created the Wild Bee ID website and phone app to help you identify bees in your own backyard and cultivate your own bee-friendly garden.
CFS is protecting bumblebees by filing a petition asking the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to list four species of bumblebees as endangered and eligible to receive protection under California’s Endangered Species Act. This year, the Department responded to our petition and is now in the formal process of exploring protecting the four bumblebee species—we are on our way toward listing bees and insects as endangered for the first time in the State!
CFS worked with many organizations to secure the Board of Education’s statewide policy banning herbicide use on all public school campuses in Hawaii.
CFS and allied organizations co-hosted a four-island speaking tour with historic Monsanto plaintiff Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in anticipation of upcoming Hawaii County-level herbicide ban.
Our Bees and Pollinators Thank You!
[Featured Photo and Information Based on Blog Post from The Center For Food Safety, linked above.]
