The Optix Solutions sustainability program is based around the idea of encouraging local businesses to think about how they can have a positive ecological impact in the South West. We are privileged to live in a globally recognised area of outstanding beauty and it is imperative that we maintain and preserve it for current and future generations.
Devon has been home to the Optix Solutions family for circa 20 years. During thistime we have gotten to know and worked with a large network of brilliant, like-minded individuals. Amongst these individuals, there are a diverse range of skillsets that we believe could be focused and channeled into contributing to sustainability.
I have always been interested in animals and biodiversity. As well as engaging in coral aquaculture, I have been a beekeeper for the last five years. During this time I have only just begun to scratch the surface in regards to understanding the complex and interconnected relationship that bees have with the local environment. Recognising the significance of their impact inspired me to expand my personal colonies and make bees part of the Optix Sustainability program.
“The decline of the Honey Bee in the UK has been dramatic over the past decade. Pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, disease and invasive species are making the survival of this valuable species almost impossible without the aid of local Beekeepers.
The Honey Bee contributes to a complex, interconnected ecosystem allowing a diverse number of our native wildlife species to coexist. As well as the huge impact on agricultural crops their pollination of plants, trees and hedgerows contributes to the growth of our local countryside, serving as home to hundreds of birds and mammals as well as thousands of insect species.”
Over the next year and beyond we will be maintaining an Apiary and wildflower meadow just outside of Exeter, and we promise to keep you up-to-date with its progress. I hope that this project will inspire others to think about how they can contribute to local sustainability and perhaps start similar projects. If you’ve got the seed of an idea and you’d like some advice, let me know.
