mtu Environmental Foundation supports school project to protect bees on Lake Constance

• Claude Dornier School wins grant
• School aims to set up apiary in future project

Friedrichshafen, May 21, 2014. The Claude Dornier School in Friedrichshafen, a joint vocational college and technical grammar school, has just won a grant from the mtu Environmental Foundation for its 'Protect Bees on Lake Constance' project. The grant – which amounts to 20,000 euros for 2014 and 2015 – is being awarded for the second time by the mtu Environmental Foundation. MTU Friedrichshafen, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, set up the foundation a decade ago. It supports environmental and conservation projects that aim to safeguard Lake Constance's   natural resources for human, plant and animal life and to protect or re-establish bio-diversity.  

"The Lake Constance area is full of orchards and vineyards and therefore utterly dependent on bees as pollinators. That's why the members of our jury chose the Claude Dornier School project, whose aim is to raise public awareness of the bee death issue," said Michael Spiegel, chairman of the mtu Environmental Foundation.  

The 'Protect Bees on Lake Constance' project has been set up on an interdisciplinary basis. The students' curriculum includes activities such as setting up and maintaining a bee hive, performing beekeeping tasks such as carrying out the weekly check, and making and marketing honey and wax. Both vocational trainees and prospective university students are invited to take part. The bee protection project is mainly included in lessons given to students on the vocational preparation program (VAB).        

Michael Spiegel also explained that the educational idea behind the project also worked in favor of the Claude Dornier School, since it goes beyond theoretical instruction. "The project program is actually pretty interesting, because it gets students to slip into the role of teacher and teach children at primary school or kindergarten about bees," he said.  

The project was originally initiated by Karin Vollmar und Uli Messerschmid, both teachers at the Claude Dornier School. It was last year in September that they began setting up the bee hives with interested pupils. "This grant is supporting us in a very vital way, since there is a great deal of material to be purchased.   And that makes it much easier for us to realize this project," said Karin Vollmar.

In April, the first hives were set up on the school premises and now there are three bee colonies busy transporting nectar and pollen from nearby nature reserves. After the summer holidays, the project will form part of classroom instruction. The major aim of the project group will then be to build a full-scale apiary housing all the bee boxes and beekeeping equipment.