A partnership between Environment Lethbridge, students from the Dhillon School of Business and local businesses has expanded the Pollinator Cafe project with 11 new planters in the Warehouse District.
The self-watering planters were installed in the downtown area in 2022 thanks to the City of Lethbridge parks department and the Helen Schuler Nature Centre.
“Pollinators are critical for our local ecosystems and our food supply,” explains Kathleen Sheppard, executive director with Environment Lethbridge. “By planting the Pollinator Cafes with pollinator friendly plants, we hope to provide habitat in urban areas where it may be difficult for bees and butterflies to find food.”
The new planters can be found along 2nd and 3rd Avenue at some local businesses, including Sonder and Theoretically Brewing. They were installed as a joint project with Environment Lethbridge and Dhillion School of Business students, who have been working together since January, to bring more green infrastructure to the city.
“The students have been involved in every step of this project, from creating the project plan to actually planting the planters last week,” says Sheppard. “We wanted to find a way for them to be involved in the complete project from start to finish.”
The Pollinator Cafe expansion also ties in with the Bee City announcement from June.
The Pollinator Cafe project is funded through a grant with the Ecoaction Community funding Program of Environment and Climate Change Canada.