May 13, 2010; Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | This innovative nonprofit, an urban bee farm, or apiary, will help the declining bee population and transform a plighted city block in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Burgh Bees will rent the city-owned land to house over 500,000 bees. Urban bee keeping is increasingly popular as the insects, crucial to the pollination of many flowers and vegetables, are threatened by a host of factors. The nonprofit received funding from individuals and foundations to get started and will use proceeds from honey sales to help keep it going as well. One donor, the owner of a brewery across the street, is happy about the lot being transformed into something more beautiful and useful. Another neighbor told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review “The more I learned about the project, the more I liked it. We have had negative things coming out of Homewood, and this will be a good venue for young people to get involved. We want to uplift people’s spirit and mind-set.”—Kristin Barrali