Please ask G20 to forgive the debt of the world's poorest countries to help with Coronavirus relief
#PeoplesVoice #G20 #DebtForgiveness #PoorestCountries #CoronavirusRelief

People crammed into slums, overcrowded hospitals, little money to help the poor. In many of these places, people simply couldn’t afford to stay home or get the basic health care they need!

But G20 leaders are meeting in days to work out a global response to this crisis. Experts are asking them to offer debt relief to the world’s poorest countries, and use that precious money to save lives. That’s exactly what needs to happen right now, and it’s on us to ensure our leaders make it happen!

Poor countries worldwide are saddled with billions of debt to rich countries and institutions like the IMF. But right now, it makes much more sense for them to inject this cash into their healthcare systems, and help their people stay at home, so we can stop this virus spreading.

Pakistan and Ethiopia have already called for debt relief, and even the World Bank has asked G20 leaders to offer debt relief to the world’s poorest countries so they can spend their precious resources on the coronavirus pandemic.

Leaders have agreed to this before, but it took huge public pressure. In 2005, G8 finance ministers cancelled debt of the world’s 18 most heavily indebted countries to the amount of $40 billion! And after Ebola, the IMF cancelled $100m debt for the world’s worst-hit places.

So, let’s make this call massive, before it’s too late! This is a global crisis and we’ll only beat it if countries everywhere can contain the virus. Sign now and let’s urge G20 leaders to urgently forgive debt and save lives!

Tragedy can birth some of the most beautiful moments of our time, but only if we take this time to join hands. After World War II, major powers wrote off most of Germany’s debt, and the United Nations was created for international peacekeeping. We can create something visionary from this crisis, but we need to urge our world leaders to rise and be the heroes this moment needs. Let’s do it together.

G20: Forgive the debt of the world’s poorest to fight coronavirus

Please tell the top makers of almond milk to stop killing bees
#PeoplesVoice #AlmondMilk #Bees #BlueDiamond #Danone #Petition

"Each winter, billions of honeybees are prematurely woken from hibernation, trucked into California and exposed to a “soup” of bacteria, parasites and toxic pesticides -- so they can serve as pollinators for the fast-growing almond milk industry.

They end up sick and exhausted, and many don’t make it back. Every year, up to 30 percent die.

Our fragile bees deserve better -- and almond milk drinkers deserve a truly animal-friendly product.

The good news is there are ways to grow almonds that don’t kill or harm bees. But Blue Diamond (maker of Almond Breeze), the number-one almond milk brand in the world, won't commit to using 100 percent bee-friendly almonds. Danone, maker of Silk and Alpro, says it's aiming for bee-friendly certification, but has yet to commit to a concrete timeline for a complete transition.

We’ve got to use public pressure to get almond milk corporations in the bees' corner -- before it’s too late.

Almond milk is the world’s most popular plant milk, outselling alternatives like soy, coconut and oat milk nearly five to one. And the vast majority of almonds that go into it come from pesticide-soaked monocultures in California’s Central Valley.

Almond milk corporations are reaping billions in profits from consumers who care about the environment. They should be doing everything they can to make their product sustainable, not cutting corners with megafarms that take their bees for granted (on top of overtapping California's limited water supply).

That’s why bee experts have explained exactly how almond farms can create a healthier habitat for bees. And if enough of us come together, we can make sure every almond milk maker gets on board.

Blue Diamond, Danone and others are scrambling to protect their products’ wholesome image after January’s Guardian exposé on bees and almond milk. Now is the perfect time to push for a bee-saving almond revolution!

Our research suggests that brands are making some progress: Alpro sources almonds from bee-friendlier habitats in the Mediterranean where it's piloted conservation schemes, while Silk has worked to increase biodiversity on some California farms. But neither parent company Danone, nor competitor Blue Diamond (which lags further behind), have committed to a total supply chain revamp, let alone a concrete timeline for using only almonds from bee-friendly certified orchards.

Bees go through so much to bring us the food we eat every day. It’s only right that we give something back. And again and again, SumOfUs members like you have come to the bees’ aid when they needed you. You’ve pushed for bans on some of the deadliest bee-killing pesticides, and forced governments in Europe and Canada to pass laws protecting bees’ health over Bayer and Syngenta’s profits.

Add your name to demand bee-friendly almond milk!