The $3.00 Hive System...Honey and Money for Haiti.

It is estimated that it will take ten years for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti to recover from the effects of Hurricane Matthew.  Our latest project, hopes to speed that recovery along just a little. It is the essence of capitalism mixed with environmentalism.

The world needs bees, plain and simple.  Just recently, the U.S. Government added seven species of bees to the endangered species list.  This is the first time we have seen that with bees.  Their numbers have been declining for several years now and this is a bad sign.

The Haiti 1to3 program is taking this project on, head on.

Haiti and its people have been subject to horrendous devastation over the last decade.  The massive earthquake of 2010 claimed countless lives and most recently, it was rocked again by a massive hurricane.

We can work to solve several problems all at once with the Haiti 1to3 initiative.  We build one hive for Haiti for every three that we build here.

Economic and entrepreneurial recovery.

There are simple yet sad facts at work here.  We are talking about an island that was not doing well to begin with, what with governmental issues and systemic poverty, that is then decimated by horrible climatological and environmental changes. Sadly, this island must be rebuilt and sadly, the people of the island do not necessarily have the means to do it alone.

Ecological Alliance

We looked for a way to help but there were many things that had to be taken into consideration.  The inputs have to be low cost and they also have to be foundationally sound.  

We are looking at partnerships to further offset the costs by working simultaneously working locally and abroad towards a common goal.

Permacultural Regeneration 

When a storm like this hits, it strips away layers of hard fought top soil, destroys plants wholesale, and takes a lot of beneficial insect life with it.  The question then becomes how to replace it all.

The Solution...or part of the solution anyway.

This weekend we found crates.  Lots and lots of crates.  These crates were destined for landfill.  Still we saw that they had a pretty good structure for beehives.  They are a good depth, and they are relatively uniform in size.  They are perfect for hives.

We saved them from landfill and used them to make top bar beehives.  The initial cost? Considering the crates were free and the labor had the added benefit of being educational, each only cost about $3.00.

The only trick is getting them to Haiti.
At the same time, we are making hives for people here.  The idea is to create a self sufficient system that is at the same time beneficial to the world at large.

Once there, they begin producing immediately.  Integrated into a functioning permaculture system, the hive can produce honey and pollinate flowers year round.  Honey then becomes a cash crop for people in need with a minimum of input.  Seasonally, other products are created like beeswax and propolis.  Each year, more queens and hives can be exported for those ordering them.

First things first...

We are asking for people to take a moment to donate and help us help others.

Donate $5 and get a pack of seeds that will draw your own bees.
Donate $25 or more and get a "Show Some Love" t-shirt.

If you would like to order a hive of your own, please contact us at Thelifecooperative@gmail.com and we will make a hive just for you, and you will know that your purchase is going to help people in need.