People power for the win
Together with our campaign groups Environment America and PIRG, Fund for the Public Interest has a proven track record of success. Here are just two examples of the countless results we've helped win:
Environment America and the Fund: Banning the worst uses of bee-killing pesticides
We've all heard for years that bees are dying at alarming rates, and colonies are collapsing. In an effort to address this, Fund for the Public Interest worked with Environment California — canvassing across the state to save the bees by building people power and public support for a statewide ban on some of the worst bee-killing pesticides — neonicotinoids (or “neonics”).
Neonics are a class of pesticides that attack bees' brains, paralyzing and then killing them. Eliminating these needless or easily replaceable uses will make a big difference for bees in peril across the state. So, since the summer of 2017, we've knocked on tens of thousands of Californians' doors, engaging the public on this environmental crisis. And it worked! We spent years organizing the public and persuading California leaders to care about bees, largely through our canvassing. Environment California knocked on doors and held thousands of conversations, lobbied elected officials and collected 30,000 petitions in support of saving the bees.
California is now the 10th state to ban some of the worst uses of these bee-killing pesticides. We couldn't have won this vital bee-saving action without canvassers like you knocking on doors and building support across the state. This new law will make a big difference for California's bees, including the 1,600 native bee species that buzz throughout the state. And as the world's fifth largest economy, California's action will set a strong example for the rest of the country that we don't need to use bee-killing pesticides.
This victory is an example of the type of work you will do, and the impact it will have. And, you'll be part of an entire team building support for a campaign like this. Watch the video below for highlights from last summer's California offices, and their work to build public and people power to save the bees!
PIRG and the Fund: Moving our country beyond plastic
America's plastic problem has gotten way out of hand.
Most of us diligently recycle, take reusable bags with us when we shop, and look for new ways to stop using so much single use plastic “stuff”. Our individual actions are necessary, but won’t be enough. The good news is that the momentum to move beyond plastic is growing. More states, communities and businesses are getting rid of plastic bags, foam containers and other plastic “stuff” we can live without.
And it’s the citizen outreach work of the Fund that has been integral in helping PIRG build support around this issue. Thanks to our canvasses and our partnership with PIRG's advocates, researchers and organizers, 1 in 3 Americans now live in a state with a ban on some type of single-use plastic.