Photography provided by Ondy Sweetman
Globally, nearly 90% of wild flowering plant species depend, at least in part, on the transfer of pollen by animals. More than three quarters of the leading types of global food crops rely to some extent on animal pollination for yield and/or quality. Pollinator-dependent crops contribute to 35% of global crop production volume. (source cited: UNEP 2016)
Mission
SavetheBees.Life aims to share ways of helping the bees repopulate through showcasing the work of artists to propagate information about bees, butterflies and other pollinators that are on the endangered species list and in danger due to a combination of pesticides, commercial farming practices, GMO's, climate change, and other factors. A major mitigating factor of be endangerment is the use of neonicotinoids (produced by Bayer), which are illegal throughout the European Union but legal throughout the entire United States, except Maryland. In 2018, Bayer bought Monsanto and is now the parent company of the world’s largest pesticide and chemical manufacturer that are destructive for our planet, people, and pollinators. Bees are responsible for upwards of 70% of the world's food source. If we save the bees, we can save the world.
“The growing threat to pollinators, which play an important role in food security, provides another compelling example of how connected people are to our environment, and how deeply entwined our fate is with that of the natural world. As we work towards food security, it is important to approach the challenge with a consideration of the environmental impacts that drive the issue. Sustainable development, including improving food security for the world’s population, necessitates an approach that embraces the environment.”
What We Aim To Achieve
Spread awareness locally, nationally and internationally about bees, butterflies and other pollinators that are endangered due to pesticides (neonicotinoids), climate change, GMO's, and commercial farming practices.
Urge the U.S. Federal government and States across the nation to take climate change, GMO's, harmful commercial farming practices seriously, to ban the use of neonicotinoids and act as stewards for our earth.
Inspire the other 49 states in the U.S. to follow the lead of Maryland and illegalize the use of Neonicotinoids nationwide to help repopulate bees and to save the production of our food.
Educate people on the connections between bees and other pollinators and their direct responsibility of giving life to flowers, plants and ultimately mankind's local and global food sources.
Advocate for positive environmental practices and change in our communities at the local, state, national and global level.
Use art to spread awareness about climate change and the decline of pollinators.
Support the work of artists committed to using their practices as a tool for progress, socially and globally.
Encourage the love of the environment, plant and animal life.
Artfully educate the people of the United States from all walks of life about the critical time we live in where global warming, the use of GMO's and harmful commercial farming practices, can be changed and reversed through taking decisive responsible steps toward holistic practices that honor the planet, support our natural environment, preserve the plant and animals in existence and make a positive future for generations to come.
Most importantly, propagate LOVE for our environment, the love of bees, butterflies and other pollinators that are critical to our natural world, plant and human life.
Status of Bees in 2023
“The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists 156 species of bees as vulnerable, 20 as endangered, and 11 as critically endangered globally. While those numbers are concerning, there are almost 20,000 different species of bees; in the United States alone, there are around 3,500 species.”
“In 2016, the first U.S. bee species to earn federal protection under the Endangered Species Act were seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees. Those seven species—Hylaeus anthracinus, Hylaeus longiceps, Hylaeus assimulans, Hylaeus facilis, Hylaeus hilaris, Hylaeus kuakea, and Hylaeus mana—are rare and live only on the Hawaiian Islands. In 2017, the rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) was also added to the Endangered Species list. This shrinking species was once common in the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States.”
“Bumblebees are among the most important pollinators of crops like blueberries, cranberries, and clovers; they are also one of the only insect pollinators of tomatoes. These clever bees are also more effective pollinators than honey bees for some crops because of their ability to buzz pollinate, meaning they will “vibrate” a flower to release more pollen. No amount of technology can replace the hard work bees and other pollinators do: A 2016 U.N. report found that the annual total value of global crops directly affected by pollinators is between $235 billion and $577 billion.”
Sources cited above: Treehugger.com, IUCN, United Nations