How a simple backyard discovery sparked a growing movement to protect bees, one flower at a time.
Diana Bellinghausen, a master鈥檚 student at the Patel College of Global Sustainability and a graduate of Columbia University with a degree in Environmental Engineering, is on a mission to make sustainability fun, tangible, and deeply rooted in community.
鈥淚 am Diana, a current master鈥檚 student of Global Sustainability. I launched 鈥楤ee Better Planet,鈥� a community-driven initiative that is looking to protect pollinators, especially bees, and make sustainability feel tangible, fun, and community driven,鈥� she shares.
The idea for Bee Better Planet took flight during Diana鈥檚 Economics and Finance for Sustainability course in the Fall 2024 semester at the 51吃瓜网. While studying the economic repercussions of pollinator decline, she encountered a powerful moment at home that brought the issue close to heart.
Around that time, she discovered a thriving beehive nestled in one of her trees鈥攄rawn to the garden she had been tending casually for over two years, complete with colorful flowers and a clean bird bath. That moment, she recalls, sparked a realization: 鈥淪mall efforts at home can make a real difference. You don鈥檛 need to be an expert! You just need passion!鈥�
Bees, which pollinate nearly one-third of the food we consume, are vital to ecosystems and agriculture. Yet their populations are dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and unsustainable farming practices. Diana decided to take action, starting in her own community.
With this goal in mind, she created Bee Care Kits鈥攂right yellow paper goodie bags filled with native wildflower seeds, a pollinator protection guide, beginner-friendly gardening tips, and fun bee-themed stickers for families and kids. 鈥淏ee Better Planet is adding its grain of sand to this issue by putting simple tools into people鈥檚 hands, 鈥榦ne flower at a time!鈥欌�� she explains.
Diana and her friends distribute these kits across parks, farmers markets, neighborhoods, and coffee shops throughout Central Florida, engaging directly with the community. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. 鈥淧eople are very thankful and happy,鈥� she says. One mother told her, 鈥淢y kids have been talking about planting some seeds, Thank you so much.鈥� Diana smiled at the impact, noting how 鈥渋t is almost as if the kids are educating their parents.鈥�
The pollinator protection guide inside the kit includes educational information on over 300 bee species, the dangers of habitat loss due to pesticide use and urban development, and ways individuals can help. The gardening guide offers easy-to-follow instructions on planting the seeds and maintaining a bee-friendly environment.
鈥淚 believe this initiative embodies USF鈥檚 commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and student-led innovation, showing how classroom learning can inspire real-world impact far beyond campus,鈥� Diana says. 鈥淚 hope others can join this movement or replicate it in their own communities.鈥�
She also raises concerns about everyday pesticide use in home gardens and the general lack of awareness about its harm to pollinators. Her mission is not only to educate but to empower鈥攅specially families and children鈥攖o take simple, positive actions.
鈥淚f everybody is doing the same, could you imagine that? It would be great,鈥� Diana adds with a hopeful smile.