ents of Going Green’
Good lights are never cheap, and cheap lights are never good LED lights are expensive when
compared to less-energy-efficient lighting. So what are the options for a parking facility if the capital outlay is not available to purchase the LED lights and have them installed in com- pliance with the local building codes? How do you obtain the certifica-
tions required to take advantage of the significant tax and local incentives offered for LED Lighting? Should you purchase LED lights with available capital or rent them with no capital outlay? Should youwait for years for a return on investment when your deci- sion today can be cash flow positive? The Lighting as a Service, or
LAAS, business model allows the parking entity to receive state-of-the- art LED lighting technology without spending a dime on a complete LED lighting retrofit project. The retrofit
consists of the LEDlights, installation, and all the necessary expenses related to a capital improvement project. So what can the return on investment be with LAAS? Since there is no invest- ment, there is no return. LED lights are the beginning.
Consider the possibilities if, for instance, every parking garage had a car-charging station.With the infusion of electric vehicles today, what would a charging station in every parking garage mean to our society? Then imagine coupling a charging station with LED lighting as part of your LAAS program? Clearly, going green can make a
lot of dollars and cents for the park- ing industry. Select a qualified vendor, and
they will be more than willing to pre- pare a professional feasibility study comparing purchase and Lighting as a Service. The future of parking awaits all of
us.The future is bright. ‘Green Parking Council’ –What’s That?
FromtheGreen Parking Councilwebsite (
http://usgreenparkingcouncil.org): “TheGreen Parking Council (GPC) is a nonprofit organization providing leadership and oversight for the green conversion of parking facilities to sustainable, environmentally responsible assets. (It) is dedicated to expand- ing green parking practices and environmental services through its Certi- fiedGreenGarage rating system.
“(The)GPC encourages new, alternative parking practices and exceptional industry transformation through creative thought and ingenuity. By chal- lenging garage owners andmanagers to collaborate and create open- sourced, sustainable best practices, the parking industry can positively impact the environment.”
Its Board ofDirectors includes PamelaD. Brown of Standard Parking, David Allen of theUniversity ofMaryland, John Schmid of Propark Inc., Matt Cahill of Towne Park and Kevin Shrier of The Parking Spot. The GPC’s ExecutiveDirector,Marc Alt, is “a recognized leader and consultant on the emerging green economy, sustainable design and aligning corpo- rate strategywith environmental and social benefit. ...”
TheGPC held its inaugural eventMay 10 at theMandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas during the 2010 International Parking Institute Con- ference&Expo. The launch included a board nominationmeeting fol- lowed by a reception attended by people fromthroughout the parking industry. It is currentlyworkingwith theNational Parking Association and the IPI in formulating publications on green parking.
Formore information, check theGPCwebsite (
http://usgreenparkingcouncil.org).
SEPTEMBER 2010 • PARKING TODAY •
www.parkingtoday.com 33
Robert Das, CEO of The LED Company, can be contacted at Robert.Das@The-LED-
Company.com. Henri du Pont, President of Shared Savings Fund, can be contacted at
HDUPONT@SharedSavingsFund.com.
PT
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