Green Vehicles Get Special Treatment

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Green vehicles and environmentally-conscious drivers are getting special treatment near The Ohio State University campus. The South Campus Gateway garage has two dozen parking spaces reserved for low-emission vehicles.

The "Green Spot" program was launched in June and has been so successful that General Manager Jim Heinen says another 12 spaces will be added soon.

"If we're at 80 percent or more on a consistent demand, we'll add more spots to it," Heinen says. When NBC 4 visited the garage on Wednesday, only two of the 24 spaces were empty. That's 92 percent occupancy.

"Well, being able to park on the first floor like this is wonderful! I love it!" Larry Lewellen told NBC 4. He drives a certified green vehicle. "Anybody I know that has a green car, I would encourage them to use this right away!"

To use a "Green Spot" parking space, a vehicle must meet certain low-emission and fuel efficiency standards. A vehicle is eligible if its "Green Score" is 40 or higher.

According to Heinen, "It's predominately, when you look through the list, cars that have four cylinders or no emissions at all, like an electric car." They include the expected: Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid; and a few unexpected: Ford Ranger Pickup and Mercury Milan. But Heinen says there are some surprising non-qualifiers like the Toyota 4Runner Hybrid.

Signs warn drivers that non-qualifying vehicles may be "relocated" or towed from Green Spot spaces. First offenders are given a warning and a flyer with information about the program and educational materials. So far, Heinen says, they haven't had to tow any vehicles.

Sarah Mueller's Volkswagen Eurovan doesn't qualify for Green Spot parking but she still thinks it's a good idea. "It's good for the environment and I wish everyone would do it," she says.

"That would be very nice... if I had a car that had low emissions!" said Westerville's Amber Wolfe.

Heinen says the program was inspired by requests from retailers, customers and staff members. It is also part of the organization's efforts to become a LEED-certified, green facility. LEED an internationally-recognized rating system for environmentally-sound construction practices, created by the US Green Building Council. The South Campus Gateway complex already has major recycling efforts underway and energy-saving processes.

The Gateway garage also has racks for 85 bicycles.

A full list of qualifying vehicles is available on the South Campus Gateway website.

Gateway gets its list of green vehicles of from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. ACEEE produces a website called GreenerCars.org and a book of ratings it calls the Green Book. The ACEEE website describes the organization as "an independent, non-profit research group dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of protecting the environment and strengthening the economy."

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