In honor of “Don’t Step on a Bee Day” we would like to take a minute to reflect on the importance of the little (and vastly shrinking in population) bee and some of the work Burt’s Bees is doing to educate consumers and encourage a sustainable future for all.
A once fun and creative holiday helps to point out for many of us that it might be pretty difficult to “step on a bee” … have you recently stopped to wonder where they have all gone? With the decline of our little friends we start to see new names popping up on our radar – like Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD speaks to the decline of honey bees and the strange (and still not completely understood) collapse of hives and evacuation of worker bee’s that keep everything a buzz and lively. As researchers strive to get some answers and find out more behind these disappearing acts, there may not be just one reason why. You can’t help but think of all of the many challenges the bee faces today, from pollution to chemical exposure to disease and even to climate change.
A recent CSRwire article, “Burt's Bees Creates Wild For Bees,” puts our fellow bee’s situation into context.
It turns out Bees do more than most people realize--for such small, short-lived creatures, they do a lot of heavy lifting to keep life on Earth in balance. In fact, one third of the most delicious and nutritious foods on Earth simply wouldn’t exist without bees. Because they are instrumental to biodiversity, they are what scientists call indicator species, so they function as a buzzing alarm system for the health of our planet’s ecosystem.
The article also highlights some of the great work Burt’s Bees is doing, including launching a series of educational films, encouraging the creation of bee sanctuaries, and launching a website to provide all the information and tools to get started and do your part for the fellow bee. So not only should we “not step on a bee” today – but we encourage you to check out some of these short films and check out some next steps you might be up for as well.