About
A global tragedy is currently unfolding that has untold implications for life as we know it. Bees, those cute, hardworking pollinators that help provide a tremendous amount of the everyday foods we take for granted, are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Bee Mission is the culmination of years of passion and curiosity that has led to a deeper understanding, and what we now know about the challenges of the world’s bee populations has helped inspire us to become Bee Missionaries.
For nearly three decades beekeepers around the world have observed with great concern the sudden and mysterious disappearance of bees, with Honey Bee colonies being highly impacted.
We not only aim to inspire a movement, we aim to BEE a movement made up of humans from all walks of life, all countries, and all beliefs… an ever-growing group of dedicated bee missionaries who passionately want to make a positive impact on the declining Global Bee Populations. Bees are “citizens of the world” and so are we. They struggle with adapting to a world forever changed by humanity and face new challenges to their survival.
The aim of Bee Mission is to make a positive impact on our planet and the global community; together, and through the support of individuals and organizations focusing on protecting bees and their environments.
We're big on outreach, and believe knowledge empowers. Whether you're a hardcore bee enthusiast with hives in the backyard, or simply someone who is curious about bees, we can make a difference. No purchase is necessary! Whether you make a purchase from our store or join our newsletter to learn more about bees, or simply share our message through your Social Media, your actions are impactful and greatly appreciated!
The direct impact of our outreach and education about the declining bee populations has begun through this website and our social media endeavors.
We're still in the early days of this journey, but as our reach expands and we meet certain milestones, we will shift from our initial focus on growing the reach of this site to actively supporting and contributing to the organizations and individuals we believe in.
We believe the biggest impact we can have is through supporting those with more knowledge, organization and resources, those who are actively working towards outreach and solutions to reverse the decline of global Bee populations. Together, we can all make a difference.
Bee Mission raises awareness through outreach and generates revenue through selling our own line of products inspired by Bees, "Bee Inspired", as well as making wholesale sales to Bee-related retailers. As we expand and put the proper structures in place we will leverage the power of our platform and include you all in making direct donations to organizations on the front lines, through controlled third-party crowd-funding infrastructures like GoFundMe, where causes receive direct contributions.
Our store covers the expenses associated with operating this website and allows us to invest in outreach to share and educate the masses. Through the operation of the Bee Mission store, we can engage in the following purposes:
- Raise awareness in the general public through social engagement and paid ads about the challenges Bee populations face, and the importance of protecting their environment.
- Utilize the same social engagement and paid marketing tactics to direct people to like-minded global communities, causes and movements that put forth their best efforts to make a difference.
- Support these same global communities, causes and movements through financial contribution from our revenue and eventually your donations. A list of these like-minded recipients shall be maintained below.
- Utilize social engagement and paid marketing to build email lists with whom we can connect to support our overall mission and that we can request engagement from to help spread petitions and other engaged activities that directly benefit the global Bee community, such as petitions for bans on harmful pesticides, that require signatures from people like you and me in order to pass.
- Explore creative ways to ethically and safely use the source materials from Bees for products such as those made of natural beeswax. By identifying safe and ethical ways to monetize bees, we can find ways to support and encourage the declining global beekeeper population, since they are like shepherds watching over their flocks. Perhaps we can even motivate and inspire a new generation of beekeepers.
We'd like to share an excerpt from a study on pollination that provides great insight as to why Bees are so important, not just to the environment, but to our very survival:
It has often been said that Bees are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat. Most crops grown for their fruits (including vegetables such as squash, cucumber, tomato and eggplant), nuts, seeds, fiber (such as cotton), and hay (alfalfa grown to feed livestock), require pollination by insects.
Bee communities, both wild and managed, have been declining over the last half century as pesticide use in agricultural and urban areas increased. Changes in land use have resulted in a patchy distribution of food and nesting resources. Concerned bee researchers recently met to discuss the current pollinator status in North America and to publish a report about it. Since January (2007), there have been a number of reports in the media about the mysterious disappearance of large numbers of honey bees called colony collapse disorder. This has many growers concerned about how they will continue to be able to pollinate their crops. Now more than ever, it is critical to consider practices that will benefit pollinators by providing habitats free of pesticides, full of nectar and pollen resources, and with ample potential nesting resources.
The full study can be found here.
We live in an age of consciousness where companies with a conscience can flourish. We've been inspired by this notion of conscious entrepreneurship, especially by Blake Mycoskie and his beyond inspiring Tom's Shoes, and the amazing impact such a simple concept of one-for-one has had on the world. Bees are more meaningful than most people realize, and one of the first steps in helping others realize this is through education.
We're not talking text books and classrooms here. Education through outreach and helping others become aware of realities they may not have considered before. Beautiful items, like those in our Bee Inspired line, are amazing conversation starters that open the door for constructive conversation. This is one of the reasons that from time to time we offer some of our more popular items for free, just pay shipping and handling, as those conversations can be the first drops in a torrential downpour.
Whether you simply want to wear a pretty new pendant that happens to have a bee on it, or you are a fellow Bee Missionary aiming to make a positive difference to global bee populations, you can rest assured that we are working behind the scenes to make a positive impact in more ways than one.
Here is a list of some of the Causes that inspire us at Bee Mission. We support these organizations, some financially, all energetically. Whether you're just learning about this cause, or you're a fellow Bee Missionary, there is always more to learn and good folks on the front lines that need our support and encouragement. To expand your knowledge and maybe help in some way, please check out these organizations:
1. Operation SOS Bees by Greenpeace - Bees are in decline and Greenpeace is on the case. There are many reasons for decline in global bee populations, but these fine folks have zeroed in on one of the biggest causes: Insecticides. If you think these harmful chemicals just kill insects, you have a lot to learn about the insidiousness of these horrific chemicals; click over and learn more.
2. Honey Bee Lab by University of Oregon - Professor Sagili and his staff and students are essentially bee doctors. From leading research into Varroa and other harmful mites, to helping educate beekeepers on how to reduce poisoning by pesticides, to helping monitor colony health, these fine bee-lievers are worthy of our support. Heck, you can even become a certified master beekeeper through their programs.
3. Sponsor a Hive by The Honeybee Conservancy - You've got to take a moment to visit them and learn about their strategic hive deployment and the amazing impact sponsoring a hive can have on local communities and natural food production. This is embodiment of humans and bees living together in harmony, benefiting from one another.
4. The Bees and Kids Program by BeeGirl.org - We've all been exposed to it, whether on the playground as kids, or being indoctrinated with certain beliefs from those adults in our lives at an early age—it's fear! Most people who don't know better are afraid of bees, and it usually starts when we're kids, then becomes a lifelong fear that results in the untimely death of a poor little bee who happens to buzz into their vicinity. Sarah, the Bee Girl, has an amazing program dedicated to fostering "a sense of fascination, wonder, and love at a young age" and nurturing an understanding in youngsters about the importance of bees. Click over and discover an awesome ebook designed to help you inspire a love of bees in your kids, or at least help them release their unfounded fears.
Thank you wholeheartedly for visiting BeeMission.com and supporting our mission. Whether you make a purchase, or simply share our message through Social Media, you are helping support a global cause near and dear to us all. You can't imagine the impact a simple share can make :)
-The Bee Mission Team
