Students Set to Open Pollinator Garden Behind Robbinsville High School on Friday
June 12, 2024
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER) – Sahana Iyer is proud to be a local protector of bees.
Since her freshman year at Robbinsville High School, the 16-year-old student has been focused on the plight of pollinators, making sure they have access to the types of plants they need to survive and thrive.
“The Garden State is beautiful, and that is because it has the bees and butterflies for the greenery,” she said. “But the population of the pollinator species is declining, and I want to do all I can to help them.”
As the co-founded of the non-profit, student-run SHINE program, Sahana has launched the “Bee Better Project.” Sahana, and her fellow pollinator supporters, have planted a garden behind the baseball field in the back of the high school campus.
On Friday, at 2:15 p.m., the students will join Schools Superintendent Brian Betze to officially mark the opening of the fenced-in garden, created with the generous donations of plants from local flower shops.
“I was very pleased to work closely with the students on mapping out this garden and helping ensure it is a success,” Betze said. “I am very impressed with Sahana and the other members of the Bee Better Project for making this all happen.”
While school will be dismissed for summer in the next few days, Sahana – a rising senior – plans to visit the garden with her friends this summer to water the plants and ensure its survival during the hottest days of the year.
As part of the project, she said, community awareness has been key. Sahana said she and her fellow students have attended local events, talked with senior citizens and scouts and have used social media to highlight the plight of the pollinator. They have discussed how habitat loss, disease, parasites, and environmental contaminants have all contributed to the decline of many species of pollinators, including bees, moths and butterflies.
More than 80 percent of the world’s flowering plants need a pollinator to reproduce; and humans need pollinators too; most of our food comes from flowering plants. One out of every three bites of our food, including fruits, vegetables, chocolate, coffee, nuts, and spices, is created with the help of pollinators, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sahana has taken this important campaign a step further, developing her own app – the “Pollinator Pal” – over the past year to help others create their own gardens and learn how to care for them. She hopes to take her interest into college, where she plans to study biology or environmental science.
For the Bee Better Project, Sahana expressed her appreciation to other clubs in the school, such as the Environmental Alliance and Outlet, which partnered with SHINE on this initiative. Upwards of 20 students have been involved.
“I’m just glad we can raise more awareness about this important issue,” Sahana said.
Students Set to Open Pollinator Garden Behind Robbinsville High School on Friday