HOW TO SAVE A BILLION BIRDS FOR $1.98 – BIRD-FRIENDLY BUILDING DESIGN
Collisions with glass claim the lives of a billion birds a year in the United States alone. It is second only to domestic cats as a source of mortality linked directly to humans. Birds that have successfully flown thousands of miles on migration can die in seconds on a pane of glass. Glass
is as dangerous for strong, healthy breeding birds as it is for sick, weak, or young birds. It is an indiscriminate killer with a serious impact on bird populations.
Advances in technology have made it possible to construct tall buildings with all-glass walls, homes with huge windows, and miles of transparent noise-barriers on highways. Because of this, there has been an increase in the amount of glass in the built environment and, subsequently, an increased impact on birds.
This presentation will discuss why glass is such a problem for birds, differences in vision between birds and humans, identify the best practices and options in preventing bird collisions, inform about LEED credits and legislation regarding bird-friendly building standards, and offer resources for further information about mitigating problem windows and bird-friendly building design.
A version of this presentation can provide continuing education credit for AIA architects and LEED professionals.
To schedule a presentation or get additional information, contact Gail Walter by phone at 269-598-8784 or 269-383-0025 or via email at gailwalter@nullatt.net.