Rhode Island has been remarkably successful in turning rotting industrial landscapes into interesting office and residential space. The flipside of that coin is respecting existing green space when development must intrude.

Fidelity Investments’ 500-acre Smithfield campus is doing just that, with its two complete and two under-construction buildings filling in the spaces between wetlands and meadows and woods. And while some smart-growth advocates are unhappy by what they perceive as suburban sprawl, as suburban sprawl goes, this development is respectful of its surroundings.

To make sure that the land stays as close to what nature intended as possible, Fidelity is taking part in a program called “Wildlife at Work,” created by the Wildlife Habitat Council, formed by environmentalists and forward-thinking corporations to “manage their unused land in an ecologically sensitive manner.”

The group says that more than 2 million acres across the globe are being managed using its programs.

For Fidelity’s part, 30 to 40 employees volunteer to take on projects such as building bat boxes and identifying trails. Last year 37 birds were hatched and grew to adulthood on the grounds. The volunteers take employees on nature walks through the campus – only 10 percent is occupied by buildings and roads – bringing along experts to help interpret what they see.

The pleasant work environment helps attract and retain employees who have an interest in environmental issues, according to Fidelity, which reports that being responsible stewardship doesn’t really cost anything. We would add that the cost of not doing it would be steep indeed.