A city in the Netherlands has covered hundreds of bus stop roofs in bee-friendly plants in support of the city’s biodiversity and to improve the overall 'quality of air'.

So far, a total of 316 shelters in Utrecht have been covered in beautiful greenery – mostly made up of sedum plants. Not only does this amazing initiative support Utrecht’s pollinating populations, but it also helps capture fine dust and store rainwater.

To maintain the shelters, the city has mobilised workers who drive around in electric vehicles, while also fitting energy-efficient LED lights and benches made from bamboo.

In the upcoming months, the city council plans to introduce 55 new electric buses which will be powered directly by Dutch windmills, and aims to have 'completely clean public transport' by 2028. Which all sounds fantastic doesn't it?

Utrecht, which is home to nearly 1.3 million people, is also running a scheme allowing its residents to apply for funding to transform their own roofs into green roofs.

Explaining the benefits of 'green' rooftops, the city council’s website states: “A green roof is good for a healthy and liveable city. The city can therefore better cope with climate problems. It helps to prevent flooding and ensures that we suffer less from heat.”

In other great news for our furry little pollinating friends, McDonald's recently opened the world's first drive-thru restaurant for bees.

A little bit gimmicky - yes, but the tiny fast food joint actually has a very important purpose and message behind it.

The ‘McHive’ beehives will be placed on top of a whole host of the fast food chain's restaurants in Sweden in order to try and help the declining population of the hugely important insects.

Bees pollinate roughly 70 of the 100 types of crops responsible for feeding 90% of the world’s population, with honey bees responsible for £23 billion worth of crops a year - so, it’s not hard to see how damaging the loss of the insects could be, and currently populations are dropping at a, quite frankly, scary rate.

There are currently five McHives in Sweden, and the project is a collaboration between the McDonalkd’s and NORD DDB, 

Marketing director of McDonald's Sweden, Christoffer Rönnblad, said: “We have a lot of really devoted franchisees who contribute to our sustainability work, and it feels good that we can use our size to amplify such a great idea as beehives on the rooftops.”