A Sweeter Solution
A Sweeter Solution
At MillerKnoll, they have managed to take their company philosophy and bottle it.
Sustainable in Every Sense
In 1995, MillerKnoll moved into the GreenHouse, an environmentally friendly manufacturing and office facility in Holland, Michigan. One day, they noticed large colonies of angry paper wasps that had decided to make the exterior of our building their new home. But MillerKnoll wasn’t about to reach for the pesticides. Their solution? Bees.
Six hundred thousand of them, housed in 12 beehives on the GreenHouse grounds. Before long, the bees had persuaded the wasps to move elsewhere. And their new friends cross-pollinated the surrounding fields, giving MillerKnoll spectacular wildflowers. They also had another favorable result: Honey. And lots of it.
Today, MillerKnoll has anywhere from 24-38 hives on-site each year that are home to a couple hundred thousand bees, according to their beekeeper. The average lifespan for each honeybee is around two weeks, and each makes 1/16th of a teaspoon of honey during its lifetime. Together, the colony produces four to five barrels of honey each year that are collected and bottled exclusively for MillerKnoll and their guests. And while the honey may only come in a 4-ounce bottle, we believe the story behind it speaks volumes.
To MillerKnoll, the honey exemplifies their commitment to the environment, to those who live in it, and to those who will inherit it. Angry wasps included.
Create A Sustainable Workplace
Our journey toward sustainability is ongoing, and we invite you to join us in making a positive impact on the environment.