June 4, 2021
June 5th is World Environment Day! Coinciding with this, and this year’s World Environment Day theme “Ecosystem Restoration,” Willkie is proud to announce the installation of two urban bee hives on the roof of our New York office.
The hives will be maintained and supported by Alveole, a global urban beekeeping company, and will play a direct role in supporting the survival of bees, as well as the survival of urban greenspaces. Due to the fact that many rural areas have been transformed into farms that only focus on growing a single crop, plant or livestock species, biodiversity has diminished in these areas, resulting in a decreasing bee population. By contrast, urban spaces, while they may lack natural ecosystems, offer a wider variety of flora for bees to pollinate and less use of pesticides. Research shows that bees actually thrive more in cities than in rural environments as a result.
In total, our hives are expected to house more than 50,000 honey bees, which will pollinate the urban flora that surrounds us during the summer. At the end of the season, we will harvest their honey and share it with our community. Throughout the year, employees will also have the opportunity to take part in a series of educational events to build awareness around honey bees, the importance of urban beekeeping and how it supports the environment.
Read Willkie Green to learn more about Willkie’s myriad sustainability efforts, including the our urban bee hives!