New Petitions to Sign This Week: Help End the Cash Bail System in Louisiana, Help Protect Zoo Animals in Wisconsin, Tell Congress to Reject the EATS Act, and More!

Unfortunately, the world is not a very peaceful or safe place for many individuals. From conflict to abuse to exploitation, there is so much cruelty inflicted on both humans and animals. While this can get disheartening and difficult to hear about, petitions are a great way to use your voice for good. Just by signing one, you are a part of helping those who are not treated fairly. You can even share them with your friends and acquaintances to increase your impact.

Through petitions, we can reach those in power and demand justice for others. They are valuable tools for making positive changes in the world. If you are looking for a way to help animals and humans, here are 10 petitions you should sign this week, including Help End the Cash Bail System in Louisiana, Help Protect Zoo Animals in Wisconsin, and Tell Congress to Reject the EATS Act.

We want to thank you for being the change you wish to see in the world and giving a voice to the voiceless.

1. Tell Car Companies to Meet Auto Workers Demands

Since September 15, thousands of brave United Auto Workers have been on strike to negotiate a better contract. These workers, who help produce the cars that so many of us rely on to get around, are making simple demands: higher hourly pay, retirement benefits, and cost-of-living adjustments that account for things like inflation.

Source: NBC News/YouTube

All workers deserve dignity, a living wage, and benefits. This is why the vast majority of Americans Support the strike and agree that the workers deserve more from their employers. The question is: will General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford continue to be greedy, hoarding profits for their top executives, or will they stand on the right side of history and show that they Support their workers’ lives and well-being?

Please sign this petition to tell General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford to Support their workers by meeting the United Auto Workers’ strike demands now!

2. Help Pass the Prevent Future Pandemics Act

Source: U.S. Representative Mike Quigley/YouTube

While we may still not know the origins of COVID-19, it’s almost a virtual certainty that we will face another more serious virus because of animal agriculture and other animal use industries. Confining billions of animals yearly to live in their feces and urine is a perfect breeding ground for infectious diseases, and the transport of animals plays a large part in that. A new bill was proposed that “would prohibit the import, export, and interstate trade of live wildlife for the purpose of human consumption.” Please sign this petition to urge legislators to pass the Prevent Future Pandemics Act!

3. Pressure Alaska to End Predator Control Programs

The Alaska Board of Game has extended its predator control program, resulting in the murder of numerous bears and wolves — 94 brown bears, five black bears, and five wolves — in just May and June. These actions, meant to boost caribou calf survival, lack scientific evidence and severely disrupt Alaska’s ecosystems by slaughtering innocent wildlife.

The Board of Game, which is composed of six governor-appointed men and one woman who are hunters and big game guides instead of scientists, decided to extend the predator control program meant to kill bears and wolves.

Please sign this petition to demand that Alaska end harmful predator control programs and adopt ethical wildlife management!

4. Help Legalize Cannabis at the Federal Level

Nearly 90% of Americans support legalizing cannabis in some capacity. In a wildly divided and partisan era, almost no other political issue has this degree of widespread Support.

Source: ABC News/YouTube

Yet cannabis is still illegal in over a dozen states, and hundreds of thousands of Americans are still arrested on cannabis-related charges each year. It is time for U.S. President Joe Biden to step up and sign an executive order to legalize cannabis for good!

Please sign this petition to tell President Joe Biden to legalize cannabis at the federal level!

5. Help End the Cash Bail System in Louisiana

A new Illinois law, which abolishes cash bail in the state, has finally taken effect! When someone is arrested, before they have been found guilty or innocent, that person can be released as they await trial if they can pay cash bail. This means that defendants without financial means have to remain locked up, while their wealthier counterparts can walk free. It’s discriminatory, inhumane, and just plain wrong.

Source: NowThis News/YouTube

Even though some politicians love fear-mongering about crime and punishment, the evidence is clear: cash bail doesn’t protect anyone, it only works to punish communities of color and poor people. This Illinois law is an amazing victory for civil rights, and a step towards strengthening and protecting our communities from harm.

The state of Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the world — higher than other democracies or U.S. states. Estimates suggest nearly 60% of all people in pretrial detention are there because they can’t afford bail. Eliminating bail would dramatically reduce the number of people who are sitting in jail exclusively because they can’t afford to get out.

Please sign this petition to put pressure on Louisiana legislators to end the cash bail system!

6. Help Protect Animals in Zoos in Wisconsin

Legislators in Wisconsin are trying to exempt state license requirements for zoos accredited by the Zoological Association of America (ZAA). But the ZAA has a scary track record when it comes to conditions and treatment, and Animal rights advocates are rightfully worried.

What animals in zoos need are stronger protections from states, not weaker ones.

Zoos accredited by the ZAA have a history of poor conditions, including ones that are dangerous for humans. At ZAA-accredited facilities, people have been hurt by lion cubs, a tiger, a bear, an elephant, and an orangutan. This accreditation doesn’t mean much!

Some zoo workers and animal experts have argued that a ZAA accreditation means nothing at all. ZAA zoos also allow dangerous breeding conditions and often give literal roadside zoos – glorified playgrounds with cages where animals are torturously kept – accreditation.

Please sign this petition to tell the Wisconsin legislature to reject this dangerous bill!

7. Help Find the Person Who Murdered Grizzly Bear and Dumped Them in a River

The Squamish River in British Columbia, surrounded by iconic mountains and buried in lush greenery, is truly a sight to behold. But this past August, what someone witnessed in the Squamish was a far more sobering sight — the body of a wild, innocent grizzly bear, murdered and floating in the water.

After the bear’s body was examined, officers determined the worst-case scenario — someone gunned down this beautiful creature, and then callously tried to dispose of the body by dragging it with a rope into the Squamish River.

Whoever did this is in clear breach of Conservation law. Beyond that, they wanted to kill this bear just for the sake of killing. Why else would they leave their body behind, attempting to dispose of it?

As long as whoever did this remains free from consequences, they could do this to another grizzly bear or other threatened animal. Conservation officers must use all resources available to bring them to justice.

Please sign this petition to urge the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service to find whoever did this as soon as possible!

8. Tell Boeing to Clean Up the River It Intentionally Polluted for Decades

For decades, the multi-billion dollar aerospace company Boeing actively dumped toxic waste in a Seattle waterway – and planned it this way. In fact, in a 1950 internal magazine article, the company called the Duwamish River a “natural collector for Boeing’s fluid wastes.”

Now, the river is one of the most contaminated in the entire United States. But instead of taking responsibility as it should, the company is “negotiating” with local authorities over who is responsible for its cleanup, including the city. And so far, all these negotiations have been conducted in secret.

What we do know so far, is that the costs of this cleanup project might exceed $1 billion and that Boeing is trying its hardest not to pay. Why should taxpayers have to foot the bill for a corporation’s reckless and toxic behavior?

Please sign this petition to tell Boeing’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, to make his billion-dollar company pay to clean up the Duwamish River!

9. Tell Congress to Reject the EATS Act and Stand Up for Animal Welfare

There are currently no federal laws protecting farmed animals from abuse or cruelty. The only protections these sentient creatures have depend on state-level legislation.

Source: The Humane League/YouTube

Now, a new proposed bill — the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act — would be a massive blow to hundreds of state laws that protect animal welfare. And, to make matters worse, this could indirectly harm humans, too. The bill would make it harder to protect humans from transmission of zoonotic diseases in animal agriculture, endangering human and animal lives.

Please sign this petition to tell Congress to protect animal safety and reject this old-fashioned, terrifying act!

10. Justice for Woman Who Abandoned Children and Neglected Her Dog

In further proof that animal cruelty is often linked directly to the mistreatment of humans as well, a woman in Tennessee recently abandoned two children in her care to run away from police conducting an animal welfare check.

When authorities arrived, the weather was almost 100 degrees outside. Yet the woman had left her dog tethered outside without shade, shelter, or water – and it appeared this wasn’t an isolated incident. Reports suggest animal neglect was a common occurrence, putting her dog directly in harm’s way.

Please sign this petition to demand officials ban her from having animals, or working in childcare!

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and essential stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in typical household and personal care products!