Source: Green Parking Council, Alexandria, Va.
The first facilities to attain Green Parking Council (GPC) Green Garage Certification are Bank of America Plaza, Los Angeles; BG Group Place, Houston; Canopy Airport Parking, Denver; Charles Square Hotel, Cambridge, Mass.; Cornell University Forest Home, Ithaca, N.Y.; Silver Spring Metro Plaza, Silver Spring, Md.; and, Westpark Corporate Center, Tysons, Va.
The International Parking Institute-affiliated GPC unveiled the program last year for new and existing developments. The certification process assesses structure design and sustainable technology; facility management practices that maximize performance while minimizing waste; and, programs that encourage biking, car sharing, carpooling and alternative fuel vehicles. Sustainable garages utilize energy-efficient lighting and ventilation systems; guidance systems that help drivers find parking faster; idle-reduction technologies; electric vehicle fueling stations; bicycle parking; and, storm water management practices.
Green Garage Certification will be delivered and promoted globally by the Green Business Certification, Inc., the certification body for the U.S. Green Building Council’s global LEED green building rating system, in a strategic partnership with the GPC and International Parking Institute.
Parking garages, cars and people are getting smarter, notes GPC Executive Director Paul Wessel, adding: “The greening of parking facilities transforms them into enablers of sustainable mobility. Certified Green Garages offer significant benefits for drivers, tenants, building owners, property managers, and society overall.”
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