{"478951":{"#nid":"478951","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Institute of Technology Recognized for Its Bee-Friendly Practices","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEarlier this month, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Bee Campus USA announced that Georgia Tech is the second university in the nation to be certified as an affiliate of Bee Campus USA, a program designed to marshal the strengths of educational campuses for the benefit of pollinators.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECollege students, faculty, administrators, and staff have long been among the nation\u0027s most dedicated champions for sustainable environmental practices.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are very proud to be the second certified Bee Campus USA in the nation. This designation greatly complements the efforts of the students, faculty, and staff currently working on environmental and sustainability issues,\u201d said Jennifer Leavey, director of the Georgia Tech Urban Honey Bee Project. \u201cWe believe Bee Campus USA certification will provide the institution with an important platform to facilitate wider dialogue on and off campus regarding pollinator awareness and the initiation of student service projects that could benefit the entire city of Atlanta.\u201c\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThoughtful stewardship of honey bees, wild bees and other pollinators is vital to the economy for many reasons. Not only do honey bees contribute to the honey industry, but they are an essential catalyst for every one-in-three bites of food consumed. Given bees\u2019 importance, bee-friendly practices are being endorsed and celebrated on a local, national, and global scale. As a Bee Campus USA-certified school, Georgia Tech will serve as an invaluable resource for other institutions and individuals seeking to protect vital pollinators.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESaid Bee Campus USA director, Phyllis Stiles, \u0022We are very fortunate to have found such an outstanding partner. The Georgia Institute of Technology has already demonstrated its commitment to environmental sustainability. Now their talented faculty, staff, and students are incorporating pollinator education into courses as well as campus events, such as Georgia Tech\u2019s Earth Day celebration, and programs offered through the Urban Honey Bee Project.\u201c\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to its outreach programs, Georgia Tech plans to develop a Campus Pollinator Habitat Plan for its 400-acre landscape to include a locally native and pollinator-friendly plant list. The Institute will also implement a least toxic integrated pest management (IPM) plan to be shared as a tool for the community at large.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s Bee Campus USA committee consists of a wide range of stakeholders including landscape planners; horticulturists; facilities design, operations, and maintenance staff; science faculty; biosafety and sustainability project staff; and students. According to Leavey, \u201cThrough this integration of the diverse set of minds represented on the Bee Campus USA committee, Georgia Tech will develop innovative and sustainable practices that can be applied right here on campus and in similar environments around the world.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther institutions of higher education are invited to complete the application process outlined at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.beecityusa.org\/bee-campus-usa.html\u0022\u003Ebeecampususa.org\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech is the second university in the nation to be certified as an affiliate of Bee Campus USA, a program designed to marshal the strengths of educational campuses for the benefit of pollinators."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2015-12-15 11:58:36","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:16","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-12-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-12-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"478961":{"id":"478961","type":"image","title":"Bee Campus USA","body":null,"created":"1450285200","gmt_created":"2015-12-16 17:00:00","changed":"1475895232","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:52","alt":"Bee Campus USA","file":{"fid":"204143","name":"bcampususa_logonourl.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bcampususa_logonourl_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bcampususa_logonourl_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":747923,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bcampususa_logonourl_0.jpg?itok=kWkBX3eM"}},"479481":{"id":"479481","type":"image","title":"Georgia Institute of Technology Recognized for Its Bee-Friendly Practices","body":null,"created":"1450285200","gmt_created":"2015-12-16 17:00:00","changed":"1475895232","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:52","alt":"Georgia Institute of Technology Recognized for Its Bee-Friendly Practices","file":{"fid":"204152","name":"klaus_jheib_cropped.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/klaus_jheib_cropped_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/klaus_jheib_cropped_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1923647,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/klaus_jheib_cropped_0.jpg?itok=guvL9e4o"}}},"media_ids":["478961","479481"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.beecityusa.org\/bee-campus-usa.html","title":"Bee Campus USA"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"171540","name":"bee campus"},{"id":"35921","name":"Facilities Management"},{"id":"27071","name":"Jennifer Leavey"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:rpocklington@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ERachael Pocklington\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}