A comprehensive study by the Smithsonian Institution and the US Department of Fish and Game this year found that hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year in the United States as a result of collisions with buildings. Given that a large number of bird species in this country are in significant decline, the building collision problem is a serious one.
Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey has recently implemented a simple solution that both reduces bird strikes and saves electricity: they installed a window film called CollidEscape. This product appears to be opaque to the birds flying near the building but people inside have a clear view of the outside.
Ordinarily, windows reflect nearby trees and sky, which presents an inviting flyway for birds. With the CollidEscape film, there are no reflections of the environment. In addition, the film blocks about half the heat energy of the sun as well as reducing glare.
Spokespersons for the college say that the bird strikes that were previously a frequent annoyance to students and staff have completely stopped and they have simultaneously seen significant improvements in comfort, glare reduction and solar heat.
Municipal and state authorities are starting to pass legislation mandating bird-friendly designs for new buildings and for building retrofits. For example, San Francisco, Oakland, Minnesota and Toronto now have such building codes. Given that CollidEscape film coatings and similar approaches also save money and increase human comfort, one might argue they represent a way of saving two birds with one stone.
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New Jersey College Goes Bird Friendly: Cuts Electricity Costs, Reduces Fatal Bird Collisions
Photo, posted July 14, 2011, courtesy of the Pacific Southwest Region via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.