In a new parking industry collaboration, the National Parking Association (NPA) and the International Parking Institute (IPI) announced they have signed an agreement with the Green Parking Council (GPC) to advance environmental sustainability and green parking practices.
The Green Parking Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing oversight for the green conversion of parking facilities to sustainable, environmentally responsible assets.
The agreement between the two parking associations and the Green Parking Council calls for the three groups to work together to advance sustainable practices in the parking industry; develop certification standards for building, retrofitting and monitoring the performance of parking facilities; and establish a credentialing program for parking industry professionals.
According to Marc Alt, executive director of the Green Parking Council, "We are excited to partner with NPA and IPI on a roadmap for open collaboration and innovation in the parking industry. We share mutual goals of providing a voice for parking in the emerging green economy and look forward to offering timely insights and actionable intelligence to parking professionals seeking to incorporate clean technologies and green practices into their portfolios."
Both NPA and IPI are represented on the GPC's Board of Directors. Representing NPA is Jed Hatfield, CPP, the organization's chairman of the board. Hatfield is president of Colonial Parking, Inc., Delaware. Representing IPI is Casey Jones, CAPP, the organization's incoming chairman of the board, who also serves as Co-Chair of IPI's Sustainability Committee. Jones is director of transportation and parking at Boise State University, Idaho.
"This green parking collaboration is a major move by NPA and all facets of the parking industry to embrace sustainable mobility as a vital part of the global economy, transportation systems and smart development," said Christine Banning, CAE, president of NPA. Banning added: "NPA is dedicated to advancing green practices in parking that welcome open source collaboration, advance best practices and support strategic innovation."
"Everyone wins with this joint initiative," said Shawn Conrad, CAE, executive director of IPI. "As we look to the future, broad-based industry collaboration on green parking is simply the best way to support innovation, avoid duplication of effort and ensure that standards and certification guidelines are developed without competing interests complicating progress or creating confusion."
National Parking Association is the nation's leading parking trade group advancing the interests of the private and public sector in parking technology, sustainable mobility, certification, advocacy, research and education. Founded in 1951, NPA has more than 2,000 members and represents all facets of the parking industry.
International Parking Institute is the largest and leading trade association representing parking professionals and the parking industry worldwide. The organization publishes The Parking Professional monthly magazine, dubbed the "bible of the parking industry" and each year hosts the IPI Conference & Expo, the largest gathering of parking professionals and exhibitors in the world.
