Media Contact: Karen Auster auster*events 718.243.1414 For Immediate Release NEW LEED® GREEN RESIDENCE TO HOST “@ greenbelt” EVENT SERIES FEATURING SUSTAINABLE LIVING SHOWCASE AND ART PREMIERE Brooklyn, New York, January 28, 2008 – The developers of greenbelt and Propeller Group are pleased to announce “@ greenbelt” event series slated to include: GreenHouse Effect, a two-week open house featuring décor and strategies for sustainable, stylish urban living, and Displacement, a multi-week, multi-media exhibition inaugurating a new arts space, CPR – Center for Performance Research. The “@ greenbelt” event series responds to two distinct but related notions of sustainability -- cultural and environmental -- that motivated the developers to embark on this innovative real estate project and seeks to engage a wider audience in a dialogue around these pressing issues. Greenbelt, located at 361 Manhattan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is a high performance green building that will be the first LEED certified residence/performance space in Brooklyn with 8 condominium units available for sale. Greenbelt integrates many aspects of environmentally sensitive and socially responsible development by using natural resources as efficiently as possible while maximizing positive impacts on the cultural sector and built environment. The “@ greenbelt” event series will kick off on February 20, 2008 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm with GreenHouse Party @ greenbelt. Hosted by aptsandlofts.com, the party will offer guests a first look at this new green building and a model apartment furnished with cutting edge ‘green’ décor curated by renowned designers Chip Cordelli, set designer/ prop stylist, and Chris Kraig, principal, Chris Kraig Studio. This season’s organic fashions, stylized by Bahar Shahpar, creative director of The Four Hundred, will also be unveiled at this debut party. BKLYN Green Drinks, the rotating monthly meet up for people with an interest in sustainability, will be hosted at this premiere event, sponsored by Peak Organic Brewing Company. GreenHouse Effects @ greenbelt will consist of two consecutive open house weekends, February 23-24, and March 1-2, from 11am to 6pm. The exhibition will raise awareness of the environmental effects of our personal choices. Visitors will be invited to explore a “home of the future” – a model apartment that has been transformed to showcase green products, services, and lifestyle choices. A daily demonstration will be given each day at 2pm on a variety of eco-topics, including a presentation by Deep Green Living introducing ideas for instant ‘greenification’ of your home and daily life. GreenHouse Conversations @ greenbelt will take place on Thursday, February 28, 2008 from 7:00-9:00pm. Moderator Gita Nandan, founder of GreenHomeNYC, will lead a lively discussion entitled “Green, Greener, Greenest: Approaches to Living Green in NYC.” The event will offer attendees a wide spectrum of perspectives on sustainable life choices for city residents – from the simple fix to the radical off-the-grid leap. Panelists will include Mark Caserta, Owner, 3R Living, a stylish green products boutique; Ben Jervey, Author, Big Green Apple Guide; Emily Main, Editor, The Green Guide, a consumer resource for green choices; No Impact Man, a New Yorker who has explored minimizing his carbon footprint for the last year; and a representative from Just Food, an organization that promotes local agriculture and organic foods for urbanites. These events are free and open to the public. Displacement @ greenbelt, to be held on March 8, 2008 from 7:00-11:00pm, will be the launch of CPR- Center for Performance Research. Displacement aims to promote dialogue about the continuous cycle of rapid development of "place" and resulting "displacement" in cosmopolitan life. The evening will feature performances of new dance works in conjunction with an exhibition of work by internationally recognized artists Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Irit Batsry, Andy Graydon, Daniel Rozin, Raphaele Shirley, and Eugenie Tung. The exhibition Displacement highlights the pressing local issues that motivated greenbelt developers' from the outset to work with CPR to design and purchase the ground floor of the building at a below-market rate as a way to keep the arts vibrant and alive in Williamsburg and New York City. "Art and the lives of cultural producers can serve as metaphors for broader spatial, social, economic, and political dislocations," said curator Elizabeth Grady. Grady and co-curator Julie McKim have included works that engage this notion in various ways, such as Andy Graydon's digital projections which record the nuances of architecture and development, highlighting the relationship between sound and space. CPR – Center for Performance Research, a nonprofit collaboration of two dance organizations, John Jasperse Company and Jonah Bokaer/Chez Bushwick will be giving an opening performance inspired by the concept of Displacement. Performances will be given by Ann Liv Young, Kayvon Pourazar, Amanda Loulaki, Matjia Ferlin, Aimar Perz Galí, and Jonah Bokaer in collaboration with Michael Cole. @ greenbelt event series overview: GreenHouse Party @ greenbelt February 20, 2008 – 7:00-9:00pm GreenHouse Effect@ greenbelt February 23, 24 and March 1, 2, 2008, 11:00am-6:00pm GreenHouse Conversations @ greenbelt February 28, 2008 – 7:00-9:00pm Displacement @ greenbelt Performance + Art Opening: March 8, 2008 – 7:00-1100pm Art Gallery Hours: March 8 – 30, 2008 on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00am- 6:00pm To the greatest extent possible these events will be carbon neutral through the purchase of carbon offsets. Greenbelt is, a joint venture by Gregory Merryweather, Architect, and Derek Denckla, Propeller Group. Greenhouse Effect is supported by Community Energy Solutions, Peak Organic Brewing Company, East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Development Corporation, Industrial & Technology Assistance Corporation, Propeller Group and aptsandlofts.com. Community Partners include New York Industrial Retention Network and GreenHomeNYC with additional support from Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, The Green Guide and Just Food. For additional information about special events please visit www.greenbeltbrooklyn.com Editors: Please contact info@austerevents.com for images. Directions: By train: L to Lorimer or to Graham stop. From Manhattan: take Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridge to BQE East bound (north) to Metropolitan Avenue exit. Travel for two blocks (through two lights) and take a right on Skillman Avenue angling sharply north and travel for three blocks. At the third stop sign, take a left onto Manhattan Avenue. 361 Manhattan Avenue is in the next block on the left side just in from the corner. Visitors are encouraged to visit www.hopstop.com to find the best route for walking, biking, or taking public transportation to greenbelt. NOTE - The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operations of high performance green buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization promoting sustainability in all aspects of the built environment.