LHV is keeping 300,000 bees on the roof of the bank building

4. August 2020

As of this spring, nearly 300,000 bees have been living on the 7th floor intermediate roof of the LHV bank building and, as productive workers, they have also already provided their first yield of honey.

Similarly to several leading banks in the world, LHV has also adopted a clear aim of fighting against climate change. While the adopting of bees is a clearly symbolic step in LHV’s green action plan, the bees also actually play a very important role in terms of the urban environment.

‘Bees in the urban landscape are actually not that unusual. They can be found, for example, on the roofs of the London Stock Exchange building and the Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, in the rose garden of Kadriorg and now, on the roof of the LHV bank building. Urban beekeeping helps to maintain biodiversity in urbanised areas as well’, said Marko Kiisa, hobbyist beekeeper and Head of Corporate Financing at LHV.

The urban environment here is quite favourable for honeybees. For example, bees at LHV only need to fly 300 metres to Tammsaare Park, 400 meters to the Police Park, 600 metres to Kanut Garden, 1.5 kilometres to Kadriorg Park, and 2.4 kilometres to Lake Ülemiste Forest.

The first honey was extracted from LHV’s hives last Friday, after more than 100 kg of honey had been accumulated. In total, almost 300 kg of pure, healthy and tasty urban honey is expected to be the yield for this summer.

According to Kiisa, it is increasingly important that companies find different ways to draw attention to and resolve environmental problems. ‘Capital has a new colour, and it’s green. Just this year, we introduced our green action plan, which will make all our activities increasingly environmentally friendly; we offer green choices for our clients and we wish to make our offices climate neutral. Bees on the roof of our office building are perfect for conveying this message – it is important that this is only a symbolic part of our broad action plan’, he added.

In spring, LHV brought a green pension fund, home loan, leasing and hire-purchase to the market. They also measured and mapped their CO2 footprint. Within two years, LHV wishes to make its offices climate neutral, thus contributing to the Republic of Estonia’s goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.