From bee lover to beekeeper, Carla Willems is bringing her passion for pollinators to the staff at her site. For Carla, supporting local pollinators is not only about strengthening local ecosystems, it’s also about supporting staff wellness through creativity, connection, and mindfulness.
Carla’s pollinator‑project journey began in spring 2025, when she launched a lunchtime workshop that invited staff to create wildflower seed bombs, bee hotels, and bee drinking stations. Building on the success of these sessions, she later founded a Beekeepers Club, where staff can learn the basics of beekeeping through hands‑on workshops. To support both initiatives, Carla applied for funding through the sustainability stream of PHSA’s Health Promotion Initiative Fund (HPIF), with financial support provided by the Green+Leaders program. Each year, the Energy and Environmental Sustainability (EES) team collaborates with HPIF to support Green+Leader projects that advance energy and environmental sustainability.
For Carla, caring for pollinators is also a way to care for people. Inspired by other projects in the community that had created bee habitats, she wanted to bring the co‑benefits of pollinator projects – wellbeing, creativity, and environmental awareness – to her own team. Her goal was to create a calm and sustainable space “to improve mental health and bring awareness to the dire need in BC for pollinators”, aligning with the Ministry of Health’s Climate Change and Sustainability Plan.
Through the pollinator workshops and the Beekeepers Club, Carla is helping create a workspace that promotes healthy environments and thriving ecosystems. During the workshops, staff built “bee hotels,” providing safe nesting spaces that support bee population growth. As a result of funding support, three members of the Beekeepers Club completed a certified beekeeping course, learning practical skills such as handling colonies and using a smoker – skills that deepen participants’ understanding of environmental stewardship.
Looking ahead, Carla hopes to apply her new beekeeping skills by establishing on‑site beehives, creating opportunities for continuous care and growth of local pollinator species. Her long‑term vision is to build a community of pollinator caregivers through a network of hive volunteers. By developing her skills and nurturing this community, Carla is creating opportunities for staff to “have fun at work, connect with peers, learn more about native BC pollinators and bee care… and making a positive impact on our native environment.”
