Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Pratt Institute of Brooklyn is set to receive a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to assess the production and use of green building products in New York City. The study will support the growth of the green building cluster in New York as well as the Pratt’s Spec It Green Manufacturing Initiative to encourage the use of locally-produced green building materials. Last year, Senator Gillibrand pushed for federal funding to support Pratt’s initiative to create green jobs and strengthen the City’s green building manufacturing industry.
“New York is home to some of the world’s brightest minds and innovative ideas to grow our economy,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Federal funding will help Pratt lay the foundation to grow and strengthen the City’s green building product sector, offering new opportunities for local green manufacturers to expand their businesses.”
“The Spec It Green Partnership funded in part by EDA will help channel millions of dollars in private construction spending to local manufacturers” said Adam Friedman, Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development. “Senator Gillibrand’s help in navigating EDA and in building support for this initiative was critical to the success of this initiative and to creating good-paying manufacturing jobs.”
Federal funding for the Pratt Institute will go towards a strategic market assessment that will survey approximately 100 green building manufacturers and approximately 50 green building purchasers throughout New York City. The survey will aim to identify the gaps between regional supply and demand for green building products; assess the demand for, and regional capacity to, develop innovative green building products; and identify inefficiencies in current green manufacturing operations. The findings will help manufacturers connect with consumers of green building materials and will identify ways commercial end-users can be made aware of the latest innovations in this growing field.
An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth. The goal of the EDA is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy.