by Brianna Crandall — January 18, 2016—Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the certification body for the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) global Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, announced it will now administer the Green Garage Certification Program through its acquisition of the Green Parking Council.
“Parking and sustainability are not mutually exclusive concepts. Every story about a green building is a story about people — and every story about parking is a story about connections between people and their community,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, COO of USGBC and president of GBCI.
“Through collaborative, integrated and innovative green parking practices, we can advance sustainable mobility. This will enable our parking structures to achieve increased energy efficiency, reduced environmental impact, improved parking space management, integrated mobility solutions and technologies, enhanced performance and stronger community relationships.”
The Green Garage Certification Program is said to be the world’s only rating system defining and recognizing sustainable practices in parking structure management, programming, design and technology. It applies to both new and existing parking structures and was developed by experts from a range of related fields, including parking, architecture, engineering, technology, property management and academia.
The program assesses 48 elements of parking facility sustainability, including management practices that maximize performance while minimizing waste; programs encouraging alternate modes of transportation and community engagement; and efficient and sustainable technology and structure design.
Green Garage Certification was developed with support of the International Parking Institute (IPI) and partners representing all segments of the industry to create an industry-specific approach for recognizing green garages. It draws extensively from knowledge developed through experience with LEED certification and alignment with USGBC’s mission and goals.
GBCI says it will continue to work closely with IPI and other parking industry stakeholders to ensure the Green Garage Certification Program succeeds in driving greater innovation, performance and leadership.
