No. 05 // Pollinators. What's all the fuss?

Pollinator Week 2017 starts today!  

Ten years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.  Pollinator Week has now grown to be an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by these pollinators including birds, bees, butterflies, moths, wasps and bats.

So, what's with all the fuss? According to the Food and Agricultural Association of the United Nations, "A growing number of pollinator species worldwide are being driven toward extinction by diverse pressures, many of them human-made, threatening millions of livelihoods and hundreds of billions of dollars worth of food supplies, according to the first global assessment of pollinators."  

It is estimated that more than three-quarters of our global food supply relies at least in part on pollination.  We're talking fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts and more. This pollinator decline has far reaching effects on our food supply, our global economy and the entirety of our ecosystem.

How to help? There are many ways you can help our pollinators from the way you care for your outdoor spaces, to the things that you consume and the brands that you choose to support.  

I'll be posting ideas through the week about how to support our pollinators.  Today, get the little ones in your life involved with this great guide from Pollinator.org: http://pollinator.org/PDFs/NPW/2017/5-Things-Kids-Can-Do.pdf //