The Deadly Thump
I knew what it was even before going to look. Pacing around the Caldwell student lounge on a cold January afternoon, I remembered an article I had read in Audubon's monthly magazine about bird mortality when I noticed the little twisted heap of something on the ledge, underneath the huge bay windows. I drew in close to see a dead bird, with a small feather still attached to the nick it had made in the window. Society's fascination with clear walls had claimed another victim.
Unfortuantely birds have never been taught about these things called windows. It turns out that millions of birds die every year from striking windows in everything from skyscrapers to car windows. But it doesn't have to remain that way. Part of the solution? Fritted glass.
Quite simply, fritted glass is glass that is enmeshed with patterns to give it visibility, which birds can see. In addition to decreasing bird mortality, it saves money; the fritting helps reduce cooling costs by reducing the amount of sunlight that enters the building. The article mentions that Swarthmore College installed the fritted panes for a cost of $20k and have already reduced their cooling expenditures by $40k. Fritted panes pass the test of being both sustainable and economically defensible. Could this be an option for NC State and other UNC schools? I certainly hope so.