As another World Bee Day passed us last week, the marie claire team spend the day with luxury beauty brand Guerlain to talk (and learn about) all things bees.
The internationally recognised day pays homage to the insect responsible for giving our world much of it’s colour, scent and vivid beauty. And we don’t say that lightly. Small but mighty, pollinators play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity which in turn effects our food supplies, access to fresh water, materials and medicine. Without bees and other pollinators, our basic needs of survival are at jeopardy. It’s a fact Guerlain know all too well.
Keeping bees protected and thriving is something of a passion for Guerlain. With a series of initiatives under their belt, their worldwide #GuerlainForBees Conservation Programme has contributed to real, demonstrated change and success in bee conservation for over 10 years now. Now an emblem for the brand, bee’s are so intricately linked with the maison’s DNA and serves as a poignant reminder of their power.
What is World Bee Day?
World Bee Day also serves another purpose though. And that is that the issues facing bees today are great. Modern practices such as intensive farming, land clearing, which destroy natural habitats, and changing world climates have put both wild and domestic bees at risk. The annual mortality rate of bees today is 30%. And the knock-on effects are real when you consider that three quarters of cultivated crops rely on bee pollination and 90% of wild flowers depend on the insects for their survival.
In fact, without bees to pollinate, most species of fruits, flowers and seed would vanish, and along with them crucial habitat, food and resources for countless other species. And if that wasn’t a bleak enough picture, if bees were to vanish, so too would most of the natural colour, flavour and scents of our world too.
If you think about it like this, then there really is a need for a rethink. Which is why Guerlain, a brand that has long revered bees, is going the extra mile to help raise awareness and re-populate bee numbers.
How can we celebrate World Bee Day?
The French beauty brand’s Bees Conservation Program has been committed to helping protect bees and preserving biodiversity on an extensive scale for more than a decade. It does this with programs such as Women for Bees, which partners with UNESCO to help empower underprivileged women learn new skills and to promote beekeeping. Among other initiatives, the brand is committed to protecting the rare and unique black bee on the remote French island of Ouessant, near Brittany.
But Guerlain understands that protection is only one element of a bright future for these little workers. Education is also a huge piece of the puzzle. It’s why it has created Bee School, a program teaching young students about the importance of bees for the future of our planet.
The program has A-list backing. With Hollywood star and godmother of the Women for Bees program Angelina Jolie at its helm, Bee School is now operating in more than 10 countries, reaching more than 6000 children.
marie claire was in attendance as Guerlain rolled out a series of Bee School classes to Years 3 to 6 at Lycee Condorcet de Sydney in Maroubra recently. Bee expert Rachel Cambridge-Potter took students through the fundamentals of how a beehive operates, the roles of the different bees, the different bee species and the basics of beekeeping, while also teaching them the key role of pollination, biodiversity and conservation for the future of our planet.
“It’s very important to have biodiversity for bees, otherwise they would not survive,” Cambridge-Potter told the children during one of the classes. “There are some things that humans do that threaten biodiversity … things like pollution, using too many resources and emitting too many dangerous gases.” The students were taught how doing their part for bees can make a difference to the planet. Encouraging wildflowers in the garden, planting melliferous flowers (which can be pollinated) and providing bees with water are all ways we can help make their environment flourish.
The Lycee Condorcet de Sydney itself has also started its own hive of nonstinging native bees, further entrenching the connection these tiny creatures have with all living things. The importance of knowledge can never be understated. And when you see these youngsters soaking up the ways they can make a difference, it does feel as though the planet is in safe hands.
Lear more about Guerlain’s incredible bee-conservation work at guerlain.com/int
