During our ‘Beyond Beehives’ webinar, Emily Usher and Marie-Cloé LeBlanc explored how real estate managers can improve tenant engagement, ESG reporting, and building differentiation through meaningful sustainability programs. Here’s a summary.
Making sustainability tangible in commercial real estate
In our recent webinar, we explored a challenge many of our commercial real estate partners face: how to make sustainability and ESG initiatives feel concrete and engaging rather than abstract concepts buried in annual reports.
As Emily Usher, our Product Growth Specialist with a decade of beekeeping experience, shared: “Something that we hear from our customers quite a bit is that sustainability and ESG initiatives can often feel pretty abstract. What’s really refreshing about our bee programs is that we’re able to make these initiatives feel very tangible.”
This hands-on approach is why Alvéole has grown from a small beekeeping initiative to working with over 2,200 buildings across North America and Europe. It’s also why clients like Rockhill Management are using the program to transform the way tenants experience sustainability.
The reality facing property managers today
Marie-Cloé LeBlanc, our Sales Manager, painted a clear picture of today’s commercial real estate landscape:
“Being a property manager today is hard. We are asked to do more with less, constantly facing new requirements, new things to learn, while getting fewer resources to do that. On the other hand, tenants are also more demanding. They want more from their space.”
In this environment, effective tenant engagement requires what Carolina from Rockill perfectly captured in a recent webinar: “authenticity and genuine care.” It’s no longer enough to simply put out a coffee cart or food truck. Meaningful engagement demands programs that truly resonate with people.
The key? Creating moments that matter
Our beekeeping programs excel at creating these authentic moments. As Emily described from her years as a beekeeper: “It’s really wonderful to see all of the great conversations and questions that the bees will spark once people see a hive being opened or do a honey extraction workshop or make handmade candles.”
These workshop experiences consistently become the most popular tenant events, often with long waiting lists. But more importantly, they create stories that people carry home—moments so special that tenants talk about them at their dinner tables with family. Learn more here about our comprehensive tenant engagement programs.
Marie-Cloé emphasized the ripple effect: “It’s by creating these special moments throughout the entire year that we’re creating the overall experience and setting the standard for what a building experience should be.”
Leveraging bee programs for broader impact
Bees do more than spark curiosity. They create momentum.
As Emily noted: “This ability that the bees have to generate excitement can be utilized to help advertise the other initiatives you have going on at your building. Sometimes these workshops that are fundamentally about the bee program also give our customers the opportunity to showcase these other initiatives.”
People may show up for the honey but leave asking bigger questions. That curiosity opens the door to deeper tenant education and stronger ESG visibility.
Honey jars: The ultimate business card
At harvest, clients receive honey jars from their rooftop hives. But they’re not just a giveaway.
Leasing teams, like BGO’s, use them as conversation starters, handing them out after tours to create a lasting impression. The jars are branded, memorable, and connect directly to the building’s sustainability story.
“It’s not everybody that gives away these really special post-visit honey jars that not only cut through the noise and make you remember the building, but also tie any sustainability story you’re trying to tell to that jar,” Marie-Cloé explained.
Property managers consistently describe honey distribution as one of their favorite moments because it’s such a rare opportunity to give something truly special to their tenants.
Digital engagement through the Alvéole Nature Platform
The Alvéole Nature Platform helps keep that momentum going.
One client in the Netherlands saw workshop attendance grow from 7 to over 200 by encouraging tenants to subscribe for updates. The platform shares photos, stories, and reminders that keep tenants engaged long after the beekeeper’s visit.
It’s a low-effort, high-impact tool to sustain excitement across the year.
A goldmine for marketing
Clients like Empire State Realty Trust use Alvéole visuals in everything from social media to ESG reports. Photos of tenants at workshops or close-ups of bees in action create authentic content that performs well online.
This authentic, engaging content performs exceptionally well on social media. As Emily observed: “It’s really incredible how much engagement you get online when customers share about their bee program, particularly when they’re announcing it for the first time.”
ESG reporting made visual
Too often, ESG reports are pages of numbers. Alvéole’s programs provide the visuals that bring those reports to life.
Clients like Figgate and Rockhill feature their bee programs in their reporting. BCIT even created a dedicated webpage to show off its environmental initiatives.
“Some of the only images that will be included of sustainability programs in ESG reports are often of the bee program because it really gives that wonderful tangible connection to the building,” Emily shared.
The science behind the sweetness
Perhaps most exciting is our nature reporting engine, a cutting-edge approach to biodiversity monitoring through the hives themselves. By taking environmental DNA samples from hives throughout the year, we can:
- Identify biodiversity surrounding buildings
- Provide targeted recommendations for supporting local ecosystems
- Test for pesticide and microplastic presence
- Offer insights into tenant wellness and environmental health
This data transforms beekeeping programs from simple tenant amenities into sophisticated environmental monitoring systems that support both biodiversity strategies and tenant wellness initiatives. Explore our comprehensive Nature-Related Risk Platform to see how this technology can benefit your portfolio.
Supporting all pollinators
During our Q&A, we addressed important questions about native pollinators and our impact on local ecosystems. Beyond honeybees, we also install wild bee homes (we prefer “homes” to “hotels” because we think of them as permanent!) that support mason bees and other native species.
These installations make the often-invisible world of native pollinators visible to tenants, creating excitement about species many didn’t even know existed. As Emily put it: “It’s so fun to see 3,000 people in a building excited that there’s a mason bee nesting in their bee home, when six months ago they didn’t even know there were other bees outside of honeybees.”
The bottom line
Biodiversity strategies are fast becoming as important as carbon strategies. At the same time, tenant wellness is gaining traction. Alvéole helps property managers address both.
The key takeaway? Programs succeed when they create real connection.
When you can get tenants “wildly excited with kid-like enthusiasm,” as Marie-Cloé described, you’re not just running a program. You’re transforming the building experience and setting new standards for what tenant engagement can achieve.
Interested in learning how Alvéole can transform your building’s sustainability and engagement strategy? Contact our team to explore what’s possible with your property.
Watch the full webinar recording and access additional resources on our webinar page.
