New habitat for native animals and plants
Apprentices at Röchling implement wildflower project
Haren - Recently, bees have been collecting pollen and nectar on the Röchling company premises in Haren. In an area of around 25,000 square meters with wildflowers the honey bees found a new home. The wildflowers and bees are part of a project that is being implemented by apprenticesat Röchling. The Emsland district supports the project in order to preserve the local flora and fauna.
“Sustainability and environmental protection are very important to us as a company. With the project we are supporting nature and at the same time our apprentices learn how to organize a cross-departmental project”, explains Florian Helmich, Technical Director at Röchling in Haren, the idea of the project. In addition to the wildflower meadows, Röchling has acquired three honey bee colonies, which are looked after by 17 apprentices from different departments. The project is supervised by different apprentices on an annual basis, Röchling currently employs 50 apprentices. Supported by Röchling employees with beekeeping experience, the apprentices will set up a small beekeeping facility, harvest the honey and sell it.
In small teams, the young people have already taken care of a funding application at the Emsland district to acquire the seeds, they have made beehives from plastic sheets from Röchling, ordered beekeeping accessories and built a roof to store the accessories. The apprentices are professionally supported by Maike Hoberg from the Emsland Nature Conservation Foundation. The aim of the foundation is to preserve nature and the landscape with its biological diversity. “Gravel beds, pavement or short-cut lawns mean that domestic animals find less and less food. With this project, Röchling shows how companies can promote nature conservation”, explains Hoberg.
The wildflower meadows were created from certified, regional seeds on unused areas of the Röchling company premises. The flower meadow not only gives honey bees a new habitat, wild bees, insects and birds also find food here. The seeds are made from native wildflowers and grasses and can be requested from the Emsland district free of charge.
