Sustainability Street: The Buzz About Beekeeping

<p><br></p><p>Welcome back to Sustainability Street, <em>CPE</em>’s podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in.</p><p>For this episode, I&#39;m talking about urban beekeeping with Delaney Dameron, CEO of The Best Bees Company, which is based in Boston.</p><p>Beehives on commercial rooftops are spreading, making individual buildings active supporters of their local ecosystems and pollinator research. They can also improve tenant engagement through education, programming and branded honey. </p><p>Nature and biodiversity goals can often take a back seat to other sustainability targets like decarbonization and energy efficiency. But Dameron thinks the tide is changing.</p><p> &quot;We&#39;re kind of hitting a point in the marketplace where the market&#39;s catching up to understanding how critical this work is and how positive and exciting it can be from a business perspective, from a property and community perspective,” Dameron said.</p><p>Here are some highlights of our conversation: (2:02) The backstory of Best Bees (2:49) Dameron&#39;s journey to CEO (4:21) The benefits of beekeeping (5:53) Where do bees thrive best? (8:25) A great source of data (10:03) The economics of bees (11:17) The practical concerns and the myths <br>(14:34) Dos and don&#39;ts of beehive hosting <br>(16:48) The growing role of biodiversity <br>(18:18) For further information</p><p></p><p><br></p>