Bee the Change: Supporting Pollinators, Art, and Education with Bee Girl

Here at Ashland Food Co-op, we’re buzzing with excitement about our July Change for Good partner: Bee Girl / Bee Regenerative! This local nonprofit is doing some bee-autiful work to protect pollinators, restore habitats, and teach the next generation how to care for the tiny creatures that keep our food systems thriving.

Bee Girl + Bee Regenerative: More Than Just a Name

Bee Regenerative is the co-branded evolution of Bee Girl - founded and led by the ever-inspiring Sarah Red-Laird (aka The Bee Girl herself). While Sarah is still the lead worker bee, this mission has officially grown beyond the hive. Bee Regenerative brings together a team of staff, contractors, and collaborators who work shoulder-to-shoulder with ranchers, winemakers, universities, government agencies, and fellow nonprofits to tackle the biggest issues bees face in agriculture. Together, they’re creating real, lasting solutions that benefit both pollinators and producers.

Why Bees Matter (and Why Bee Girl Is a Hero)

Bees may be small, but they play a huge role in our ecosystem - pollinating one in every three bites of food we eat. That’s why Bee Girl and her team work tirelessly to create more places for pollinators to thrive right here in Southern Oregon.

Their mission goes beyond just saving bees - it’s about cultivating healthy ecosystems, supporting sustainable agriculture, and inspiring stewardship through science, education, and art.

Local Projects Making a Big Impact

🐝 Bee Friendly Vineyards
Local winemakers and grape growers are getting a pollinator-friendly upgrade thanks to Bee Girl’s collaboration efforts. This program brings habitat (think: blooming flowers, nesting spots, and clean water) directly into the vineyard rows. Cheers to bees AND better wine!

🌼 Bee Hopeful
This youth program teaches kids how important bees are - and how they can be bee heroes in their own backyards. With a focus on positivity and hands-on learning, Bee Hopeful empowers the next generation to protect what they love.

🎨 Bee Habitat in Cyanotype
Founder Sarah uses flowers and bees from real habitat projects to create stunning cyanotype art pieces that educate and inspire. It’s part science, part soul - and it’ll make you see pollinators in a whole new light.

Events to Check Out

📍 Pints for a Purpose
Thursday, July 3rd, The Phoodery in Phoenix, OR
Grab a drink, win gear from Patagonia and Sunday Afternoons, and support pollinators - it doesn’t get much more Southern Oregon summer than that.

🎨 Ashland Open Studio Tour
October 18–19, Enclāve Studios, Ashland, OR
Sarah’s studio will be open during this event hosted by the Ashland Gallery Association. Come see the “Bee Habitat in Cyanotype” exhibit in person and meet the artist behind the mission.

Bee the Change with Us

Every time you round up at the register in July, you’re helping Bee Girl expand their local impact. Whether it's teaching a classroom full of curious kids or planting habitat among the grapevines, your spare change is helping Southern Oregon bloom - literally.

Learn more about their work at www.beegirl.org, and stop by the Co-op to support Bee Girl through Change for Good.

Let’s pollinate some positive change - together. 🌸🐝

More Co-op News

May Day Community Block Party

Photography by Chelsea Whitney Art

On May 1st, several Southern Oregon businesses came together for a block party to provide a space to gather as a community after a rough spell due to the pandemic and fires. The May Day Block Party was hosted on Main St in Phoenix, where the scent of food trucks mingled with artisan goods such as local cheeses, locally farmed flowers, and even fresh-baked pastries.

A Visit with Rolling Hills

Visit Rolling Hills Farm and learn more about owner Dave Belzberg, who the Ashland Food Co-op is so honored to partner with for more than thirty five years.

A Visit with Magnolia Farms

 

 

 

Visit Magnolia Farms and learn more about owner Elissa Thau, who the Ashland Food Co-op is so honored to partner with for more than twenty years.

A Visit with Emerald Hills

Visit the Emerald Hills Ranch and learn more about this fourth generation ranching family that the Ashland Food Co-op is so proud to partner with for more than twenty years.

A Conversation with Katie Falkenberg, Photographer and Filmmaker

Katie Falkenberg's photography and filmmaking has taken her all over the world, and lucky for us - she's been calling the Rogue Valley home for a couple years now. Exquisitely and harmoniously capturing the world around her, she is documenting not only through the lens but also through her peaceful and loving spirit. Katie reached out to us in hopes of collaborating after falling in love with the co-op soon after moving here.

January Change for Good Recipient: Rogue Valley Mentoring

Since 2005, Rogue Valley Mentoring (formerly the Rose Circle Mentoring Network) has trained over 500 adults who have mentored over 2,000 youth in our valley; letting young people know that they are not alone. A caring and compassionate ear shows them that they matter, and they they are experts of their own experience.

Rogue Valley Mentoring Circle

Shopping Safely & Efficiently

 

As coronavirus cases increase in Jackson County, the Co-op is taking extra precautions to protect shoppers and employees. 

To ensure social distancing in the store, the number of persons allowed in the store at once has been reduced to 50% capacity. Understandably, this may lead to a short wait outside of the store, but please be assured the line moves quickly.

In order to keep the wait as short as possible, here are a few steps you can take to help out:

10 Ways to Shine Your Light in Dark Times

By Allan Weisbard L.C.S.W.

 

Since 1963, autumn has been a difficult time for me. Two months shy of my 13th birthday I lost my younger brother to cancer, then shortly afterwards, President Kennedy was assassinated.

Masks Required for All In-Store Shoppers

To protect the health of Co-op staff and shoppers, all shoppers and other visitors on Ashland Food Co-op property must wear face coverings over mouth and nose except when dining in an approved area. As of November 11, 2020, face shields will not be permitted unless worn with a mask.