In an effort to promote sustainability and support local biodiversity, American hotel chain Choice Hotels has partnered with Bee Downtown to install three beehives at its headquarters in North Bethesda.
Bee Downtown is a business that installs and maintains beehives on corporate sites to support sustainable urban agriculture.
In the US, honeybees play a crucial role in pollinating 70 out of the 100 top food crops in the country. Unfortunately, the number of honeybees is depleting, not just across the country – but worldwide.
Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, founder and CEO of Bee Downtown, said the company is looking forward to having Choice Hotels as one of its newest corporate hive program partners.
“it is our goal to help leading corporations cultivate great places to work through sustainability initiatives and employee experiences all rooted in agriculture,” said Bonner.
At Choice Hotels’ headquarters, an estimated 150,000 honeybees now reside, with the potential to pollinate crops across 18,000 acres of surrounding land.
Megan Brumagim, VP of sustainability of Choice Hotels, said the company’s beehive initiative underscores its commitment to environmental stewardship, biodiversity, and engagement,
“Bees play an essential role in the health of the planet,” added Brumagim.
“We’re excited to contribute to our region’s biodiversity, engage our associates with educational programming, and harvest around 90 pounds per year of fresh, local honey from our very own hives.”
Choice Hotels has more than 7000 properties in 40 countries.
