Page 20 - FEB18_BUILDERBRIEF
P. 20
Making a
Making a
Difference
Difference
with Tile
with Tile
The honeybee is in danger. Massive losses of
hives across the country in the past few years
have rendered an alarming problem: how do
we produce food without pollinators? One out Think before you
of every three bites of food is made possible by
bees. In 2016 alone, 44% of managed bee hives squash a bee
were lost due to colony collapse disorder. Many Bees are amongst the most important
groups and companies around the country are creatures to humans on Earth. These
racing to help educate the public and to help amazing insects pollinate over 80% of all
prevent these huge losses and to help rehabilitate flowering plants including 70 of the top
bee and pollinator populations across the globe. 100 human food crops.
The hexagon is found throughout nature: Pesticides, drought, habitat destruction,
in soap foam, snowflakes, sponges, and and air pollution are largely responsible for
honeycomb. It is an instantly familiar shape, and the decline in the bee population. Biologists
one that Materials Marketing has offered for a have found more than 150 different
very long time as a mosaic. Materials Marketing chemical residues in bee pollen, a deadly
is expanding on this line, with the official Hex “pesticide cocktail”.
Collection. From the well-known 7/8” mosaic all
the way up to a 24” size, there are no limits to The number of working bee colonies per
what you can create! With 38 unique types of hectare provides a critical metric of crop
stone, and with a multitude of finishes available, health. In the U.S. — among crops that
you have over 3,800 possible combinations to require bee pollination — the number of
choose from. bee colonies per hectare has declined by
90 percent since 1962. The bees cannot
With the clear similarities between the Hex
Collection and honeycomb found in beehives, keep pace with the winter die-off rates
Materials Marketing only thought it would and habitat loss.
be appropriate to partner with the Planet Honey bees — wild and domestic —
Bee Foundation. They are a non-profit bee perform about 80 percent of all pollination
conservation organization that focuses on worldwide. A single bee colony can
environmental education for students. Please visit pollinate 300 million flowers each day.
their page for more information on how you can Grains are primarily pollinated by the
help their efforts. In support of the partnership, a wind, but fruits, nuts and vegetables are
percentage of each Hex Collection purchase will pollinated by bees. Seventy out of the top
be donated to the Planet Bee Foundation, with 100 human food crops — which supply
hope that future generations will help protect this about 90 percent of the world’s nutrition —
important insect. are pollinated by bees.
20
