California is the second largest producer of honey in the country. Beekeepers truck 1.5 million bee colonies around the state annually to help pollinate 760,000 acres of almonds and other nut and fruit orchards. In 2010, California bees produced more than 27 million pounds of honey.

With growing consumer interest in the carbon footprints of products and potential cap-and-trade legislation under California Assembly Bill 32, emissions-tracking is becoming increasingly important for agricultural producers.

Publications:

• Honey Carbon Footprint Calculator
  Beekeepers and others can evaluate the carbon footprint of their honey/pollination operations   
• Honey Carbon Footprint Calculator user guide
• Carbon Footprint and Air Emissions Inventories for US Honey Production: Case Studies. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessments (abstract)
• Honey Carbon Footprint technical report (submitted to National Honey Board, not peer reviewed)

Project Partners

• Alissa Kendall, UC Davis Department of Civil Engineering
• Juhong Yuan, UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies