From our friends at the Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown...
Pollinator Menu to Support Junior Beekeepers at DC Public Schools
As solitary bee populations continue to decline due to loss and fragmentation of habitat, Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown is adding a pollinator bee hotel to its collection of rooftop honeybee hives in spring 2015. To launch this new initiative, the hotel is displaying a “Pop-Up” Pollinator Bee Hotel in the lobby, and serving a pollinator menu in Juniper Restaurant. A portion of the proceeds from the menu and the hotel’s signature cocktail, the BeeTini, will support the District of Columbia Public Schools’ Junior Beekeepers initiative from August 18 - October 31, 2014.
In spring 2015, approximately 10 public schools in the District of Columbia will have their own beehives. Through the school system’s new science instruction standards, students will learn about beekeeping and how to harvest honey in a truly experiential manner.
Across North America, the overall number of pollinator bees has been on a steady decline for decades, which has impacted the health of ecosystems, the reproduction of the majority of flowering plants and pollination of food. This is a great concern, as bees are responsible for pollinating more than 80 per cent of flowering plants, fruits and vegetables. A primary cause of this decline is the loss and fragmentation of habitat.
Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown welcomed 105,000 Italian honeybees in May of 2009. The rooftop is now abuzz with three honey beehives and their residents. The bees enhance the hotel’s culinary program along with its interior courtyard garden that already provides fresh herbs and flowers such as edible pansies.
“The addition of a pollinator bee hotel, will be a tremendous asset to the cross pollination of the flowers and trees in the courtyard and the surrounding Georgetown neighborhood, states Mark S. Andrew, Regional Vice President Northeast U.S.A. and General Manager. “We look forward to supporting DC’s Junior Beekeepers as they learn how to enhance the nation’s bee population.”
A pollinator bee hotel is a collection of nesting materials (wood, twigs, fallen branches, soil and pith-filled holes) designed to attract, support and protect native, lost and solitary bees by replicating their natural nesting sites. This allows the bees to breed, lay eggs and seek protection from predators.
Earlier this summer, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Launched its first pollinator bee hotel at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto in partnership with Burt’s Bees and its annual WILD FOR BEES campaign. This Toronto pilot program, which Fairmont plans to roll out at more hotels next year, supports the luxury brand’s decades’ long commitment to preserving and protecting the destinations it calls home. Also, the luxury hotel brand continues to expand its bee program and currently has pollinator bee initiatives in place at other hotels including the Fairmont Waterfront and the Savoy, a Fairmont Managed Hotel, and more than 20 honeybee apiaries at Fairmont locations around the world.
Located at 2401 M Street, NW, Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown is convenient to the finest museums, theaters (including the Kennedy Center), shopping and dining. Close to two metro stations, it is five miles from Reagan National Airport and 33 miles from Dulles International Airport. At 415 rooms and luxury suites, the Fairmont Washington, D.C. offers a wealth of facilities while maintaining an air of tranquility insured through the design of intimate spaces, plenty of natural daylight, and a cascade of plants both inside and out.
To learn more about Fairmont’s sustainability efforts and ongoing commitment to supporting bee health, please visit fairmont.com.
