It’s why we’ve joined the Half-Earth Project

“Biodiversity holds the earth steady.”—E.O. Wilson
At Burt’s, we don’t just love nature. We depend on it. And nature depends on us. That’s why we’re excited to support The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation to map 5,000 of the more than 20,000 bee species worldwide, the number for which we have sufficient geospatial information to map as part of the Half-Earth Project, one of the grandest conservation efforts of our time. The goal of the Half-Earth Project is to conserve half the land and sea to protect the biodiversity of our planet.

What is biodiversity and why is it so important?
Biodiversity refers to all the different kinds of plants, fungi, animals and all other living things within a particular area. That’s anything from the largest sequoia tree to the tiniest microorganisms to the beloved bee.

Biodiversity is critical to our planet’s health, but today it’s at risk. Species are disappearing 11 times faster than at any point in human history. And bees are just one of many cornerstone species we must protect to keep our ecosystems stable. Not only do they produce beeswax, honey and royal jelly, but bees help pollinate every third bite of food we eat. But there’s been a drastic decline in bee population and diversity in the last 10+ years (and as far back as the Industrial Revolution) due to a number of factors including changes in climate, land use and agricultural practices. That’s why we, in partnership with Rural Advancement Foundation International, launched the Bring Back the Bees program. We’ve planted over 4,400 acres of wildflowers to attract and nourish the bees—impacting as much as 145,000 acres of farmland. And now we’re building on that effort with our work on biodiversity.

Increasing our knowledge of bees helps us protect them.
Bees are vastly under-researched. Right now, we don’t know exactly how many bees there are, and where the different species of bees live. So through the Half-Earth Project, we’re mapping bee populations to help guide conservation efforts. To help increase awareness around this important work, we sponsored Half-Earth Day. See it all on Instagram.


How you can get involved.
We know you love nature as much as we do. And we’ve got a few ways you can show your commitment to biodiversity:

Pledge: Support half the Earth for the long-term health of the planet and those who call it home. Take the pledge.
Wear: We created a limited-edition Earth’s Bees lip balms in two of our most popular flavors, Vanilla Bean and Cucumber Mint to celebrate Half-Earth Day and our commitment to the cause. Shop Now.
Discover: We’ve got lots of ways you can get involved and help the bees. Learn More.
Share: Spread the word on biodiversity.