Sat 11/23 @ 11AM-1PM
One of the many objections you’ll hear hurled at green energy advocates by climate deniers is “Wind turbines kill birds!” Actually wind turbines aren’t even in the top five. You know what leads the pack? Windows and buildings! Birds collide with buildings —highrises and lowrises — and even car windows at a much higher rate than they get caught in wind turbines.
There’s a program that’s addressing that issue, with the mission to create “bird-friendly communities.” It’s called “Lights Out,” and it’s sponsored by the Audubon Society. It offers multiple ways lights can be adjusted to deflect birds from flying into buildings.
“Taking more steps to decrease the amount of light our buildings emit minimizes unnecessary bird deaths, saves money by reducing energy consumption, and supports your or your organization’s sustainability goals,” they tell us. “Moreover, taking these kinds of initiatives to protect birds can even earn you recognition for green, bird-friendly practices.”
(You can also keep your cats indoors, as cats are another bigger killer of birds than wind turbines).
Lights out Cleveland is one of the program’s many local offshoots, itself an offshoot of Ohio Lights Out. It works with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village to enroll buildings to become more bird-friendly. Among the buildings in the program at Cleveland City Hall, the Browns Stadium, Progressive Field and Skylight Office Tower; there’s a map of participating buildings on their website.
You can also learn more about the habits of various birds and how they’re impacted by building lights at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Scientist Saturdays. CMNH’s Zoology Collections Manager Courtney Brenna will be preparing bird specimens collected by the Lights Out Cleveland program and displaying previously prepared ones for study and discussion. So even the dead ones can help us learn more. It’s free with museum admission, and it’s geared for all ages.
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106