There’s no denying it: sweet, sweet honey plays a huge role in the promotion of any urban beekeeping project. While honey is delicious and rewarding – and we are big fans! – its production also offers tangible benefits, including the potential to increase property value. But frankly, in the grander scheme of our mission, tickling your taste buds isn’t the main point of our activities.
So what other benefits can you reap by hopping on the urban beekeeping wagon? Here are five we think are particularly sweet!
1. Build community spirit
Engage with people through an exciting team project
When you think about it, the beehive is the absolute epitome of team spirit and collaboration. In our experience, as tenants and teams learn about bees and gather around to watch our beekeepers handle the on-site hives, that same spirit of community and trust develops amongst the curious onlookers.
Bonds tighten, those who wish to get involved can be fully immersed in the experience, and a precious sense of shared commitment is naturally interwoven into the social fabric of your building.
And sometimes, when everyone starts really engaging with the bees; magic happens.
2. Optimize your building
Repurpose lost space while promoting sustainability
One of the biggest contributors to urban heat island effect? Unoptimized urban spaces like rooftops, parking garages, and vacant lots. Already, cities like Chicago are poised to see 30 more days a year with temperatures rising above 37°C (100°F). For building owners and managers looking to do their part, the installation of a hive is a great way to tap into that potential by creating an ecological advantage to lost space that would otherwise add little to no value to your building.
In fact, to foster a broader commitment to sustainability, many governments and organizations now incentivize innovative green projects through sustainable development points and accreditations. In the context of a larger greening project, a beehive provides invaluable context, perspective, and connection within a much larger mission to rethink the way we relate to our planet, which can ultimately increase property value.
3. (Re)connect with nature
Improve tenant retention by boosting perceived value
A growing number of people and companies now passionately advocate for the support and preservation of green spaces and local food ecosystems. By encouraging a reconnection with flora and fauna in an urban setting, urban beekeeping helps inquisitive tenants tune in to nature’s seasons, weather shifts and blossoming rhythms.
Organically, your beehive is also bound to open the door to new and important conversations about the global implications of our actions on a natural world so delicately intertwined and orchestrated.
4. Produce food locally
Leverage honey and hive products for marketing
All urban agriculture projects promote food production. After all, little is more universal and evocative than a delicious meal. But when it comes to urban beekeeping, people are often surprised to find out just how wide the range of potential derivative products can be. From customized jars of honey to lip balms, candles, and soap bars, hive products offer countless opportunities to get creative and make a solid, lasting impression.
If our main mission is to delight and educate, then honey and products from the hive are wonderful collateral benefits. With time, these products are infused with meaning and become vehicles for remembering, sharing and promoting the beekeeping experience. That means more opportunities to widen your reach, pique people’s interest and make an emotional connection.
Did you know?
Every site produces its own unique honey flavor and signature palate. Depending on the surrounding ecosystem, you’ll notice a whole world of local characteristics and surprising floral variations that stem from the surrounding nectars and fauna. So at the end of the season, you won’t just be selling or offering honey with your own building brand, you’ll be sharing your building’s unique taste too!
Read more > Discover 6 more fascinating facts about honey!
5. Educate your industry
Become a trailblazer by fostering environmental awareness
A beehive is an unparalleled educational tool when promoting the greening of our urban environments. In fact, many innovative companies and organizations like BOMA Canada have been at the forefront of promoting urban beekeeping as part of a broader commitment to sustainability.
“You’ll be surprised at how manageable it is and how significant the rewards are for your staff, tenants, and stakeholders.”
As customer expectations inevitably change and evolve, forward-thinking companies are looking for ways to keep in step and emotionally engage with their teams by tangibly demonstrating their dedication to being responsible corporate citizens. By shedding light on important environmental issues, you’re leading the way towards a new sustainability paradigm for your industry.
And in today’s competitive property landscape, that boldness and willingness to stand for what’s right can go a long way in earning you some serious brand awareness, engagement, and loyalty.
