The Hive Effect
Many Minds.One Hive. Every Cell Connected
A non‑profit community and environmental project reconnecting people with nature — and with each other.
Save our Soil
SOIL DEGRADATION
We need soil to sustain life, but our soils are degrading at an alarming rate, and now one-third of the world’s arable soils are degraded. The problem worsens when we consider that soil (which is a combination of minerals, air, organic matter, water, and living organisms) can take a thousand years for just one centimetre to form.
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COMPOST
An easy way to boost soil organic matter is to use your own compost, which will feed and fertilise your soil with a diversity of nutrients and micro organisms.Â
It is prepared by decomposing plant and food waste and organic matter which results in a compost that is rich in plant nutrients and beneficial bacteria and organisms such mycelium fungus.
GROW HEALTHY SOIL!
Growing various vegetables and plants in your garden helps recycle nutrients back into the soil. Plants that take nitrogen from the air help increase the fertility of soil, whilst deep-rooting plants draw up nutrients from deeper in the soil that get used by other plants and also help prevent the soil from compacting.Â
Bare soil is no good as the rain can wash its nutrients, so keep it covered, with plants and edible crops.
Water is Life
And we can access it!
Ponds and Water Sources
Many ponds and waterways are left unattended, and to that end they are often areas for litter and waste to accumulate and thus create unattractive and unhealthy environments for all. Ultimately, there is no need for it, and it is time to change our perspectives, our attitudes and our actions. Putting every water course into a concrete culvert is an idea from the industrial revolution era that not only deprives everything natural of water, but it completely removes its use and its beauty, and hides it away forever.
Press the button below to show your support for The Hive Effect and Bee Sixty-Eight.
Our Waters.
The Hive Effect will enable to help maintain and protect local water sources (the adjacent river tame for example), and will succeed in providing a stronger foundation for other animals, amphibians and insects to return such as frogs, newts, toads, birds and mammals. This is education. This is life. This is in the palm of our hands, and we are offering you this forever.
Bio Engineering?
Water harvesting, and water irrigation is something that we are very keen on exploring, and we already have ideas for their integration within our project.
Engineering at every level - this is something that will help to stimulate young and old minds alike to look at things from a different perspective, and enable them to get involved, to get creative and make real progress. It is the evolution of The Hive Effect that will hopefully inspire you to support us and press the button below.
The River Tame or The Brook
Did you know that OTTERS made a return to The River Tame after many years of absence, as water quality improved? They can be found on the outskirts of Birmingham and all along the river from there on.Â
ANOTHER REASON WHY WE SHOULD BE PROTECTING IT.
You can find out more information The River Tame & The Tame Valley Wetlands by pressing the button below
future of water
Meeting our future water needs
The framework contributes to 2 of the pledges in the government's 25 year environment plan. These are to:
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leave the environment in a better state than we found it
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improve resilience to drought and minimise interruptions to water supplies
The national framework explores England's long term water needs for:​
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public water supplies
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agriculture
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the power and industry sectors
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environmental protection
Press the button to find out more from the environment agency at gov.uk​
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Water Consumption on an Allotment
Growing anything takes a serious amount of water. According to the National Allotment Society it found that estimates of annual water usage averaged 21 litres per square meter, and local Howley Grange Allotment Association estimates that each plot consumes an average of 51 cubic meters of water annually.Â
That's a colossal amount of water!
An interesting read on local allotment water usage can be found by pressing the button which will take you to the Howley Grange site.
Water Resources Long Term Planning
Water companies, regulators, academics and NGOs are all working together to create long-term planning framework for water resource planning.Â
Press the button below to find out more from water.org.uk
Sustainability
This page is under construction.
Why don't we create energy in Oldbury?
It's a secret for now.
There are some seriously interesting ideas and theories for generating energy within The Hive Effect project already. Unfortunately, it is way too early to be giving away any secrets, and whilst we haven’t harnessed perpetual motion just yet, we do dream big!
This part of the project will attract the attention of other groups of likeminded people that share a common interest within the energy industry, because if the ideas truly are viable, there is already a demand.