BeetheChange

Hi, my name is Sabrina Ocampo, and this blog is part of my service-learning project for ENC 3363. I chose to focus on raising awareness about the decline of bees and the importance of pollinators in our environment! 🐝

[beethechange]

Bees play a major role in supporting the environment and the food we eat. Pollinators help produce fruits, vegetables, nuts, and flowering plants. However, bee populations have been declining due to pesticides, climate change, habitat loss, and disease. When bees disappear, ecosystems and food systems become unstable.

For this service-learning project, I created and shared an awareness flyer to spread information about pollinator decline and small actions people can take to help. I wanted to focus on education because sometimes change begins with simply understanding the problem.

Raising awareness might seem small, but learning leads to action. Even encouraging someone to plant flowers, avoid pesticides, or buy local honey can help protect pollinators.

[beethechange]

Understanding Bee Decline

This video discusses the global decline in bee populations and why this issue matters for the environment and for us. It explains how bees are responsible for pollinating a large portion of the world’s food crops, and how factors like pesticide use, habitat destruction, and climate change are causing bee populations to drop at alarming rates. The video also highlights why protecting pollinators is essential to keeping our ecosystems and food systems stable.

What I found meaningful about this video is how clearly it shows the connection between bees and everyday life. It makes the crisis feel real, not just something happening “somewhere else.” It also reinforces that small actions, such as planting flowers or avoiding pesticides, actually do make a difference.

[beethechange]

Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being

The article “Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being” was written by Simon G. Potts and several other researchers who study the environment and agriculture. It was published in Nature, which is a highly respected scientific journal. Because of this, and because the authors work in ecology and sustainability fields, the information is reliable.

Summary: The article explains that bees and other pollinators are extremely important for food production and healthy ecosystems. The authors point out that around three-quarters of the world’s crops depend on pollination in some way. However, bee populations are dropping due to things like pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and diseases that harm hives. The article warns that if pollinators continue to decline, it could affect the foods we eat, the plants that grow, and the balance of the environment. The authors encourage more conservation efforts, changes in farming practices, and greater public awareness.

Rhetorical Strategy:

Ethos: The article builds credibility because it is published in Nature and written by researchers who specialize in this topic.

Pathos: It appeals to the reader’s emotions by showing how losing bees could impact everyday foods and natural landscapes.

Logos: The authors use research, statistics, and real-world data to support their claims, making the argument clear and logical.

Audience and Language: This article is meant for educators, scientists, and people who are interested in environmental issues. The language is academic, but the authors explain ideas clearly enough that someone with basic science knowledge can understand the main message.

Personal Reaction: Reading this article made me realize how closely connected bees are to things we often take for granted, like grocery store produce. I always heard “save the bees,” but I never fully understood why. The article made the issue feel more real, and it made my awareness flyer feel more important. It showed me that even small actions, like planting flowers or avoiding pesticides, can actually help support pollinators.

[beethechange]

Learning Through Awareness

For my service-learning project in ENC 3363, I created an awareness flyer about the decline of bees. I picked this topic because I realized that even though “save the bees” is a common phrase, I didn’t fully understand the issue myself. Working on the flyer made me research what is actually happening to bee populations and why it matters. I learned that bees play a huge role in pollinating the foods we eat, and that their decline is linked to things like pesticides, habitat loss, and changes in climate.

One challenge I ran into while making the flyer was figuring out how to take something complicated and make it easy to understand. There’s a lot of scientific information out there, and it can get overwhelming fast. I had to think about what someone would actually read if they saw the flyer for only a few seconds. That meant shortening sentences, picking just a few key points, and choosing a layout that wasn’t crowded. I ended up focusing on the basics: why bees matter, what’s causing the decline, and a few simple things people can do to help.

Even though my project was pretty small and mostly digital, it still made me feel more connected to the issue. I noticed that once I learned the details, I started paying attention to things I never thought about before, like which flowers attract pollinators or how often pesticides are used in regular gardening. The project also made me realize that spreading awareness can be meaningful on its own. Not every service project has to be a big event, sometimes learning, sharing information, and getting people to think is a form of service too.

This experience wasn’t just completing an assignment, I was actually learning about something that affects the environment and thinking about how I can contribute, even in small ways!

[beethechange]

Works Cited

Potts, S., Imperatriz-Fonseca, V., Ngo, H. et al. Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being. Nature 540, 220–229 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature20588

“Bee Populations across the World Declining at an Alarming Rate.” Sky News, 29 Apr. 2020, https://youtu.be/NgJG4ylNckw?si=3rq9zU-azyxdo0J4

Bouqs Co. “16 Flowers Bees Love: Best Flowers for Bees.” Bouqs Blog, 21 Apr. 2021, https://bouqs.com/blog/best-flowers-for-bees/.