Why Bees Are Essential for People and Planet with Noel Patterson

Bees play an essential role in the ecosystems we depend on for food. To ensure their survival (and our own), today's guest, Noel Patterson, believes one of the most impactful ways to support our bees is to "vote with your dollars" and buy honey from small-scale beekeepers and producers. A sommelier turned beekeeper, Patterson is the founder of Dos Manos Apiaries in Tucson, Arizona. He also leads workshops about beekeeping at Miraval Resort and Spa in Tucson. Patterson's desire to educate is inspiring, as is his work, in which he offers classes, immersive experiences in beekeeping and wine tasting, and a glimpse into the world of the honeybee. As you'll discover from our conversation, Noel is an advocate for sustainable and ethical changes in the way we grow and cultivate our food. Join us as we discuss how Patterson’s journey in wine prepared him for honey, the critical role that bees play in our fragile ecosystems, and how we all can contribute to a more resilient and sustainable future.

Key Points From This Episode:

Noel’s journey from winemaking to beekeeping (and what they have in common).
The role of educating people on the correlation between bees, health, and sustainability.
Three key things that set organic, sustainably produced honey apart.
How pollination and therefore bees are an integral part of our food systems.
Ripple effects that a decline in bee populations can have on our daily lives.
Finding a balance between advocating for change and taking the economic realities faced by beekeepers and food producers into account.
Ways that Noel ensures the health of his bees and the ecosystems they contribute to.
How to “put your dollars where your mouth is” and effect change by spending money.
Why current food systems typically prioritize profit over producing nourishing food.
Supporting small-scale, local, organic food production to make the biggest impact.
How to get in touch with Noel (and why you might need to exercise some patience!)

Tweetables:

“The core concept of both [winemaking and beekeeping] is that they are the manifestation of a place.” — Noel Patterson [0:02:15]

“My mission is to – make an impact on [people’s] lives so that, when they go back into the world, they are willing to support not just their local beekeeper, but to understand how these food systems work and what it takes to produce food responsibly.” — Noel Patterson [0:08:42]

“The money that we [spend] on organic food is actually going to save money – in the long run with the lower incidence of food-related health issues.” — Noel Patterson [0:10:14]

“An unhealthy grape vine is not going to give you good wine. Unhealthy bees are not going to give you good honey.” — Noel Patterson [0:14:40]

“While there are many other creatures that provide the service of pollination, none of them do it in a way that can be integrated into our food systems in the way that honeybees can. So, our food systems are entirely reliant on honeybees to work.” — Noel Patterson [0:27:00]

“Every time we spend money, we are voting. We are giving resources to things we want to see in this world or we are depriving businesses, entities, organizations, and institutions of the funds they need to affect the change that they're trying to [make].” — Noel Patterson [0:40:46]

“We have a food system that is oriented more towards profit than towards producing nourishment for the human body.” — Noel Patterson [0:45:12]

“The single biggest impact we could have on the health of the bees is to support small-scale, local, organic food production, and vote with your dollars because it's going to cost you a couple of dollars more.” — Noel Patterson [0:50:34]

Why Bees Are Essential for People and Planet with Noel Patterson

Key Points From This Episode:

Tweetables:

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: