Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Can garages advance our sustainability goals?

  • By Paul Wessel
  • 12/01/15

Campus parking and transportation programs provide a vital but oft-underappreciated service. Cornell and Arizona State University are among the schools leveraging their parking and transportation programs to support campus sustainability goals while enhancing the performance of their operations.

Cornell, for example, has taken advantage of the Green Parking Council’s recently launched Green Garage Certification program to both promote and distinguish its transportation sustainability programs. Cornell’s Forest Home Garage’s LED lighting, strategies for reducing vehicle idling, bike parking programs, building systems commissioning and campus-wide parking and demand management plan helped it achieve the first university Green Garage Certification.

For interested managers, Cornell’s senior director of Transportation, Bridgette Brady, suggests looking for low-hanging fruit as a start. “For an existing structure with a limited capital budget,” she advises, “you can add recycling, bicycle parking, interpretive signs about sustainability and greening your garage, and wayfinding to multi-modal stops, carshare and bikeshare.”

“Adding bike parking to an existing garage can be easy and economical,“ adds Arizona State University’s assistant director, Commuter Services, JC Porter. “At ASU we were able to take an underutilized space in a garage and add bike racks and a card access area to create a bike-only parking that can be accessed by registered bike owners.” Additionally, ASU’s solar canopies increase rooftop parking utilization while producing green power for the university.

Increasing the performance of our campus operations while consuming fewer resources is the challenge and opportunity no matter where we find ourselves. Even the humble parking garage can pitch in. As our cars get smarter and we get smarter, our garages will too. Keep up with the developing story at greenparkingcouncil.org.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Paul Wessel is executive director of the Green Parking Council (greenparkingcouncil.org).

Featured

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Barbara Vick Western Branch has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.