Finalist
Planet Bee Foundation
Planet Bee Foundation is dedicated to creating a green-minded generation by inspiring environmental stewardship through the power of individual action and the teaching lens of the struggling honey bee. We dream of an ecoliterate society with a higher concern for the greater good, and work with schools, nonprofits, summer camps, environmental centers, community gardens and businesses to present hands-on, educational workshops on location. We currently offer three school programs, the Humble Honey Bee (HHB), ZomBee Watch Citizen Science School Program (ZBW) and Adopt-A-Hive (AAH).
Judges Comment
“We awarded Planet Bee Foundation an honorable mention due to their strong focus on process and outcomes, with the honeybee as a metaphor to help young people understand interconnectivity across E-STEM disciplines. For the Planet Bee Foundation, the honeybee is more than a metaphor – they are passionately working with youth to increase the health of bee populations and critical ecosystems. Programs like ZomBee Watch support students’ experience with problem solving and solution design on pernicious problems like protecting bees from non-native species. We also appreciate the value in placing bee hives in schools, giving youth the opportunity to see and work hands-on with the species. This strategy also has added conservation benefits. Finally, we applaud Planet Bee Foundation’s data monitoring approach that iteratively builds on a body of evidence.”