Building Certification Opportunities

Building Certification

Bird-Safe Building Certification and Recognition Opportunities

More and more, sustainability professionals are recognizing that a building isn’t truly ‘green’ until it is bird-safe. Besides being good for birds, it’s beneficial to you and your reputation to adopt bird-safe building practices. Third-party certifications can be promoted in corporate sustainability claims, provide credibility, and counter criticism for greenwashing.

For new and existing buildings, consider pursuing these bird-safe building certifications to get recognition for your efforts.

Learn About Bird-Safe Design

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

LEED is a green building certification program led by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). It was developed in 1994 and strives to recognize building strategies and practices that are environmentally friendly and sustainable.

LEED offers a Bird Collision Deterrence pilot credit, the purpose of which is to reduce bird injury and mortality from collisions with buildings. Specific information on the credit is publicly available and includes guidelines for creating bird-friendly façades, reducing unnecessary lighting, and monitoring progress.

Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)

BOMA operates on behalf of building owners, managers, developers, facilities managers, and others in the Canadian commercial real estate industry. The BOMA BEST Sustainable Buildings certification provides a consistent framework for those in the commercial real estate industry to critically assess key areas of environmental performance and management in their buildings.

As part of BOMA BEST, BOMA offers bird-friendly guidelines that buildings must follow to mitigate both daytime and nighttime dangers. These guidelines were developed in consultation with FLAP Canada and include specifications on bird-friendly window treatments, where they must be applied, as well as guidelines for interior and exterior lighting.