The Green Depot makes New York home improvement eco-friendly

NEW YORK - Green Depot, the Brooklyn-based, national supplier of eco-friendly building and living solutions, is transforming the green retail model with its flagship retail store on the Bowery in Manhattan.

Located at 222 Bowery between Prince and Spring Sts., the 3,500-square-foot store contains hundreds of premium products, including a host of private label and exclusive product lines. These new offerings expand upon the wide range of products available at the company`s other retail locations - in Brooklyn, Newark, Long Island, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, and online at greendepot.com.

Addressing a growing need for affordable, accessible, "green" products, the Bowery store marks the premiere of the company`s proprietary product labeling system, developed to help consumers navigate the changing landscape of green products through the use of a simple icon system. The icon system is designed to clarify how and why a product can claim it is "green", based upon five simple categories: air quality, conservation, local, energy and responsibility.

With the goal of demystifying green for consumers, the icon system puts a front end on Green Depot`s proprietary product "filter" methodology that ensures even-handed, accurate evaluation of each product carried - developed internally with the support of experts affiliated with the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production. This filter sets Green Depot apart from other green building suppliers and retailers in credibility, squarely addressing the issues of "greenwashing" that serve to confuse and mislead consumers.

The Bowery store is designed to empower consumers and professionals with the basic tools they need to design and build smart, practical, environmentally friendly spaces. Built with the intention to demonstrate high quality, high-performance green materials in action, the store stands as a living testament to the possibilities for green building and design, and includes:

* Hundreds of premium products, including high-quality, appealing private label lines developed via local manufacturing partnerships, in categories such as cleaning, baby, and zero-VOC paint.
* Exclusive artist series featuring limited editions of inspired sustainable design solutions developed by talented home designers.
* A resource and design center where trained Green Depot staff work with customers to find green building materials that are cost-efficient and easily adaptable into their construction or renovation projects.
* The first and only zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint bar in New York City.
* A baby section that empowers new mothers with the basic tools and knowledge to design and build a healthy environment for their children.
* A "Found" section, where the most innovative new green products are displayed for purchase, along with select vintage and salvaged items.

The store is a renovation of the 1885 Young Men's Institute, the home of the first YMCA in New York City, the studios of renowned artists Mark Rothko and Fernand Léger, and author William Burroughs.

The building is a defining model for green business and includes:

* A rejuvenated site in the ground floor of a landmarked Bowery building.
* Recycled building elements and exposed surfaces from the original historic building, such as glazed ceramic tile on the walls, maple "gymnasium" flooring and iron structural elements at the storefront.
* Exposed original tile that outlines the location of the YMCA`s original swimming pool, added in 1915.
* Original wood trim and restored brick that survived a fire.

The store experience merges interactivity with the accessibility and hands-on service of an old-fashioned "local hardware store."

"Our goal is to make the Green Depot store experience engaging, informative and fun, and empower everyday consumers who are trying to make the smartest choices for themselves and their families," explained Sarah Beatty, Green Depot founder and president.

For more information, please visit www.greendepot.com.

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