On a beautiful, sunny, warm day in Denver, I lay atop a beach towel, which lies atop a hearty, thick, green grass. Surrounding me on all sides are purple and white clovers; hundreds, perhaps thousands, of clovers. And buzzing among all these clovers…are BEES! Pollen-drunk, yet oh-so-hard-at-work HONEY BEES! I’m in a state of amazement and awe. Who tells the bees to furiously buzz from clover to clover? What motivates them to nestle their cute, pointy little faces into each crevice of a clover? What keeps them so incredibly focused at work? Really! What?! Fast forward to today. How incredibly serendipitous this singular experience has become. You see, just today, I learned that this week, June 15 through June 21, is National Pollinator Week! And, I’m kind of late to the game; the U.S. Senate unanimously approved this dedication 8 flippin' years ago! [Uh.. Rumpelstiltskin syndrome, Vanessa?] For environmentalists, activists for climate change awareness, farmers and beekeepers all around, it is no surprise that the sharp and steady decline of our pollinators is a serious and scary trend. Upon arriving to my office this Monday morning, still abuzz from Mother Nature’s gift the day prior, I found three seed packets meticulously fanned out upon my team’s revered candy box (yes, it is labeled as such). ‘What’s this?’ I ask. Why it’s Burpee’s Bee Garden of course! Apparently, in addition to the Senate’s Pollinator Week, last year, President Obama directed all federal agencies to help mitigate our nation’s food security problem by – none other – conserving the birds and the bees (and butterflies, bats, etc.)! The back of this seed packet is signed by Sally Jewell, the Secretary of the Interior, George Ball, Chairman and CEO of Burpee [hmm… I wonder what his stance is on GMOs…], and Thomas Vilsake, Secretary of Ag at the USDA. This is a donated package of seeds, which were specifically chosen to help our pollinators. Please excuse my shock while my brain wrestles with the thought that something I care for so deeply is also shared by the leaders that govern the U.S. economy. “Did you know that every third bite of food we eat is due to pollinators?” This is a question -- admittedly thought-provoking -- listed on the back of my Burpee’s Bee Garden seed packet. Slowly, things were beginning making a bit more sense. And then, suddenly, it HIT me!!! Think about it! Every third bite? Ok! One bite, two bites, three bites – thank you, Mister Big Ag! Four bites, five bikes, six bites – much obliged, Madame Monsanto. According to WhiteHouse.gov: “Insect pollination is integral to food security in the United States. Honey bees enable the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops in North America. Pollinators contribute more than 24 billion dollars to the United States economy.” So, hmm... we've got...
To me, all of this conjures up just one word: ugh. Veritably, there are many other sources that scoff at the ‘every third bite’ reference. In fact, it’s a rather humorously refuted by an analysis from the U.S.’s own Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which concluded that just 8% of food produced in industrialized nations was attributed to animal pollination. Yeah, so, like...dude? What happened to 33.3%? Guys. Clarifying these statistics does not degrade the huge significance of pollination. The efforts – government or private – are notable. As EFFORTS, they ARE notable. The intentions, I think, are what I suspect. So, what then?! What’s the point of all this? How about we just take a moment, perhaps 50 minutes, to lay in the grass (don’t worry!!! You can have a towel between you and the grass [and all the grass dwellers, including spiders, ants, bees, things your eye can’t even see…]). But how about… lay there; be peaceful; breath in the air; observe the environment, the nature, the ecosystem, the lives that exist all around us. For they exist ALL the time. They have been and they continue to do things for our earth, for us, that (in the very LEAST) we ought to recognize. Let us regard with amazement. Let us say thanks. And some day -- SOME DAY -- we may be able to say sorry. That is all. I think. For now ;) Hare are some other resources I perused to gather some thoughts and data referenced in the blog:
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AuthorVanessa Ann, a writer and environmentalist. She possesses a Master of Applied Science in Environmental Policy & Management from the University of Denver. Her writing, at times, can be... a little sarcastic with just a dash of snarky. Archives
June 2019
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Vanessa is also a long-time contributing author (and former President) for the Sustainability Alliance of the University of Denver. Check out her published newsletters here: Some Say the Debate is Over. Yet the Heat Won’t Seem to Go Away, November 2016 Corn. It’s In Everything & It’s No Bueno for the Environment, February 2016 The Pursuit of Sustainability, August 2015 |
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