NRDC News's Blog
From Tennis Balls to Honey Bees
August 27, 2008
Posted by NRDC News in The Media and the Environment
The US Open website features NRDC’s logo and tip guide prominently on their main page, displaying details of the Open’s move towards sustainability as well as an interview with Allen Hershkowitz, and details about the NRDC-US Open partnership… In the Associated Press, Jacob Schmidt discusses the progress of the UN Climate talks currently taking place in Ghana… Kim Knowlton talks about a new report she authored and the need to learn more and prevent heat-wave related deaths in the Orange County Register… In the News and Observer, Josh Mogerman contends that “business as usual is not acceptable” when it comes to colony collapse disorder—due to the dependence of much of the US food supply on honey bees, we need to know what’s causing the population collapse; there is no time to wait… In the Kansas City Star Alex Kennaugh says that while “organic cotton is not [a] silver bullet” it is part of a plan for a healthier planet.
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Comments
Dan Staley — Aug 28 2008 01:02 PM
Our graminaceous crops (grain) are all wind-pollinated. We eat far more grains than anything else (including the grain that feeds cows).
Our high-value truck crops are insect-pollinated.
This is not to say that many ecosystems will likely flip if there are no more bees to pollinate insect-pollinated plants.
Josh Mogerman — Aug 28 2008 07:27 PM
Dan---
I hear what you are saying, but we cannot diminish the importance of bee pollinated crops in the United States. According to USDA, 1 in 3 mouthfuls in the typical American diet come as direct or indirect result of honeybee pollination. That accounts for about $15 billion in our economy. With that much at stake, we need to address colony collapse disorder ASAP.
And if those numbers don't grab you---just think about the foods that we lose without bees...some of my favorites: guacamole, cheese, almonds, tomato sauce, onion rings... Yikes.
And ice cream? Boring without bees---not in it, just supplying flavors like vanilla and cherry.
We need bees. That's why NRDC is involved in a suit to get information from EPA on pesticides and how they are evaluated as it relates to bee impact. Yes, other crops are important too---but we cannot choose one sector of our food supply over the other. Read more at: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jmogerman/epa_buzz_kill.html