To be a one-of-a-kind business in today’s competitive market is almost unheard of. In the entertainment, family-fun and sporting fields it is especially difficult to receive this title of uniqueness, yet one bowling alley has managed to lay claim to that very name: Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY.
One may question how this bowling alley is different from any of the others you have seen. The answer is that it is not just a bowling alley but also an entertainment venue for music and comedy shows.
Consider its staggering construction statistics of 16 lanes, 600-person venue, two bars and its offering of live rock-n-roll music performances seven nights a week, not to mention the LEED certification. This equation of parts gives us the reason Brooklyn Bowl truly is an original.
“Building on the long-standing tradition of the Wetlands Preserve, Brooklyn Bowl is committed to sustainable development and L.E.E.D. Certification.”
The alley opened in April 2009 and is owned by Charles Ryan and Peter Shapiro. It is a refurbished factory that had opened in 1882, called Hecla Iron Works Building.
Ryan and Shapiro were environmentally aware for the duration of the project and continue to be after the business is open, including the materials that were used in the renovation, supporting local business and goods, and future environmental impacts their company may have.
A company, GreenOrder, facilitated their certification. This is a consultant group that opened in 2000 and helps businesses become more sustainable and make greener choices.
“Through our groundbreaking work, we have transformed the way business leaders view sustainability, create new products and services, relate to their stakeholders, and drive billion-dollar growth,” says Ryan and Shapiro.
Some of the key factors that went into their partnership with Brooklyn Bowl to earn their LEED Certification are:
- 100 percent wind powered electricity
- Use of custody controlled wood
- Local products and businesses, including breweries
- No bottles or cans are used, soda is on tap also
- LED stage lights
- Efficient HVAC units
- External environmental factors of bike racks and trees planted
Bowling lounge - 75 percent more efficient pin spotters than traditional bowling machinery
- Water efficient toilets
Their clever slogan is,
“Our beers are all local, our chicken is fried, and now it’s official we’re LEED Certified.”
This certification process is not just the use of efficient products that will benefit the future but also the use of recycled goods throughout to help eliminate today’s waste. Brooklyn Bowl met these requirements with the installation of:
- 100 percent reclaimed cork floors in the lounge
- 100 percent recycled tires for the stage floor
- Tables and wood-work furniture made from recycled bowling alley lanes
Also the events that are hosted can be eco-themed, like the upcoming April 12th show, “Rock 4 Japan: A Benefit Concert”. They will hold almost any event ranging from public family nights to privately rented functions.
Brooklyn Bowl leads as a venue of green proportions that inspires. Then mix in the availabilities of family-time qualities or the rock-n-roll atmosphere and this bowling alley have achieved a whole new level of Sustaina-bowl business-cheesy pun intended.
Resources: GreenPoint, GreenOrder, Brooklyn Bowl
