Own a business and care about the local wildlife? Then this blog is for you. In this article, we will discuss how business owners with retail space in NJ can help the wildlife in their area in little ways. You may think you can’t help the wildlife from a place of business, but you’d be mistaken!
There are lots of little things you can do to make your store a little more wildlife and environmentally friendly, and that doesn’t necessarily entail attracting critters to your business, either! Let’s jump right into it with our first tip:
- Put stickers on your windows
This is important so birds don’t fly into your windows and hurt themselves. If your store or office has large glass windows, they probably cast a perfect reflection of the exterior, and birds may not realize it’s a reflection on hard glass panels. This can result in them crashing into your window, causing damage and disrupting business operations.
Prevent this problem by sticking bits of colored tape or stickers onto your windows. They can be fliers or promotional material too, so they don’t look out of place. Or you can get wildlife-themed stickers that announce your love of wildlife to the world. When birds notice these stickers they’ll realize something is up, and they won’t venture close. This can save many avian lives.
- Put out food
If you don’t want to attract birds and critters close to your store, you can do this in a far away spot. Just go out and disperse some seeds at the local park, right before you go to work. Or for those who don’t mind, you can put out a plate or a little tub with food for small critters, and birdfeeders for our delightful feathered friends. Your customers will probably enjoy the view, and their melodious chirps and rambunctious fighting will make your time at work much more pleasant.
And once the feeders are out, welcome wildlife! Even if the only birds to visit are sparrows and crows, you can still enjoy them. You don’t need fancy orioles, waxwings and painted buntings. Common city birds are not only pretty, but absolutely delightful to watch – and they’re a lot friendlier!
- Organize a beach clean-up drive
Making your retail space in NJ more wildlife-friendly doesn’t just entail making changes to the property itself. You can be more wildlife friendly by engaging in activities that help animals. Organizing beach clean-ups is one way to do this. Just take your team and go to the beach or to any other natural spot where plastic and trash tends to accumulate armed with large trash bags, and clean up as much of it as you can.
The activity sounds off-putting, but it can be very rewarding, and even fun! A day out in the sun with the team, talking and spending time together without worrying about productivity feels wonderful. Add to that the sense of achievement felt when you do something good for the environment, and it’s bound to be a good experience all-round. Make sure to take along plenty of supplies, including disposable gloves, trash bags, and other items.
- Put out water
This is especially important in the summer months, but birds and little critters need to drink water year-round. Put out a birdbath or even just a little empty container with some thawed water in it, and you’ll be helping the local wildlife heaps! Just remember to wash out and refill the water daily.
You don’t have to fuss over it too much. If it’s cold and the water freezes, don’t go out of your way to thaw it out and refill it unless you want to. Just doing that little bit is enough. However, in the summer months, you might want to top up the water reservoir if the water in it evaporates. Consider putting it in a shady spot away from where people walk, so animals and birds can visit it without fear, and drink water and rest in the shade for a while.
- Save energy, and go solar
You might be wondering what this has to do with helping wildlife. This is one of those points that doesn’t help wildlife directly, but does so in an indirect, long-term way. If you install solar panels at your retail space in NJ, that means you use solar energy instead of normal electricity, which uses fossil fuel. Solar energy is a lot more eco-friendly, and among its many benefits is the fact that it’s better for our wildlife.
From Animal Welfare Institute: “Driving less, using energy efficient vehicles and appliances, and simply turning off the lights when you leave a room reduce energy use. Many power plants rely on coal and other fossil fuels that damage wildlife habitat when they are extracted, and pollute the environment and contribute to climate change when burned. Unplug appliances and chargers when not in use to eliminate electricity bleeding. You can also consider joining a community solar program or adding solar technology to your home or business.”
- Compost your waste
Instead of throwing your waste into a landfill (or worse, the ocean), compost it. This is loads better for the environment, and what’s good for the environment is ultimately good for the local wildlife. When you avoid dumping trash into landfills, you also reduce the amount of trash that goes out into the oceans and hurts our marine animals. Secondly, compost can be used in your own garden, therefore getting you something out of nothing.
- Recycle!
Wildlife Trusts shares tips: “Be sure there are enough clearly-labelled recycling bins around the workplace and in busy places like the kitchen or by printers”, “Use pictures to show what should go in each bin – that way, people won’t put things like non-recyclable plastic wrappers in the recycling”, “Appoint a green team from different departments to discuss how your recycling scheme can work across the workplace”, and “Give your scheme a proper launch! Let everyone in the office know that a new recycling system is in place.”
Recycling helps wildlife by reducing the amount if plastic in the environment, cutting down on the amount of new plastic produced, saving trees, saving water (used to create new material), and making our world cleaner.
- Plant trees on your property
If you have lawn space outside your retail space in NJ, use it effectively by planting trees. This is a much better idea than having a grass lawn, for several reasons. Firstly, trees provide shade. Secondly, trees are low-maintenance in the long term. Thirdly, trees provide an excellent habitat for the local wildlife – such as squirrels, birds and more. Lastly, trees are aesthetically pleasing and you can choose flowering varieties to add more interest to your property.
Planting even a single tree is a commitment, but if your local council permits it and you are willing to make the commitment, you should certainly go ahead and do it. You can get a beautiful young tree from your local garden center, and you can borrow the tools you will need to plant it. From there on, all it’ll take is some tender loving care.
- Organize a fundraiser
From Wildlife Trusts: “Help the people caring for wildlife near you by fundraising for your local Wildlife Trust. From having a day of wild fancy dress to running a wild bake sale, there are so many ways to get involved in protecting wildlife. Get creative and go wild!
Some ideas to get you started:
- Bake for wildlife – get together with some colleagues and bake some wild goodies like butterfly cupcakes or a hedgehog cake, or maybe even a traybake decorated with a ‘wildlife scene’!
- ‘Wild onesies’ – pay a pound to have a wild day wearing onesies at school! Or go in wild fancy dress to work.
- Food tasting fundraiser – have a local gin distillery? Or a cheese specialist? Or maybe a wine shop? Organize a tasting session! Sell tickets, donate a cut to a local conservation charity and help a local business grow.
So, these were nine simple ways in which you can help wildlife at your workspace. There’s a lot more that you can do, but these nine points are an excellent starting point. You can also use most of these tips at home. Encourage your employees to help the local wildlife as well.
Finding the perfect retail space in NJ
Having a retail space that you really like can put a spring into your step and make you enthusiastic about taking on new projects. Everybody deserves to have the property of their dreams, and with Blau & Berg, you can find it easily! Just tell us what your requirements are, and we will do the rest.
Here’s a little about the company:
Since its inception in 1932, The Blau & Berg Company has held a leading position in the New Jersey and Tri-State commercial real estate market. Headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, Blau & Berg is an independent, full- service commercial real estate brokerage firm providing services in the industrial, retail and office spaces, including: site selection, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, tenant representation, portfolio sales, asset repositioning, and property & construction consulting.
