In a ceremony held in Berlin on Thursday, the Nebenan.de Foundation honoured 22 outstanding community projects that embody exceptional local engagement.
#beebetter has a new partner – NABU – as well as new testimonials from Maya the Bee and Wanda the Wild Bee in support of the BurdaVerlag initiative to protect (wild) bees.
As of 2022, the Germany-wide #beebetter initiative to protect (wild) bees has a new partner in NABU e.V., the German association for nature conservation. NABU is one of Germany’s largest environmental associations. More than 875,000 members and supporters bolster its efforts to help humanity and nature. Around 2,000 local NABU groups look for practical ways to protect species and biotopes. Petra Hornberger, Brand Director Living & Garden at BurdaVerlag, is responsible for #beebetter: “We are delighted to have NABU by our side. With its expert knowledge and outstanding commitment to protecting insects and (wild) bees – for example through the “NABU insect summer” – it is the perfect fit for the #beebetter initiative. Together, we can launch new campaigns and projects to protect wild bees. Dr Laura Breitkreuz, policy officer for biodiversity and entomology at NABU Bundesverband, will also help to judge the #beebetter award, which we will be presenting this year for the fourth time.”
“Strengthening local insect protection projects through #beebetter is an important step in boosting insect protection, something that – unfortunately – is still sorely needed. NABU looks forward to seeing exciting new project ideas at the 2022 awards”, says Dr Laura Breitkreuz.
This year, #beebetter will add celebrity testimonials from Maya the Bee and her friend Wanda the Wild Bee. The two beloved children’s characters will appear in the #beebetter campaign, aiming to attract a young audience and motivate them to help save (wild) bees. “We’re so excited to have secured this collaboration with Studio 100 Media, the TV production company that licenses the characters of Maya the Bee and Wanda the Wild Bee”, says Petra Hornberger. “Maya the Bee is a timeless and popular children’s star who will be joined by her friend, Wanda the Wild Bee, to provide fun, light-hearted explanations of the differences between honey bees and wild bees and show the audience how to help protect different bee species.”
Peter Kleinschmidt, Director Marketing & Brand Management at Studio 100 Media, adds: “We’ve been working with NABU since 2020 on ‘Klatschmohnwiese’, the environmental initiative we launched in 2018 in which Maya the Bee acts as an ambassador for her fellow insects and encourages children and families to help protect them. So I’m extremely delighted that we have now formed a powerful triumvirate with BurdaVerlag and #beebetter. This is a major step toward our vision of creating a world in which people take responsibility for future generations and preserve a diverse natural environment for insects – just like the world in which Maya lives.”
Naturally, #beebetter retains its testimonials from “real” German celebrities such as Nina Ruge, Uschi Glas, Steven Gätjen and Cassandra Steen. Singer and actor Jasmin Wagner is joining the campaign on social media. Last year, the #beebetter advertising campaign racked up 117 million gross contacts.
Neudorff and Fiskars remain #beebetter’s tried-and-tested main partners and dynamic supporters. In 2022, they will continue to promote the joint #beebetter initiative with numerous innovative products and varied campaigns for natural, insect-friendly gardening.
Neudorff, the multi-award-winning market leader in environmentally friendly plant protection, will integrate #beebetter into high-circulation publications such as its gardening handbooks and its German and Austrian advice guides. #beebetter will also be incorporated into Neudorff’s POS promotions and products such as bee garden seed packets and insect hotels that provide wild bees with somewhere to nest.
Fiskars, a long-established Finnish manufacturer of premium garden and household appliances, will run a high-profile POS campaign from March to July. Customers will be rewarded for their purchases with a free bee box to help them create bee-friendly gardens. A promotional roadshow truck will also visit selected hardware stores and garden centres throughout Germany with activities and samples incorporating #beebetter. The sustainability initiative will round off with extensive social media and influencer campaigns focused on protecting insects and bees through #beebetter.
The application period for this year’s #beebetter awards begins on 1 March. The award recognises exceptional projects and campaigns all over Germany aimed at protecting (wild) bees. Bee defenders of all ages can apply until 10 July. The awards are divided into four categories – Youth & Education, Private Initiatives, Agriculture, and Institutions – alongside a special award for outstanding commitment. You can find more information here.
Total prize money of over 30,000 euros helps to support the award-winning projects.
This year there will again be various wild-bee-friendly #beebetter plant collections, available at numerous hardware stores and garden centres throughout Germany (including Obi, Hagebau and Hornbach) in collaboration with Bruno Nebelung GmbH (including the Kiepenkerl brand) and Wolters garden centres. Last year, more than 800,000 #beebetter plants provided food for wild bees in gardens and on balconies. Peter Mertes joins the #beebetter licensees in 2022 with his “biorebe” range of organic wines, which may now bear the #beebetter logo on their labels. #beebetter will also continue to sponsor flower meadows as part of the “Blühender Naturpark” (Blossoming Nature Park) project in the Central/North Black Forest Nature Park. Spring will also see more on-air #beebetter parties with media partners RPR1, Schwarzwaldradio, Hitradio Ohr and (a new addition) Radio Regenbogen. You can find details of the #beebetter initiative here.
