The team’s aim was to focus the attention of the people of Tuam and its environs in sustaining the environment. Saving the Bees was their catalyst for the achievement of this goal. They worked with local schools (PowerPoint presentations, interactive workshops, etc.), local businesses (Bee-Friendly plant sales, setting up bee friendly tables in 4 Garden Centres, Currans Saw Mills helped with the bee hotels, bought seeds from seed savers, Scariff, Co. Clare) and public bodies (Sean Cunniffe from Galway County Council and Elaine O’Riordan, a Biodiversity Officer). 55 students of the TY class spent 3 days planting seeds in trays and countless hours of research, in the care for the plants and the mammoth task of distribution.
The Action
The team created a Bee-book for primary schools, as well as Bee song video and presentation.
They created sales tables of bee friendly plants in each of the four garden centres in Tuam. They distributed leaflets with organic weed-killer recipes. They set up a petition to stop the use of pesticides. They posted articles in a local newspaper. They set up a Facebook page “Save the Bees”. They germinated and distributed 2000 bee-friendly plants to all schools, homes and businesses in Tuam. They set up drinking stations for bees. They planted 200 seed bombs as part of guerrilla gardening campaign; Constructed 50 Bee-Houses.
The Impact
The team’s future plan is to carry on with their environmental project by doing a waste disposal in 2017, work on water conservation in 2018 and focus on renewable energy in 2019.