More than half of the 358 bee species that live in The Netherlands are on the red endangered list.
Holland has devised a splendid way to help urban bees enjoy a better life. This project was created by Clear Channel and the Utrecht Council, for the greater good of Dutch bees.
The Dutch city of UTRECHT has turned the roofs of hundreds of bus stops around the city into green oases for honeybees and bumblebees. They have planted a succulent that needs little soil – the sedum – as well as grass and wildflowers. The result is a splendid penthouse green suite for roaming and foraging bees.
This 1:30 minute long video shows and tells the exciting story:
City workers planted these 300 bus shelter tops with some green diversity to help the environment and for everybody’s favorite buzzing insects. They were planted with perennials for low maintenance. In addition, these new roofs store rainwater for thirsty bees, cool things off when it gets hot, and capture fine dust.
This is in response to the desires of the city’s residents, who wanted to do something about the declining urban bee population. They know that the bees are responsible for pollinating approximately 1/3 of all the crops they eat. The city is encouraging citizens to get in on the act as well, as they are willing to provide funding to those who will transform their roofs into green garden roofs to give even more options to bees buzzing around the city.
The Dutch ingenuity and biodiversity drive don’t stop there. The bus stops also feature bamboo benches and energy-saving LED lights run by windmill power.
Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, is leading the way to cleaner, better living in the past decade. Located in the middle of the Netherlands, it has increased its sustainability with such projects as Stefano Boeri’s Vertical Forest, a 110-meter-long cycling bridge and an energy-neutral hockey clubhouse.
Utrecht has even bigger eco-sustainable plans, too. They pledge that by 2028 their transport will be totally carbon-neutral, and they are introducing 55 electric buses to their bus fleet before 2020.
This Dutch city is an exciting example to other urban cities of innovative ways to have a positive impact on our world, in a country that seems light years ahead of us all. The Netherlands has self-healing roads that fix their own potholes and 3D-printed concrete houses.
Bee Oases bus stops is a brilliant idea and helps people to start living more in harmony with nature. We are all in this together.