Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Central College is Certified as a Bee Campus USA

  • 05/31/18

PELLA, IA – Central College has recently been certified as an affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program, designed to marshal the strengths of educational campuses for the benefit of pollinators. Central is the only college in Iowa to earn the designation.

The Bee Campus USA designation recognizes educational campuses that commit to a set of practices that support pollinators, including bees, butterflies, birds, bats and more.

The designation is a natural fit for Central, a leader in environmental stewardship in Iowa and the Midwest. The college’s half-acre vegetable garden has honeybee hives managed by a student bee club. The garden also features permaculture, native prairie plants and a certified monarch waystation, all providing habitat for pollinators.

In addition, Paulina Mena, associate professor of biology, works with students to observe and collect bees at the garden, the college’s field station and at sites throughout the state. The research is documenting the declining genetic diversity of the roughly 400 species of bees native to Iowa.

Aware of these efforts, students Molly Luzbetak ’18 and Madison Friedrich ’18 led the effort to receive Bee Campus USA Certification. They constructed a “bee hotel” providing habitat for wild bees, and they planned a series of bee education events connecting college experts with local school and community groups. In partnership with the college grounds crew, they developed policies restricting toxins for pest management and installed signs highlighting pollinator-friendly habitats on campus.

“This project exemplifies how sustainability is integrated into all students’ education at Central, in our academic curriculum and everyday life,” says Brian Campbell, Central’s director of sustainability education. “Students live and learn in green buildings, develop sustainability research and service projects, work in our college garden and eat local foods in Central Market.”

Says Bee Campus USA director, Phyllis Stiles, “Imperiled pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the world’s wild plant and tree species. Central College is a stellar example of the influence educational institutions can have on their students and the broader community.”

For more information about Bee Campus USA: www.beecityusa.org.

Featured

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.