As dark maroon toad shades and gold-stained trout lilies begin to blossom in the colorless arboretum at Humber College, honeybees emerge from their hives to signal the birth of spring. The 250-acre conservation area is home to 11 apiaries where students learn about the art of harvesting honey.
The lively echoes of chatter and footsteps from Humber students passing by the Office of Sustainability permeate the hallways. Inside a curtain wall window, a young woman sits on a hickory-wooden curved desk situated in the corner, typing swiftly on her keyboard. The concreted brown eyes behind her round glasses reflect the glaring lights of the contents on a computer screen which reads, “shaping sustainable futures”.
Engagement Coordinator Gabi Hentschke sits composedly in a lime green room decorated with a massive kaleidoscopic wall of polka dotted origami flowers, a black bulletin board where blue and violet postcards read Humber’s upcoming environmental events, from climate cafe to food preservation.
Sitting in a blue-gray couch with her legs crossed, Gabi carefully contemplates on her response to the institute’s partnership with Bee City Canada, an advocacy organization dedicated to shaping eco-friendly communities to conserve pollinator habitats. “One of the goals we have in the sustainability plan is to better manage our landscaping, better manage the different natural landscape on campus, and looking after our pollinators is a really key piece of that.”
Humber’s affiliation with Bee City Canada has helped design several effective conservation goals, including the Urban Beekeeping course at the institute’s arboretum. The apicultural program is designed to integrate experiential and theoretical components to deliver interactive sessions for students interested in raising and maintaining honeybee colonies.
“There are also elective courses within that program that people can choose and learn how to make different things out of either the honey or beeswax such as candles” says Gabi. “Just different ways to utilize products made by the bees.”
Gabi’s nonchalant hand gestures and tonality radiate enthusiasm as she shares her insight on the importance of collective support to sustain pollinator habitats. “Our arboretum staff as well who host so many different events that teach students, faculty and staff and even just community members living around campus about our natural environment and all the species that live there.”
Humber’s innovative approach to upholding its Bee City status stands out from other post-secondary institutions. In addition to supplying students with a comprehensive knowledge on organic beekeeping practices, Humber integrates the honey harvested at the arboretum into its prestigious culinary management program to raise awareness on its nutritional benefits.
“Culinary faculty and students that are using the honey harvested from the bees, learning about how to utilize that in recipes and really the importance of avoiding food waste.” Gabi’s eyes slowly scan the corners of the room as she contemplates her next response. “So, it is a very holistic approach.”
To illustrate, a 2022 study from the University of Toronto found unprocessed honey is effective immunization for cardiometabolic diseases. After conducting 18 trials with 1,100 participants, medical scholars concluded the ingredient’s intricate composition of rare sugars and protein makes it an integral supplement to be recognized in dietary guidelines.
While the health benefits of honey run abound, the rippling effects of climate change have weakened its production, resulting in a slight economic depletion within the apicultural sector. Particularly Alberta, which is known as the powerhouse of honey, has 9.5 per cent fewer active honeybee colonies since 2020.
Similarly, recent erratic weather conditions at Humber’s arboretum have heavily exacerbated the annual harvest of honey. “It’s almost an indicator of the health of our environment” Gabi’s voice softens as she reveals the sorrowing truth on the repercussions of endangered pollinator habitats. “It is not only for the honey itself, but the implications of the availability of that honey”.
Although a small quantity is used for student giveaways, extreme humidity during summer times and bee colonies constantly assailed by wasps have posed dire challenges which have rippled into agricultural production.
From blueberries to cherries, countless produce and fruits rely heavily on pollination to develop nutritional, bioactive compounds necessary to sustain human dietary needs.
While Humber’s proficient apiarists are providing supplemental nourishment for honeybees to ensure consistent production, the depletion of pollinator species is among the numerous casualties of climate change.
To tackle this, Humber hosts events for students and staff to raise awareness on the imminent extinction of pollinator habitats. “If anybody is interested to learn more about bees and pollinators, Bee City Canada is a great resource as well as their partnership” says Gabi. “They have really good tool kits, event ideas on their website.”