Meet December's featured Sustainability Coordinator, Caroline Chadderdon
For Caroline Chadderdon, her motivation to join the Sustainability Coordinator Program was sparked by a rather unfortunate issue: the sound of birds colliding with windows.
“I started hearing these thuds every once in a while,” Chadderdon says. “I was just so taken aback. There were so many thuds against the windows.” This unsettling noise led her to explore how she could contribute to solving the problem of bird strikes—a concern that resonated deeply with her.
The Sustainability Coordinators program at UBC became her avenue for addressing this issue. “I wanted to find some sort of place to volunteer some time and be involved in something that I was passionate about,” Chadderdon explains. Her dedication to environmental sustainability is rooted in her personal experiences.
“I spend a lot of my own time outdoors—hiking, biking, birding. It’s how I de-stress and restore myself. Seeing the environmental impact of things like fires really affects me personally, and I wanted to do something positive and productive.”
Her involvement with the Sustainability Coordinators program has been instrumental in advancing her bird-friendly initiatives. Despite her busy schedule, Chadderdon has leveraged her connections within the program to drive significant change.
“I made some contacts, got in touch with a professor who teaches a human and wildlife conflict class,” she notes. This collaboration, along with a data collection effort by students on bird strikes across the Buchanan building, proved crucial in making her case for intervention.
“We put up the dots on the windows in the worst area, and we went from thirty birds being killed in one short data collection period to none after the dots were installed,” she reports. Her advocacy, supported by data and guidance from experts like Environment Canada's land bird specialist, has led to the installation of bird-friendly measures on three different window facades in Buchanan, with plans for more.
Chadderdon emphasizes her gratitude for the Sustainability Coordinator program’s support. “I really want to highlight that I’m really grateful for the support and encouragement.”