A Life in Bloom: What the Bees—and This Work—Have Taught Me
- Ray Choudhury
- Jun 12
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 8
When Deb Tomaszewski founded Planet Bee Foundation in 2010, it began with a simple yet powerful mission: to connect people with the natural world through the lens of pollinators. What started as a grassroots effort, visiting classrooms with honey bees and passion, has since grown into a national nonprofit reaching tens of thousands of students each year with hands-on, NGSS-aligned STEM lessons and community science programs. Now, after nearly 15 years of buzzing between classrooms, community gardens, corporate boardrooms, and bee farms, Deb is stepping away from her full-time role as Executive Director. In this farewell interview, Deb reflects on Planet Bee’s beginnings, her proudest moments, lessons from the bees, and what’s next on the horizon.
Can you give us a quick introduction as to who you are, and how Planet Bee got its start?
I’m Debra Tomaszewski, founder of Planet Bee Foundation and a lifelong educator. Planet Bee began in 2010 when my husband, Bill, and I turned our passion for beekeeping into a way to address environmental challenges—starting with the pollinator crisis.
At the time, I was a public school teacher, and I thought, “How cool would it be to bring an observation hive into the classroom?” As an educator, I understood what students needed to stay engaged and what teachers needed to feel supported. That’s why our programs are interactive, hands-on, and aligned with educational standards.
Back in 2010, we launched a very simple website—and surprisingly, the first corporate client to reach out to us was Google. We helped them form an employee beekeeping club and worked with them for a year. Google shared the experience on their blog, and from there, it went viral: “Google has bees!” Every platform and website picked it up. Newspapers ran human interest stories, and suddenly schools began calling. Companies reached out wanting their own beehives. Just like that, we were off and running. Five years later, we became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
What’s incredible is that I initially just thought it would be fun to work with teachers and offer hands-on experiences. I’ve always loved creating and running programs—I love working with young people, teachers, and kids. I also love gardening and conservation. For me, it started as a passion project that just kept growing.
What has Planet Bee’s impact been in the conservation of pollinators?
Our work has reached a broad audience while offering multiple meaningful touch points with the communities we serve. Today, we engage around 175,000 students and community members each year, and since becoming a nonprofit 10 years ago, we’ve reached nearly one million people through our programs. I believe we’ll hit that milestone by the end of the next school year.
But it’s not just about numbers—it’s about impact. Beyond teaching about pollinators, we’ve sparked real change: schools planting gardens, families making bee-friendly choices, and corporations rethinking their approach to sustainability.
We’re helping shift attitudes about conservation. People need to feel like they can make a difference—and helping bees is a tangible, accessible way to do just that. When the world feels overwhelming, supporting pollinators offers a simple, real-world action with meaningful environmental impact.
In classrooms, the excitement of seeing a bee up close often sparks that “aha” moment for students. When we work with corporate teams, participants learn about pollinators and the environment—and then they do something. Every session ends with a stewardship activity. They leave not just with knowledge, but with a clear way to help bees. Helping bees supports the environment, which supports the climate. That action creates a ripple effect of environmental awareness.
That’s what’s so powerful. People walk away realizing that a small action can make a big difference. That’s the beauty of Planet Bee.
We’re also creating pathways into STEM. Science can feel intimidating, academic, or out of reach—especially in communities that lack access and encouragement. Our programs offer a bridge. We hope students see themselves in science, in environmental fields, or even as future scientists. That’s one of our biggest goals: to help people feel empowered to explore STEM, even if they’ve doubted their abilities. I used to feel that way myself—and now I’m teaching science.
How has Planet Bee changed since its founding in 2010?
Planet Bee has grown from a grassroots effort into a national nonprofit. In the early days, we were entirely on the ground—reaching about 7,000 students each year through in-person classroom visits. Even then, I kept thinking, “We have a real curriculum and a real program—how amazing would it be to share this with the world?”
I had always dreamed of going virtual, but the technology just wasn’t there yet. Then the pandemic hit, and we knew it was time. We embraced the opportunity to scale and took our programming to the next level.
We transitioned to virtual learning—offering both live and asynchronous lessons—and expanded our reach across the U.S. We started shipping stewardship kits like seed ball materials and native bee house supplies directly to classrooms, ensuring hands-on experiences continued even from a distance. At the same time, we grew our corporate programs, helping adults reconnect with nature and understand their role in environmental stewardship.
That’s our true impact and value: delivering meaningful education that can be embedded into classrooms and communities—reaching more people, in more places, than ever before.
What has the experience of founding and directing Planet Bee taught you?
If you have a passion, lean into it—especially when it aligns with a mission that fuels you to keep going. That combination is what truly creates impact. With both, you can achieve things you never imagined when you first started.
We began with a simple idea: using something tangible like the bee to spark learning. The timing aligned with the growing awareness around Colony Collapse Disorder. I’ve always loved the environment and teaching, and bringing those passions together is what made the program thrive.
It’s been the joy of a lifetime.
How do you feel about retiring and stepping away from Planet Bee?
It’s bittersweet, of course, but also deeply fulfilling. Planet Bee has been such a meaningful part of my life, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built. I feel confident in where the organization is headed. We have an amazing team, and I’m thrilled that Dr. Jamie Chan is stepping in as Executive Director. She brings a wealth of experience, heart, and vision to the role. Her leadership, creativity, and commitment to education and environmental justice are exactly what Planet Bee needs for this next chapter. I’ve always known she could take the organization to incredible new heights—I truly can’t imagine stepping away with anyone else at the helm.
I’m excited to see new energy and ideas being infused into Planet Bee. When you create a nonprofit, you do it for the world—not for yourself. As much as I’ve loved this work, my goal was always to ensure it was strong and sustainable enough to pass on to the next generation of leaders.
I’ll still be involved as a member of the board of directors, and I look forward to continuing to support the organization. My husband is retiring too, so we’re planning to enjoy a little travel, some quiet time, and whatever else this next chapter brings. I don’t quite know what’s next, but for now, I’m taking a breath—and cheering on Planet Bee every step of the way.
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Honor Deb’s Legacy with a Gift to Planet Bee
Debra Tomaszewski has been an amazing leader these past 15 years, guiding Planet Bee to new heights and using her over 40 years of experience as an educator to develop Planet Bee into the program it is today.
Celebrate Deb’s incredible impact by supporting the next generation of environmental stewards. A gift of $500 gives an entire classroom their own Native Bee House—and as a thank you, we’ll send you a Planet Bee T-shirt or sweatshirt so you can wear your impact with pride.Every gift matters: even $10 helps educate a student!
Join us in wishing her a happy retirement, and the best for all of her future endeavors!
