[Bringing Honey Bees Back]

[Going Native: A Real Environmental Improvement]

[MVTCID]

The honeybee species accounts for 80% of the pollination by insects, yet they are slowly
becoming extinct throughout the United States particularly in the Northeast region.
Their mysterious disappearance has become a rising concern since 2006. Scholarly and
scientific research has come to call this development the Colony Collapse Disorder.
Losses of adult worker bees were estimated at 23% over the winter of 2006-2007 and
close to 36% over the winter of 2007-2008.

Their presence in any environment, however, is supremely beneficial because of their

pollination ability, control on airborne allergies, as well as production of honey for both
consumer and health purposes. Specifically, the number of Americans with allergies is 2
to 5 times higher than 30 years ago as compared to a national survey conducted the
National Institute of Health.

Additionally, without honeybee pollination, the majority of fruits, vegetables, and plant
species will also not yield as greatly. Affecting the growth of community gardens
throughout the Washington D.C. area and in other metropolitan cities as our society
moves towards environmental sustainability approaches. The Mount Vernon
Community Improvement District has built such a garden as well as intends to introduce
a native plant initiative. This proliferation of community based planting though will not
succeed in the urban environment without all of the necessary components. The
honeybees are one of these factors along with the presence of native birds.

The disadvantage for human and fauna health caused by this blatant environmental
degradation is exactly what the Mount Vernon Community Improvement District hopes
to correct. Our focus on “quality of life” now includes environmental sustainability as
we work to transform the Triangle into a livable, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood.
The initial process has begun with the presence of two donated beehives by DC
Honeybee’s that will be placed on the roof of the MTVCID office during the spring of
2011. With the intention of pioneering the idea of the “sustainable community”
incorporating businesses, residents, and the actual atmosphere to lead in the
movement toward bringing “green” to the city.