Last Thursday was a bee-utiful day for the Sustainability Festival! The sun was shining, the bees were buzzing, baby goats were bleating – all to the delight of the over 350 attendees! Here are a few highlights from the festival:

Live performance by the Burnurwurbskek Singers

Tom Halstead from Allagash Brewing Co and Ali Mediate of Maine FoodScapes

SJC student with her new plant

Center for Sustainable Communities intern discussing the pollinator garden with SJC students

SJC students with bunnies from November’s Harvest

Farmer Myke and his babies

Plants from Old Wells Farm

SJC student adds her handprint to the Eco Reps mural

And of course, the debut of the SJC Pollinator Garden was a hit! As the festival adrenaline starts to wear down, please remember that a pollinator garden does NOT increase your chance of getting stung. Pollinator gardens attract many different pollinators, including butterflies, moths, beetles, and hummingbirds – not all of these little guys sting! Also, many bees will not sting you – no male bees sting, and many native Maine bees won’t sting because they are too small or don’t have a hive to defend. And finally, a feeding bee is a happy bee! For this reason, planting flowers WON’T increase your chances of getting stung. If you haven’t already, go check out the garden on the way to the lake!