HONEYLOVE BOOTH @ Fox Studios Earth Day Event - 4/19/12

Beekeeping: cheaper than therapy and you get honey! 

ARTICLE: San Diego deregulates urban agriculture

San Diego has joined the urban agriculture movement…

The changes bring San Diego in line with more progressive Northern California cities and toward the forefront of the urban agriculture movement sweeping the nation, backers of the revisions say.

“There were a lot of pretty prohibitive rules in the city of San Diego,” said Judy Jacoby, founder of the nonprofit San Diego Community Garden Network. “This is a big step forward.”

The changes came on a unanimous vote that Councilwoman Lorie Zapf called regulatory relief and Councilman Todd Gloria called common sense.

“It’s going to add to the quality of life in our city,” Gloria said after the Jan. 31 council session.

“As we become denser and more vertical in our communities, were going to need more opportunities to expand urban agriculture and grow our own food where we can,” Zapf said…

“We’re trying to bring San Diego into line with a lot of other cities,” Eric Robinson, of the 450-strong San Diego Beekeeping Society , told the City Council. “Humans have been beekeeping for 5,000 years. This is nothing new.”

…“It’s all part of the healthy food movement and also part of the food justice movement,” she said. “It’s the convergence of a lot of events, but there is an effort to make sure that more people have access to healthy, fresh food.”

[click here to read the full article on healthycal.org]

We are 4/4 so far!!

PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION:
http://www.change.org/petitions/legalize-urban-beekeeping-in-los-angeles-2

LA Neighborhood Councils that officially support our urban beekeeping motion so far!! ♥
1. Mar Vista (11/8/11) - Letter of Support (pdf)
2. Del Rey (12/8/11)
3. Greater Griffith Park (1/17/12)
4. South Robertson (1/19/12)

Almond joy! - Victory for bees -

With little fanfare, pesticide manufacturer Bayer has asked California regulators to limit the use of one of their most profitable products, imidacloprid...

Imidacloprid belongs to a class of systemic, neurotoxic pesticides known to be particularly toxic to honey bees: neonicotinoids. As systemics, they permeate the plant from the roots up and are expressed in pollen, nectar and guttation droplets (like pesticide dew).

Bad for bees, bad for almonds

New research suggests that even in very small doses, neonicotinoids create big problems for bees. Imidacloprid likely weakens their immune systems and, in combination with other threats like parasites, contributes to the alarming decline in bee populations termed “Colony Collapse Disorder.”

…through a recent public records request, PAN obtained evidence of Bayer’s request to remove the product in 2010. The EPA has little experience with voluntary withdrawl of a pesticide, so the agency has been slow to fulfill Bayer’s request. But it’s likely that a victory for bees — along with almond growers and beekeepers — is imminent.

[click here to read the full article on panna.org]

Today at the HoneyLove Sanctuary ♥

Honeybees for the WIN! MVCC voted YES for urban beekeeping. Next up Los Angeles City Council, but for now, we celebrate :) Thank you for the massive support, none of this would be happening without YOU!!

Mar Vista Recreation Center Auditorium: 11430 Woodbine Street, Mar Vista, CA 90066
Click here to download the agenda (PDF) - We are item 2A on the agenda

Mar Vistan Innovators Well Represented at Green Festival L.A.

“Los Angeles’ first ever Green Festival drew thousands of visitors this weekend, and several of the presenters offering up their expertise and tips in sessions came from Mar Vista.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa officially opened the weekend festival with a green ribbon-cutting ceremony, and was introduced by festival co-founders, Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange and Alisa Gravitz of Green America.

Speaking to attendees, Villaraigosa welcomed everyone and touted the city’s successful implementation of several clean air and zero waste projects. He also reiterated his commitment to making Los Angeles the greenest city in the country…

Rob and Chelsea McFarland of the Mar Vista-based non-profit conservation organization HoneyLove.org, also spoke at the Sustainable Home and Garden Pavilion on “Urban Beekeeping.”

In their presentation they discussed the main reasons for the decline of the honey bee; why the urban environment is the last refuge of the honey bee; solutions on how people can do their part to help the honeybees; and they gave an update on their efforts to legalize beekeeping in Los Angeles through their initiative in Mar Vista. The couple have been working for six months on a feasibility study to allow beekeeping in R-1 Residential zones in Los Angeles with a possible pilot project in Mar Vista…”

[ click here to read the original article on marvista.patch.com ]