We talk to Diana Dyba, founder of the Let's do it together for bees project, which aims to promote education about bees in Poland, as well as supporting beekeeping as one of the fundamental aspects of human survival. All through local crafts and contemporary art!
Why are bees important? What is worth knowing about them?
What does art have to do with honey?
Is all honey created equal?
We talk to Diana Dyba, founder of the Zróbmy to razem dla pszczół (Let's do it together for bees) project, which aims to promote education about bees in Poland, as well as supporting beekeeping as one of the fundamental aspects of human survival. All through local crafts and contemporary art!
Julia Mafalda: Diana, what is it in particular that captivates you about bees?
Diana Dyba: The industriousness, which I appreciate very much in myself and others, and the good directiveness of their actions. The bees know their role very well, they are incredibly harmonious. I am very impressed by this, and it is this harmony that I seek in life. I love to surround myself and collaborate with people who know their strengths and how to build their life or career on them.
JM: Maybe it’s not a usual question… but do you know of any bee products which are best to avoid?
DD: I have my personal preferences, but I don't want to share them publicly right now. I believe that the most important thing is to have a sound knowledge of any subject that we give our attention to. Before questioning or promoting something, we should learn the opinions of various experts in the field. That is why my goal is an educational bee centre, which is currently being set up as part of the Let's Do It Together for Bees project. This way I want to spread proven, research-based, verified knowledge. I hope to bring together a group of eminent bee, nature and climate experts whose research provides answers to our questions about the future of the world. I myself still ask many questions, have many doubts and hope that the educational bee center will resolve them all.
Read the article “Let it bee! - that is, a few words on ethical beekeeping” >>>
JM: In what ways do you reach people with this knowledge?
DD: I am still at the stage of building a larger community that first and foremost pursues the source (I like that word a lot) and that feasibly helps me to reach the truth myself. It's not all that easy, especially in an age of a ton of misinformation. It happens that my painstakingly acquired knowledge is brutally verified by another source that I manage to reach, even though the previous one was also very good. I don't know how this happens, but I'm trying to find out!
I am currently raising funds to develop an educational bee center. I have had immense help from artists, craftspeople and makers who I invite to join the Let's Do It Together for Bees project. A whole artistic collection has been created to draw attention to bees and raise funds - the Let's Do It Together for Bees auction has been running for 2 years now, with donations from wonderful artists and craft makers. More and more conscious brands are supporting the project. The media is also helping by publishing information about the project, so I can reach a larger audience. The Łódź Design Festival spotlighted this bee collection by awarding it the Must Have 2022 prize, which also contributes to its popularity.
JM: And what was your motivation for creating the Let's Do It Together for Bees project?
DD: The project was born three years ago, when as a hobby I hosted talks on my blog Zrób to po swojemu (Do It Your Own Way) about craft and the passion to create your own brand. My conversations with creatives, artists and craftspeople were, and still are, a huge inspiration for me in finding my own path. Not many people know that my fascination with craft came to me as a result of immense professional burnout with my own first company - an advertising agency, which I built and ran for more than 10 years. Back then the so-called "moving mountains" was the gymnastics I put myself through as soon as I woke up, similarly achieving the impossible was my daily morning coffee. This taught me to work incredibly fast and multitask, which eventually led to frustration and burnout. I became so disgusted with producing "advertising rubbish" that I closed the company with a bang, with no idea what I was going to do next. Fortunately, my "next" came when I allowed myself to relax and completely reset my head. I went on a trip of a lifetime to California (à là gap year), spending my hard-earned money. I met amazing people, opened my head to new experiences, and soaked up everything that fate threw my way. I learned new things, did courses, workshops and fell in love with the weekly Farmer's Market (a bio local market) in the town where I lived. Every Thursday I took a stroll between the stalls of local goodies and handmade products. I was drawn to everything - the freshly baked bread, the fruit and vegetable juices squeezed on site, everything possible from avocados or mangoes, which I love. What fed me the most, however, at every level were all the honey treats and conversations with their makers. It was all passionate and incredibly inspiring. This is how my blog Do It Your Way was born - out of a need to tell the stories of passionate people who love what they do, and do things that are wonderful, worthwhile and very much in tune with them.
When I returned to the country, I started looking for people pursuing their own path, who had already discovered just what was really 'them'. Enormous changes took place in me myself - I was no longer able to produce and organize all those sales assistances.
So I got busy promoting local crafts and the value it brings to us all. I used my knowledge and experience to advise young brands on various topics and help them take off. I also built a bridge for Polish companies that wanted to establish a presence in California. One such company was a bee brand, thanks to which I fell in love with bees themselves. That's when the Let's Do It Together for Bees project was born and most of my interviewees supported the idea, helping to create the first auction of beautiful bee artwork ( this was back in 2020). The proceeds from the entire auction allowed us to build an educational pod, new hives were created to house new bee colonies, a biodiversity garden was created - all of which you can visit at the Pociechom Foundation.
The Pociechom Foundation, welcomed the project with open arms. This foundation is also involved in hippotherapy and alpaca therapy, and has been trying to implement apitherapy for years, which I very much want to help with. At the moment, the project is focusing on getting apitherapy to actually exist in Poland. The educational bee centre will be the first stage of this important adventure, and together we believe it will succeed!
JM: Tell us more about the project - what value does it bring to the audience? Who is the intended audience?
DD: Let's Do It Together for Bees is more than just education about bees, although they are central to it. But the whole project also helps to promote local crafts and art. I believe that by joining forces, we can build a greater whole - like perfectly connected and harmonised bees. Let's Do It Together for Bees is not just a project - it is a community that wants quality, truth and respect for life from life. The people and brands involved in the project are people who want change, living in harmony with each other and in harmony with nature.
JM: How can one support the project? Can you adopt a bee at the Bee Centre?
DD: The Let's Do It Together for Bees project can be supported in many ways. We have a Bee Centre to build, so every brick, even the smallest one, is worth its weight in gold. I make no secret of the fact that I would like to get the big bricks from major companies whose CSR budgets allow them to do a lot. I very much hope that many of them will respond to my proposal - the people who work in the CSR departments of large corporations are usually great people, people that I love to talk to, and I very much hope that together we can wade through many more departments of each company to get the funding.
On the other hand, the support which an individual can give is:
- the adoption of one bee or an entire bee colony (a whole hive), which helps to increase the bee population - here you can make a contribution: https://www.pociechom.org/adoptuj-pszczole/
- purchasing a bee patron product from the Let's Do It Together for Bees collection: silk scarf, cotton tablecloth, cookies, muslin dressing gowns, bee pin and inko prints. When you buy the products, part of the profits from the sales support the Bee Centre: https://www.jestemwlesie.pl/te-produkty-wspieraja-dzikie-pszczoly/
- soon another online auction will be launched, where you can bid for art - originals of works from the Great Bee Exhibition, which is already starting on Great Bee Day on 8.08. at the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw.
All support is tremendous, and every contribution is greatly appreciated!
JM: How can Ethy support the project and get involved in Let's Do It Together for Bees?
DD: I'm so glad, Julia, that we were able to get to know each other and thank you so much for your promotion of genuine environmentalism without the so-called greenwashing. Apart from the fact that this interview and every meeting we have is already of great value, I think it would be wonderful if together we could encourage more brands to take care of the artistic bee and put it on their product, with part of the profits supporting the project and the wild bees.
We can also label any company that takes artistic care of a bee and becomes a Bee Patron of the Let's Do It Together for Bees project with a special tag on Ethy Maps - which would be a form of bee certification!
JM: Three simple things everyone can do to make things better for bees…
DD: The simpler, the better, so I will start with the most important thing: do not disturb! The bees are doing great on their own, and our most important task in helping them out is precisely not to harm them. The biggest threat is still the pesticides used to grow crops and their deadly effect on bees. Choose products consciously. Check what goes into your basket and what source it comes from. Look for transparent companies, local suppliers and environmentally conscious farmers - in other words, use Ethy Maps ;)
Let's take care of the bees around us - especially the wild ones, as they often seek refuge. Simply put up a small bee house in the garden or on the balcony where, for example, wild Mason bees find their refuge. Put out a small shallow watering dish with fresh water for bees and insects that are very often looking for a water source, especially in hot weather.
As part of Let's Do It Together for Bees, we were able to plant a flower meadow, run a biodiversity workshop to better support wild bees.
JM: What motivates you on a day-to-day basis to work for a better future?
DD: The reality that we all find ourselves in is the biggest driver for my actions. I can't turn a blind eye to the climate crisis we are in. I am also a person who likes to take action, and I try to channel all my strengths as much as possible.
The people who support me in this are: Anna - my boss and owner of the Culinary Loft brand, and Ola - a collaborator. Together we are creating a responsible brand, to which I also have the great pleasure of inviting artists and artisans, creating unique collections that are not only beautiful, but also support bees, among other things! The Culinary Loft is one of the brands that has made an artistic bee adoption. A beautiful drawing of a bee made by artist Pola Dwurnik has found shelter in a textile collection made of certified organic cotton and several treats. Interestingly, I was also led to the Culinary Loft by my beloved bees, to whom I owe so much!
I think the people we meet along the way are a great motivator for action - because it's better together! Thanks to the bees I managed to meet f.ex. the president of the Foundation Wytwórnia Inicjatyw Twórczych - Justyna Markoff, who supports me a lot in the whole project and is one of the partners of the Wielka Wystawa Pszczół (Great Bee Show). Marta Chodorowska - an actress and nature lover - is very supportive of me helping to promote the patrons' products so that the message can reach more people involved. I have also met a great photographer, Angela Post, who supports us by taking photos of my bee-activities and helps in preparing for the Great Bee Show. Without the support of people, nothing is possible. I am very grateful to meet such wonderful people. To everyone who believes in me and supports me, thank you very much.
JM: Do you have a motto that keeps you going?
DD: In harmony with nature, in harmony with myself - this is a slogan that has accompanied me since the beginning of my blog jestemwlesie.pl and zrobtoposwojemu.pl By listening to ourselves and what's in our souls, we can try to live our own way! Every step in this direction is the courage to live your life on your own terms.
And already on 8.08 (2023), on the Great Bee Day in Poland, I invite everyone to the opening of the Great Bee Exhibition at the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw at 18:00.
All the details of the project Let's do it together for Bees, and information on how to become a bee patron are on my website jestemwlesie.pl
I invite responsible brands to take care of the chosen artistic bee - we currently have 82 bees in the gallery!
Find out more about bees! Take a look at the Ethy Blog:
- Films about bees
- Bee art (artists / works)
- Articles about bees
- Ethical bee products (Category: Shop > Food > Apiaries)
