Clear Skies Ahead: Reducing Bird-Building Collisions

Clear Skies Ahead: Reducing Bird-Building Collisions

Author: Environmental Law Institute March 12, 2025 Duration: 44:31

Each year, around one billion birds die from collisions with buildings in the United States—an alarming but preventable crisis driven by modern glass architecture. In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by Viveca Morris of Yale Law School, Dan Piselli of FXCollaborative Architects, and Christine Sheppard of the American Bird Conservancy to explore the scope of the problem and the innovative solutions taking flight. The conversation highlights how science, design, and public policy are coming together to reduce bird-building collisions, with a focus on local laws in cities like New York and San Francisco that are driving industry change. The episode also touches on practical considerations (including challenges) in implementing these policies and the creative ways architects and policymakers are working to make buildings safer for birds—without compromising aesthetics or functionality. Listeners will gain insight into how legal frameworks, community action, and industry innovation are transforming the built environment to better protect wildlife.

★ Support this podcast ★

Produced by the Environmental Law Institute, People Places Planet is a conversation grounded in the practical realities of environmental stewardship. This podcast moves beyond abstract theory to explore how laws, policies, and innovative governance models are actively applied. Each episode features discussions with practitioners, scientists, legal experts, and community leaders who are directly engaged in crafting and implementing solutions. You’ll hear nuanced analysis on the intersection of business, regulation, and education, focusing on tangible outcomes rather than just identifying problems. The dialogue consistently centers on how complex frameworks operate in the real world, affecting specific communities, ecosystems, and industries. Listening provides a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that drive environmental progress and the challenges that arise at the intersection of human activity and planetary health. It’s an essential resource for anyone curious about the foundational rules and creative strategies shaping our relationship with the environment, offering clarity on the legal and policy threads woven through every environmental issue. Tune in for thoughtful, expert-driven perspectives that connect the dots between policy texts and their impact on the ground.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

People Places Planet
Podcast Episodes
The Enforcement Angle: Corporate Compliance Monitors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:47
Increasingly, independent third parties—better known as “corporate compliance monitors”--are appointed to oversee a company’s compliance following the settlement of a criminal or, sometimes, civil enforcement case. Justi…
Women & Water [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:51
International Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 to bring attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. One women’s issue that is ofte…
The Enforcement Angle: The New Mexico Environment Department [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:07
With its deeply forested mountains, unique rock formations, vast plains, and moonlike deserts, New Mexico—the fifth largest state of the nation—boasts a unique landscape. Tasked with protecting and restoring the environm…
National Wetlands Award Feature: Wetlands Watch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:16
ELI’s Georgia Ray speaks with Ross Weaver, the Program Assistant Director for Wetlands Watch, in this first in a series of episodes highlighting the incredible work of wetland heroes throughout the country.
ELI 2022 Year in Review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:49
John Pendergrass, ELI’s Vice President of Programs and Publications, and Sandy Thiam, Associate Vice President of Research & Policy, share highlights from ELI’s research department in 2022 as well as a preview of what’s…

«1...678910