Part of our series of student blog posts. This post comes from student Amanda Neubelt. Amanda was in the course “Strategic Writing for Public Communications,” part of UVM’s Community Development and Applied Economics Program.

What’s all the buzz about bees?

For millions of years honeybees have played a vital role in the plant life cycle.  Honey bees are responsible for pollinating over a third of our food supply and 90% of wild plants, as well as the multi-million dollar raw honey industry.  However, tragically, honeybees are on the decline.  Since 1990 In the U.S. alone, over 25% of managed honey bee populations have disappeared.  Without the essential cross pollination provided by bees (which mind you, travel emission free), crops suffer and eventually die off completely.  Sadly, this is already happening in many areas of the world.  The decline of honey bees has been a catalyst with catastrophic consequences.  In the winter of 2006/2007, tens of billions of bees were lost in the U.S.  The loss was projected to have an $8-$12 billion effect on U.S. agricultural economy.

Why the decline in honey bees?

Many believe that the increased use of pesticides and herbicides (which bees ingest during pollination) has played a large role in the decline of bee populations.   Genetically modified crops could also be to blame, as pollen from these plants may have a compromised nutritional value. Climate change could also be a factor to consider, as biologists have found a link between rising temperatures and growth rates of pathogens that destroy colonies.  Studies have also been done to show the negative effects of cell phone tower radiation and its impact on bee navigation.

What can you do?

There are many things you can do to help revitalize the honeybee population! First- buy organic! Second- create your own bee haven in your garden!  Third- buy your own honeybee colony and send it to someone in need! You can do that?? YES! An international non-profit known as Heifer, has created a unique opportunity to help save the honeybees. For a small fee, you can purchase a package of bees, the box, hive, and training on beekeeping and send it to a family in need. The bees can become a supplement to the families income (if not their main livelihood), and strategically placed beehives can double the yield in some fruit and vegetable production.

Links to more information:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/mar04/form0304.pdf

http://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/edf-solutions-2012-summer.pdf#page=12

http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/about/intheworks/honeybee.htm

http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/files/bees.pdf

http://www.onearth.org/article/the-latest-buzz-on-bees

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/impact-of-ccd-on-us-agriculture/37/

https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/honeybees.html

Part of our series of student blog posts. This post comes from Amy Lipsitz, a 2012 graduate of the University of Vermont. Amy was in the course Strategic Writing for Public Communications, part of UVM’s Community Development and Applied Economics Program.

GMOs are genetically engineered organisms with DNA structures that have been changed by adding genes from another living organism. Crops can be genetically modified to resist insects, herbicides and disease or to contain extra nutrients, vaccines or genes that affect the appearance of the crop, for example this soy that can resist very toxic herbicides or the potential of this apple that will never brown. Animals can be genetically modified to produce lower-fat meat, resist diseases, or even create less waste. With resilience abilities and shorter growing periods, GMOs in foods allow them to be grown in larger quantities.

Genetic modification began with scientific discoveries in the early 1950s through the 1970s right around the time of the baby boom. Due to the rapid population growth the US was experiencing there was a need for more food. Thus the Green Revolution was born, a time when herbicides, pesticides and GMOs were created to kill weeds and pests and insure heightened food production for the masses.

Because genetic engineering is a fairly new process the long-term consequences have not yet been discovered and likely won’t be identified for years. Many consumers believe that GMOs are a rare occurrence in our food system but they are actually quite common in the United States. Any non-organic product that contains corn or soy (see list of all GMO crops here) most likely contains GMOs.

Non-GMO Project and Proposition 37

There is a small grassroots effort called the ‘Non-GMO Project’ committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices. The Non-GMO Project is the first to offer ‘GMO Labeling’ on products in the United States although GMO labeling is required in most other developed countries. In the recent election Proposition 37, an initiative for mandatory labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods, was up for vote in California. Fifty three percent of California voters chose to reject Proposition 37, if passed it would have:

• Required labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if the food is made from plants or animals with genetic material
• Prohibited labeling or advertising such food as “natural.”

For further reading, see links below:

• Growing Produce
• SFGate’s “Prop 37: Genetic Food Labels Defeated”
• Colorado State University Extension “Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods”
• Union of Concerned Scientists “Engineered Foods Allowed on the Market”
• Center for Food Safety “Genetically Engineered Crops”