The following proclamation will be read by Sam Adams at the Portland City Council meeting at 6 PM, Wednesday September 15th:
WHEREAS, the honey bee is responsible for over 40 percent of all of the pollination of the food that we eat; and
WHEREAS, the honey produced by honey bees is delicious, healthful, and therapeutic; and
WHEREAS, the honeycomb wax created by honey bees is a miracle of engineering and the light it creates is a comfort and joy to people; and
WHEREAS, the honey bee's domestication thousands of years ago resulted in dependence upon human care; and
WHEREAS, Portland is a leader among cities involved in sustainable farming and beelzeeping practices that wJI be necessary to reverse Colony Collapse Disorder; and
WHEREAS, the new documentary, Queen of the Sun: What Are The Bees Telling Us?, a project of the non-profit Collective Eye, is created by Portland citizens and features our residents with other beelzeepers, scientists, artists, and phJosophers from around the world who are working to bring these problems to light; and
WHEREAS, Queen of the Sun is partnering for its theatrical release in Portland 'with many diverse local organizations including the Portland Farmer's Market, Ecotrust, The Audubon Society, Oregon TJth, The City of Portland's Bureau of Planning and SustainabJity, Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust, The Oregon wJdlife Federation, Northwest Earth Institute, The Portland Waldorf School, Growing Gardens,Edible Portland, The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, New Seasons Markets, and others to promote environmental sustainability and a healthy community; and
WHEREAS, every Portland resident can be part of supporting the health of the honey bee by avoiding the use of toxic pesticides on their lawns and gardens, by buying food from farmers who avoid toxic pesticides, by planting flowers for honey bee forage, by calling for a swarm rescue expert rather than an exterminator if a bee swarm arrives near their house, and by reducing the misplaced fear of honey bees with an understanding
that honey bees are very rarely the source of most insect stings,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sam Adams, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the "City of Roses," do hereby proclaim September 17 through September 23, 2010 to be
Honey Bee Week
in Portland, and I encourage all residents to observe this week.
