Supporting an essential trigger: eLI visits bee camp
September nineteenth was a special occasion within the eLearning business calendar. As a part of our Company Social Duty (CSR) program and in anticipation of eLI Day 2025, we’ve got all come collectively for a particular objective. This 12 months’s eLI Day not solely commemorates the eLearning business’s auspicious thirteenth anniversary, but in addition one other 12 months of collective efforts to keep up productiveness, camaraderie, and social accountability.
For these causes, we spent one morning collectively. be campGreece’s first non-profit group based to guard and lift consciousness of bees and different city pollinators. Their imaginative and prescient is to assist remodel cities into greener, flowerier havens that welcome our hard-working buddies. And provided that eLI’s mascot is a bee, this objective turned out to be very near dwelling for us.
Be taught extra about Bee Camp, a day with them, and the way we are able to make our cities higher locations for worthwhile pollinators like bees.
Why are bees so essential?
In addition to being our emblem, bees are essential to us for a lot of causes. However earlier than we get into that, let’s outline what we imply after we say “bees.” Most individuals affiliate the phrase with the acquainted black and yellow bees that produce honey. Nonetheless, there are greater than 20,000 species of honey bees worldwide, with round 1,150 species in Greece alone. Bees are one of many few bees to stay in social hives, as nearly 90% of bees construct solitary nests and stay solitary lives.
All bee species, whether or not residing alone or in teams, are important to the planet as a result of they carry out the dear job of pollination. Pollination is the method of transferring pollen from the anthers (male a part of the flower) of vegetation of the identical species to the stigma (feminine a part of the flower), permitting the plant to be fertilized and reproduce. One-third of the world’s meals and three-quarters of the world’s flowering vegetation might come from this course of, which bees and different animals carry out instinctively.
Increasing city environments, pesticide use, local weather change, and the proliferation of monoculture crops are simply a few of the dangers bees and different pollinators face every day. These challenges threaten the survival of many bee species, particularly wild species that don’t stay in bee colonies. The extinction of honeybees might set off a devastating chain response, inflicting meals insecurity, ecosystem collapse, and vital financial impacts.
What does Beecamp do?
For these causes and extra, Ajerina Kanelopoulou based The Bee Camp in 2018. The workforce is made up of six younger ladies from various backgrounds, united by a need to make a distinction by making cities greener and extra bee-friendly. They obtain this by means of workshops, instructional actions, consciousness campaigns for kids and adults, and conservation and greening actions. Considered one of their efforts is Beespot, a transportable secure haven for bees and different pollinators that features easy-to-grow, pollinator-friendly vegetation. These bee spots join town’s inexperienced areas, creating “bee corridors” all through Athens and offering water, meals and shelter for these weak animals.
our go to
On the sunny morning of September nineteenth, the eLI workforce was welcomed to Papagoo Park by Auntie and Lillian from Beecamp. We began the dialog by defining what constitutes a honey bee, and realized that there are extra species than the widespread honey bee and plenty of visible types past the standard black and yellow. As soon as we began speaking in regards to the societies that bees type and the way they handle to outlive, it was straightforward to see how a lot we might be taught from them. Bees are an awesome instance of what teamwork and collaboration can accomplish, making the world a greater place one flight at a time.
Most significantly, we realized that by making the setting slightly greener, we might help them maintain their jobs. We’ve created “seed bombs” with fast-growing seeds trapped in pure clay to plant in your backyard, balcony, or just place in a vacant lot in your neighbourhood. As these seeds develop, they add inexperienced house to cities and supply a supply of pollen and nectar, turning harsh city environments into friendlier locations. Thus far, The Bee Camp has created and dispersed over 41,000 seed bombs.
Bee Camp: Growing a “seed bomb”
4 methods to advertise bee-friendly cities
make it inexperienced
Similar to we did after we visited The Bee Camp, you can also take steps to make the world a greener place. Plant flowers in your balcony, rooftop, backyard, or in a vacant lot in your neighborhood. Select vegetation that bloom from early spring by means of the summer time to extend the meals supply for bees. When you’ve got a garden, cut back the frequency of mowing to permit grass and windflowers to develop and supply selection and nesting choices.
construct a bee home
Bees, particularly these with solitary lives, typically have a tough time discovering shelter in cities. Leaving some minimize logs, lifeless stems, and undisturbed floor in your backyard are all nice nesting choices for bees. If this isn’t potential, you possibly can set up a small “bee home” on the balcony. This gives the bees with essential resting, shelter and ingesting locations as they transfer by means of town.
keep away from pesticides
If you’re rising meals or vegetation in your backyard or balcony, watch out to not use artificial pesticides or herbicides. Not solely does it depart residue on the fruit and veggies you eat, however it additionally severely harms bee populations. By utilizing pure fertilizers and adopting companion planting, it’s potential to create a sustainable and balanced plant ecosystem.
Educate your self and unfold the phrase
The survival of bees is determined by our capacity to assemble data and share it with the world. Discover out what species stay within the space the place you reside, how they stay and which vegetation are extra useful to them. This information is definitely accessible by means of scientific papers, workshops, webinars, and organizations like The Bee Camp. Then, unfold the phrase inside your group to encourage extra folks to plant flowers or create beehive house.
eLI workforce
conclusion
As one other eLI Day involves an in depth, we stay dedicated to our values of supporting our group and studying extra about how we are able to make the world a greater place. Our social accountability work with The Bee Camp reminded us that even the smallest actions can have a huge impact on our world. Bees, a seemingly small and insignificant entity on Earth, have unbelievable energy, and their extinction would have dire penalties.
If you want to be taught extra in regards to the significance of pollination and supporting bee populations, be sure you try The Bee Camp’s web site. support their cause By making a donation or spreading consciousness.
