At this of year, we give special thanks to bees for supporting the environment and our way of life. Not only do they make honey, but bees (honey bees AND native bees) help pollinate about one-third of our food and crops to the tune of $24 billion a year! Without our buzzing friends, we would lose many of the diverse crops that keep us healthy including apples, almonds, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes and avocados. Imagine a Thanksgiving without a sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie! Bees not only provide food for humans, but also for animals. In the wild, animals and birds depend on seeds, nuts, and fruits produced by bee pollination. Bees contribute substantially to biodiversity and pollinate countless native plants and flowers. Bees are keystone species meaning that the ecosystem is largely dependent on them. They maintain ecosystems by pollinating trees and flowers that provide habitats for many animals.
Not only are we grateful to the bees, but we are grateful to YOU! Saving our pollinating pals starts with environmental education - so thank you partners, donors and supporters for helping to protect pollinators and educate the next generation of environmental stewards. Thanks to your generous donations, we are able to offer our programs at little or no cost to schools across the country and expand our offerings to meet the moment with virtual learning. 14,000 kids and counting have received Planet Bee distance learning videos lessons and differentiated supplementary material since launching our program in September!
Giving Tuesday is right around the corner. This special day is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. This Giving Tuesday, please join our movement and help change the world - one bee and one student at a time!
In 2019, 92% of our lessons were FREE to schools and nonprofits! In 2020, 99% of our lessons and educational materials were free as well. Imagine a world where every child is educated about the natural world and is empowered to care for the health of our planet.
Thanks to your support, we are able to educate more and more students across the nation about the importance of bees, empowering them to make buzz-worthy changes for the environment and in their communities!
A tax deductible donation of $10 provides a student with our virtual E-STEM distance learning lessons about bees, a gift of $250 will educate an entire class and a gift of $1,000 will provide lessons a school for an entire day!
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Written by Clara Pitsker & Sophie Roberts
Planet Bee Interns and UCSB Environmental Science Majors