Community guide

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This is a set of guidelines designed to help make the co-working community at the Green Garage enjoyable and sustainable. They are living guidelines that will change and grow over time so they best serve the whole community.


Building Hours

The Green Garage

The building hours are:

  • Open: 8am - 5pm; Monday through Friday; front door open.
  • After-hours: 5pm - midnight; Monday through Friday; front door locked.
  • Closed / Restricted Use: All other times


Please speak with Jason about the schedule for your particular business.

Entering and exiting the building

Parking lot entrance.


Use your key fob to enter and exit the building from the parking lot area. Guests enter through the front door.

Please see Jason about accessibility questions.

Parking

Parking lot on Canfield

The Green Garage parking plan is:

  • Businesses in Residence can procure a parking space from the Green Garage for a monthly fee. The paid lot is located on Canfield near Cass.
  • Handicapped parking is available in the small lot adjoining the Green Garage. We have one space. If that is not enough for a specific situation, we'll make more available.
  • Loading / Unloading Zone is available in the Green Garage parking lot for 15 minute unloading.
  • Guests can find parking on Second Ave and the nearby streets. We do not provide designated guest parking at this time.

The Green Garage community encourages everyone to walk, bike or use public transportation to get to the Green Garage.

Please see Jason about parking questions.

Conference room use

Conference room


We have five conference rooms which are available for your use. Please use the Conference Room Reservation System Google Doc to reserve the room you need.

Conference Room Guidelines:

  1. Use the smallest room that will work (e.g. 2 people use Conference Room #1)
  2. Limit use to 2 hour meetings at a time.
  3. Depart room on time...you'll need to finish 5 minutes early to remove all things on time.
  4. Remove all belongings when you leave. Leave some clear spaces on the walls for others to use. Make sure all food, cups, plates, etc are taken care of properly.
  5. Can reserve up to 2 weeks in advance.
  6. Reserve the "day of" for one hour at a time if the room is vacant.
  7. Please keep the door closed.
  8. Post any suggestions or concerns to the Green Garage Community Wellbeing discussion group
  9. See Jason Peet or Tom Brennan for any immediate needs or special meeting needs.

Please see Jason about room reservation questions.

Copying and Printing

Scanning, copying and printing is available in the business service area in the center of the building. It is for small printing jobs (e.g. 10 pages or less.)

Green Garage community makes every effort to reduce it's printing. We also:

  • Use blank sides of once used paper. (Always looking for more donations.)
  • Set our printer properties to "Draft" or "Fast" to reduce the amount of ink we use.
  • Use scanning instead of coping.
  • Recycle all paper we use.

If you have larger printing needs, one option is FedEx Kinko's on Woodward at Mack. You can email them you job and then pick it up. Their contact info is:

FedEx Kinkos

  • 3670 Woodward Ave Detroit,MI 48201
  • (313) 833-3187

Please see Kirsten about printing questions.

US Postal Mail

USPS arrives every business day...no delivery on Saturday. We’ll put your inbound mail in the mailslot on a divider inside your dedicated space. You can give your outbound mail to the person at the welcome desk and we'll do our best to make sure the mail person get's it that day. If the mail is of an urgent/critical nature, please take it directly to the post office. One is located off Woodward in the New Center area.

UPS and FexEx come by every day...drop off at front desk...you can schedule these dropoffs and pickups.


Please see Kirsten about mail questions.

Guests

Kevin with guests

Guests are welcome. Please let person at the welcome desk know the name and time of the people you have coming so we can greet them by name and call you up when they arrive.

We ask that you limit your number of guests to one per desk that you have leased. This is an area we'll need to work out as we go forward.


Please see Jason about guest questions.

Lockers

Lockers in the annex.

There are lockers in the annex for you to use. Please bring your own lock. Please do not leave any food in the locker.

See Jason to get set up with a locker.

Sustainable Garbage Management

Goals

At the heart of our garbage management philosophy is a garbage reduction perspective. We are trying to reduce our waste going to landfills or incineration. Our ultimate goal is zero waste. Reduction and elimination of waste takes considerable effort, and it all starts with awareness. We have embarked on a trash and waste audit process to help us become more aware of what the Green Garage community is sending to the landfill/incinerator and to recycling. Our evolving waste handling process begins with the following strategies:

1. Reduce our usage of paper

2. Reduce our food wastes and need for disposable products related to food and beverage service

3. Compost as much food waste and other organic matter as possible

4. Reuse or recycle what cannot be composted

5. Purchase durable, used, recycled, and/or local materials whenever possible

6. Purchase with maintenance, packaging and transportation waste in mind

7. Consult the Green Garage community for items that seem un-recyclable

8. Be conscious of what we send to the landfill/incinerator.

Cans of Last Resort

Restroom trash cans: Trash cans are available in each stall of each restroom for your convenience and privacy. Trash cans are also located in the common areas of each restroom. The white receptacles lined with green liners under the sinks ARE NOT FOR TRASH. These containers are ONLY for collecting gently used paper towels from hand drying, to be commercially composted (see Sustainable Restrooms) and returned to the earth. Recyclables from restrooms, such as toilet paper tubes, should be brought up front and sorted into the appropriate bins in the kitchen or library. The tissue paper wrappers from toilet paper can be composted along with the paper towels from our restrooms.

Kitchen trash can: There is a lidded trash can under the counter near the coffee station. This is only for non-recyclable trash. Please prepare and sort recyclables (plastic, metal, Styrofoam, cardboard, glass, and paper) into the appropriate bins in the kitchen and library.

Annex trash can: The annex has trash and recycling receptacles available in that part of the building. The restroom, kitchen, and annex trash cans are weighed so that we can track our waste and emptied daily. If you notice recyclable items in the trash, trash cans that are missing their liners, or trash that needs to be emptied or other attention, please notify Jason Peet or Kirsten Lyons.

Rolling curbside trash can: The large rolling trash can with 4444 stenciled on the side is for our weekly (Friday) city trash pickup. As a courtesy to our next door neighbors in the Victorian, we roll their cans out while we’re rolling out our own. All trash in the rolling curbside trash cans must be bagged. This is so that there is no trash blowing around on city streets if the lids blow open, and so nothing falls out when the machine transfers it into the truck. The can was purchased from and is serviced by the City of Detroit, and the trash pickup service is billed annually with our taxes.

Bulk curbside pickup: The City of Detroit offers curbside bulk pickup four times per year. Details of this service can be found at the city’s website under the Department of Public Works sections.

Recycling

Recycling containers with signs up in the kitchen area.

We recycle cardboard, paper, styrofoam, plastics, glass and metals. All recycling containers except paper are in the kitchen. The paper recycling container is located just outside the library. We take all recycled materials out to the Community Recycling Center in the alley, where it is collected by Recycle Here. Here is a breakout of materials we recycle:

  • Cardboard: This category includes corrugated cardboard boxes, cereal boxes, shoe boxes, Kleenex boxes, and paper grocery bags. We CAN NOT accept chipboard that is dirty with food such as paper plates, donut boxes, etc.
  • Paper: This category includes white and colored paper, envelopes, junk mail, folders, construction paper, and cardstock. Items that CAN NOT be recycled are: tissue paper, receipts, napkins, wrapping paper, and paper towel. For every ton of paper that is recycled, 17 trees are saved from being cut down.
  • Styrofoam: This category includes carry out boxes, packing materials, and some food containers. We can accept Styrofoam peanuts, but they must be in a separate plastic bag from other Styrofoam. Please make sure that no food scraps are in any containers.
  • Plastics: Please sort your plastics according to the number found on the bottom of the container. We can accept #1 and #2 plastics together, and #4, #5, #6, and #7 plastics together. Make sure your containers are clean and rinsed; otherwise they will end up in the garbage. Tops should be removed and discarded. Any labels can be left on the container. Plastic is one of the most important items to recycle because it is made from petroleum.
  • Glass: Glass must be separated into clear, brown, and green. Any other colors, such as blue or red glass, should be put in with the green glass. Labels and tops can be left on the glass, although metal tops can be recycled with the metal. Glass composites such as Plexiglas can not be recycled. Most of the glass we recycle is pulverized and used in road construction.
  • Metals: Metals of all different kinds can be sorted together. This includes steel, iron and aluminum cans. Please make sure that your containers are rinsed. Labels do not have to be removed. Crushing cans will help save on space. Aluminum is 100% recyclable, which means none of the material is lost in the recycling process. Every time one aluminum can is recycled, enough energy is saved to power a television for about three hours (compared to mining and manufacturing a new can).

We also use compostable paper towels in the bathrooms. They are placed in the white containers under the sinks. The paper towels go to Motor City Brewing Works to be composted.

Please see Kirsten with recycling questions.

Composting

Compost pail in the kitchen.

Food scraps can go into our composting bucket on the kitchen counter. All vegetable and fruit products are allowed as long as they are not covered in a sauce or oil. No meat products can be composted. Coffee grounds (including filter) and spent tea leaves (teabag and all) can go into our composting bucket or directly into the compost pile. Our compost pile is in our back yard.

Paper towels from our restrooms are being collected and composted separately by Motor City Brewing Works. You will notice a white receptacle under the sink(s) in each restroom. Only paper towels that have been used to dry clean hands can be composted! Please do not put anything else in the white receptacle under the sink.

We've recently added compostable coffee cups to our repertoire of commercially compostable items we can accommodate in our system. Only the Planet brand compostable paper cups and compostable lids are suitable at this time. Please empty the cup and check the brand name and compost-ability of your cup and lid before placing them in the bin to be composted. Since these items are being composted by Motor City Brewing Works along with our restroom paper towels, you may place the cups and lids in the paper towel receptacle in one of the restrooms. Alternatively, you may place the items in the blue bin with the blue lid marked "paper towels" in the annex recycling center.


Please see Kirsten about composting questions.

Kitchen and eating space

Kitchen area

A few notes about the kitchen:

  • Feel free to bring in the food you need. We have refrigeration and some cupboard space. You'll need to take home leftover food at the end of each day. Every Thursday at the end of the day we clear out unclaimed food.
  • Dishes, coffee mugs, glassware and flatware are provided. When you are done using them, please put them in the dishwasher.
  • When the dishwasher is on, there will be a sign on the counter not to open it. The dishwasher has 2 drawers, so check the other drawer if one is running. In addition, we have clean/dirty magnets for both dishwasher drawers to let you know where to put dishes.
  • The garbage is located under the coffee station, and the recycling is opposite the kitchen counters. Paper recycling is located next to the library.

Please see Peggy about kitchen questions.

Coffee

Coffee bar

We order fair-trade, organic regular and decaffeinated coffee from Coffee Express in Plymouth, MI. Not everyone drinks coffee, so we are forming a coffee club for those interested. Anyone wishing to participate, please call Peggy Brennan at 248-840-6548 or e-mail me at greengaragedetroit@gmail.com, and I'll fill you in on the details.

More information is located on our coffee page.


Bathrooms and Shower

Women's bathroom
  • Each bathroom has compostable paper towels for you to use. Please place them in the white garbage container located under each sink. They will be taken to Motor City Brewing Works for composting. The silver can is for garbage.
  • The urinal in the men's room is waterless.
  • If you think any restroom needs attention, please let Jason know.
  • We installed a shower to encourage biking or walking to the Green Garage, so feel free to make use of it. There are hooks inside for your clothes. Please bring your own towel from home, and take supplies with you when done (you can keep all of this in a locker).

Please contact Jason for questions about the bathrooms.

Urban Sustainability Library Services

The Green Garage Urban Sustainability Library

We are here for you! We can help you with research for your business and your sustainable lifestyle. We conduct tours for your guests. We will use our social network sites to report on the progress of your business.


Please see Peggy about library questions.

Website and social media

Green Garage Facebook page

Please see Peggy about website or social media questions.

Tours

Tour of group from the Netherlands


Every Friday afternoon there is a possibility of a tour of the building. Please let us know if this will be a problem for you on a particular date.

Please see Peggy on questions about tours.


Community lunch

Friday community lunch


Every Friday at noon we host a brown-bag community lunch, followed by tours of the building. You and your guests are welcome to attend!

Ask any of us about the Friday lunches.



Contacts

  • Jason Peet (jasonpeet03@aol.com)
  • Kirsten Lyons (klyons15@yahoo.com)
  • Peggy and Tom Brennan (greengaragedetroit@gmail.com)

Building Location / Directions

Address: 4444 Second, Detroit, MI 48201

Phone: 313.444.4054

Directions: We are located on Second Avenue, between Canfield and Prentis. If you see the sign for the Bronx Bar, you have found us.

  • Coming from the north: Take 1-75 South and exit at Warren. Turn right onto Warren and then left onto Woodward. Go right onto Canfield. Take a jog through Cass, continue to follow Canfield until you hit Second. Turn right (this is a one-way street). We're about 1 block down on your right. Note: You can also take Woodward straight down to Canfield, and follow previous directions.
  • Coming from the south: Take 1-75 north. Merge onto the Lodge, M-10, going north. Turn right onto Forest. Turn right onto 3rd St. Turn left onto Canfield and then left onto Second. We're about 1 1/2 blocks down on your right.
  • Coming from the west: Take the Lodge, M-10, south and exit at Forest. Turn left at Forest, right at 3rd St., left at Canfield and left at Second. We are about 1 1/2 blocks down on your right.

Green Garage Map.png

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