[Pollinator] Media Release-Pollinator Week 2014 Mobilizes America's Businesses for Pollinators

Wed Jun 18 20:28:54 PDT 2014

 <http://www.pollinator.org/> P2.jpgMEDIA RELEASE

June 19, 2014

For Immediate Release

Tom Van Arsdall  TVA at pollinator.org 703.509.4746

Laurie Davies Adams LDA at pollinator.org 415.362.1137

NOTE-Go to  <http://pollinator.org/media.htm>
http://pollinator.org/media.htm for copy of release with photos, plus
downloadable images.

Pollinator Week 2014 Mobilizes America's Businesses for Pollinators 

The Pollinator Partnership (P2) announced today the formation of Business
for Bees, a new American business collaboration for pollinator action
facilitated by the Pollinator Partnership.  Initial actions include (1)
commitments to engage their employees, customers, and communities; (2) plant
for pollinators on corporate landscapes; and (3) and helping employees and
customers to take action on their own lands.  

Founding members include Toyota North America, General Mills, Greif
Corporation, Boeing Company, Edison Electric Institute, Wyman's, Pacific Gas
and Electric, Burt's Bees and the Almond Board. Founding members pledge to
reach out to other businesses, with the goal of growing Business for Bees
3-fold in the next year.  Business for Bees has already committed to
supporting projects including the North American Pollinator Protection
Campaign (NAPPC) Honey Bee Health Research Grants, Bee Ambassadors (a new
University of Minnesota Bee Squad program) and Bee Friendly Farming.

Business for Bees consists of companies and associations that are working
together to expand and support pollinator health as  part of their corporate
commitment to conservation.  We welcome new business entities to the fold,
particularly as the federal government  is mobilizing public- private
partnership support for pollinators.  These initiatives will provide
opportunities for companies to engage in actions and to see their efforts
multiplied and highlighted through leveraged collaborations in
public-private activities and through widespread and increasing interest and
momentum.  The collaboration does not require a financial commitment, but
does look for support from its members in building pollinator actions.  New
applicants are subject to the approval of founding Business for Bees
companies. For further information, please contact the Pollinator
Partnership through Laurie Davies Adams, Executive Director, at
LDA at pollinator.org or Tom Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Director, at
tva at pollinator.org.

Pollinator Week has grown exponentially in scope each year since its
founding in 2007, with this year June 16-24 being designated by U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally
Jewell and 45 governors as a week to celebrate and protect the nation's
pollinating animals (A complete list is available at
http://pollinator.org/npw_events.htm). Pollinators, like bees, butterflies,
birds and other animals, bring us one in every three bites of food and
protect our environment. They form the underpinnings of a healthy and
sustainable future. With this collaboration with business, Pollinator Week
marks a new dawn of wise land management across the country.  

Efforts during Pollinator Week, and indeed year-round, are working to
reverse and prevent pollinator declines caused by loss of habitat, disease,
pesticides, parasites and other interconnected assaults on pollinator
populations. Marla Spivak, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota said, "We
are thrilled to see the enthusiastic reception this business initiative has
received. It will do a world of good for both pollinators and the businesses
who engage in this work, to ensure our legacy to the future." 

An example of these efforts is the programs for 2014 that Burt's Bees will
originate as a way to increase the number of acres available for honey bee
forage in both California and in North Carolina, where they have planted
forage buffers with the help of the USDA NRCS, North Carolina State
University, and the Pollinator Partnership. This will affect thousands acres
at year's end and will reap benefits for farmers as well as pollinators for
years. 

Another example is the commitment that Toyota North America is making to add
pollinator habitat to all of its facilities, starting in 2014. Toyota North
America already has a significant pollinator presence in its Kentucky plant,
having won the prestigious North American Pollinator Protection Campaign
(NAPPC)-Wildlife Habitat Council Pollinator Friendly Practices Award. Their
pollinator plantings include nectar and pollen sources and milkweeds for
monarchs. Their plan is to expand this pollinator habitat concept at all of
their facilities. 

A third example is General Mills' support of research on pollinators and
pollinator habitat, and their sponsorship of honey bee hives at Urban
Ventures, a program to break the cycle of poverty in Minneapolis, while
teaching youth about the importance of bees and food systems. 

###

ABOUT THE POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP (P2) 

Established in 1997, the Pollinator Partnership is the largest 501(c) 3
non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the health, protection, and
conservation of all pollinating animals. Pollinator Partnership's actions
for pollinators include education, conservation, restoration, policy, and
research.  P2's financial support comes through grants, gifts, memberships
and donations from any interested party.  Its policies are science-based,
set by its board of directors, and never influenced by any donor.  To make a
donation or for information on events during Pollinator Week, visit
www.pollinator.org. 

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BEE LAB

Dr. Marla Spivak, MacArthur Fellow
<http://beelab.umn.edu/News_Events/index.htm#macarthur>  and Distinguished
McKnight Professor in Entomology, currently runs the Bee Lab, with excellent
technical support of Mr. Gary Reuter and graduate students. The goal of bee
research <http://beelab.umn.edu/Research/index.htm>  at the University of
Minnesota is to promote the health of bee pollinators. We work as a team
<http://beelab.umn.edu/Team/index.htm>  to provide the richest learning
environment for students at all levels and from all backgrounds. Programs
include The Bee Squad and Bee Ambassadors.  More information and ways to
donate can be found at http://beelab.umn.edu/. 

R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Director of Public Affairs

   Pollinator Partnership <http://www.pollinator.org/> 

   Cell:  (703) 509-4746

   tva at pollinator.org

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