New Petitions to Sign This Week: Help Prevent Orcas from Dying in Fishing Nets, Help Protect Rice’s Whales, Help Legalize Same-Sex Marriage in India, 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 Prevent Orcas from Dying in Fishing Nets, Help Protect Rice’s Whales, and Help Legalize Same-Sex Marriage in India.

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

1. Help End Daylight Saving Time

Twice every year, people living in the United States have to keep track of switching clocks. And in March, when Americans are expected to “spring forward” and lose an hour, millions of people experience disruption in their daily lives. Studies have even found that when the clocks spring forward, heart attacks go up, as does teen sleep deprivation.

These are scary statistics. It’s time we get rid of daylight saving time altogether and commit to Standard time year-round.

Please sign this petition to tell Congress to end daylight saving time! Let’s stay in Standard Time for good!

2. Urge Grocery Stores to Carry More Plant-Based Products

Over the next 8 years, a major grocery store chain in the Netherlands called Albert Heijn will overhaul its product line — to ensure that the majority of the proteins it sells are plant-based. This is huge good news for animals and the planet! Now other big-name supermarket chains must follow in Albert Heijn’s lead.

Please sign this petition to demand that Safeway, Giant, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s also go majority vegan!

3. Tell Los Angeles to Implement Proven Program to Help Its Homeless Population

For once, a large American city listened to experts and tried something new to address homelessness: giving those without shelter money. And it turns out, that this simple program works.

Source: Denver7/YouTube

About 800 homeless Denver residents receive $1,000 per month. Six months into the project, every participant who was sleeping on the streets at the start of the experiment stopped. As a bonus, participants also felt safer and had better mental health than before receiving the money.

This program is simple, effective, relatively cheap, and it works. It’s time other cities follow suit and implement something similar!

Please sign this petition to tell Los Angeles City Council to follow in Denver’s footsteps to help address homelessness!

4. Help Prevent Orcas from Dying in Fishing Nets

Recently, nine dead orcas were discovered tangled in fishing nets in the Bering Sea. Trawl nets, dragged through the water or along the ocean floor, are known to harm a variety of marine species, and can be deadly to wildlife.

On top of killing marine mammals, when these fishing nets sweep the seabed, they damage delicate marine habitats and disrupt the ecological balance of the marine environment. Such practices endanger various species and lead to long-term environmental consequences.

The National Marine Fisheries Service must act immediately to reduce the harm that trawl nets cause, including the deaths of whales, seals, sea lions, and other marine life.

Please sign this petition to demand the National Marine Fisheries Service Act protect these native marine wildlife from preventable deaths!

5. Help Dolphins from Being Trapped and Killed in the Amazon

Amazon and Tuxuci river dolphins are both endangered species that are on the brink of extinction. Now, over 140 of them have tragically died after being trapped in the shallow, unusually warm waters of Lake Tefé in the Amazon Rainforest.

Hundreds more have survived, but are still perilously trapped, unable to escape to cooler water. Luckily, wildlife experts are on their way to try to save as many dolphins as they can.

We cannot allow a tragedy like this to ever happen again!

Please sign this petition to tell the Brazilian government to invest in research to prevent dolphins from needlessly dying this way again in the future!

6. Help Protect Rice’s Whales

It’s estimated that there are only about 50 Rice’s whales left in the entire world. That number signals that if we don’t do everything in our power to protect them, we will lose this entire species forever. Once an animal is extinct, there’s no bringing it back.

So what are Republicans in the US doing? Trying to make it harder to protect Rice’s whale habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.

You see, the Gulf of Mexico isn’t just a critical habitat for this threatened species — it’s also leasable acres for oil and gas extraction. This is the only place where Rice’s whales can live, have babies, and feed, but represents only a fraction of the area available for oil and gas leasing. It would be a drop in the bucket if oil and gas companies gave up this area so that these whales could live for generations to come — but the greed for fossil fuel profits knows no bounds.

Please sign this petition to tell House Republicans to stop threatening Rice’s whales to benefit the fossil fuel industry!

7. Tell the Aurora City Council to Keep Public Defense Public

People who can’t afford legal representation deserve high-quality representation from passionate, committed lawyers, and all of this could disappear in the city of Aurora, Colorado. That’s because, right now, the city is considering taking a cheaper option – by eliminating its Public Defender’s Office and outsourcing the work to private, for-profit attorneys.

Source: Next 9NEWS/YouTube

Needless to say, local public defenders and many constituents are terrified.

We must not let this plan come to fruition! Please sign this petition to tell the Aurora City Council to keep public defense public!

8. Help Legalize Same-Marriage in India

In a tragic blow to LGBTQ rights, the highest court in India just declined to legalize same-sex marriage. This ruling could have been a landmark victory for so many couples in the country who have been systematically denied the right to love their partners and reap the many personal and financial benefits of marriage.

Source: BBC News/YouTube

But instead, the Supreme Court of India stood on the wrong side of history.

Please sign this petition to tell the highest court in India to reconsider this tragic ruling and protect LGBTQ+ rights!

9. Commit to Composting to Reduce Food Loss and Waste

Over 30% of all food in the world is wasted — and in 2023, when nearly 800 million people are experiencing hunger, there is no excuse for this.

Source: GrowVeg/YouTube

17% of that food is lost in restaurants, retail, and other food service establishments…as well as in households. This means that while we need to continue to hold businesses and large corporations accountable for costly, harmful food loss, we can also do our part!

Please sign this petition to commit to composting in honor of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste!

10. Demand That Captive Elephants Be Included in Thailand’s Animal Welfare Act

Twenty years ago, Gemma was on a trip to Thailand with her friends when she paid for an elephant ride. What happened next was nothing short of tragic: she was flung from the elephant’s back and the animal rolled on top of her, crushing her pelvis, ribs, and collarbone.

During her long recovery in the hospital, Gemma discovered that her elephant was loaned from a neighboring community and was under stress in unfamiliar territory. Captive elephants are regularly pushed to their limits, and no sentient animal should have to endure the treatment this elephant went through. It’s dangerous for the animals and the humans who pay for the experience and entertainment.

Twenty years after Gemma’s horrible accident, captive elephants in Thailand are still not protected from similar fates. Unfortunately, not much has changed for many elephants in Thailand — there are around 3,800 still in captivity.

Please sign this petition to demand that captive elephants be included in Thailand’s 2014 Animal Welfare Act!

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!