A sustainability commitment might be a little thing when it’s just down on paper, but it becomes a much bigger deal when large projects “cement” that commitment in place. That’s exactly what Lansing Community College is doing right now as they stick to their
sustainability pledge and invest $650,000 in a new parking lot that will expand the organization’s parking needs in a greener and more sustainable way.
The innovative parking lot will be Lansing’s first and Michigan’s largest pervious concrete lot. Pervious concrete allows rainwater to filter directly through the pavement where it will be further filtered before entering either the water treatment system or a river. And reducing runoff is only one of the new material’s benefits.
“The pervious concrete allows the earth’s natural heat to rise through the concrete,” says Eric Glohr, Director of Auxiliary Services for LCC. “That melts off small amounts of snow where in a traditional parking lot you might have to use deicers. We won’t have to use those chemicals as frequently or in such smaller amounts.”
The new employee parking lot, is located on the northwest corner of Saginaw and Capitol Avenue. It will also include such features a rain gardens, emergency phones, wireless cameras, LED lighting, vehicle charging stations and decorative landscaping including an archway.
“We are going to have lots of vegetation around the lot,” says Glohr. “We realize that we’re in a neighborhood and we want to be good neighbors.”
Work on the lot is expected to finish in early October.
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