A couple of weeks ago, I never thought I’d care so much about bees. Most of us, including myself, have heard about the plight of the bees, but don’t truly understand the issue or how to get involved.
Here’s a Summary:
Honey bees are responsible for 1/3 of our fruit and vegetables. They pollinate more than 100 types of crops in the US1, and without them, you can say good-bye to almonds, blueberries, apples, carrots or limes (just to name a few).
Since 2006, commercial beekeepers have noticed a 30-90% decline in their bee populations. The issue lies with the damaging practices that commercial beekeepers employ which poison and stress our bees.
Imagine This: Your Grocery Store without Bees
Here’s a fantastic comparison from the Whole Foods Market University Heights which demonstrates what your grocery store looks like with and without pollinators…
The Solution
A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a Startup Weekend, where I worked with a team of amazingly intelligent and passionate individuals to create a solution for the diminishing honeybee population. Our answer: Urban and Small Scale Beekeeping
In this video, the owner of Two Hives Honey, Tara Chapman, explains our solution called Honey Homes:
Our Mission: To empower our community to promote the health and survival of pollinators by providing a hands-on educational experience in organic beekeeping.
Our educational urban bee keeping program would provide people with a hands-on educational experience wherein Two Hives Honey helps you get through the most difficult first year of beekeeping. Along the way, you are trained via hands-on experience, workshops and classes, so you can eventually manage, maintain and harvest the hives on your own.
How You Can Help
Our team took home 1st place in our local Austin competition. We are now entered into two global competitions to gain more resources and support. That’s where you can help. Please vote for the Honey Homes team at these two links to help get our program off the ground: https://app.reviewr.com/gsb/pitch?evtid=1305517&group=1328730&subid=1345462 and https://app.reviewr.com/gsb/pitch?evtid=1305517&group=1305626&subid=1345462
You may vote once/day through December 4th, 2015. The top voted teams will be judged by the global judges to determine the winner for each category.
If you live in the Austin, TX area and are interested in the Honey Homes program, apply at twohiveshoney.com.
Sources & Credits: Featured Photo – Two Hives Honey; 1http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/pollinators
