There鈥檚 some news buzzing around 糖心Vlog – literally! The in collaboration with the Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC) has taken steps toward environmental sustainability by introducing bees to campus. 

Sarah Beth Waller, a biology junior at Georgia Southern, began beekeeping five years ago while living in suburban Atlanta. Since then, she has become a certified beekeeper through the University of Georgia, has received grants through to build additional beehives and has been featured in .

As part of their ongoing commitment to fostering a greener and more eco-friendly campus, Waller and the Armstrong EcoAdvocates Club have embarked on a new project that’s sure to sweeten the air and promote biodiversity. They’ve recently welcomed a hive of honeybees, and these industrious pollinators are now calling Georgia Southern home. 

The two conventional hives house about 10,00 bees and a queen, and are located by the SARC greenhouse on the north side of the Armstrong Campus.

Bees play a crucial role in pollination which help local flora thrive and ensure the production of many of the fruits and vegetables. By establishing a bee colony on campus, the club aims to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and raise awareness about the importance of these essential pollinators. 

鈥淏ees are essential both to our ecosystems and our society, since they pollinate about 75% of all flowering plants, which includes much of our food,鈥� said Brigette Brinton, MS, SARC director and lecturer of biology at 糖心Vlog. 鈥淭hey’re a great addition to our campus to support the thriving campus arboretum and gardens, serve as an educational resource for courses and to facilitate research on the threats to bee populations globally.鈥�

But their new place on campus isn鈥檛 just about expanding their place 鈥� it鈥檚 about saving their home. Last year, the yellow-legged hornet, a species of hornet that preys on honeybees was first detected in Savannah and the beekeeping community was put on high alert. 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, this invasive insect has the potential to endanger both domestic and wild honey bee populations, as well as native pollinators. Additionally, it could disturb the pollination process of numerous crops and further harm already vulnerable populations of native bees, which have been significantly reduced due to various factors.

The EcoAdvocates Club has not only brought bees to campus, but has also committed to caring for and maintaining the hive. Members of the club have undergone training in beekeeping and have collaborated with local experts at the Savannah Bee Company to ensure the well-being of our new winged residents. 

This initiative aligns with the University’s broader sustainability goals and demonstrates the power of student-led initiatives in creating positive change. The bees on campus will serve as a living example of the positive impact individuals and groups can have on the environment when they come together with a shared vision.

Salt marshes in south Georgia are in constant need of restoration due to rising sea levels. 糖心Vlog graduate student Alexander Gregory is leading a project on the Armstrong Campus to address the loss of marsh habitats by researching Spartina alterniflora, the dominant plant in Georgia salt marshes.

Gregory, along with Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC) Senior Scientist Heather Joesting, Ph.D., is building an aquaponics garden to research the ideal growth conditions of Spartina in order to eventually become the first producer of locally-grown Spartina for Georgia marsh restoration projects.

鈥淪partina is often planted as part of salt marsh restoration projects to stabilize and capture sediment, but there is no local, Georgia source for these plants so coastal managers must purchase them from out-of-state plant nurseries,鈥� Joesting said. 鈥淪alt marsh habitats provide numerous ecosystem services, including coastal protection from storms, carbon sequestration and maintenance of commercial fisheries. Spartina is critical in stabilizing and accumulating sediment to facilitate marsh horizontal and vertical growth.鈥�

Like the current aquaponics garden on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah that is used to grow vegetables, the garden uses fish waste to fertilize the Spartina, which is grown in water. The water is then cleaned by the plants and recirculated into the fish tank. Due to the versatility of Spartina, the garden will be able to use freshwater or marine fish in the growing process, which will cut the cost of buying salt to maintain fish growing conditions in marine aquaculture.

The project, which encompasses a multitude of scientific disciplines and research techniques, has so far provided seven undergraduate research students with experience in field and lab data collection, as well as other research skills that will be relevant to their post-graduation goals.

鈥淭his project incorporates information I’ve learned in courses like organic chemistry, plant biology and microbiology, just to name a few,鈥� Gregory said. 鈥淭here are so many organisms involved in this project, which is key to ecology. We want to understand all of the abiotic and biotic factors that are interacting to create the conditions we see. The knowledge that I brought with me at the beginning of this project pales in comparison to the knowledge I have gained actively planning and executing the work for it.鈥�

While the research on the Spartina garden has been going on since last fall, there is still work to be done on the project. The team is currently monitoring plant survival and finishing completing the fish-garden recirculating system at the aquaponics facility on the Armstrong Campus. This summer the team will collect data in the garden and complete analyses in the lab.

Gregory said the project has the potential to make a large impact on various scientific industries, such as conservation, living shorelines, aquaculture, traditional nursery practices, environmental biology and chemistry. He hopes to use the multidisciplinary aspects of the project in the next step of his professional or academic career.

鈥淚 think this project will have some pretty big implications for conservation of our salt marshes in Georgia and the economic and environmental costs of aquaculture,鈥� Gregory said. 鈥淚 think that the way this project ties together so many different threads is really amazing. I hope by the end of this project I have touched on and used competencies from many of these fields so that I can either get into a Ph.D. program or make myself a strong contender for the jobs that are out there.鈥�

For more information on SARC at 糖心Vlog, visit .

The newest restaurant on the 糖心Vlog Armstrong Campus offers diners comfort in knowing that some of the ingredients were grown just a few hundred yards away in the campus’ aquaponics farm in the Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC).

The agriculture and food industry is one of the largest users of water and producers of greenhouse gas emissions, but growing food by using aquaponics, a system of growing produce by using water fertilized by fish, cuts down on both significantly.

鈥淪ARC produce only travels a quarter mile from where it’s grown,鈥� SARC curator Brigette Brinton said. 鈥淟ocally grown food offers large advantages in terms of increased sustainability and freshness, and SARC produce is grown organically and using sound ecological principles that minimize water consumption.鈥�

Brinton said minimizing emissions and water use does not diminish the quality or taste of the produce. To the contrary, it makes the food taste better because aquaponics produce often has higher concentrations of various compounds that give the foods their flavor, and they are grown in more ideal environments.

Although the dining hall on the Armstrong Campus has been using vegetables and produce from SARC since 2018, Southern Cafe will feature the products as a centerpiece of the restaurant. Availability of aquaponics produce, however, will depend on what is in season.

鈥淧resident Marrero鈥檚 strategic plan directly speaks about sustainability, and we’re able to do that through our relationship with the aquaponics farm,鈥� Ryan Brzycki, Assistant Director of Eagle Dining services, said. 鈥淎fter hearing feedback from the students, we’ve also tried to position Southern Cafe as a leader on campus in regards to using eco-friendly products for all of our containers and disposables, so that’s another huge impact we can make on this campus.鈥�

The restaurant, which is located in the University Court area of the Memorial College Center, will have counter service and serve classic, southern dishes, such as Brunswick stew and chicken pot pie, as well as soups, salads, paninis and desserts. Brzycki said the Southern Cafe will focus on two other strategic pillars, teaching and research and community engagement, in addition to sustainability.

鈥淪tudents and faculty are actively involved in research at that facility, and you can take a tour of it,鈥� Brzycki said. 鈥淎s people find out about Southern Cafe鈥檚 partnership with the aquaponics farm, we can further engagement by teaching people about what aquaponics is and how it can be used.鈥�

Brzycki said Eagle Dining wants to expand on using ultra-local, fresh produce and vegetables, as a part of the partnership with the aquaponics farm.

鈥淲hen we consider redesigns of existing or new dining locations on the Armstrong Campus in the future, we want to see how we can incorporate these same principles,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut for now, Southern Cafe is the flagship unit for the aquaponics partnership, as well as sustainability and healthy eating, of Eagle Dining.鈥�

Brinton said she hopes the Southern Cafe will inspire the students, faculty and staff who eat there to make healthier and more sustainable choices in other areas of their lives.

鈥淪howcasing local, sustainable produce increases students’ awareness that there are better options, and Georgia Southern is going the extra mile to show them how to start making better choices,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ach time students see they made a sustainable choice at the Southern Cafe, they’re more likely to choose sustainable options on their own.鈥�

The newest restaurant on the 糖心Vlog Armstrong Campus offers diners comfort in knowing that some of the ingredients were grown just a few hundred yards away in the campus’ aquaponics farm in the Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC).

The agriculture and food industry is one of the largest users of water and producers of greenhouse gas emissions, but growing food by using aquaponics, a system of growing produce by using water fertilized by fish, cuts down on both significantly.

鈥淪ARC produce only travels a quarter mile from where it’s grown,鈥� SARC curator Brigette Brinton said. 鈥淟ocally grown food offers large advantages in terms of increased sustainability and freshness, and SARC produce is grown organically and using sound ecological principles that minimize water consumption.鈥�

Brinton said minimizing emissions and water use does not diminish the quality or taste of the produce. To the contrary, it makes the food taste better because aquaponics produce often has higher concentrations of various compounds that give the foods their flavor, and they are grown in more ideal environments.

Although the dining hall on the Armstrong Campus has been using vegetables and produce from SARC since 2018, Southern Cafe will feature the products as a centerpiece of the restaurant. Availability of aquaponics produce, however, will depend on what is in season.

鈥淧resident Marrero鈥檚 strategic plan directly speaks about sustainability, and we’re able to do that through our relationship with the aquaponics farm,鈥� Ryan Brzycki, Assistant Director of Eagle Dining services, said. 鈥淎fter hearing feedback from the students, we’ve also tried to position Southern Cafe as a leader on campus in regards to using eco-friendly products for all of our containers and disposables, so that’s another huge impact we can make on this campus.鈥�

The restaurant, which is located in the University Court area of the Memorial College Center, will have counter service and serve classic, southern dishes, such as Brunswick stew and chicken pot pie, as well as soups, salads, paninis and desserts. Brzycki said the Southern Cafe will focus on two other strategic pillars, teaching and research and community engagement, in addition to sustainability.

鈥淪tudents and faculty are actively involved in research at that facility, and you can take a tour of it,鈥� Brzycki said. 鈥淎s people find out about Southern Cafe鈥檚 partnership with the aquaponics farm, we can further engagement by teaching people about what aquaponics is and how it can be used.鈥�

Brzycki said Eagle Dining wants to expand on using ultra-local, fresh produce and vegetables, as a part of the partnership with the aquaponics farm.

鈥淲hen we consider redesigns of existing or new dining locations on the Armstrong Campus in the future, we want to see how we can incorporate these same principles,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut for now, Southern Cafe is the flagship unit for the aquaponics partnership, as well as sustainability and healthy eating, of Eagle Dining.鈥�

Brinton said she hopes the Southern Cafe will inspire the students, faculty and staff who eat there to make healthier and more sustainable choices in other areas of their lives.

鈥淪howcasing local, sustainable produce increases students’ awareness that there are better options, and Georgia Southern is going the extra mile to show them how to start making better choices,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ach time students see they made a sustainable choice at the Southern Cafe, they’re more likely to choose sustainable options on their own.鈥�