In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University to study law, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.

    My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.

    Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No.3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.

    You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8. Our home was a complete zoo--a joyous zoo. Not surprisingly, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.

    The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.

    In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!

    I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day. It's a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.

OUR PRODUCT RANGE

    WELCOME TO  NELSON HONEY & MARKETING

    For over 100 years the Cropp family have worked with nature, extracting the honey delicately, to bring you the finest quality New Zealand Honey. In 1973 third generation beekeeper Philip Cropp set up Nelson Honey & Marketing. His passion for bees, the many wonderful products they produce, have seen Nelson Honey grow from humble beginnings to a hugely successful company with a growing range of honey products sought after worldwide.

    Philip's “Honey will fix it” approach is legendary among friends, neighbors and customers and has been the driver behind some of the revolutionary products he developed over the years like Nectar Ease and Royal Nectar.

    Nutrition is all about our honeys. Manuka Honey, sourced from the Marlborough Sounds, Kahurangi National Park and throughout the top of New Zealand's South Island; West Coast Honey, a delicious multi-floral honey also described as the fruit bowl of honeys comes from the pristine (原始状态的) West Coast of the South Island; and finally Honeydew Honey which comes from the Beech forests of the Nelson Lakes areas. All our honeys are great as a food and may offer added benefits.

    Health covers a range of different products, aimed at helping you feel great and stay healthy. Nectar Ease is our sought after Manuka Honey with added Bee Venom range. In this range you'll also find Propolis, Pollen, Manuka Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar with added Manuka Honey.

    Finally our Skincare range is where you will find a range of Manuka Honey soaps as well as our world-famous Royal Nectar products; anything from the Original Face Mask to the new gift packs.

    To read more about how it all started, check out the About Us section, or go straight to Products to order your own goodies.

    Louis Pasteur was born in Dole, France on December 27, 1822. His family was poor, and during his early education Pasteur was an ordinary student who enjoyed art and singing. However, when Pasteur was exposed to science as a teenager, he knew he had found his career.

    In 1838, Pasteur went to college to become a science teacher. He then became a chemistry professor at the University of Strasbourg. He got married in 1849 and had five children. However, three died young from typhoid fever (伤寒症). It was the deaths of his children that drove Pasteur to investigate the infectious disease in order to find a cure.

    During Pasteur's time, people believed that bacteria (细菌) appeared due to “spontaneous generation (自然发生)”. They thought that the bacteria just appeared out of nowhere. Pasteur earned out experiments to see if this was true. Through his experiments he proved that germs (细菌) were living things that came from other living things. They didn't just spontaneously appear. This was a major discovery in the study of biology and earned Pasteur the title of Father of Germ Theory.

    As Pasteur learned more about bacteria, he began to think they may be the cause of diseases in humans. When the French silk market was threatened by a disease to silkworms (蚕), Pasteur decided to investigate. He discovered that this disease was caused by germs. By killing them from the silkworm farms, he was able to cease the disease and save the French silk business.

    Today Louis Pasteur is known as one of the most important scientists in history. His discoveries led to an understanding of bacteria and diseases that has helped save millions of lives.

    It has been found that plastic that finds itself into UK's waters can find its way to the Arctic within just two years. UK researchers have used a current-tracking tool to follow the waste as it was carried by the waters of the northern hemisphere.

    The team at Imperial College London used PlasticAdrift.org to track ocean currents(洋流) and follow the trail of plastic north to the freezing Arctic waters. Their study revealed that the majority of plastic waste which didn't end up on the UK's coastline, or sink to the ocean floor, was carried through the Barents Sea, north of Norway, before being carried into the Arctic Ocean.

    Large pockets of the world's oceans are now choked with a soup of discarded plastics, made up of everything from shopping bags to old children's toys, brought to these trash “islands” by the currents. Over time larger chunks (厚块，大块) are broken down by the sun's ultraviolet rays (紫外线) and the saltwater, leaving plenty of micro plastics which can kill fish and other wildlife.

    Dr. Erik Van Sebille, a lecturer in oceanography (海洋学) and climate change at Imperial, said, “We're only just beginning to understand the effect that plastic waste has on the weak Arctic ecosystem(生态系统), but we know enough about the damage done by oceanic plastic pollution to act and reduce its impact on our oceans and coastlines. From seabirds caught in loops of plastic packaging to polystyrene particles(聚苯乙烯粒子) blocking the digestive(消化的) systems of fish, plastic causes a continuous path of destruction from surface to seafloor. This analysis shows how in the UK we're part of the problem.”

    Dr. Erik continued, “It would be impossible to ban plastic, and undesirable as it is, it's a useful material that offers many benefits. We should instead have a holistic (整体的) approach to improving the situation, including social and behavioral, chemical and engineering solutions. Our aim is to have the least amount of plastic that ends up in the oceans and make sure it degrades (降解) quickly and safely if it does. ”

In May 2019, a friend who had previously been involved in the Restless Development Sierra Leone Business Brains project encouraged me to apply for the "Saving Lives II" project. Seeing this as an opportunity to move closer to my ambition of working in the medical field in the near future, I eagerly seized the chance. Fortunately, my performance during the interview led to me being awarded the role. 

Following the basic training, I was sent to volunteer in Kurubonla, a remote community located in the northern region of Sierra Leone. This assignment presented challenges such as limited road access and communication networks. At first, I felt concerned about being sent there, but with a determined mindset, I set out on the journey, driven by a passion to contribute to my country's development and to push my personal boundaries. 

As I got to know the community, I quickly realized that the challenges extended beyond language barriers and cultural differences; there was also a sense of isolation from my peers. However, I refused to allow these challenges to stop me. I threw myself in my duties, working together with local leaders and community members to identify the most pressing needs. Together, we carried out the projects aimed at improving healthcare, education, and infrastructure (基础设施). Additionally, I organized workshops and training courses to share my knowledge and skills with the locals. 

Over time, I witnessed the positive impact of our collective efforts. Healthcare facilities improved, the number of students in schools increased, and the overall quality of life in the community showed signs of improvement. These achievements were not solely mine; they were a testament to the cooperative spirit and commitment of the entire community. 

Last September an American started a trip through Southwest China on a standard bike she had bought at a local shop. In three months, Jennifer Holstein cycled 2,500 kilometers through three provinces with just two small bags.

Living in Beijing, her life was already great. But Holstein felt the urge to travel the world and look for adventure. It was mid-August of 2021 that the idea came to her to travel China by bicycle. At that time, Holstein had never cycled for more than 20 kilometers around her local city of Beijing.

Holstein shared an experience from the beginning of her trip when she found herself stuck in a tunnel (隧道) with a flat tire (轮胎). It was dark and hot, and she was so scared because she had never changed a tire before. Suddenly, a group of cyclists old enough to be her grandparents came and rescued her.

In addition to receiving the kindness of people across China, Holstein also experienced several unique cultural experiences by attending three local weddings. She spoke about one wedding in detail, "I was in the middle of a small village in Sichuan province, and I was taken into a local Tibetan family's home and they invited me to take part in a wedding. They gave me a dress and even did my makeup. I never thought I would ever have the chance to take part in a Tibetan wedding."

According to Holstein, "Many people want to travel the world and take huge risks, but never do. Don't just live your life hoping your wildest dreams will become a reality someday. Try first and the rest will work itself out." In addition to biking for her own passion and curiosity, Holstein also linked her ride to raise 22,000 yuan for the United Foundation for China's Health.