Dive Brief:

• The time has come, the Green Parking Council says, to bring environmental considerations and sustainable design to commercial parking garages.
• The group has created the Green Garage Certification Standard, which it says is "is the world’s only rating system defining and recognizing sustainable practices in parking structure management, programming, design, and technology."
• The council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has included standards for designing technology and structures, operating park structures and creating programs such as small-vehicle parking, mass transit access and car-sharing and ride-sharing.

Dive Insight:

The International Parking Institute says it is the largest organization of professionals in the parking industry. The Green Parking Council and the IPI affiliated last year so that they can "provide the mechanism for a free exchange of ideas, utilization of resources and full collaboration to allow our industry to makes its greatest contribution to the sustainability of our planet."