December, 29 2010, 02:58pm EDT
50,000 Endangered Species Condoms to Be Given Away on New Year's Eve
Condoms Raise Awareness About Human Overpopulation, Effects on Imperiled Plants and Animals Around the Globe
Nationwide
On New Year's Eve, 50,000
Endangered Species Condoms will be handed out around the country as part of
the Center for Biological Diversity's campaign to raise awareness
about the devastating impacts of human overpopulation and overconsumption
on endangered species and their habitats.
Who: More than 600 volunteers around
the country will be handing out the condoms. Many of them will be available
for media interviews.
Why: The world's population
has nearly doubled since 1970 and is soon expected to top 7 billion. This
staggering increase and the massive consumption it drives are overwhelming
the planet's finite resources and increasingly pushing endangered
plants and animals closer to extinction.
About
the Condoms: More than 350,000 Endangered Species Condoms were distributed
by thousands of volunteers in 2010 as part of the Center's
overpopulation campaign. Because New Year's Eve is one of the biggest
days of the year for condom use, 50,000 were sent to volunteers earlier
this month for distribution on Friday. Six different packages with original
artwork and slogans feature the polar bear ("Wrap
with care, save the polar bear"), jaguar ("Wear a jimmy hat,
save the big cat"), American burying beetle ("Cover your
tweedle, save the burying beetle"), snail darter ("Hump
smarter, save the snail darter"), coqui guajon rock frog ("Use
a stopper, save the hopper"), and spotted owl ("Wear a condom
now, save the spotted owl"). All six species are listed as threatened
or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
To
see samples of the Endangered Species Condoms, please click here . Feel free to
pass this email on to other reporters or editors if you are not the
appropriate contact for this issue. To arrange an interview with a
volunteer distributor in your area, contact Randy Serraglio,
overpopulation campaign coordinator, (520) 784-1504 or rserraglio@biologicaldiversity.org
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.
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