As coal country faces economic decline, some organizations are turning to an unlikely business model to help revitalize Appalachia: bee-keeping!
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00:00It's therapeutic, there's that fantastic calmness that once you conquer the fear of opening
00:13the lid, the aroma that comes out, the buzzing sounds.
00:18We're trying to teach individuals locally how to keep bees sustainably and then use
00:24that as a supplement to their income.
00:40I've worked for over three decades in the area, so these communities that we're teaching
00:45in, I have watched slowly die.
00:48Thankfully, groups like ours are coming in and they're offering them some dignity, some
00:53hope, a chance to support their families, so I think it's much more than just the money.
01:03A couple of generations ago, everyone was sustainable and also had their outside jobs,
01:13and we've gotten away from that.
01:14As business has progressed, folks moved away from it, and in a sense, this puts them back
01:19there.
01:26There is no group doing anything like this in the United States, so we're kind of charting
01:30a new territory.
01:32We're not trying to turn a profit, we're trying to do it sustainably.
01:35We're trying to do it the best for the bees, the best for the communities, the best for
01:39the environment.