Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, a 25 year old women, set out on a mission to save the bees. The bee population is in decline with over 700 different bees species on the verge of extinction. Bees are a pivotal part of the functioning environment, and Bonner decided to take action to reverse the trend. Considering Bonner is a fourth generation beekeeper, a sensitivity toward bees runs through her blood. Though she is aware of this problem she knew that not everyone was. In hopes to change that and reverse the problem she took it to Fortune 500 companies and urban cities, where the necessary flora was located for bees to live, but often times not accessible. In hopes to tap into this unchartered territory she asked the corporations to host a bee hive right on their property. One hurdle that she faced was being taken seriously in the cut throat business world. Many laughed her off not actually considering the benefits that being a “beekeeper” brings to the table.
Bonner’s bee hives bring moral, social and environmental perks as well as positive PR for the company. By hosting a hive it gives the large corporations an easy way to make a social impact as well as bettering the environment. Not only does that provide the obvious benefits of reversing the extinction problem, but it also creates a positive image and persona for the company, as they are looking charitable and conscious of the environment and the things around them. This is an appealing and rare attribute in the word of cut throat international business, that is highly valued and impactful toward the general public. Bonner’s company has both innovative and impactful aspects to it that really benefits society in a positive way.
This is super interesting! my family used to have a hive so this is very interesting to me personally. I think the most interesting thing about this story is how she clearly thought around the problem and found a creative way to fix it. She didn’t change the way beehives worked or tried to start mass colonizing bees, she merely tried to make better use and improve business’s relations in the process.