Chicagoans, make your home windows safe for our feathered friends

While I was glad to see the recent coverage of a lakefront building using bird-safe glass, Chicago shouldn’t exactly celebrate bird-safety measures after years-long delays.

As an animal welfare advocate and former student employee of sustainNU, Northwestern University’s sustainability program, I have, unfortunately, seen many stunned dead birds on city sidewalks.

This happens after they encounter bright lights, tall buildings and reflective glass directly in their migration path. In fact, Chicago is the most dangerous city for birds due to collisions with buildings, according to a 2019 study from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The city must be more proactive if it hopes to be a leader in sustainability and environmental initiatives.

The 2024 update to Chicago’s sustainable development policy, made public in April, still fails to make bird safety measures mandatory for new construction.

New York City, by contrast, requires that at least 90% of the exterior of a building’s first 75 feet be constructed with bird-friendly materials. Birds fly at tree level, so one- to three-story buildings pose the biggest threats.

Similarly, the voluntary Lights Out Chicago program has empowered office workers in tall buildings to save thousands of birds’ lives annually by turning off or dimming lights. 

Chicago’s sustainable development policy needs more robust regulations, but we can’t wait another seven years for an update. 

Residents can act now by removing house plants from windows, adding their bird-safe window stickers, turning off lights at night in offices and residences and more. Our communities can proactively prevent mass avian deaths, even while we lobby skyscraper developers to change their practices.  

Jillian Moore, Evanston 

Red Line stations need bathrooms

I was pleased to read about the extension of the Red Line. The Green Line extends west into Oak Park, the Red Line going north goes to Evanston, and beyond on the Yellow and Purple lines.

But the Red Line South stops well short of the city limits. I remember when it opened. I attended Harlan High School, and my sister and I would take the Red Line to the Chicago Public Library to do research.

One request to Mr. Dorval Carter: Put public toilets into the new stations. I donated a kidney, so toilets are necessary, even going north from 95th Street to Howard Street.

Metra at least has toilets in the LaSalle Street Station, thankfully. But rapid transit has more options for travel in the city.

Janice Gintzler, Crestwood

Slumping White Sox

How can any right-thinking person blame Pedro Grifol for the disaster that is the 2024 White Sox? The other night, the highest batting average in his lineup was .232 (Lenyn Sosa) and three others were batting under .200.

No manager could win with this group, which you'll quickly find out if Grifol is canned. The truth is that Grifol was handed a steaming bag of trash by first Rick Hahn and now Chris Getz.

If anyone should be fired, it is Getz, who was director of player development before becoming general manager. He obviously failed miserably at that job but somehow was promoted by Jerry Reinsdorf in spite of it.

Grifol waited his entire career to manage a Major League team and instead was given a minor-league roster. If he's fired, he should sue the team for malfeasance.

Glenn Bischoff, Bartlett

How about a gold-medal cover?

Your Sunday front page was a travesty. "GOLD METAL?"

To put a Lollapalooza musician in the same category as the world athletes who trained for years and are competing for medals is truly in bad taste. Yes, the musicians practice for many years (giving them their due), but they certainly are not in the same category as gold medal winners at the Olympics in France.

I feel the Olympic athletes are due an apology and Stephen Carpenter should only be considered a pugnacious musician as you also state.

Larry Fradin, Deerfield