Brooklyn Children's Museum Declared NYC's First 'Green' Museum On 4/23

In conjunction with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's Earth Week celebration (April 19-25), the Brooklyn Children's Museum will officially become the first "green" museum in the City of New York on Friday, April 23 at 12:30pm. Founded in 1899 as the nation's first museum created expressly for children, the Museum will be presented with its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council, for its award-winning facility designed by world-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly. Brooklyn Children's Museum President Georgina Ngozi will be joined for the announcement by Urban Green Council (U.S. Green Building Council of New York) Executive Director Russell Unger, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin, New York City Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney, New York Power Authority President and CEO Richard Kessel, and Project Director David Roland of Rafael Viñoly Architects.

"Our Administration is committed to making investments in New York City's cultural institutions that help them expand their programs and incorporate state-of-the-art building design, and the recently expanded Brooklyn Children's Museum is a great example of that," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "As the world's first museum dedicated to kids, the Brooklyn Children's Museum has a history as a groundbreaking institution, so it's fitting that it's now the City's first green museum. Congratulations to museum President Georgina Ngozi, the directors and the entire staff for helping it continue its more than century-old tradition of bringing high-quality exhibitions and educational programs to families from Brooklyn and beyond."

"We are very proud to be New York City's first LEED certified green museum," said Brooklyn Children's Museum President Georgina Ngozi. "The museum has presented environmental and science education curricula since its founding in 1899, and now our building is itself a teaching tool which fulfills our educational mission."

"For 110 years, no institution has had more energy and creativity than the Brooklyn Children's Museum when it comes to inspiring curiosity and instilling a love of learning in our young people," said Brooklyn
Borough President Marty Markowitz. "Now, they are teaching all of us how to do it right when it comes to using creative design to be environmentally friendly. I am thrilled to have been able to join the Mayor in supporting this vibrant yellow-and proudly ‘green'-state-of-the art renovation by Rafael Viñoly. Bravo to the Brooklyn Children's Museum for its well-deserved LEED certification and for providing thrills for kids from Brooklyn and beyond far into our city's bright-and ‘green'-future."

In September 2008, the Museum reopened after a 10-year, $80 million renovation and expansion project, designed by Rafael Viñoly. With an iconic new exterior covered in 8.1 million daffodil yellow tiles, the Museum doubled in size to 102,000 square feet, and its all-new arts, culture, science and environmental exhibits now serve more than 400,000 annual visitors, up from 250,000 annual visitors. The City of New York provided a total of $48 million for the Department of Design and Construction-managed renovation project, with an additional $1.2 million coming from New York State. The Museum raised $19.5 million from private sources and competitive government grants for new exhibits, programs, and endowment, with a further $11.5 million raised toward future phases of the master plan. Upcoming projects include a roof replacement and canopy, infrastructure improvements and a federally funded parking facility and streetscape enhancements.

"If you dig into the history of green building in New York City, at its roots you find forward-thinking nonprofits and government agencies," said Urban Green Council (USGBC of New York) Executive Director Russell Unger. "Achieving LEED Silver status demonstrates that an institution meets global standards in all of the areas that matter the most: energy savings, sustainability and efficiency. I commend the Brooklyn Children's Museum for continuing this proud history by breaking new, green ground for cultural institutions."
"We are proud to have supported the Museum in their mission with an integrated paradigm of sustainability based on the fundamentals of cultural, economic, and energy efficiency and on technical innovations and solutions that extend beyond applied technology." Said Rafael Viñoly - Rafael Viñoly Architects.

"This superb project demonstrates that 'going green' is Mayor Bloomberg's priority on Earth Day and every day of the year," said Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David J. Burney, FAIA. "DDC is proud to be a partner on a project that integrates sustainable and environmentally responsible elements with magnificent design to provide a facility that already has become a New York City icon."

Founded in 1899 as the world's first museum for kids, Brooklyn Children's Museum offers interactive learning adventures in the arts, culture, science, and the environment through hands-on exhibitions, performances, workshops, and an extensive collection of cultural artifacts and natural-science specimens. A pioneer in informal learning and community collaboration, Brooklyn Children's Museum helped launch the global children's museum movement, a field now numbering more than 300 institutions existing worldwide.

"New York City's cultural organizations are pioneering innovative design and sustainability, and the Brooklyn Children's Museum is leading the way," said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin. "We are thrilled to celebrate this historic occasion and applaud the Museum's environmental achievements, which will be enjoyed by generations to come."

The event, which will also commemorate the Museum's 110th birthday, will begin with a tour of the Museum's green features. Infrastructure highlights include a geothermal heating and cooling system and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. Other eco-friendly features include:

Energy-saving, carbon dioxide, daylight and occupancy sensors

Renewable/recyclable materials:
bamboo staircase
display case made from sunflower seed husks. It is an LEED approved product and, improves indoor air quality with no harmful off-gassing.

Low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint - less harmful to human environmental health, reduce toxins for those with allergies and chemical sensitivities, reduce landfill, groundwater and ozone depleting contaminants and have no off-gassing.

World Brooklyn - L&B Spumoni Gardens pizza parlor exhibit - roof shingles in the exhibit are Eco-Shakes, made from two recycled products, vinyl and cellulose fiber ground to fine sawdust.

World Brooklyn - MTA bus exhibit - was 'recycled'; has a re-used windshield, side windows, steering wheel, tires and seats.

In 2009, the New York Power Authority installed a photovoltaic (PV) system in the Museum's Plaza courtyard, a $307,000 project jointly funded by the New York State Energy Research Development Authority and the City of New York. When exposed to sunlight, the system, which is linked to the Con Edison power grid, will generate up to 27 kilowatts (kw) of power-enough to support the needs of about 20 households-and 21,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually, preventing the emissions of over 13.4 tons of carbon dioxide. The Museum is planning to use the data from the system's data collection system to create an educational display that will show visitors exactly how much electricity is being produced at any given time. The PV systems will educate visitors on solar power and produce a portion of the electricity used by the building.

"The New York Power Authority is excited to have contributed to this wonderful facility's status as a ‘green' building through our installation of a solar photovoltaic array for reducing the amount of power required from the electric power grid," said Richard M. Kessel, NYPA President and Chief Executive Officer. "The solar panels also provide a great opportunity to get kids interested in clean renewable energy and of the importance of expanding supplies of solar, wind, biomass and other renewables for combating climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions. This must be given the highest priority for the sake of future generations."

"NYSERDA is proud to partner with the Brooklyn Children's Museum in its important work of teaching children ways to conserve energy. The Museum's commitment to energy efficiency will help reinforce messages that these children will need to incorporate into their lives to help them address the energy challenges of the future," said Francis J. Murray, NYSERDA President and CEO. The PV system NYSERDA supported will remind children each time they visit that we cannot take energy for granted."

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
In most "green" buildings, high-performance features are invisible to the occupants. But most "green" buildings aren't dedicated to teaching, as Brooklyn Children's Museum is. The Museum educates its growing audience about its environmentally friendly building and its high-performance features through a variety of hands-on programs like:

Play Lab Workshop Series: Growing Up Green - Green is more than a color, it's a lifestyle! Become stewards of the planet by learning how we honor the Earth in our communities.

The Magic of Energy - What happens when all the gas and oil run out? Take a comic but factual search through four different renewable energy sources: Solar, Hydro-Electric, Wind and Bio Mass, and how and when to use each one!

Re-useable Art: The Language of Flowers - Discover the historical language of flowers and create your very own pressed-flower journal using recycled paper and materials.

Sustainable Materials in African Art - Learn about ecologically sound materials, see how African artists used them, and make your own African-inspired mask!

Sea Creatures Ahoy! - Join us to learn more about the ocean-where half of the world's oxygen is produced-and create your own sea creature using recycled materials!

The Kresge Foundation awarded the Brooklyn Children's Museum with a $150,000 LEED bonus grant for receiving LEED certification by the USGBC. J.P. Morgan Chase and the Brooklyn Community Foundation also played significant roles in supporting the public/private partnership which made the award-winning expansion possible.

Other awards include:
· 2009 ISES New York Metro Chapter Big Apple Award for "Best New Venue"

· 2009 Building Brooklyn Award from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

Architectural Excellence Recognized - highlighted as an exemplary product of New York City's Design Excellence Initiative
2008 Project of the Year Award from the Society of Registered Architects/New York

The Brooklyn Children's Museum is a private nonprofit organization that occupies a City-owned facility. The Museum receives an annual subsidy for operating and energy costs from the Department of Cultural Affairs. Con Edision, National Grid, the Pfizer Foundation, the Holborn Foundation and the New York City Environmental Fund all funded science and environmental programs, exhibits and resources in the newly expanded museum.

Brooklyn Children's Museum Upcoming Highlights:
In celebration of 110 years of service, and LEED Silver status, the Museum is planning a unique Vaudevillian-themed Gala on Tuesday, May 18th. For ticket information please call Ms. Nottonson at 718-735-4400x323.

Just in time for Earth Day and Asian Heritage Month, the Brooklyn Children's Museum's newest exhibition Japan & Nature: Spirits of the Seasons will run from April 17- June 13, 2010! This object-based interactive exhibit invites children and families to discover and explore how their counterparts in Japan celebrate and experience the natural environment. Organized around universal aspects of childhood - family, school, play, and holiday celebrations - the exhibit encourages investigations of how people living in Japan today understand nature through special seasonal and everyday environments and family activities. Admission for this and all museum exhibitions is $7.50.

For more information, visit www.brooklynkids.org.

DATE: Friday, April 23
TIME: 12:30 - 1:30pm
PLACE: Brooklyn Children's Museum
Museum Rooftop
145 Brooklyn Avenue (Corner of St. Mark's Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11213
In case of rain, the event will take place in the Museum's Library.