The environmental non-profit group The Bee Conservancy has opened its Sponsor-a -Hive program extended to Canada for the first time.
The Conservancy has opened applications for the 2021 Sponsor-a-Hive program that gives schools, garden and other communities with free native bee homes across the U.S. and Canada a chance to help mitigate a major environmental crisis affecting bees.
The spring the TBC will deliver 500 bee homes – 200 from last fall’s awardees and 300 for the 2021 awardees – the largest campaign of its kind in the six year history of the program.
The Bee Conservancy’s unprecedented expansion of its flagship program comes at a critical time.
Bee Species at Risk of Extinction
Currently 1 in 4 of North America’s 4000 bee species is at risk of extinction.
A staggering report last month found that 25 % of wild bees have disappeared across the globe disappeared in the last 30 years.
Native bees are a particularly important puzzle piece for a healthy ecosystem: Those species are responsible for pollinating 80 percent of flowering plants around the world, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Bee pollination yields more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year, the government agency reports.
“To mitigate an environmental crisis of this scale, it takes a hive,” says Guillermo Fernandez, founder and executive director of The Bee Conservancy. “We are all impacted by declines in bee populations and the toll their loss takes on the environment. We are thrilled that Sponsor-a-Hive unites a broad range of populations from schools, nature preserves, food banks, community gardens and more in the fight for pollinator security.”
The 2021 award was made possible thanks in large part to the generosity of program supporter Garnier.
“We are very proud to work with The Bee Conservancy to support the repopulation of bees and help restore biodiversity,” says Adrien KOSKAS, Global Garnier Brand President.
“Today Garnier with The Bee Conservancy takes another Green Step towards becoming a fully committed, truly sustainable, transparent brand that delivers Green Beauty for all of us.”
Bee Program Safeguards Ecosystem
The bee program also contributes to safeguarding a larger ecosystem. Designed with sustainability, bee health, and user-friendliness in mind, each bee house is constructed with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, sustainably-sourced pine.
The houses are manufactured by Brooklyn Woods, an organization that trains unemployed and low-income New Yorkers in woodworking offering some graduates one of the first paying jobs of their careers.
“Sponsor-a-Hive isn’t just about protecting bees,” says Rebecca Louie, TBC’s managing director. “It’s about bringing people together to engage with nature, grow food and community bonds, and build economic opportunities in the green sector.”
The Bee Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting bees, safeguarding the environment, and securing food justice through education, research, habitat creation, and advocacy.
Founded in 2009 as The Honeybee Conservancy and rebranded to reflect its larger mission in 2020, the organization has protected an estimated 10 million bees to date through initiatives such as its flagship program, Sponsor-a-Hive. The Bee Conservancy strives towards a day when all bee populations thrive in protected habitats, and are supported by an engaged global network
For more information, visit The Bee Conservancy.
Applications can be found at The Bee Conservancy Sponsor-a-Hive.
The applications will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on April 30th.
