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The guide assesses ten regenerative and regenerative-principle food labels, finding significant variation in their requirements. It highlights that some labels allow toxic pesticides and that the most reliable standards—specifically USDA Organic and those built upon it—combine strict chemical prohibitions with robust verification and soil health practices. The analysis distinguishes between 'threshold' programs with fixed standards and 'pathway' programs that support incremental farmer improvement.

Friends of the Earth asserts that the Supreme Court's decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act of 1965 serves partisan interests and directly harms environmental justice. The organization argues that discriminatory redistricting silences low-income communities and communities of color, who bear the heaviest burdens of environmental pollution and climate change, thereby stripping them of the political power needed to advocate for health and safety. The statement calls for Congress to pass new voting rights legislation and for state legislatures to ensure fair representation.

The document condemns the violence and racial profiling carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It highlights the deaths of migrants in custody and the violation of basic human rights in detention centers. The statement argues that migration is a natural form of climate adaptation and calls for the Trump administration to end dehumanizing policies and the militarization of borders.

The Indigenous Advisory Group (IAG) of the Banks and Biodiversity Initiative calls on financial institutions to uphold the Amazon Soy Moratorium's (ASM) zero-deforestation standards despite Brazilian political rollbacks. The IAG argues that soy expansion drives land encroachment and tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples, while abandoning ASM criteria increases legal, reputational, and transition risks for banks. The group advocates for farm-level traceability, the treatment of all Amazon deforestation as incompatible with financing, and the integration of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) into due diligence.

The Bee-Friendly Retailer Scorecard reveals that while some grocery retailers like Whole Foods and Sprouts are leading in organic sales and pollinator protections, many others are failing to communicate progress or manage pesticide risks. The report emphasizes the need for retailers to expand U.S. organic farming, eliminate nitroguanidine neonicotinoids, and adopt integrated pest management to mitigate significant financial and biodiversity risks.

Friends of the Earth conducted lab tests on Target's Good & Gather baby food in August 2025, finding 29 different pesticides across apple and pear purées. The analysis identified 16 highly hazardous pesticides, including carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and neurotoxins, as well as five PFAS 'forever chemicals'. The report highlights that while levels were below U.S. EPA limits, these standards are outdated and fail to account for the vulnerability of developing infants. It further links the use of these pesticides to biodiversity loss, specifically harming pollinators and soil health, and advocates for a transition to organic farming to reduce toxic exposure and mitigate climate change.

Friends of the Earth warns that the appointment of Ben Black, a former private equity executive, as CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) may shift the agency's focus from sustainable development toward profit-driven investments. The organization expresses concern that this leadership change could lead to increased financing for extractive projects and a weakening of environmental and social safeguards.

A solidarity letter from 154 civil society and Indigenous Peoples organizations across 28 countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa calling on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the TREES Act. The signatories argue that the bill would use New York's economic leverage to combat global deforestation and climate change, which they link to the displacement of people from the global South to New York cities.

Friends of the Earth is campaigning for U.S. grocery and garden retailers to phase out pollinator-toxic pesticides and increase organic sales to 15%. The organization benchmarks 25 large retailers and reports that independent stores are currently leading in organic offerings, while warning that pesticide-driven pollinator loss poses significant financial and ecological risks to the food retail sector.

Friends of the Earth US evaluates the Biden-Harris administration's 6-point framework to reduce US imports of deforestation-linked commodities. The analysis highlights the role of seven forest risk commodities—palm oil, beef, soy, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and corn—and argues that the US must adopt a holistic approach to combat illegal deforestation, which is often linked to human rights abuses and land grabbing. The organization recommends the creation of a public, transparent federal due diligence procedure independent of third-party certification, the use of Earth-observation data, and coordination with the European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). It also advocates for the passage of the federal FOREST Act and contributions to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.

The document calls on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the TREES Act, which would make New York the first U.S. state to require proof that state-purchased products do not drive deforestation. The author argues that this action is necessary to align state procurement with global markets and combat the climate catastrophe, especially as the European Union's similar deforestation regulation faces implementation delays.

The US Treasury is criticized for not opposing World Bank Group financing of fossil fuel projects, including recent International Finance Corporation commitments to oil and gas in Nigeria and Mali, and a feasibility study for a Liquid Natural Gas terminal in Morocco.

The document calls for financial institutions to adopt 'No Go Areas' for financing to prevent biodiversity loss, specifically targeting habitats with threatened and endemic species and Key Biodiversity Areas. It argues that banks face material risks from both directly driving biodiversity loss and contributing to systemic degradation. The briefing recommends that banks expand their definitions of 'Critical Habitat', reject biodiversity offsets as ineffective, and establish specialized processes to independently validate Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) to avoid conflicts of interest.

Friends of the Earth argues that the USDA's $2.8 billion funding for 'climate-smart' commodities projects constitutes a corporate giveaway to major agribusinesses, potentially enabling greenwashing and further agricultural consolidation.

A student shares a five-step framework for introducing plant-based meals into school cafeterias, detailing the process of contacting nutrition services, proposing changes, marketing new items, educating peers, and planning for long-term sustainability.

The document outlines a five-step advocacy process used by students at Palo Alto High School to transition their cafeteria from offering plant-based options only 2-3 times per month to serving them every day. The process includes gathering student signatures via petitions, conducting taste-testing events for items like vegan nuggets, using social media and incentives for marketing, and implementing pilot programs such as specialty bars. The authors emphasize the importance of partnering with established organizations like Friends of the Earth and the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition, maintaining a cooperative relationship with nutrition services staff, and persisting through administrative apprehension.

Friends of the Earth, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Miami Waterkeeper successfully challenged the Florida Power & Light Company's request to double the license length of the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission eventually ordered a full environmental review before allowing the plant to operate for another 20 years, addressing concerns over sea level rise, groundwater impacts, and radioactive waste.

In late January 2022, a federal judge revoked a Biden administration oil and gas lease sale offering over 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. The court ruled that the Department of Interior failed to adequately assess the climate impacts of the drilling. The sale was challenged by a coalition including Friends of the Earth and Earthjustice, who argued that the project would exacerbate systemic racism in frontline communities and threaten endangered species such as Bryde’s and Rice’s whales.

The Jordan Cove Energy Project, a proposed 229-mile pipeline intended to transport fracked gas from Canada for export as LNG via Coos Bay, Oregon, was withdrawn by the company Pembina. The cancellation followed significant grassroots opposition, including lobbying of officials like Representative Peter DeFazio and Senator Ron Wyden, participation in the Climate Strike Week of Action, and the submission of 25,000 member signatures to elected officials.

An analysis of California's largest school districts reveals a significant misalignment between school lunch menus and public health and climate goals, with 94% of entrées featuring animal protein and only 4% being plant-based. The report highlights how the USDA Foods program subsidizes industrial meat and dairy, benefiting large conglomerates like Tyson Foods and incentivizing carbon-intensive menus. It advocates for structural changes, including the expansion of the Farm to School Grant Program, to transition toward plant-forward, organic, and regenerative food systems to improve student health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.