Skip to main content

Throwable ‘seed bombs’ sprout wildflowers that support our dwindling bee population

You’ve probably already heard that the world’s bee population is rapidly disappearing, but did you know that there may be something you can do about it? A San Francisco-based startup called Seedles is on a mission to
Recommended Videos
grow one billion wildflowers, which will hopefully help the bee population bounce back. Since bees are crucial pollinators in the Earth’s delicate ecosystem, the availability of almost everything we eat and drink depends on their wellbeing.

Bees aren’t the only pollinators in our ecosystem, but along with animals like birds, butterflies, and certain insects, they are responsible for coating their bodies in pollen before spreading the dust from plant to plant. But as civilizations have progressed and the natural landscapes of generations past have all but disappeared, the decline of wildflowers has led to the decline of bees. Fruits and vegetables depend on the bees for pollination, so do the crops in foods you might not find in the produce aisle, like cereals or baked goods. Even the coffee and tea many cultures around the world drink regularly are intimately tied to the health of the global bee population.

That’s why Seedles is selling “seed bombs” – packages of mixed organic compost materials embedded with completely natural wildflower seeds. Each seed bomb is the size of a nickel, and costs about $1 for a single “bomb” or $9 for a full guerrilla gardening kit. For the best results for your wildflowers and the environment at large, Seedles recommends you plant flowers local to your region. The wildflowers to choose from include Blue Flax, California Poppies, Texas Bluebonnets, and more. Once the flowers you planted begin to take root and blossom, you will have helped the environment in more ways than the naked eye can see.

Seedles is aiming to plant one billion wildflower seeds with their seed bomb activism. The company has already passed the 35 million flower mark, but Seedles admits it didn’t come up with the seed bomb concept. The term dates back through decades of green-thumbed activism. Since tilling soil on private property is probably a bad idea and is often illegal, Seedles encourages people to plant seed bombs in their own homes, local gardens, or even abandoned lots.

Chloe Olewitz
Chloe is a writer from New York with a passion for technology, travel, and playing devil's advocate. You can find out more…
The best portable power stations
EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Read more
CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation
Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Read more
This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio
acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."

Read more