The Sustainable City (TSC), the Middle East’s first fully-operational sustainable community, has partnered with Apiculture and Nature for the Betterment of Health and Beauty (ANHB), one of the Gulf’s largest bee and beekeeping equipment suppliers and producers. The event was attended by His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Philip McCabe, President of the APIMONDIA International Federation of Beekeeper’s Associations, and TSC partners including World Wildlife Fund and Emirates Environmental Group. TSC has set the community abuzz by purchasing 250 new beehives.

To mark the UAE Government’s determination to exceed international best practices, His Excellency Eng. Sheikh Salem Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of ANHB, announced the launch of ‘My Hive’ programme that target local residents, corporate and Government offices.

His Excellency said: “Bees play a crucial role in increasing crop yields and promoting food security and nutrition. The well-being of our bee population also impacts bio-diversity as without their pollination, we will lose a third of all foods produced in the world. As Chairman of ANHB, my team and I are committed to educating the UAE public about the importance of the honeybee on local and global ecosystems, the purity of local honey and its benefits over sugar in the drive against obesity.”

HE Sheikh Salem Sultan Al Qasimi continued:  “We have created the ‘My Hive’ programme to grant the opportunity for individuals and corporations to adopt a hive of their own. In return for an annual fee, participants will receive up to 10 kgs of high quality honey, education material on the importance of local honey and three visits to the apiary to witness the pollination process during the jujube, acadia and prosopis seasons. In this way, the UAE population will learn more about the honeybees and their contributions to the ecology that not only deliver high quality honey, but also support a healthier lifestyle.”

TSC residents will have the unique opportunity to register in the ‘My Hive’ Programme and enjoy organic products like honey, royal jelly and propolis (bee glue) by purchasing their own hive.