OU environmental advocates discuss importance of bees, ecological preservation during OU’s Green Week

This story was updated at 12:24 a.m. on April 23 to include statements from Greek Week education chair and SGA Associate Lucy Brodt.

Correction: This story was updated at 10:53 a.m. April 23 to correct the spelling of Gracie Lee Farley's last name.

At the back right corner of Rose Rock School on Main Street, surrounded by green clovers, lush grass, budding trees and blooming flowers, sit two white boxes buzzing with life.

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The boxes are beehives owned and operated by the OU Beekeepers’ Association.

The OU Beekeepers’ Association is a registered student organization that educates and engages with the community about the importance of bees and their impact on the environment.

Gracie Lee Farley, a biology senior and hive manager for OU Beekeepers’ Association, said she wants to highlight bees’ work and the important role they play in environmental sustainability.

“Bees are one of, if not the most charismatic insect we have, …” Farley said. “Bees are kind of unique in that we're taught from a young age that they're the good guys, and that they do a lot of good work in pollinating.”

Bees on the OU Beekeepers’ Association's beehives behind Rose Rock Schools.Provided.
Bees, environmental sustainability

When talking about environmental sustainability, Farley said bees are often overlooked in favor of “charismatic flagship species,” such as lions and elephants. Farley wants to improve the environment, not just for big animals but for small ones too.

“We have all of these flagship species like lions or chimps or elephants that people are like, ‘Wow, we really have to save the Earth so we can save these animals specifically,’ and it's really easy to forget about the little guys,” Farley said.

The OU Beekeepers’ Association owns and maintains two beehives. According to Farley, both beehives currently hold about 10,000 bees and can hold 20,000 to 80,000 bees each once mature.

The beehives are also new, Farley said, after a pesticide incident destroyed their previous beehives in September 2024.

“One day, we went out for a normal inspection, …” Farley said. "All our bees died, and the only thing that it could have been is pesticides. A nearby hive had the same thing happen to them. They sent (the bees) to a lab, and they confirmed pesticide use.”

Caleb Anagnos, a economics junior and president of OU Beekeepers’ Association, said the beehives were killed by pesticides at a rate he has never seen before.

“It was pretty gruesome. We went out there and we noticed that there were no bees on the outside of the hive, …” Anagnos said. “We opened up the hive, and it was … probably 30,000 dead bees in each hive, stacked on top of each other.”

Farley said she feels bees get caught in a larger dislike for insects, despite their benefits to nature.

“It's tough because they're kind of a target,” Farley said. “Insects are kind of targeted as a problem when they are more of a solution for helping the environment.”

Anagnos said pesticide usage weakens the beehives and puts Earth’s environmental state in perspective.

An OU Beekeepers’ Association beehive. Provided.

“You hear about the environment getting worse, … but when you're out here, you can actually sometimes see the effects,” Anagnos said. “When pesticides are used, we (see) firsthand what that does to the bees. … That's sort of an emotional experience that is really informative and can educate you on what the actual impacts of heavy pesticide use are.”

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Environmental initiatives across campus

Farley, who also serves as vice president of the Entomology Club, said collaborating with other environmentally-focused student organizations, such as Green Week and the Botany Club, allows organizations to learn from each other.

Bailey Wiegert, a biology senior and co-chair of Green Week, said the environmental state of Norman is alarming.

“It's really concerning right now. I think the level of concern isn't as high as it should be with a lot of people, …” Wiegert said. “People need to talk about it more, because from what I've seen, even just on our campus, there's just a lack of awareness of the impact we have on the environment.”

Green Week is a registered student organization and OU’s largest environmental organization. Green Week provides environmental education and programming to OU students.

Wiegert said small environmental initiatives, such as installing trash cans with recycling options on sidewalks, have helped improve environmental sustainability.

“They're helpful in obviously decreasing the amount of waste, but I also think they open the conversation about mentalism and sustainability and littering,” Wiegert said. “I think it helps make people more conscious about what the impact is. It makes people ask questions.”

Wiegert said that other initiatives, such as OU Student Government Association’s confetti awareness signs, have helped raise environmental awareness.

Sign posted by the Student Government Association sustainability committee warning students about the harmful impacts of confetti on campus.Provided.

“SGA, they recently created signs raising awareness about confetti for grad photos, …” Wiegert said. “This is a huge deal and it's terrible for the environment. It's plastic that's not going to be degraded and it's really gut-wrenching to see it honestly.”

Kayla Hynes, an economics and political science sophomore and associate of the SGA sustainability committee, worked to design and print SGA’s confetti awareness signs. The signs have been placed at popular spots on campus, such as the Bizzell Memorial Library and Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

In an email to OU Daily, Hynes wrote SGA noticed confetti around campus this spring for graduation season and wanted to bring awareness to the negative effects of confetti litter.

“Every year, we notice large amounts of confetti left on campus around this time, which can have lasting effects on the environment and wildlife and detract from the beauty of our campus,” Hynes wrote. “We want students to be aware of these effects and use environmentally friendly options.”

Hynes wrote that she believes many graduating students forget that their confetti is litter amid their celebrations, which could pollute the environment. Hynes wrote that confetti affects animals and infrastructure, along with vegetation.

“Many graduates are using nonbiodegradable confetti made from plastic or foil during photo shoots. These materials don't break down naturally and can be ingested by animals, clog drains and create microplastics,” Hynes wrote. “Even biodegradable confetti can still take months to break down and is an eyesore in the most iconic spots on campus. Additionally, with the Oklahoma wind, cleaning up confetti is nearly impossible.”

Lucy Brodt, an environmental sustainability and nutritional sciences sophomore, serves as Green Week education chair and is an associate in the SGA sustainability committee. Brodt wrote in an email to OU Daily Thursday that confetti pollution can have serious impacts for the environment around OU.

"Confetti pollution impacts OU as non-biodegradable pieces contaminate soil and waterways, burden our maintenance staff, clog drainage systems, and negatively affect campus wildlife that might ingest them," Brodt wrote.

Brodt wrote that environmentally-friendly alternatives to confetti include leaves, flower petals, photoshopped confetti and biodegradable alternatives.

Hynes wrote that she wants graduates to know they are not the bad guy, but should be aware of their environmental impact.

“We don't believe that any student using confetti has any bad intentions; they are just having fun with their graduation photos,” Hynes wrote. “However, we hope that efforts like this will educate students about environmental awareness and encourage them to be more intentional in the ways they celebrate.”

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