A Whole Foods Market in Providence, Rhode Island, recently took before and after pictures of what their produce section would look like in a world without bees.
The view sans bees is quite depressing, as it should be. Of the 453 products, 237 were removed, including apples, avocados, carrots, mangoes, lemons, eggplant, summer squash and a whole slew of other things.
Now through June 25, for every pound of organic summer squash sold, Whole Foods will donate 10 cents to The Xerces Society for pollinator preservation.
"Pollinators are a critical link in our food system. More than 85 percent of Earth's plant species -- many of which compose some of the most nutritional parts of our diet -- require pollinators to exist. Yet we continue to see alarming declines in bee numbers," said Eric Mader, assistant pollinator conservation director at The Xerces Society."Our organization works with farmers nationwide to help them create wildflower habitat and adopt less pesticide-intensive practices. These simple strategies can tip the balance back in favor of bees."
Whole Foods offers some tips for helping the bees: 1. Buy organic. 2. Don't spray pesticides on everything that moves (not their exact wording). 3. Garden. Plant something with flowers. Bees will love you for it. 4. Look for "Share the Buzz" signs at Whole Foods for other companies that are also donating to The Xerces Society. 5. If you see a bee, smile and say "thank you" (also not their wording, but I'm sure they'd agree).
