Happy National Honeybee Day! This sweet day was created in 2009, by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsek, for the purpose of supporting beekeepers and promoting education and awareness of honeybees, and of course sweet, sweet honey. It’s celebrated nationwide on the third Saturday in August each year, when fresh honey is readily available and farmers’ markets are in full swing.
Honeybees are tireless workers, providing an estimated $200 million dollars worth of honey yearly, but did you know their value as pollinators is much higher? Honeybees pollinate around 75-80% of all plants worldwide and add around $20 billion to the value of the U.S. agriculture each year. All human life depends on the honeybee and yet, in recent years, we’ve seen the number of honeybees declining. In 2019 we saw a significant decrease in the number of hives that survived the winter ( the overall indicator of bee health). This decrease is mostly due to a combination of parasite invasion, loss of habitat, and exposure to pesticides. With every living thing depending on this small hero, we need to do everything we can to ensure our honey bees thrive!
At Reece Aggregates and Recycling we care about our environment. We know it takes everyone doing their part to ensure that this beautiful earth is protected and fruitful. Celebrating National Honeybee Day is one way WE can spread the word about the importance of bees and beekeepers and engage with our community in ways that matter.
Ways YOU can support beekeepers and honeybees:
While we hope you join us in celebrating National Honeybee Day, it isn’t just on special days that we can focus our energies on important environmental issues. According to statista.com, in 2017 alone, 373 million tons of concrete waste and 85.7 million tons of asphalt waste were created during construction and demolition. At Reece we are committed to reducing waste and preserving natural resources - which is why recycling unwanted concrete and asphalt is so important to us! Not only does recycling concrete and asphalt prevent the material from going to a landfill, every ton of recycled aggregate can save 1,360 gallons water and 900 kg of CO2 by reducing the need for gravel mining.
Recycled products available at Reece are recycled asphalt, recycled concrete, and a recycled asphalt and concrete mixture. Each of these are excellent and affordable choices for road bases or for filling in areas that need binding.
If you have a demo project coming up, consider having Reece demo and recycle unwanted concrete and asphalt. Likewise, ask us about using recycled materials for your project. By recycling and using recycled products, you’ll join Reece in doing your part to ensure our natural resources are preserved.