From bees to best practice for business leaders in Yorkshire and Humber

A group of senior business people swapped the boardroom for bee hives on 3 September as part of a Prince’s Seeing is Believing visit in Leeds organised by Business in the Community.  

16 delegates, led by Bill Bartlett, corporate affairs director at McCain Foods (GB) visited Temple Newsam’s apiary to hear how climate change is affecting bee populations and the devastating effects this has on both our environment and the economy.

Bees are estimated to be worth over £1 billion to the economy due to their vital role in pollinating many of the crops grown in the UK, with 35% of our diet being directly dependent on them. Around the globe countries have seen a decrease in the number of bee colonies, with the UK currently seeing a loss of approximately 37%. Yorkshire and Humber have been particularly affected with an alarming loss of 47%. One of the main reasons for this is thought to be climate change.

The experts at Temple Newsam’s apiary highlighted the crucial role bees play within our natural environment, and the delegates donned beekeeping suits to have a closer look.

The group then went on to view two examples of best practice that mitigate against climate change. The first was icon Business Centre at Thorpe Park, which holds the highest environmental rating in the UK. The building demonstrates several innovative approaches to sustainable building practices including 40% of the materials in the building’s structure being from recycled sources, a Combined Heat and Power Installation, passive heating and cooling of the building and grey water collection for use in toilets. This has led to significant carbon and financial savings.

The final visit was to award-winning Agfa Graphics, who have undertaken a ten year programme reducing their waste, energy use and reducing the risk of polluting local water sources. These actions have led to both carbon and financial savings.

Elizabeth Edgington, environment campaign manager at Business in the Community said:”This visit was funded by Carbon Action Yorkshire, and has enabled us to highlight the need for urgent action on climate change. These businesses have all made a commitment to reducing their impact on the environment by coming on the visit, and I hope future Seeing is Believing visits can inspire more companies to do the same.”