Supporting Causes That Matter: eLI Visits The Bee Camp
September 19 was a special occasion within the eLearning Business calendar. As a part of our firm’s company social accountability (CSR) program and in anticipation of eLI Day 2025, all of us gathered for a particular trigger. This 12 months’s eLI Day not solely marks the fortunate thirteenth anniversary of eLearning Business but in addition represents one other 12 months of collective efforts to take care of productiveness, camaraderie, and social accountability.
For these causes and extra, we spent a morning with The Bee Camp, the primary nonprofit group in Greece created to guard and lift consciousness about bees and different city pollinators. Their imaginative and prescient is to assist rework cities right into a greener, blooming haven that’s welcoming to our hard-working mates. And contemplating that eLI’s mascot is the bee, we discovered this trigger very near our hearts.
Learn on to find extra about The Bee Camp, our day with them, and the way we will make our cities a greater place for treasured pollinators equivalent to bees.
Why Are Bees So Essential?
Other than being our firm’s emblem, there are various extra causes that make bees so essential. However earlier than we get into that, let’s outline what we imply after we discuss with “bees.” Most individuals affiliate this time period with the honeybee, the acquainted black-and-yellow bee that produces honey. Nonetheless, there are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide, with about 1150 present in Greece alone. The honeybee is without doubt one of the few bee species that reside in social hives, as nearly 90% of bee species lead solitary lives, establishing their very own nests.
Whether or not they reside alone or in colonies, all bee species are very important for our planet, as they carry out the invaluable activity of pollination. Pollination is the method of transferring pollen from the anther (male a part of the flower) to the stigma (feminine a part of a flower) of a plant of the identical species, permitting the fertilization and replica of the plant. We are able to attribute as a lot as one-third of all of the world’s meals and three-fourths of flowering vegetation to this course of, which bees and different animals carry out instinctively.
The increasing city surroundings, using pesticides, local weather change, and the prevalence of monocultured crops are just a few of the dangers bees and different pollinators face every day. These challenges threaten the survival of many bee species, significantly wild species that do not reside in honeybee colonies. The extinction of bees may trigger a catastrophic chain response, resulting in meals insecurity, ecosystem collapse, and vital financial penalties.
What Does The Bee Camp Do?
These causes and plenty of extra pushed Aggelina Kanellopoulou to discovered The Bee Camp again in 2018. The crew consists of six younger ladies with numerous backgrounds, united by their want to make a distinction by making cities greener and extra bee-friendly. They obtain this via workshops, academic actions, and consciousness campaigns for kids and adults, in addition to conservation and greening actions. Certainly one of their initiatives contains bee spots, moveable secure havens for bees and different pollinators that include easy-to-grow, pollinator-friendly vegetation. These bee spots join city inexperienced areas to create a “bee path” throughout Athens, providing water, meals, and shelter to those fragile animals.
Our Go to
On the sunny morning of September 19, the eLI crew was welcomed at Papagou Park by Anthi and Lilian from The Bee Camp. We began our dialog by defining what makes a bee, realizing that there are various extra species than the frequent honeybee and plenty of extra visible varieties aside from the everyday black and yellow. As soon as we began speaking concerning the societies that bees kind and the way they succeed of their survival, it was straightforward to know simply how a lot we will be taught from them. Bees are a wonderful instance of what teamwork and collaboration can obtain, making the world a greater place one flight at a time.
Most significantly, we realized how we can assist them proceed their work by making their surroundings slightly greener. We made “seed bombs,” enclosing fast-growing seeds in pure clay, to plant in our gardens and balconies or just place in empty heaps in our neighborhoods. When these seeds develop, they may add to the inexperienced areas within the metropolis, turning into a supply of pollen and nectar and making the brutal city surroundings a friendlier place. Up to now, The Bee Camp has created and unfold over 41,000 seed bombs.
The Bee Camp: “Seed bombs” within the making
4 Methods To Promote Bee-Pleasant Cities
Make It Inexperienced
Simply as we did throughout our go to with The Bee Camp, you can also take measures to make the world a greener place. Plant flowers in your balcony, roof, backyard, and empty heaps that will exist in your neighborhood. Select vegetation that may bloom early within the spring and all via the summer time, to extend meals sources for bees. When you’ve got a garden, attempt mowing much less steadily to permit grass and windflowers to develop, offering variety and nesting choices.
Create Properties For Bees
Bees, particularly these main solitary lives, usually wrestle to search out shelter within the metropolis. Leaving a couple of reduce logs in your backyard, lifeless stems, and undisturbed floor are all nice nesting choices for bees. If this is not an possibility, you’ll be able to set up small “bee homes” in your balcony, which is able to provide bees a much-needed break, shelter, and drink of water as they make their manner across the metropolis.
Keep Away From Pesticides
In case you are rising meals or vegetation in your backyard or balcony, ensure that to not use artificial pesticides and herbicides. Not solely will they depart residue on the fruit and greens you eat, however they can even severely harm bee populations. It’s potential to create a sustainable and balanced plant ecosystem through the use of pure fertilizers and using companion planting.
Educate Your self And Unfold The Phrase
The survival of bees is dependent upon us gathering information and sharing it with the world. Discover which species are present in your space, how they reside, and which vegetation can be extra useful to them. This information is well accessible via scientific papers, workshops, webinars, and organizations equivalent to The Bee Camp. Then, unfold the phrase inside your group to inspire extra folks to plant flowers and create nesting areas for bees.
The eLI Staff
Conclusion
As one other eLI Day is coming to an finish, we keep dedicated to our values of studying extra about the best way to assist the group and make the world a greater place. Our social accountability exercise with The Bee Camp reminded us that each motion, irrespective of how small, could make an awesome affect in our world. The bee, a seemingly small and insignificant member of our planet, holds unbelievable energy, and its extinction would have dire penalties.
If you wish to know extra concerning the significance of pollination and supporting the bee inhabitants, ensure that to test The Bee Camp web site and support their cause by making a donation or spreading consciousness.
Trending Merchandise
Juvale 12 Pack No Spill Paint Cups With Lids for Kids, Arts and Crafts Supplies for Classrooms (4 Colors, 3 x 3 In) – Paint Water Cup – No Mess Painting for Toddlers
Paper Mate Clearpoint Mechanical Pencils, 0.7mm HB #2 Pencils, Assorted Barrel Colors, 6 Count – For Teacher, Office, School Supplies, Drawing, Drafting
Ticonderoga® Pastel Pencils, #2 Soft, Assorted Colors, Pack of 10 Pencils
Zebra Pen Z-Grip Retractable Ballpoint Pen, Smooth-Flowing Black Ink, 1.0mm Medium Point, School Supplies, Teacher Supplies, and Office Supplies, 18-Pack (22218)
Bostitch Office Personal Electric Pencil Sharpener, Powerful Stall-Free Motor, High Capacity Shavings Tray, Blue
