Washington, D.C. gardeners tell Lowes: Dont be a little shop of horrors for bees, stop selling bee-killing pesticides
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This Wednesday, local gardeners and Friends of the Earth, Beyond Pesticides, Center for Food Safety, Organic Consumers Association and GMO Inside will swarm Lowe’s in New Carrollton, MD to ask the home improvement retailer to give bees “treats, not tricks” and remove bee-killing pesticides from its shelves. They join more than 30,000 people across the U.S. and Canada that will swarm Lowe’s (NYSE:LOW) stores to ask the retailer to not be a “little shop of horrors” for bees and eliminate products and plants pre-treated with bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. Large events are also planned at Lowe’s stores near Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New York City, Philadelphia, Windsor, Canada and Ottawa, Canada.
In the face of mounting evidence and growing consumer demand, a growing number of responsible retailers, towns and federal agencies have decided to be part of the solution to the bee crisis. The European Union banned several neonicotinoids, and cities and states across the U.S. have passed measures to address pesticide use.
In the past year, more than a dozen nurseries, landscaping companies and retailers in the U.S., including BJ’s Wholesale Club and Home Depot, have taken steps to eliminate bee-killing pesticides, and the UK’s top garden retailers voluntarily stopped selling them. A study released in June revealed that Lowe’s and other garden retailers are selling “bee-friendly” plants that have been pre-treated with neonicotinoid pesticides shown to harm and kill bees, with no warning to consumers. Lowe’s has yet to join its competitors in making a public commitment to eliminate these pesticides.
What: “Treats not Tricks” National Swarm to Save Bees. Large events will also occur in Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and Ottawa, Canada.
Where: Lowe’s, 7710 Riverdale Rd, New Carrollton, MD 20784.
When: 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 29.
Photo Opportunities: Crowds of bee lovers and gardeners will gather in front of Lowe’s holding large signs and Halloween cards.
More information: Visit www.beeaction.org or contact Tiffany Finck-Haynes at (202) 222-0715, [email protected].
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Expert Contact:
Tiffany Finck-Haynes, Food futures campaigner, Friends of the Earth, (202) 222-0715, [email protected]
Communications Contacts:
EA Dyson, (202) 222-0730, [email protected]
Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]