Activists installed a second giant billboard outside CEO’s home on eve of Lowes' annual shareholders meeting

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES, May 27, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Lowe’s is under renewed pressure to stop selling the controversial weedkiller Roundup after campaigners installed a giant billboard outside of the Lowe’s CEO, Marvin Ellison's mansion.

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The video billboard features interviews with Lowe’s customers demanding the hardware store chain remove Roundup and other products containing glyphosate from its shelves.

The Lowe’s annual shareholder meeting takes place on May 28th, and campaigners hope investors will press company executives about Lowe’s decision to continue selling Roundup when manufacturer Bayer is being sued for billions by cancer patients, who claim the weedkiller caused their illness.

“Lowe’s claims to value its customers, but company executives are putting their customers' health at risk by refusing to take this toxic weedkiller off its shelves,” said Lacey Kohlmoos, US Campaign Manager at SumOfUs. “We hope that hearing directly from concerned customers and shareholders will convince Marvin Ellison and the other Lowe’s executives to value health and safety over profit margins, and finally get rid of Roundup and other glyphosate products linked to cancer.”

“The science is clear that Roundup risks the health of people and pollinators. It’s reckless for Lowe’s to keep selling it when safer organic alternatives exist,” said Paolo Mutia, Food and Agriculture Campaigner at Friends of the Earth. “Lowe’s must build on earlier commitments to phase out harmful neonicotinoid pesticides by taking decisive action on glyphosate.”

"Organic products and practices can address weed and pest problems while ensuring people, pets, and pollinators are not harmed by toxic chemicals. We urge Lowe’s to stop stocking toxic pesticides like glyphosate in favor of this safer, natural approach,” explained Drew Toher, Community Resource and Policy Director for Beyond Pesticides.

"Young people are taking their health into their own hands as we demand that Lowe’s prioritizes public health and protects those most at risk of the carcinogenic impacts of glyphosate: children, essential workers, and homeowners," said Sheina Crystal, Fellowship Operations Manager at Herbicide-Free Campus. "It is imperative that Lowe’s shows an understanding of the science, listens to youth and customer concerns, and removes glyphosate-based herbicides from their shelves."

“Lowe’s has ignored the science, customer safety, and environmental protection for too long. While they have claimed to care about consumers, they continue to sell Roundup, a toxic herbicide linked to cancer, when there are known safer alternatives available. This herbicide is being sold to unsuspecting customers who are often unaware of the potential consequences,” said Rachel Parent from Kids Right to Know. “We hope that Lowe’s will choose to read the science and make decisions on the right side of history that prioritize what is important; our health and the environment, over profits”.

The mobile billboard will also visit the Lowe’s national headquarters, regional headquarters, temporary tech hub, and local stores in the Charlotte area.

Today’s action is part of a national week of action organized by a coalition of environmental and consumer groups, including SumOfUs, Friends of the Earth, Beyond Pesticides, Center for Food Safety, Green America, Herbicide Free Campus, Toxic Free NC, and Kids Right to Know. This week, hundreds of concerned consumers have taken to social media and sent emails to Lowe’s executives. And individual shareholders have submitted questions about when the company will stop selling Roundup.

As the second-largest home and garden retailer in the U.S., Lowe’s (NASDAQ: LOW) can play a huge role in ending the use of this toxic weedkiller in our backyards and across the country. Since 2020, the coalition has delivered over 157,000 petition signatures to the company; sent hundreds of letters and thousands of emails to corporate executives; generated thousands of tweets and Facebook posts targeting the company; and taken out an ad in the Charlotte Observer. Over 100 consumer and environmental groups have signed on to a letter urging Home Depot to end the sale of toxic weedkiller Roundup and other glyphosate-based products. And a recent analysis released by coalition member groups shows that half of herbicides sold by Home Depot contain highly hazardous ingredients.

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SumOfUs is a global movement of consumers, investors, and workers all around the world, united together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable and just path for our global economy.

Friends of the Earth fights to create a more healthy and just world. Our current campaigns focus on promoting clean energy and solutions to climate change, ensuring the food we eat and products we use are safe and sustainable, and protecting marine ecosystems and the people who live and work near them

Herbicide-Free Campus works to empower the next generation of environmental leaders to create safer, more sustainable living and learning environments for all by starting locally and advocating for organic land care on their campuses.

Kids Right to Know was founded with the goal of gaining transparency within the food system and advocating for regulation of harmful practices that lead to further environmental damage. With a focus on food systems, climate change, and environmental health we seek to inform youth about their right to make informed, healthy, and eco-conscious choices.

Andrea Desky
Sum of Us
+1 828-777-3494
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