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I’m a HUGE fan of Interface, Ray Anderson’s company, and the work they do. I read their blog often, and one of their latest in a series about Biophilia was interesting and inspirational.
Discussing how London, England has 25% green space in the form of parks and gardens — 2,500 registered bee hives can be found in London, with 50,000 bees in each hive, producing 70 lbs. of honey from each hive in every season — was eye opening on many levels.
I know bees are important but the post brought how essential they are to life as we know it right into focus for me. Attributing the following to A World Without Bees, urban beekeeping experts Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum discuss how,
if all the world’s bees disappeared, mankind would have only four years left to live. Without bees, there’s no pollination, and without pollination, there are no plants — and soon no animals, and then no humans. It’s a sobering thought that the western honeybee pollinates 70% of the food we eat.
I took the bait: curious to discover what’s going on in our local communities, I looked for some area beekeepers associations, and found too many to list. But, in case you’re interested to learn more, here are a few key ones in Denver’s Front Range. It sounds like a pretty amazing network out there!
Colorado State Beekeepers Association
Oldest beekeeping association in Colorado, organized in Denver in 1880.
Northern Colorado Beekeepers Association
Boulder County Beekeepers Association
— Debbie Hindman
Periwinkle Porte 
I love this post!!! Thank you for discussing this important topic and providing so many links to references. Just this past weekend my husband and I stopped our gardening tasks to oooo… and ahhhh… over the blooming Nepeta (Catmint) that was covered with honeybees from the area. We adore all bees but have noticed it’s usually bumbles with their obviously larger, darker, fuzzier bodies. But like I said, we noticed these were very obviously true honeybees and we excitedly cheered them on as many of them were simultaneously drinking in the abundant purple blooms. Another wonderful reason why we garden organically and with abundant bee-friendly plants. So hugs to you for this amazing post! Cheers, Gina
Glad you enjoyed it! I recently helped my daughter gather used CFL bulbs for an art project at her local WFM. An artist painted them as bees to help raise awareness about recycling but also the importance of bees. Check it out! http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/sharethebuzz/
What an incredible page they created, with steps beyond my own organic gardening and shopping – I love it. AND there’s a store near me I hadn’t even known of but their site helped me find it! Also I love how you and your daughter’s art project included painting old bulbs as bees. I can imagine they were adorable. Thanks so much for this great reply to my comment!