Three beehives on the roofs of the Enel X offices in Via Tor di Quinto to protect biodiversity and carry out biomonitoring activities thanks to bees, sentinels of the environment. It is an initiative that brings together Enel X, the business line of the Enel Group and Apicolturaurbana.it in order to raise awareness of respect for the environment and biodiversity on the occasion of World Bee Day.
Bees are fundamental living beings for the environment and for the survival of mankind, above all for their precious work of pollination: Greenpeace has estimated that 71 out of 100 crops end up on our tables thanks to the work of bees and that the added value of Pollination for crops of food interest in Italy amounts to 1500 million euros a year.
In recent times, however, pollution and the increasingly massive use of insecticides, herbicides and pesticides and the erosion of biological diversity caused by industrial agriculture are putting a strain on bees and all the pollinators that form the basis of the delicate balance of the terrestrial ecosystem. For this reason, urban beekeeping plays a leading role and constitutes value and added value of company choices: urban areas have become safe places for bees, far from the chemical pollution associated with industrial agriculture and cities provide a particularly diversified range of nectariferous sources effectively supporting pollinator species.
Apicolturaurbana.it (http://www.apicolturaurbana.it/baas ) is a reality created by Mauro Veca – urban beekeeper in Milan for over 10 years – and Giuseppe Manno. The two founders were the first in Italy to provide solutions and tools for installing apiaries on the roofs, terraces and gardens of offices and companies. Urban beekeeping has entered the CSV projects of various companies and industrial realities and today beehives can be found on the roofs of many cities all over the world.
Now, the company is also expanding this experience in Italy, creating spaces for sharing, with a view to caring for the environment: a model of positive behavior that has won the support and curiosity of numerous local, cultural and social associations .
Creating new value: Apicolturaurbana.it and Enel X are working to activate environmental biomonitoring and awareness-raising processes, to affirm the culture of sustainability and innovation. “After the initial skepticism, urban beekeeping projects are now widespread all over the world. According to the United Nations, 40% of beehives are at risk of extinction: beekeeping in the city is possible and means protecting them. For bees, the city has become a protected environment and, contrary to what one might think, urban honey is not contaminated” comments Giuseppe Manno, co-founder and creator of the Apicolturaurbana.it project.
“We are proud to be alongside Apicolturaurbana,it in the project to defend bees and their ecosystem, a virtuous initiative that preserves biodiversity and respects the environment. We believe that protecting beekeeping in urban areas is a fundamental action to ensure that bees, through pollination, can continue to carry out their precious task in the chain of life. For this reason, we have decided to host three beehives at the Tor di Quinto site, a responsible choice that confirms Enel X's commitments in terms of sustainability,” said Anna Santucci, Enel X's Head of Environment Global.
