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BROOKLYN BREWERY TURNS TO BREEZE TO BREW BEER

Company becomes first NYC commercial operation to be 100% wind powered

The Brooklyn Brewery Corp announced today that it would buy wind-generated electricity for its New York City facility.

The company’s Brooklyn plant electricity will be 100% wind powered, supplied by NewWind EnergyTM, a product of Community Energy Inc. (CEI), a leading marketer/developer of wind-generated electricity. NewWind EnergyTM is produced from windmills in Fenner, New York, in Upstate Madison County. The five-year wind power purchase represents the first brewery in the Eastern U.S to convert to wind power.

Borough President Markowitz, The Brewery and CEI will celebrate this historic commitment in a 1:00-5:00pm “Windfest at the Brewery” on September 13, featuring a model of the Fenner windmills, a DJ and, of course, Brooklyn’s fine beers. Admission is $20.

“It is no secret that The Brooklyn Brewery is opposed to plans to develop another goliath-sized power plant on the Brooklyn waterfront,” said brewery president Steve Hindy. “We wanted to demonstrate that there are viable, clean alternatives to building another polluting power plant. We also wanted to take a significant step in demonstrating a needed reduction in dependence on Middle East oil. Wind power costs a bit more, but we think it makes sense to invest in new sources of energy. The recent blackout was a wake up call--everyone has to be more conscious of their use of energy."

“This is Brooklyn business at its best. The Brooklyn Brewery is committed to this innovative, environmentally friendly way of powering its facility,” Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said. “I hope other businesses realize that there are other clean, safe and affordable energy options that will help all of us conserve energy and protect our environment.”

Compared to the average generation mix in New York’s power pool, Brooklyn Brewery’s commitment of 284,9600 kwh per year is equivalent to the reduction of more than 335,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) that would be emitted into the atmosphere annually. The CO2 reduction is equivalent to the amount removed from the air by over 22,000 trees or the amount emitted by cars driven over 290,000 miles annually. In addition, the switchover will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide by an estimated 1,593 pounds and nitrogen oxides by 564 pounds annually.

Brent Alderfer, President of CEI, said: “Brooklyn Brewery is leading the way to clean energy for New York City. This purchase means New York-based electric power with no fuel and no pollution. The more customers that follow Brooklyn Brewery’s lead, the more wind farms come on-line in New York.”