Neonicotinoids are a relatively new type of pesticide, widely used on farm crops, landscape plants and trees to repel harmful bugs. But studies show that these chemicals are causing irreparable harm to pollinators like bees, butterflies and birds. In fact, several European countries have already banned neonicotinoids, in light of the recent staggering loss of honeybees.
Tell Ace Hardware, a large distributor of neonicotinoids, to stop carrying products that are killing our bees and other pollinators!
Dear Mr. Venhuizen,
As a supporter of Defenders of Wildlife and someone who cares deeply about bees and other pollinators, I'm writing to you to follow up on Ace Hardware's recent public statement that it is willing to move away from products containing neonicotinoids. I am pleased that Ace is listening to customer concerns and urge Ace to commit to not sell products containing pesticides linked to the global decline in bee, butterfly and bird populations. This includes pesticide products containing systemic neonicotinoid pesticides as well as garden plants treated with these chemicals.
In the past several months, thousands of your customers have signed petitions and made calls to Ace stores requesting your company take important steps to protect pollinators and the planet, but thus far Ace has only conveyed its willingness to move away from using these products and has not made any public commitments with a timeline or benchmarks to phrase-out products and plants that contain these chemicals.
As a top company dedicated to meeting growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly garden products, removing bee-harming pesticides from your shelves would demonstrate Ace's sustainability leadership and ensure that home gardeners across the country can trust your store as a provider of truly "bee-friendly" plants and products.
I'm urging Ace to take action to help protect bees and other pollinators by committing to the following:
- Do not sell off-the-shelf neonicotinoid insecticides for home garden use.
- Demand neonicotinoid-free vegetable and bedding plants from nursery suppliers and do not sell plants pre-treated with these pesticides.
- Offer third-party certified organic starts and plants.
- Educate your customers on why your company has made the decision to protect bees and other pollinators.
This action would demonstrate Ace Hardware's commitment to sustainability and to protecting declining bee and pollinator populations upon which our food supply and ecosystems depend.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
[your name]
