Wednesday, June 22, 2011

To Bee Or Not To Be: Do Something Good Giveaway.

This post is the third in a series entitled To Bee Or Not To Bee, part of the Veni Vidi Blogi Do Something Good Giveaway. You can read part one here, and part two here.

I learned something yesterday, and if I was even a little bit smarter than what I seem online, I would have taken full advantage of it at the start of this whole raising-awareness-about-Bees adventure. But alas, I'm not nearly as wise as I pretend to be - so we'll just have to act like we knew all along:

Did you know that it's National Pollinator Week?

I know! I had NO IDEA! But for the purposes of maximum marketing impact, I will act as though it was more than mere coincidence that our Bee-Friendly Giveaway fell during the same week. So when I say something like, "Hey, it's National Pollinator Week! What a PERFECT time to raise awareness about bees and win great prizes too!" Just smile and nod, okay? Thanks in advance.

Speaking of which, let's talk giveaway! That's why you're all here, right? The deets are as follows:

To Bee Or Not To Bee: The Veni Vidi Blogi Do Something Good Giveaway
Sponsored by Honey Girl Organics


The Prize: One fabulous bee-lovin' winner will choose not one, not two, but THREE Honey Girl Organics Products (The Cleanser, the Extra-Sensitive Face and Eye Cream, and the Night Cream are my current faves! But there are so many all-natural, organic goodies to choose from).

Who Can Enter: Any resident of the U.S. or Canada (sorry, Europeans and Australians, it was a shipping thing. But if you'd still like to help the bees, then who am I to stop you? The more the merrier!)

Giveaway Closes: At 5pm EST on Wednesday June 29th, 2011. That means that you have exactly one week to help save the bees. Ready? Good!

How To Enter: Last time, the Do Something Good Giveaway stretched out over a week with a new way of entering presented each day. This time will be the same in that you will have a week to Do Something Good, but you can also choose how you want to enter the giveaway. The reason for doing it this way is because there are SO many ways that you can raise awareness about the bees and Colony Collapse Disorder. Limiting ourselves to just seven seems...limiting.

So here's how it's going to work. I'm going to provide you with a massive list of things you can do to raise awareness, for yourself or for people you know, about saving the bees from Colony Collapse Disorder. For every action you take, leave one comment after this post telling me what you did and your thoughts about it. The comments will remain open until the close of the giveaway at 5pm EST on Wednesday June 29th, 2011. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced on Thursday June 30th, 2011.

Some of you will have already done some of these (as in perhaps you already have bee-friendly plants growing) - and that's GREAT. Leave me a comment telling me what you've already done, or try something else on the list. Some of these actions require a higher investment of time and money, and some are quick and free. Some you can do alone, and some are perfect to do with your friends or your children. You may decide to come back many times over the course of the week to leave multiple comments as you work your way through the list. That would be absolutely wonderful, and will increase your chances of winning the stash of Honey Girl Organics products. Do whatever you can to help the bees, and tell me all about it (include pictures too if possible!) all week long. I'm all ears, and I'm cheering all of you on from the sidelines.

Before I give you the list, please take a moment to like Honey Girl Organics on either Facebook or Twitter. None of this - the giveaway, and all of the valuable information learned - would have been possible without Mark Tanney and HGO. I have loved working with them, and am so excited about partnering with a company that really and truly cares about doing the all the right things. It would be great if you could show them your support too.

And now (at last), here is:
THE SUPER OFFICIAL JUST IN TIME FOR 
NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK LIST of Actions You Can Take to Help Save the Bees:

- What you can DO:
  • Become a backyard beekeeper
Resources:
DIY Backyard Beekeeping: A Guide For Beginners
Q & A With A Los Angeles Beekeeper
Bees on the Net Free Beekeeping Course
Beemaster.com Beekeeping Forum
Beesource.com Beekeeping Forum
Yahoo Group on Organic Beekeeping
  • Plant a bee-friendly garden (a great summer activity to do with your kids)
Resources:
Your local nursery to learn more about what flowering plants are native to your area
Pollinator-friendly planting guides by zipcode 
Downloadable Planting Instructions from Help The Honey Bees
Life on the Balcony's Container Gardening Tips
Daily Green's tried-and-true List of Bee-Friendly Plants
Toronto Star Article and Plant List (for my T-Dot readers)
  • Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides in your garden
Resources:
Protect Your Garden the Organic Way
Save the Dandelions. Save the Bees.
  • Sign a petition calling for a ban on bee-killing pesticides
Resources:
Credo Petition
Avaaz.org's Global Bee Emergency Petition 
Care2 Petition
Change.org Petition

- What you can WATCH (yourself or arrange for a viewing):
- What you can READ (on your own or with a bookclub):
- What you can SHARE:
  •  The link to this giveaway with your FB or Twitter friends. Encourage others to Do Something Good.
  •  Books, online activities, photos and videos about bees with your kids. Teach them about the importance of bee preservation.
Resources (all kid-friendly):
The Bee Book from Help the Honey Bees (Educational and fun, complete with a "Bee-bliography" at the end.)
Honey and Honey Bee Flickr Gallery
Dixie Native's breathtaking Photostream (I could stare at those bees for hours!)
Honeybee Facts and Pictures at National Geographic
All About Bees at Kids Konnect

- Who you can SUPPORT:
  • Your local beekeepers. Their knowledge is a valuable resource for understanding the challenges we face. Arrange for a beekeeping presentation, buy local honey, or go and visit a beekeeper near you.
Resources:
Find a Beekeeper Near You (US and Canada)
American Beekeeping Federation
Canadian Honey Council

- Where you can DONATE:

The list is tremendous, and that gives me such hope. If you have any additional ideas, mention them below to inspire others. Most of all, have fun with this. Remember that there is so much we can do to help save the bees, no matter how small the effort. We just have to decide to make a difference.

Have a great time with this, and thank you times a hundred million billion for Doing Something Good with me!
blog comments powered by Disqus
Related Posts with Thumbnails