CRITICAL ENVIRONMENT
The world ’ s pollinator populations are in crisis . All around the globe , bee populations are dwindling , as wild areas critical to bees ’ food supplies are developed , pesticides are wantonly sprayed on crops and gardens , and industrial pollutants corrupt the air and soil . In Ireland , a country with 98 species of wild bees that contribute to the continued cultivation of 70 % of the nation ’ s crops , a full 30 % of those species of bees are currently facing extinction . At the current rate of decline , Ireland will lose 90 % of its bumblebees by 2050 .
“ Rare species are disappearing through habitat loss and our common species are struggling because the way we currently manage the rest of the landscape means there simply isn ’ t enough food for them to survive ,” writes Dr Úna FitzPatrick , Co-founder and Project Manager of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan at Ireland ’ s National Biodiversity Data Centre . Along with dedicated teams of scientists at the National Biodiversity Data Centre , Dr FitzPatrick , is one of the people working tirelessly to track , understand , and hopefully reverse the decline in Ireland ’ s bee ( and other pollinator ) population . It ’ s an undertaking of daunting magnitude
“ The way we currently manage the rest of the landscape means there simply isn ’ t enough food for [ bees ] to survive ”
DR ÚNA FITZPATRICK CO-FOUNDER & PROJECT MANAGER OF THE ALL-IRELAND POLLINATOR PLAN IRELAND NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY DATA CENTRE and , as with all such efforts , can ’ t be accomplished alone .
Right now , through collective action , industry accreditations , and a collective drive to make a difference , the Irish data centre industry is throwing its weight behind a new initiative , which is making great strides towards ensuring that the country ’ s data centres are part of the solution rather than the problem .
DCs for Bees : Harnessing the Power of the Collective “ The data centre industry gets picked on a lot when it comes to sustainability . And sometimes it ' s warranted , and sometimes it ' s not ,” says Garry Connolly , the President and Founder of Host in Ireland , a strategic global initiative that advocates for the Irish data centre industry .
Connolly , who immediately strikes me as an overwhelmingly persuasive individual , with an easy demeanour ( and a largely unprintable vocabulary ) stresses up front that “ there ' s often a misunderstanding that Host in Ireland is somehow a trade association .”
He explains : “ Effectively , the whole essence of Host in Ireland is that real power is in the collective . Leave your ego and your own personal balance sheet at the door . We wanted to figure out if we could do the right things , in the right order , for the right reasons , with the right people .” Host in Ireland started out seven years ago with a plan for a one year project . Over half a decade of activity , 40 key industry partners , and a 96 % partner
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