The Problem
Not only do pollinators provide countless fruits, vegetables, and nuts, but they also pollinate aproximatley 90% of our non-agricultural plants needed not only for us to survive, but the rest of our ecosystem. Pollinators are not only a necessity for many of our foods, they are a key in Sequestration, or the air quality and keeping it clean. Pollinators are also a part of our water and soil health. “Wildflower meadows are prime pollinator habitat, but we’ve lost 97% of them since the 1930s.” Unfortunately because of the negative impact man has made on the environment, by destroying, contaminating, or altering the wild habitat, our pollinators are dying. Seeing this decline of pollinators has been devastating in many ways.
Our Plan
When most hear the word “pollinator”, they think of a bumblebee, however, our project would like to educate others with the knowledge that not only are pollinators bees but they are also, wasps, flies, butterflies, bats, beetles, moths, hummingbirds, and even some types of reptiles help the planet through their pollination role. We would like to plant gardens and provide nectar for our local pollinators, by planting things like trees, shrubs, native plants, and flowers. Pesticides are a hazard for not only bees, but other insects like flies, wasps, beetles and butterflies. We would like to protect our pollinators by avoiding pesticides and raising awareness of how pesticides can affect our nature’s health and perhaps offer alternatives to using pesticides. Pollinators need hydration and homes, we would like to provide sources of water, and create “mini-meadows” for our pollinators by making a designated area of garden or lawn unmowed and protected. Even allowing “weeds” like white clover and dandelions to grow will provide a source of food and be another source of nectar for the pollinators. The Passion project would like to raise awareness of our pollinators, not only by educating others, but by being good examples and inspiring others by taking care of nature.