EASTPORT -- J. Matson Heininger wants shirts he is selling to create a buzz.
The "Save The Bees" logo wear shows queen, drone and worker bees hovering above a map of the world, with the continents colored in green.
"This is about bees and colony collapse disorder, but it's also ... an environmental statement," Heininger said.
Heininger and wife Debra Hobohm launched the line of bee-savvy clothing in June through their Web site www.savethebeesshirts.com, where they offer T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and other products. They intend to devote part of the business proceeds to student scholarships and bee research.
Honeybees are disappearing in a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. It's a troublesome trend that has local researchers looking into alternative pollinators and working on growing native plant strips next to cherry orchards, said Nikki Rothwell of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station.
Heininger's property above Torch Lake gave him some inspiration to delve into bee problems. The land is located near Eastport with orchards close by and down a two-track sprinkled with rust-colored pine needles. The vantage affords staggering views of the lake and Grand Traverse Bay. Heininger, who designs and builds houses, is finishing a home for the site. In addition to blogging and reading about bees, the couple also offered their property to Michigan State University for research purposes.
Hobohm said they also are working to create an environment on their property that naturally attracts bees, starting with planting wildflowers.
"We are very, very small, but if everybody adds to the big picture I think we can change the complexion of the world, and this was just one little thing that we could do," she said.
The clothing venture fits into Heininger's life as a self-labeled "third-tier Renaissance man." He graduated from Michigan State in 1972 with a degree in economics and spent years in Aspen, Colo., skiing. He worked as a maid in a hotel, on a concrete crew and in carpentry. The construction experience led to designing and building houses in this region and elsewhere. He also is a sailor, wrote a novel and is completing his second book.
"Save The Bees" shirts are printed and embroidered at a Charlevoix shop. Business started off with about 10 to 20 pieces sold per week, including three shirts shipped to the United Kingdom, Heininger said.
If the line catches on, he would like to make enough money to pay taxes on the property and buy some more fruit trees, in addition to continued support of scholarships and research.
"Weirder things have happened, like Paul Newman's salad dressing, but I don't look like Paul Newman," he said.
