AECOM donates orchard to local school as part of country wide initiative to save pollinators
London (May 17, 2022) – St. Benedict’s & St. Mary’s school in Kilbarrack, Dublin, has planted an orchard on its grounds to help tackle Ireland’s endangered bee population. The trees were donated by the world’s trusted infrastructure consultancy firm AECOM as part of an initiative called DCs for Bees, with businesses in the data centre industry funding more than 1,250 orchards throughout Ireland to help save the country’s declining bee population.
There are 100 species of bee in Ireland, but nearly one third of its wild bees are threatened with extinction and common bumblebees continue to show annual declines. The new orchard at St. Benedict’s & St. Mary’s school will provide much-needed shelter and safety for pollinators and will also help with learning.
Norita O’Donoghue, a teacher at St. Benedict’s & St. Mary’s school, said: “The orchards project is of great importance to our school. Not only is it important for our children to understand where different fruits come from, but it is also valuable to experience the lifecycle of a tree. Our children can closely observe the changes that happen to the trees during the different seasons.”
The DCs for Bees initiative is led by Host in Ireland and brings together the data centre industry to make an impactful difference to Ireland’s biodiversity and reverse the decline of Ireland’s Pollinators. AECOM has donated more than 25 orchards to schools and community groups across Ireland as part of its involvement with the initiative.
Sara Devitt, Director at AECOM and a DCs for Bees Ambassador, said: “It’s wonderful to see the children at St. Benedict’s & St. Mary’s school enjoy their new orchard as they start to see their new trees grow. The project is a really great way to involve local communities with our efforts to make Ireland more pollinator friendly and we’re delighted to have found such a great home for one of our orchards.”
Sara recently received a certificate from Host in Ireland in recognition of AECOM’s support for the DCs for Bees initiative.
