Save Our Happy Place - 🌎 Take Simple Climate Action
Hey there Sunshine! Welcome back to Save Our Happy Place, your weekly pop of climate and environmental activism. Spring has officially sprung. While this season has many of us reaching for an antihistamine, it is prime time for the birds, bees and other pollinators to work their magic. The pollination process is vital to life as we know it, but climate change and the over use of insecticides is causing the gravely termed “insect apocolopyse”. Protecting our pollinators is a keen example of how both personal and external climate action is necessary. In this three-part pollinator series, we examine how demanding better from corporations and governments is key, but how we can also have a significant impact from our own gardening and food purchasing practices. Our actions for you this week are quick, direct, and start at the source. Pollination PowerThe Role Pollination Plays in Our LivelihoodWhile creepy crawlies may not be a favorite of the masses, I grew up fascinated by the sheer diversity, community, and agility of insects. My mom, a retired high school biology teacher, would bring home bug collections that she was grading and teach us about the different insects and roles they play in our ecosystem, and, most importantly, the role of pollinators.
Why are pollinators important?Pollination is an essential part of plant reproduction. 75 percent of the world’s crops producing fruits and seeds for human consumption depend on pollinators for sustained growth. Plus produce that requires pollination is exponentially more lucrative than those that don’t, making bees a form of livestock. Additionally, insects are a fundamental piece of our ecosystem, the base of our overall food chain, and the means by which waste is broken down in soil. Life as we know it would crumble without insects and pollinators. Biological Conservation reported that 40% of all insect species are declining globally and that a third of them are endangered. Who are the pollination extermination culprits?Because modern agriculture practices have narrowed in on specific crops, destroyed natural ecosystems by taking up exponential landmass and utilizing pesticides - the sources of food (nectar) for insects are more scarce and less diverse. Plus while pesticides may not be meant to harm the vitally important pollinator, it has been linked directly to the mass death of bees. The culprits are all of us. This is unfortunately something that we all have most likely played into at one point or another. It starts with the companies that make pesticides and the big agriculture companies that use those pesticides, but it ends with us, as individuals, using products like Roundup on our own home lawns. How does climate change affect pollinators?After the use of the pesticides, climate change and habitat destruction are the leading causes of decline in insect population. Habitat destruction is a function of deforestation for timber and Amazon Rainforest fires, as well as urban sprawl, suburban lawns, highways, and agriculture. Insect populations are largely influenced by temperature and environment, so changing climate can and already has impacted insects. What can we do?Take Action: Approaching the use of pesticides from a systemic level is the most powerful approach to altering how our food is grown on a massive scale. The companies that make the pesticides, the companies that sell them, and then the grocers that peddle this chemical-laden produce are the three main targets for change. Addressing these concerns with the EPA, and demanding that they enforce stricter regulations around the use of more toxic pesticides, like Neonicotinoids, is another good call to action. Personal Changes: Over the next two weeks we will address how to make your home garden a haven for pollinators and then how to shop to support organic farmers that are helping our pollinators. Three Ways to Protect PollinatorsTake action to address three levels of the farming and foods industry that are harming pollinators: the source of the pesticides, the distributor of the pesticides, and grocery stores selling products grown with pesticides. Stop Bayer-Monsanto from Selling Bee-Killing PesticidesWhat? Tell Bayer-Monsanto to stop selling toxic pesticides before countless species of bees and other pollinators go extinct. Why? Bees and other pollinators are essential for 180,000 species of plants and one out of three bites of food. But bees are dying from toxic pesticides like neonics produced by Bayer-Monsanto, putting our food system and ecosystems at risk. How? Click link to send message (Estimated 1 minute). Tell Lowe’s and Home Depot: Stop selling RoundupWhat? Demand Lowe’s and Home Depot remove toxic Roundup from store shelves! Why? Pesticides like Roundup are partly to blame, as a recent study found that 94% of bumblebees died when exposed to Bayer-Monsanto’s product. Yet, Home Depot and Lowe’s refuse to take this toxic pesticide off their shelves. How? Click link to send message (Estimated 1 minute). Demand Kroger eliminate toxic pesticide use in its food supplyWhat? Tell Kroger: Make a commitment to shift away from bee-killing pesticides! Why? Kroger, one of the largest grocery store chains in America, still chooses to stock products grown with bee-killing pesticides. How? Click link to send message (Estimated 1 minute). Some Rays of SunshineThe Headlines We’re Happy to SeeThe Birds and the Bees
More On Saving Bees from Adetokunbo SeesWatch Catalyst from the CouchLast week, I spoke with Emma Bochner of Catalyst20 on their Instagram live series Catalyst from Couch about all things climate activism. Be sure to check it out below. Magnify Your ImpactShare the Save Our Happy Place Newsletter with a friend. Support Save Our Happy PlaceIf you enjoy making waves against climate change with us, please consider supporting our efforts by donating through Patreon. Volunteer with UsIf you would like to contribute to Save Our Happy Place or volunteer your time & skill set, please let us know. |
Older messages
🌎 Take Simple Climate Action
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Combat Climate Change Today
🌎 Take Simple Climate Action
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Combat Climate Change Today
🌎 Take Simple Climate Action
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Combat Climate Change Today
🌎 Take Simple Climate Action
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Combat Climate Change Today
🌎 Take Simple Climate Action
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Combat Climate Change Today
You Might Also Like
The Week in Review
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Week of Apr 16 — Home starts stutter, Sales stagnate, Rates rip ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The subtle art of being different.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
And how it will help you win. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
"Four Freedoms Park" by Monica Youn
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Then—as if someone had switched on a black light in the sky— Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the
Katie Holmes Just Wore The 'Ugly' Sandal We Need For Spring
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Uniform dressing at its finest.
Get Your Messy Computer Desktop Organized Once and for All
Friday, April 19, 2024
Google Just Added Dark Mode to Drive. Want to (finally) tidy up your desktop on Windows or macOS? These are the tricks and tools you need. Not displaying correctly? View this newsletter online.
Why Does Everyone Hate My Dog?
Friday, April 19, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo FRIDAY, APRIL 19 feuds Why Does Everyone Hate
Hailey Bieber's Best Manicures Of All Time Are Some Serious Salon Inspo
Friday, April 19, 2024
Plus, Zendaya's bustier dress is so lingerie-chic, the "lip gloss" tactic taking over TikTok, & more.
Divorce yourself from “marry me” recipes
Friday, April 19, 2024
A beloved lasagna made weeknight-friendly
Bad roads make good communes
Friday, April 19, 2024
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The Best Workout Shorts, Hiking Gear, and What to Use With a Silk Press
Friday, April 19, 2024
A stylish weekly newsletter helping you make good choices about what to spend your money on. Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may