This City In The Netherlands Has Turned Their Bus Stops Into Bee Stops

by Rachel

Bees are an incredible important part of the ecosystem. Honey bees perform at least 80% of pollination worldwide and 70% of the most used food crops (which accounts for the majority of the world's nutrition) are pollinated by bees. Long story short: if the bees die, so do humans.

Which is why it's alarming to hear that bees are quickly becoming an endangered species. There are a few things individuals can do; not swatting them when they’re flying nearby, planting local plants to stabilise local bee populations and not using harmful pesticides. Utrecht, a city in The Netherlands has installed a unique measure to try and save the bees!

Approximately 350 bee species live in the Netherlands and, sadly, more than half of them are already endangered.

Their solution? Transforming bus stops into bee-friendly areas to support pollination.

There are a number of causes of bee deaths, including pesticides, drought, habitat destruction, nutrition deficit, air pollution and global warming.

316 bus stops in Utrecht now have rooftops that are covered in bee-friendly plants.

This solution re-purposes something that already exists; making it a genius use of space and resources.

The cool new roofs will encourage pollination--as well as looking super cool!

The official city of Utrecht's website says:

"A green roof is good for a healthy and livable city … that can, therefore, cope better with climate problems. It helps to prevent flooding and ensures that we suffer less from heat."

Utrecht are also planning to replace their buses with electric ones.

These actions are a simple, yet effective way to improve the environment without sacrificing convenience.

This guy made a pretty valid point...

But at least something is being done about it!

Hopefully people with allergies will be safe...

Hopefully they'll carry their medication!

Parts of Europe continue to be 100% better than the rest of the world!