Habikits: Serving Southern Appalachia and Bee-yond
Learn from 2022 Ambition Accelerator finalist Emily, founder of nonprofit Build for Bees
by Ana Popovich
When Emily found out about the Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator in 2022, the year Ashoka and the Taco Bell Foundation launched the social impact program to fuel young changemakers’ ideas, she almost didn’t apply. “I had so much on my plate, and I doubted my hard work would pay off,” Emily says.
Emily is the CEO and founder of Build for Bees, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to protect all bee species. Her Ambition Accelerator application detailed her innovation Habikit as a “a bee habitat restoration kit for Southern Appalachia.”
A Habikit consists of a “wooden planter box filled with bee-friendly flowers that thrive in the region.” Portable, accessible, and low-maintenance, Habikits give the everyday person a way to help restore bee habitat in the Southern Appalachian area. Emily started her project in her home state of Tennessee.
Habikit was among the nearly 300 applications to the Ambition Accelerator and selected to be one of the 26 teams chosen to attend the Summit, an immersive three-day event where young changemakers engaged in skill-building and networking. Furthermore, Habikit was selected as one of five projects to enter a pitch competition — Emily and Gowri, her teammate, came away with $11,500 in seed funding.
We recently caught up with Emily to see how she and her venture are doing, a couple years after being an Ambition Accelerator Summit finalist. Read on to get updates!
How the Ambition Accelerator fueled Build for Bees’ work
Emily was excited to apply to the Ambition Accelerator because of the funding and mentorship the social impact challenge offers. And being an Ambition Accelerator finalist led to a “significant milestone” in developing Habikit. “It’s the first initiative we’ve strategically designed to grow over time. Once we’ve got Southern Appalachia down pat, we plan to apply our model to other regions,” Emily says.
Emily and the Build for Bees team is committed as ever to protecting bee habitats, spreading the word about the importance of bees, and helping people take action in their own communities to be a part of the solution.
“We lost an estimated 48.2% of our managed honeybee colonies in 2023. As for native bees, we haven’t seen about a quarter of our known species since the 90s. I discuss some of the leading causes in my Tedx talk, if you’re interested in learning more. While it’s a complex issue requiring systemic change, it’s also one we can address within our own communities,” Emily tells us.
“Habitat loss stands out as a significant culprit. As we make way for new developments, we eliminate crucial nesting and foraging grounds for bees,” Emily says. “Our initiative, Habikit, aims to combat this problem. Beginning in Southern Appalachia, we’re collaborating with experts to develop planter boxes filled with low-maintenance, bee-friendly flowers that thrive in the region.”
Updates on Build for Bees and Habikits, Two Years Later
Since taking part in the Ambition Accelerator, Emily reports on several exciting developments for her initiative. “Last spring, we organized a test run planter box building event with volunteers. The 10 planter boxes built have been placed around Maryville College campus,” Emily says.
“We also continued to refine our plant selection. It sounds simple, but meeting all of our criteria has proven quite challenging,” Emily advises. “The flowers need to thrive in planter boxes, play well with their neighbors, look nice (which can be tricky with some native species), require minimal upkeep, and, of course, be attractive to bees.”
Looking forward to spring 2024, Emily and her team are excited to plant “our selected flowers in the planter boxes we’ve installed. Additionally, we’ve received pre-orders for Habikits from a handful of individuals, acknowledging that this is a trial run. We’re excited to install these as part of the pilot initiative.”
The Summit’s Impact and Advice for 2024 Applicants
The 2022 Ambition Accelerator Summit was held at the Taco Bell headquarters, and Emily tells us about the impact of being a Summit attendee. “The summit was a blast. It’s not every day you get excused from school and flown out to California. As an activist, I don’t always put myself first. Being in an environment where I felt celebrated and understood was energizing.”
Emily also says that she’s made lasting bonds with other Summit attendees: “I still keep in touch with many of the changemakers I met there.”
What advice would Emily give to young changemakers and potential applicants of the 2024 Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator? “Find reassurance in the fact that most of the other applicants are busy, too. If you struggle to believe in yourself, believe in your mission, and find excitement in the opportunity to pursue it.”
This year, the Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator has expanded and invites young changemakers ages 16–26 from the U.S., U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and India to apply! Whether you have an idea to impact your community for the better or have already established a social impact initiative, Taco Bell Foundation’s Ambition Accelerator aims to fuel the next generation’s bold ambitions for creating change. To read more about the program, visit the English or Hindi website!
