# The Green Garage > Triple bottom line coworking space for small businesses and remote workers in Midtown Detroit ## Pages - [Blog](https://greengaragedetroit.com/blog/): THE GREEN GARAGE BLOG - [Waste Output](https://greengaragedetroit.com/waste/): WASTE OUTPUT APRIL 2026 - [Energy Usage](https://greengaragedetroit.com/energy/): ENERGY USE APRIL 2026 - [Water Usage](https://greengaragedetroit.com/water/): WATER USE APRIL 2026 - [Measurement Pages](https://greengaragedetroit.com/measurement-pages/): MEASUREMENT PAGES One of our goals is to report on the building’s performance and how effectively and efficiently we are... - [Virtual Office](https://greengaragedetroit.com/virtual-office/): Virtual Office in Midtown Detroit – Business Address & Mail Get Your Business Address Call Us Now Sign up for... - [Download and Install Easy Interactive Tools (Mac)](https://greengaragedetroit.com/easy-interactive-tools-mac/): Download and Install Easy Interactive Tools (Mac) Determine Your Operating System (Mac) - [Download and Install Epson iProjection (Mac)](https://greengaragedetroit.com/epson-iprojection-mac/): Download and Install Epson iProjection (Mac) Determine Your Operating System (Mac) - [Download and install Epson iProjection (Windows)](https://greengaragedetroit.com/epson-iprojection-windows/): Download and install Epson iProjection (Windows) Determine Your Operating System (Windows) - [Download and install Easy Interactive Tools (Windows)](https://greengaragedetroit.com/easy-interactive-tools-windows/): Download and Install Easy Interactive Tools (Windows) Determine Your Operating System (Windows) - [Epson Projector](https://greengaragedetroit.com/projector/): Epson Interactive Whiteboard and Projector Guide - [Thank You](https://greengaragedetroit.com/thank-you/): Thank you! Thank you for your interest in the Green Garage. Your submission has been recorded and one of our... - [Media Mentions](https://greengaragedetroit.com/media-mentions/): MEDIA MENTIONS In Detroit, the Green Garage is a Different Kind of Incubator “Built in 1920, the brick warehouse at... - [Member Portal](https://greengaragedetroit.com/member-portal/): MEMBER PORTAL - [Current businesses-in-residence](https://greengaragedetroit.com/businesses-in-residence/): CURRENT BUSINESSES-IN-RESIDENCE Abigail Porter for Michigan Nature Association Saving Michigan’s rare, threatened, and endangered species Anna Shires for Federal Home... - [Our Story](https://greengaragedetroit.com/our-story/): OUR STORY The Green Garage is a sustainable coworking space and virtual office provider operating of a historic auto showroom... - [Sustainability](https://greengaragedetroit.com/sustainability/): SUSTAINABILITY The Green Garage is Detroit’s sustainable coworking option. Because we care about our relationship with the Earth and the... - [Coworking](https://greengaragedetroit.com/coworking/): Coworking Space in Midtown Detroit Sustainable coworking in the heart of Midtown Detroit. Work, connect, and grow in a supportive... - [Green Garage Detroit | Coworking & Virtual Offices](https://greengaragedetroit.com/): GREEN GARAGE Sustainable Coworking & Virtual Offices in Detroit Sustainable Coworking & Virtual Offices in Detroit Get In Touch Cowork... - [Get Involved](https://greengaragedetroit.com/get-involved/): JOIN US FOR COMMUNITY LUNCH ON THE THE FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAYS OF THE MONTH! We hold community lunches from... ## Posts - [The In-Person Perks of a Detroit Virtual Office at the Green Garage](https://greengaragedetroit.com/in-person-perks/): Our Detroit virtual office memberships include access to coworking day passes, conference rooms, and networking opportunities. - [The Buzz About Beekeeping](https://greengaragedetroit.com/the-buzz-about-beekeeping/): At our June 5th community lunch, John Szarafinski shared some of his extensive beekeeping knowledge. - [Meet the Detroit Repair Cafe](https://greengaragedetroit.com/meet-the-detroit-repair-cafe/): Volunteers with Detroit Repair Cafe meet twice a month at free spaces such as public libraries or cafes and work... - [Cultivating A Food Sovereign City With Keep Growing Detroit](https://greengaragedetroit.com/cultivating-a-food-sovereign-city/): Keep Growing Detroit supports thousands of gardeners and farmers across Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck through education, resources, and connections. - [Celebrating A Clean Air Victory for Detroit](https://greengaragedetroit.com/celebrating-a-clean-air-victory/): At April 17th’s Community Lunch, Nick Leonard spoke on winning a landmark $120 million judgment against DTE to protect the... - [Earth Day, Every Day](https://greengaragedetroit.com/earth-day/): We’re a triple-bottom-line business, which means that when we make decisions, we consider their effects not only on our financial... - [Michigan Resident Agent 101: What You Need to Know](https://greengaragedetroit.com/michigan-resident-agent/): In this post, we’ll look at what purpose a resident agent in Michigan serves, as well as some key factors... - [The Original Detroit Coworking Space: 15 Years of Community](https://greengaragedetroit.com/the-original-detroit-coworking-space/): Let's take a look at three principles that have guided our Detroit coworking space for 15 years: flexibility, community, and... - [Martin Luther King, Jr. Reflection 2026: A Year for Justice](https://greengaragedetroit.com/martin-luther-king-jr-reflection-2026/): Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day from all of us at the Green Garage! We held our 14th annual MLK... - [3 Reasons to Open a Detroit Virtual Office at the Green Garage](https://greengaragedetroit.com/three-reasons/): Here are the top three reasons why a Detroit virtual office at the Green Garage might be right for you... - [The Green Garage Gets ENERGY STAR Certified](https://greengaragedetroit.com/the-green-garage-gets-energy-star-certified/): The Green Garage recently hit a major milestone when we were certified as a green building through ENERGY STAR. We... - [Giving Guide 2025](https://greengaragedetroit.com/giving-guide-2025/): On Giving Tuesday, make a donation to support the great work that members of our Detroit coworking space are doing... - [FAQ](https://greengaragedetroit.com/saswp/faq/) - [Local Business](https://greengaragedetroit.com/saswp/local-business/) # # Detailed Content ## Pages - Published: 2026-01-06 - Modified: 2026-06-09 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/blog/ THE GREEN GARAGE BLOG - Published: 2025-10-09 - Modified: 2026-06-10 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/waste/ WASTE OUTPUT APRIL 2026 - Published: 2025-10-09 - Modified: 2026-06-10 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/energy/ ENERGY USE APRIL 2026 - Published: 2025-08-13 - Modified: 2026-06-10 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/water/ WATER USE APRIL 2026 - Published: 2025-07-02 - Modified: 2026-02-26 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/measurement-pages/ MEASUREMENT PAGES One of our goals is to report on the building's performance and how effectively and efficiently we are operating within the building. Links to our analysis pages are below. Water Usage Statistics A look at our monthly water usage in gallons, costs, and comparison to industry standard. See our Water Usage Statistics page for more details. Waste Statistics We weigh our trash each week, then chart the results. See our Waste Statistics page for more details. Energy - Electrical Usage Statistics We examine our energy usage for HVAC equipment and other electrical equipment, monitor the kWh produced by our solar panels, and track our costs. See our Energy - Electrical Usage Statistics page for more details. - Published: 2025-04-21 - Modified: 2026-03-27 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/virtual-office/ Virtual Office in Midtown Detroit – Business Address & Mail Get Your Business Address Call Us Now Sign up for a Virtual Office at the Green Garage to get a Detroit business address and CMRA mailbox! For just $35/month, you’ll get a unique private mailbox at our established location in Midtown Detroit to use as your business mailing address to receive mail and packages.  Additional services available to our Virtual Office Detroit customers for a small fee include: Michigan Registered Agent and Registered Office service Mail scanning Mail and package forwarding Coworking day passes Meeting room rentals Get Your Business Address PRICING & PLANS Service & Pricing What's Included Detroit Virtual Office—$35/month A private mailbox (PMB) at our location to use as your business’ mailing address. Receipt and secure storage of up to 30 pieces of mail, 10 packages, and 5 oversized packages per month, with same-day delivery notifications. Registered Office & Registered Agent—$10/month Use of your Green Garage PMB mailbox address as your Registered Office with the state of Michigan. Use of the Green Garage, LLC as your Registered Agent to receive important legal, government, and tax documents on your behalf. Scanning—$10-$20/month (based on volume) Automatic or on-demand scanning of mail contents Mail Forwarding—$14-$20/month (based on volume) Automatic or on-demand forwarding of mail contents to another physical address Package Forwarding—Actual shipping and handling costs plus 35% service fee On-demand package forwarding to another physical address by USPS, UPS, or FedEx Coworking Day Passes—$20/day Reserve a seat in our sustainable coworking space and work with us for the day Meeting Room Rentals—$15-30/hr Welcome up to 10 guests for meetings in our hybrid-ready meeting and conference rooms Get Your Business Address HOW IT WORKS 1. Set Up Your Virtual Office Get in touch using the Contact form on this page or by calling (313) 444-4025. We’ll reach out to share and review the three documents that need to be completed: our service agreement, terms, and USPS form 1583. In addition to a Detroit mailing address, we’ll help you determine whether our Michigan Registered Agent & Registered Office service is right for you, as well as our mail scanning and mail and package forwarding services. 2. Visit the Green Garage Schedule a visit to complete the paperwork and tour the Green Garage. USPS form 1583 needs to be notarized, which we can take care of for you as a complimentary service. We’ll scan the two forms of identification required for form 1583. We’ll review our process for notifying you of mail/package receipt, as well as our procedures for picking up mail, purchasing guest passes to our coworking space, and reserving meeting rooms. 3. Start Using Your Virtual Office Inform your contacts about your new business mailing address and start using it! We’ll notify you of each piece of mail you receive, and you can stop by during business hours to pick it up. If you’ve opted into Michigan Registered Agent & Registered Office service, you’ll also want to update your records with the state of Michigan. Located near Wayne State University and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Serving Cass Corridor, Midtown, Detroit, metro-Detroit, and Windsor. Get Your Business Address FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is a Virtual Office? A virtual office provides businesses with a professional mailing address and other business services, including access to physical meeting spaces, without the cost and commitment of a traditional lease. Why should I choose the Green Garage as my Virtual Office provider? The Green Garage is registered as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA) with the United States Postal Services (USPS) and handles all mail and packages according to USPS standards. We offer secure storage and same-day notification of mail and package receipt, with convenient options for pickup during business hours. We have an established address in Detroit's thriving Midtown district and have supported more than 200 small business owners since opening our coworking facilities in 2011. We are one of the most affordable and greenest Virtual Office providers in Detroit, with our building earning an Energy Star score of 100. What is included with a basic Virtual Office membership at the Green Garage? A basic Virtual Office membership at the Green Garage provides a unique PMB (private mailbox) number at our address, which can be used as your business' mailing address. We offer receipt and secure storage of up to 30 pieces of mail, 10 packages, and 5 oversized packages per month, with same-day delivery notifications. Can I use my PMB address as my registered business address with the state of Michigan? If you sign up for our Michigan Registered Agent & Registered Office service, yes, you may use your PMB address at the Green Garage as your registered business address, and you may designate the Green Garage, LLC as your Registered Agent. If you do not opt into our Michigan Registered Agent & Registered Office service, you may only use your PMB address as your business' mailing address. Is this a CMRA address or a PO Box? You would be signing up for a CMRA address, which is distinct from a PO Box. A PO Box is managed by the USPS, while a CMRA mailbox is managed by a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (like the Green Garage). What documents are required to get started? To establish your Detroit Virtual Office at the Green Garage, you will need to sign our contract, terms, and USPS form 1583. Form 1583 needs to be notarized (we can help with that) and requires two specific pieces of ID, one photo ID and one address ID. If you have a current driver's license and passport, those will work. We are happy to review other acceptable forms of ID with you. How long does it take to get started? Once you have completed and signed the paperwork and provided your two forms of ID, you're welcome to begin using the service immediately. What additional services are available? We also offer Michigan Registered Agent and Registered Office service, mail scanning, and mail and package forwarding. Virtual Office members are also entitled to purchase day passes to our coworking space and meeting room reservations. Can I book meeting rooms or purchase day passes to the Green Garage? Yes. All Green Garage Virtual Office members are welcome to purchase day passes ($20/day) and/or conference room access ($15-30/hr). We just ask for 24 hours notice for both. Does the Green Garage offer phone and fax service? Not at this time, but we are happy to recommend other, web-based services you can use to meet your phone and fax needs. What is a PMB? PMB stands for "private mailbox. " It is a unique 4-digit code that you use in conjunction with our street address as your business' mailing address. How will I know when I have received mail? We will notify you by email and/or text each time we receive a piece of mail or package for you. You are welcome to pick up your mail during business hours. What if I have multiple businesses? You would need to sign an agreement with us for each distinct business entity, unless one is a subsidiary of the other. For USPS purposes, multiple businesses owned by the same individual may be registered to the same PMB. Can I list my Virtual Office as my business address on Google? No. Google Business guidelines require that your staff be physically present during your posted business hours, and a Virtual Office is not the same as a physical office at the Green Garage. Does a Virtual Office at the Green Garage classify my business as a "Detroit-based business" for purposes of loans, grants, tax incentives, or other benefits? Not necessarily. If you are seeking benefits like these, we encourage you to reach out to any potential funders, accrediting agencies, and government institutions ahead of time to determine whether or not a Virtual Office would meet their address requirements. Is this service available to individuals in addition to businesses? Yes, we are happy to offer a CMRA mailbox to individuals who need their mail and packages securely delivered and stored. We would provide you with same-day notification receipt and you would be welcome to pick up your mail and packages during business hours. GET IN TOUCH Ready to sign up for Virtual Office service at the Green Garage? Fill out the contact form below and one of our helpful team members will be in touch ASAP. The Green Garage Email info@greengaragedetroit. com Phone (313) 444-4025 Address 4444 2nd Ave. Detroit, MI 48201 - Published: 2024-06-14 - Modified: 2024-06-14 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/easy-interactive-tools-mac/ Download and Install Easy Interactive Tools (Mac) Determine Your Operating System (Mac) - Published: 2024-06-14 - Modified: 2024-06-14 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/epson-iprojection-mac/ Download and Install Epson iProjection (Mac) Determine Your Operating System (Mac) - Published: 2024-06-10 - Modified: 2024-06-13 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/epson-iprojection-windows/ Download and install Epson iProjection (Windows) Determine Your Operating System (Windows) - Published: 2024-06-10 - Modified: 2024-06-14 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/easy-interactive-tools-windows/ Download and Install Easy Interactive Tools (Windows) Determine Your Operating System (Windows) - Published: 2024-06-06 - Modified: 2024-07-01 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/projector/ Epson Interactive Whiteboard and Projector Guide - Published: 2024-03-06 - Modified: 2026-03-05 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/thank-you/ Thank you! Thank you for your interest in the Green Garage. Your submission has been recorded and one of our team members will be in touch with you soon.   Return home - Published: 2021-07-22 - Modified: 2026-02-26 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/media-mentions/ MEDIA MENTIONS In Detroit, the Green Garage is a Different Kind of Incubator "Built in 1920, the brick warehouse at 4444 Second Avenue in Detroit used to be a showroom for the city’s pride: Model T-based automobiles. Now it’s a metaphor for urban reinvention. " Read more. Preservation, Business, and Sustainability Mark Green Garage "Often overlooked in the core of the city of Detroit is an array of impressive cultural and commercial buildings constructed nearly a century ago. One of those 1920s buildings, called the Green Garage, is escaping obscurity in the 21st century on the wings of a sustainable rehabilitation undertaken by Tom and Peggy Brennan. " Read more. How a Business Incubator Created a Lasting Model for Sustainability "Though residents of the Green Garage span many sectors, they all share two characteristics: they're interested in being part of a community of businesses and in reducing the environmental impact of their work by locating there. The Green Garage is a triple bottom line business, which means incorporating the environmental and social costs of an operation alongside the financial. " Read more. The Greenest Buildings in Detroit, Mapped "The first major green renovation in the city, the Green Garage has been an example for other builders in the city about how to do a responsible green redevelopment. The renovation of the former Model T showroom into a business incubator and co-working space took around three years. That slow approach allowed the owners to incorporate a number of sustainable elements into the design that are still being perfected. " Read more. How Green is Your Alley? "The first Detroit Green Alley opened in 2010. In 2014, Detroit’s second-heaviest single-day rainfall ever caused flooding so major that people abandoned cars on the highway. The green alley didn’t hold a single puddle. Ever since, it’s been inspiring urban environmentalists. " Read more. Green Garage Detroit: Pioneering a Sustainable Future for Business "Erected in 1920, the Green Garage building has a colorful history as a former home to Model T’s and shoe repairs alike. Today... past and present have been carefully woven together to create a business opportunity that is turning the traditional small business model upside-down by giving people an affordable possibility for a workspace while also reducing, reusing and recycling. " Read more. A Workspace with a Heart: A look at Detroit’s sustainability leader "Sustainability and economic growth do not have to be contradictory. With the right infrastructure and leadership, reducing a business’s carbon footprint can be quite inexpensive. In Detroit, the Green Garage leads by example, proving that sustainability is not at the expense of economic growth. " Read more. Green Garage Detroit (podcast episode) "Green Garage is a historic building that was sustainably renovated to become a coworking community and business incubator dedicated to providing a home to a diverse group of businesses and nonprofits. As a triple bottom line business, they're always striving to makae decisions that are good for the environment, community and economy. " Listen here. - Published: 2021-04-23 - Modified: 2026-03-17 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/member-portal/ MEMBER PORTAL Green Garage business-in-residence resources To view this protected content, enter the password below: Password: - Published: 2021-02-17 - Modified: 2026-07-20 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/businesses-in-residence/ CURRENT BUSINESSES-IN-RESIDENCE Abigail Porter for Michigan Nature AssociationSaving Michigan's rare, threatened, and endangered speciesAnna Shires for Federal Home Loan Bank of IndianapolisSupporting affordable housing and community economic development activities that benefit low- and moderate-income families and neighborhoodsAnton Schauerte for Washtenaw Area Transportation Study Multi-jurisdictional agency responsible for transportation planning in Washtenaw CountyCommon Cause Michigan Nonpartisan 501(c)(4) dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracyDetroit Horse PowerConnecting Detroit youth with horses to foster social-emotional learningDMCComplete automation services, software development, and custom hardware engineeringEco AchieversDelivering high performance, healthy structuresElizabeth Luther for Ethos Development PartnersExperienced consultants that assist organizations seeking to engage in transformative housing, commercial, and community development initiatives El MooreSustainable Urban Living in Detroit Ester Lee for Key FiguresWorker-owned bookkeeping and accounting firmFairfield ConsultingFull service web development consultancyFor All CloudCloud software for everyoneGoaltracHelping nonprofits implement strategic plansGood Done DailyGraphic design studio serving philanthropic, non-profit, cultural, and civic organizations throughout Detroit and southeast MichiganGreat Lakes Environmental Law CenterProtecting the world’s greatest freshwater resource and the communities that depend upon itGreen and Healthy Homes InitiativeAddressing the Social Determinants of Health and Racial Equity Through Healthy HousingGreen Seeds ConsultingTriple bottom-line consultingHenry CesariWriter and journalist covering the automotive industryHeritage WorksHeritage Works promotes youth and community development through cultural traditions, arts and educationJonas Goldstein for AledadeThe nation's largest network of primary care practitionersJMJ ConsultantsTechnology management consultantsLaunchgoodCrowdfunding incredible Muslims worldwideMarathon Cable Providing automation distributors with standardized and custom cable solutionsPatronicityCrowdfunding to build better communitiesPlanet DetroitIndependent nonprofit local news organization designed to inform you about the environment and public health in Detroit and Michigan ProSeedsCreative solutions to funding and staffing needs for grassroots organizations specializing in community and economic developmentRahul Mohan for You. comAPIs & indexes built for LLMsSafe Water EngineeringSafe Water Engineering specializes in drinking water quality consulting, providing technical assistance to water utilities, and policy analysis at federal, state, and local levels. Simply Well CommunitiesDesigning sustainable, holistic, healthy living communitiesStrawberry SolarSince 2010, Strawberry Solar has specialized as Michigan’s leading expert for turnkey solar design and construction support. Thinking HabitatsWhere thinking comes to life. Veteran EV ChargingReliable, off-grid power for electric fleet vehicles, industrial and commercial customers, and large multifamily residential communities - Published: 2021-02-17 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/our-story/ OUR STORY The Green Garage is a sustainable coworking space and virtual office provider operating of a historic auto showroom in the Cass Corridor neighborhood of Midtown Detroit. We’re a triple bottom line business, meaning that we make decisions based on three main considerations: environmental stewardship, community wellbeing, and economic resilience. We opened for business in Fall 2011, and in the years since, we’ve grown into a diverse and thriving community comprised of hundreds of individual members. Our businesses-in-residence and virtual office clients work in a wide variety of industries, and represent varying ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, but we all come together around the goals of helping each other grow and succeed while caring for the Earth and our city of Detroit. Read below to learn all about us and our sister businesses, located just down the street from us. To read coverage of the Green Garage in the news media, see our Media Mentions page. HOW WE GOT STARTED The Green Garage grew out of the Great Lakes Green Initiative (GLGI), a community learning project founded in 2005 by Tom and Peggy Brennan, whose aim was to educate and empower a group of friends and neighbors to reduce the environmental impact of their daily lives. Out of that effort came the idea of creating a place where sustainability principles could be put into practice in a commercial setting, and shared with a wider network. Before long, that goal was joined with a desire to support Detroit’s growing community of small business owners, and the basic idea of the Green Garage was born. In late 2007, Tom and Peggy acquired the property at 4444 2nd Avenue. With a group of co-founders from GLGI and hundreds of volunteers, they began a three year process of deconstructing and reconstructing the building, and designing and installing systems that would reduce its ecological footprint well into the future. At the same time, they envisioned and designed the scope of the business services, building relationships along the way with local small business owners, as well as faculty and students from Wayne State University, the College for Creative Studies, the University of Michigan, and Lawrence Tech University. (Please visit our original wiki site for a closer look at the Green Garage's formative years. ) In late 2011, the first business-in-residence moved in, and we started down the path we continue to walk today, where we are regularly joined by business and nonprofit leaders who are looking for a supportive community to become part of, and a sustainable place to grow and do their great work. HISTORY OF OUR BUILDING The story of the Green Garage building spans Detroit’s industrial past and looks forward to a more sustainable future. 4444 2nd Avenue is a one-time automobile showroom and service station originally built in 1921, during the early boom of Detroit’s auto industry. We honor the entrepreneurial spirit that has been a part of the building’s story since those days, a spirit that was carried forward to the 1930s through the 1990s, when the building served as the headquarters for Kanners and Patrize, a wholesale shoe supply business that served metro Detroit for 60 years. Learn more on our Building History wiki page. In late 2007, the building was purchased by Tom and Peggy, who saw in it an opportunity to create both a demonstration center for sustainability practices and a collaborative workspace that would support Detroit’s growing small business community. Along with a core group of co-founders and hundreds of generous volunteers, they spent three years deconstructing and reconstructing the building, finding opportunities to reuse original materials wherever they could, and designing and building the innovative systems that make the Green Garage one of the greenest historic buildings in the Midwest. Learn more on our Sustainability page. EL MOORE LODGE & RESIDENCES After opening the Green Garage for business in 2011, we put our creative energy into developing our first sister business, the El Moore Lodge. Located just two blocks south of us, the El Moore Lodge is both an apartment building, with twelve annual rental apartments, and and overnight lodge, with 11 rooms for nightly or short-term stays. Built in 1898 as luxury apartments, by the early 2000s, the El Moore was left vacant and open to the elements. We rehabilitated it using an approach similar to the one that guided our redevelopment of the Green Garage, emphasizing material reuse, sustainable systems, and green operations. The El Moore Lodge opened for business in January 2016 and continues to provide a one-of-a-kind living or visiting experience in Detroit’s historic Cass Corridor neighborhood, one that emphasizes sustainability and creates connections between visitors to Detroit and residents of the building. EL MOORE GARDENS Adjacent to the 1898 building is the El Moore Gardens, a publicly accessible neighborhood green space we opened in 2019 to nurture our community's relationship with nature and to promote joy, wellness, and a sense of belonging. Filled with Michigan native plants, the Gardens provides an opportunity for quiet relaxation and playful learning. Its events and activities move with and celebrate the rhythm of the seasons and our connectedness to all living things. SEASONS MARKET The most recent phase of our development is Seasons Market, a neighborhood good food market that opened in February 2022. Seasons is a place where neighbors can pick up fresh produce and Michigan-made products and prepared foods, as well as a cup of coffee or a glass of wine or beer to enjoy in the dining loft. Seasons operates out of a new building on the El Moore Gardens site that was built out of reclaimed brick from a deconstructed historic apartment building nearby. They're open 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM, 7 days a week. Stop by and say hi! The Green Garage Emailinfo@greengaragedetroit. comPhone(313) 444-4025Address4444 2nd Ave. Detroit, MI 48201 Linkedin Facebook Instagram - Published: 2021-02-17 - Modified: 2026-02-26 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/sustainability/ SUSTAINABILITY The Green Garage is Detroit's sustainable coworking option. Because we care about our relationship with the Earth and the ecosystems we’re a part of, we take our responsibility to reduce our ecological footprint seriously. It’s part of our triple bottom line approach to business leadership, which is rooted in environmental stewardship, community wellbeing, and economic resilience. SUSTAINABILITY The Green Garage is Detroit's sustainable coworking option. Because we care about our relationship with the Earth and the ecosystems we’re a part of, we take our responsibility to reduce our ecological footprint seriously. It’s part of our triple bottom line approach to business leadership, which is rooted in environmental stewardship, community wellbeing, and economic resilience. Below is a high level summary of some of the many sustainable systems, design features, and processes that make the Green Garage one of the greenest workspaces on the planet. Solar PV panels (50) to generate electricity Solar thermal panels (10) to heat the building  Super insulated building envelope Geothermal HVAC ERV / natural ventilation Michigan native plant gardens Stormwater management and rainwater harvesting Indoor bicycle parking and shower Multi-stream recycling On site composting Low flow sinks and toilets High performance windows Solatubes for supplemental sunlight Building material reuse ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT The Green Garage operates at approximately 10% the waste, water, and energy of a traditional office building. We are able to achieve these goals thanks to our forward looking building systems, highlighted above, but also thanks to the everyday care, consideration, and participation of the businesses that call us home. Each month, we track our community’s waste, water, and energy consumption data, which we compare against an industry standard for office buildings. We use these data to hold ourselves accountable and to make continuous improvements to our operations, whether that’s adding new solar panels or working with our businesses-in-residence to find ways to reduce the amount of disposable material that comes into the building. Above is a sample of some recent charts. Find more here. BUILDING GREEN RENOVATION Our home at 4444 Second Avenue is an historic auto dealership built in 1921. (For more about the building’s history, click here. ) Between 2008 and 2010, we deconstructed and reconstructed the building guided by a creative approach that targeted high energy efficiency performance goals (less than 20% of normal office buildings) while at the same time using a low-waste approach for building materials. The high energy efficiency performance design rested on a fundamental strategy of first reducing our energy demands through conservation, then meeting the remaining demand by renewable and lowest carbon means. Some of our conservation methods include a high performance building thermal envelope with an almost 100 R roof, extremely low air infiltration, and low-e windows. Our high efficiency and low carbon methods for meeting this lower demand include 50 solar PV panels, 10 solar thermal panels, geothermal heating and cooling, solar tube lighting, energy recovery and natural ventilation. The low waste approach targeted two overarching goals: to reuse 90% of the materials from the original building, and to source 75% of the materials brought into the building from the US waste stream. Achieving the first goal meant that over the course of the entire construction process, only a dumpster and a half’s worth of material ended up being thrown away; everything else was either repurposed in the building or recycled. Repurposed materials include the building’s original steam pipes, which were transformed into our main staircase, as well as the original exterior windows, which were recut and reframed into the panes of our interior greenhouse. Achieving the second goal meant that we were able to save additional materials from entering the waste stream, including most of our furniture, which came from a Detroit Public Schools warehouse, and the wood we used to create our floor, which was harvested from fallen trees around metro Detroit. Additional green features include rainwater management, with two large cisterns used for capturing rainwater to water our gardens. Around our property, we also planted Michigan native gardens that promote and support biodiversity. To rehabilitate the Green Garage building, we were privileged to work with a forward-thinking team of designers and contractors and hundreds of generous, hard working volunteers, who together helped us turn our beautiful 1921 home into one of the greenest historic buildings in the Midwest. GREEN ALLEY Our approach to sustainability stewardship goes beyond the walls of our building and extends into our historic Cass Corridor neighborhood. We worked with our neighbors at Motor City Brewing Works and Midtown Detroit to create Detroit’s first green alley, a lush pedestrian pathway behind our building that reduces harmful runoff to the Detroit River. Built in 2009, the Midtown Green Alley represents an early instance in southeast Michigan of green infrastructure, where eco-conscious landscaping is used to help mitigate the harmful effects of traditional stormwater infrastructure. In Detroit, our combined sewer system means that during a heavy rainfall, stormwater mixes with graywater from sanitary sewers, which is then discharged into the Detroit River, creating unhealthy conditions for us all. The Green Alley employs a convex surface, permeable pavement, and native gardens to divert rainwater to the water table instead, reducing the amount of stormwater that enters the sewer system. The native plantings also attract pollinators, supporting a diverse and thriving local ecosystem, and help reduce urban heat island effect. We conceived of the Green Alley as a demonstration center for this kind of infrastructure, as well as a way to make our neighborhood more walkable and connected. We’re heartened that in the twelve years since its construction, it continues to inspire others and serve as a vital pedestrian path in Detroit’s Cass Corridor. If you're interested in a more detailed look at the alley's history, design, and construction, check out the Green Alley page on our wiki. Linkedin Facebook Instagram - Published: 2021-02-04 - Modified: 2026-06-08 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/coworking/ Coworking Space in Midtown Detroit Sustainable coworking in the heart of Midtown Detroit. Work, connect, and grow in a supportive and inspiring environment. Get In Touch MEMBERSHIP TYPES All memberships include full access to the Green Garage between 6:00 AM–11:59 PM, 7 days per week Shared table seat Starting at $83/month Lease a flexible, budget-conscious seat at our first-come, first-served shared tables. Includes full daily access to the Green Garage facility and use of our common areas, including the community kitchen, cafe seating, and 3-season room. Access our meeting rooms for a small hourly fee. Individual desk Starting at $240/month Set up your monitor and settle in at a dedicated desk, available in standard and XL sizes. Reserved for your sole use, desks are defined by half walls and include mail and package receipt, three hours per day of meeting room use, and full access to the Green Garage common areas. Reserve additional time in our meeting rooms, and access to our large conference room, for a small hourly fee. 2 Person office Starting at $615/month Co-locate, collaborate, and grow in a dedicated 2-person office, which includes two desks and plenty of space for additional furniture. Great for dynamic duos or solo occupants who need room to spread out, they're defined by half walls and include mail and package receipt and four hours per day in our meeting rooms and large conference room. Reserve additional meeting and conference room time for a small hourly fee. 3+ Person office Starting at $855/month Bring the whole crew together in a spacious custom office. With options that range between three to eight-person spaces, they're defined by half walls and include mail and package receipt and four hours per day in our meeting rooms and large conference room. Reserve additional meeting and conference room time for a small hourly fee. Studio Starting at $820/month Establish a flexible HQ for your maker or product-based business in one of our three standalone studios. Ranging from 200 to 600 square feet, these dedicated, stand-alone studios include high ceilings, locking doors, built-in storage, plenty of outlets, and windows to let in natural light. Lease of a studio also comes with four hours per day in our meeting rooms and large conference room. Reserve additional conference room time for a small hourly fee. COMPARE MEMBERSHIPS Shared Table Seat Dedicated Desk 2-Person Office 3+ Person Office Studio Cost per month $83 $240-$305 $615 $855+ $820+ Full facility access (6:00 AM – 11:59 PM, 7 days/week) Use of common spaces (kitchen, dining room, gardens, lounge, 3 season room) High speed wifi Daily printer/scanner/copier use Access to 2-4 person meeting rooms Access to 10 person conference room Purchase additional meeting and conference room access Purchase day passes for visiting coworkers Mail and package receipt Dedicated space defined by half walls Private space with locking door VIRTUAL TOUR AMENITIES Common AreasCommunity kitchen with refrigeratorDining room with boothsOn-site mini-mart with snacks, drinks, and breakfast and lunch options for purchase3 Season Room (indoor/outdoor space)Imaginarium LoungeMeeting rooms with advanced videoconferencing toolsTechnology ServicesHigh speed wifi from Everstream (formerly Rocket Fiber)Wireless printer/copier/scannerLearning OpportunitiesNetworking community lunches, attended by like-minded professionals from around the regionTriple-bottom-line business leadership meetingsLeading edge technologyPersonal WellbeingOffice yogaNeighborhood walksAbundant natural light and advanced HVAC Neighborhood/Transportation Highly rated walkable neighborhood, with many locally-owned dining and retail options nearby Secure indoor bike storage and on-site shower for cyclists Close proximity to DDOT, SMART, and QLine transit stops  Optional dedicated neighborhood parking Sustainability Services Green alley and garden seating areas Green, solar energy to power your business Onsite recycling and composting Additional Business Benefits Business promotion via Green Garage website, social media, and community lunches Discounts at FedEx Office In-house notary (small fee applies) MEETING ROOMS Green Garage members have access to our five hybrid-ready meeting rooms, designed to help you seamlessly collaborate with colleagues and clients wherever they may be. All five rooms include state of the art videoconferencing tools, sound-dampening walls, ergonomic task chairs, and custom tables with built-in power outlets. Each Green Garage membership type includes a certain amount of daily access to the meeting rooms, with additional access available for a small hourly fee. Our four 2-4 person meeting rooms have built-in media bars and monitors to support seamless virtual meetings, as well as movable whiteboards for flexible in-person collaborationOur 10-person conference room includes an interactive touchscreen whiteboard, ultra short throw projector, and Meeting Owl for high-impact trainings and larger meetings with in-person or hybrid guests NEIGHBORHOOD The Green Garage is located in the thriving and historic Cass Corridor of Midtown, one of the most vibrant and walkable parts of Detroit. Joining our coworking community puts you just steps from dozens of unique, independently owned shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars, as well as some of the region's leading cultural and educational institutions, like the Detroit Institue of Arts and Wayne State University. You'll find ample street parking (both metered and free) in our neighborhood, as well as dedicated bike lanes and easy access to DDOT and QLine Stops. We even have a MoGo station (Detroit's bike share system) right across the street. Our neighborhood is a historic urban village that offers the best of both worlds: it's a community-minded place where you can get to know neighbors on a first-name basis, and a dynamic urban center with annual gatherings that draw thousands of visitors, like Dally in the Alley, Marche du Nain Rouge, and Noel Night. Come visit us sometime and experience the magic of Midtown for yourself. Before you do, check out Visit Midtown for a comprehensive look at the many small businesses, institutions, and attractions right around the corner from the Green Garage. BUSINESSES IN RESIDENCE We are grateful that nearly 50 triple bottom line-conscious individuals and organizations call the Green Garage home. It’s an inspiring group that works every day not only to make their businesses successful, but to also make Detroit and the world a better place. The Green Garage is committed to a more sustainable future for all, and we’re only able to achieve our sustainability goals thanks to their active participation and leadership. To give you a feel for our community, here is a small sampling of current businesses-in-residences who call the Green Garage home. For the full list of our members, which we would encourage you to look at, please check here. Eco AchieversProviding enhanced code and performance testing, green building certification, and green finance consulting for all residential projects, large and smallGreat Lakes Environmental Law CenterProtecting the world's greatest freshwater resources and communities that depend upon itLaunchGoodCrowdfunding incredible Muslims worldwidePlanet DetroitIndependent nontprofit local news organization designed to inform you about the environment and public health in Detroit and MichiganSafe Water EngineeringDrinking water quality consulting, technical assistance to water utilities, and policy analysis at federal, state, and local levelsStrawberry SolarMichigan's leading turnkey solar design and construction support Connect With Us The Green Garage Email info@greengaragedetroit. com Phone (313) 444-4025 Address 4444 2nd Ave. Detroit, MI 48201 Linkedin Facebook Instagram - Published: 2020-08-26 - Modified: 2026-05-22 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/ GREEN GARAGE Sustainable Coworking & Virtual Offices in Detroit Sustainable Coworking & Virtual Offices in Detroit Get In Touch Cowork Here Lease a desk, office, studio, or shared seat in our sustainable coworking space in Midtown Detroit. Virtual Office Sign up for a Virtual Office in Detroit and CMRA mailing address at our established location. Get Involved Find other opportunities to connect with us like our twice-a-month community lunches. Community The Green Garage is more than a coworking space. We're a diverse and tight-knit community of professionals who find opportunities to help each other learn, grow, and succeed.  Community care and connectedness are part of everything we do.  Whether you're looking for a professional service or referral, someone to listen to your next big idea, or something as simple as a charger for your laptop, your fellow coworkers will be there for you. And since we're a community that celebrates the differences that make us stronger, you'll be encouraged to bring your whole self to work.   Sustainability Sustainability is at the heart of the Green Garage. We were founded as a demonstration center for what sustainability in an urban setting could look like, and we are proud to operate at about 10% of the waste, water, and energy of a traditional office. We're a triple bottom line business, meaning that we consider the environmental, economic, and community impact of every decision we make, and that we measure our performance along those same three metrics. By locating at the Green Garage, your business would have one of the greenest footprints on the planet, and would be participating in a concerted effort to achieve a more sustainable future for Detroit. Meet Our Members Henry Cesari has been in residence at the Green Garage since he moved to the Cass Corridor in 2024. With a passion for both writing and anything on wheels, Henry is an automotive journalist who covers the auto industry for a variety of websites. He tells us that one of his favorite things about life at the Green Garage are our twice-a-month community lunches, which he makes a point to attend regularly in order to grow his network and learn about the great work going on in Detroit. Henry CesariAutomotive journalist Rhonda Greene is the executive director of Heritage Works, a longstanding nonprofit organization that promotes youth and community development in Detroit through cultural traditions, arts, and education, including African-centric drum and dance education. Rhonda has operated Heritage Works out of the Green Garage since 2017. She says she values our culture of celebrating each community members’ successes, personal and professional, as well as opportunities to work from our three season room (particularly in the spring) and take part in our regular triple bottom line business leadership conversations. Rhonda GreeneHeritage Works Lindsey Elton is President and Partner at Eco Achievers, a company with offices in Detroit and Chicago. They help residential building developers achieve their sustainability goals through green building certification, code compliance, performance testing, and green financing strategies. Lindsey moved into the Green Garage in 2019 as the sole representative from Eco Achievers in Detroit. Since then, she’s benefited from the opportunity to grow a dedicated team here, a wonderful group that has become an integral part of our community. Lindsey EltonEco Achievers Strawberry Solar is a group of like-minded individuals working towards a better future for the state of Michigan and our planet. With an expertise in solar and battery storage, they help homeowners and businesses achieve energy independence and reduce their carbon footprint. Will Held and the whole Strawberry Solar team joined the Green Garage back in 2018 and, according to Will, they’ve “loved every minute! We started with a two-person office and have steadily grown into a six-person space. Along the way, the Green Garage has been there to offer everything we may need as a small business, and we are so happy to call the Green Garage our headquarters. " Will HeldStrawberry Solar Kimberly Williamson is the founder and managing director of Simply Well Communities, a real estate development company committed to strengthening community health through the built environment. She has been a resident of the Green Garage since 2013, when she arrived with a seed of an idea to improve community health by focusing on people-centric, triple bottom line real estate development practices. “I really don’t have adequate words for all the Garage means to me," she says. "The support of this community has been invaluable to the growth of Simply Well—which now is a team of four! The Green Garage was a place where my idea was nurtured and encouraged with warmth and practical, hands-on business learning. At the Green Garage we have grown a sound, sustainable business and lifelong friendships. " Kimberly WilliamsonSimply Well Communities Ester Lee works for Key Figures, a financial management firm based in Austin, TX that offers a variety of bookkeeping and financial advisory services, as well as tax preparation and consulting. Ester’s specialty is bookkeeping and financial management for cooperatives, nonprofits and small businesses. Four years ago she chose to relocate to Detroit. Regarding her choice to join us at the Green Garage, Ester says, “The Garage is a hub for a lot of community-focused groups and businesses of Detroit! I’ve met a lot of interesting people doing good work in the city. ” Ester LeeKey Figures Meet Our Members Rhonda Greene is the executive director of Heritage Works, a longstanding nonprofit organization that promotes youth and community development in Detroit through cultural traditions, arts, and education, including African-centric drum and dance education. Rhonda has operated Heritage Works out of the Green Garage since 2017. She says she values our culture of celebrating each community members’ successes, personal and professional, as well as opportunities to work from our three season room (particularly in the spring) and take part in our regular triple bottom line business leadership conversations. Rhonda GreeneHeritage Works Strawberry Solar is a group of like-minded individuals working towards a better future for the state of Michigan and our planet. With an expertise in solar and battery storage, they help homeowners and businesses achieve energy independence and reduce their carbon footprint. Will Held and the entire Strawberry Solar team joined the Green Garage back in 2018 and, according to Will, they’ve “loved every minute! We started with a two-person office and have steadily grown into a six-person space. Along the way, the Green Garage has been there to offer everything we may need as a small business, and we are so happy to call the Green Garage our headquarters. " Will HeldStrawberry Solar Kimberly Williamson is the founder and managing director of Simply Well Communities, a real estate development company committed to strengthening community health through the built environment. She has been a resident of the Green Garage since 2013, when she arrived with a seed of an idea to improve community health by focusing on people-centric, triple bottom line real estate development practices. “I really don’t have adequate words for all the Garage means to me," she says. "The support of this community has been invaluable to the growth of Simply Well—which now is a team of four! The Green Garage was a place where my idea was nurtured and encouraged with warmth and practical, hands-on business learning. At the Green Garage we have grown a sound, sustainable business and lifelong friendships. " Kimberly WilliamsonSimply Well Communities Ester Lee works for Key Figures, a financial management firm based in Austin, TX that offers a variety of bookkeeping and financial advisory services, as well as tax preparation and consulting. Ester’s specialty is bookkeeping and financial management for cooperatives, nonprofits and small businesses. Four years ago she chose to relocate to Detroit. Regarding her choice to join us at the Green Garage, Ester says, “The Garage is a hub for a lot of community-focused groups and businesses of Detroit! I’ve met a lot of interesting people doing good work in the city. ” Ester LeeKey Figures Henry Cesari has been in residence at the Green Garage since he moved to the Cass Corridor in 2024. With a passion for both writing and anything on wheels, Henry is an automotive journalist who covers the auto industry for a variety of websites. He tells us that one of his favorite things about life at the Green Garage are our twice-a-month community lunches, which he makes a point to attend regularly in order to grow his network and learn about the great work going on in Detroit. Henry CesariAutomotive journalist Lindsey Elton is President and Partner at Eco Achievers, a company with offices in Detroit and Chicago. They help residential building developers achieve their sustainability goals through green building certification, code compliance, performance testing, and green financing strategies. Lindsey moved into the Green Garage in 2019 as the sole representative from Eco Achievers in Detroit. Since then, she’s benefited from the opportunity to grow a dedicated team here, a wonderful group that has become an integral part of our community. Lindsey EltonEco Achievers Contact Us Email info@greengaragedetroit. com Phone (313) 444-4025 Address 4444 Second Ave. Detroit, MI 48201 Linkedin Facebook Instagram - Published: 2020-08-26 - Modified: 2026-07-21 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/get-involved/ JOIN US FOR COMMUNITY LUNCH ON THE THE FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAYS OF THE MONTH! We hold community lunches from 12:00-1:00 on the first and third Friday of each month. Join us next on Friday, August 7 for a community conversation about summer in Detroit. GET INVOLVED The heart of the Green Garage is our coworking community—the 50 small businesses and remote workers that operate out of our facility, sharing space, resources, and a commitment to a more sustainable future. If you’re looking to join us as a businesses-in-residence, please see our Coworking page. But the Green Garage is more than a coworking space—we’re also a place where people who are passionate about sustainability, community, and Detroit come together to learn and share. Learn about other opportunities to get involved below. COMMUNITY LUNCH & BUILDING TOUR On the first and third Friday of each month, we welcome friends from near and far to join us for our community lunch and building tour. This is the best opportunity to get to know our community of businesses and others interested in a more sustainable future.  Community lunch includes introductions all around, a roundup of Green Garage news, and a short talk, given by either a business-in-residence or community partner about their work.  We serve sandwiches from our sister business, Seasons Market, and provide coffee, tea, water, and snacks. Join us from 12:00-1:00 every first and third Friday. After lunch, between 1:15 and 1:45, we offer a tour of our building, which details its use as a shared workspace as well as the features that make it one of the greenest buildings in the Midwest. This tour is the best opportunity for both prospective members and building/sustainability enthusiasts to get a closer look at the ins and outs of our innovative historic facility. SIGN UP FOR GREEN GARAGE UPDATES Want to keep up with Green Garage news and events? Sign up here to receive regular updates, including previews of upcoming community lunch topics and invitations to community activities at Seasons Market and El Moore Gardens. We will not sell or share your information. The Green Garage Emailinfo@greengaragedetroit. comPhone(313) 444-4025Address4444 2nd Ave. Detroit, MI 48201 Linkedin Facebook Instagram ## Posts - Published: 2026-07-02 - Modified: 2026-07-02 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/in-person-perks/ - Categories: virtual office Our Detroit virtual office memberships include access to coworking day passes, conference rooms, and networking opportunities. Just over a year ago, the Green Garage branched out from coworking and began to offer Detroit virtual office service for the first time. This service provides business owners with a mailing address at our building—and, if needed, a registered office address and Michigan resident agent service, too. In our first year, the response has been robust. We’ve helped more than 90 diverse clients establish virtual offices at our headquarters in Midtown Detroit—and that number is growing by the week! This reflects broader national trends. Virtual offices are becoming increasingly popular as more and more entrepreneurs recognize the value of separating their business address from their home address—and of establishing their businesses at a reputable hub like the Green Garage. But we have 15 years of experience supporting our coworking community—the businesses who physically work out of the Green Garage. That experience has taught us that entrepreneurs need more than a business address to succeed. That’s why we structured our virtual office memberships to include à la carte access to in-person services, too, including coworking day passes and access to our conference rooms. It’s also why we’re happy to welcome our virtual office clients for community-building events here at our Midtown HQ. Built to insipre Many of our virtual office clients have day jobs, work from home, or do the kind of work that doesn’t require a dedicated space. But when a deadline is looming, or they just need a day or two to get some focused work done, they know they can call us. They can reserve a spot in our centrally-located coworking space in Midtown. We designed it not only to promote productivity, but to inspire great work. Originally built in 1921 as an early automobile showroom, we rehabilitated it between 2008-11. We focused on reducing the environmental footprint of the building and creating a warm, welcoming professional environment. With an abundance of natural light, soaring barrel vault architecture, and emphasis on historic, reclaimed materials, the Green Garage is a one-of-a-kind workspace. In the memorable words of one of our members, it “encourages hard work and determination... and inspires me to improve every day. ” Virtual office clients are welcome to purchase day passes to our open shared table area for $20/day, or to rent their own dedicated desk for $40/day. Either way, you also have access to various shared spaces, including our kitchen, dining area, open-air three season room, and cozy upstairs loft. Spaces to connect We believe that long-term relationships are the backbone of small business success. Nowadays, of course, meetings can take place anywhere, but there’s nothing like a purpose-built meeting room to strengthen a relationship with a potential client, coworker, or partner. Here at the Green Garage, we have five comfortable, state-of-the-art meeting rooms that we’re happy to make available to our virtual office clients as needed. Four of them seat between 2-4 people. One larger room 10-12. The four smaller rooms are great for both in-person meetings and video conferencing. They include custom tables, comfortable task chairs, sound dampening felt walls for privacy, and floating whiteboards for design and planning work. They also support seamless plug and play video conferencing through large monitors and media bars, which include built-in speakers, mic, and wide angle camera. Virtual office clients can rent any of those four rooms for just $15/hr. The 10-person Main Conference Room is also outfitted with felt walls, a custom table, and comfortable task chairs. It features four large windows to let in natural light, as well as a built-in projector and whiteboard. The whiteboard can be used as a traditional dry erase board or a virtual whiteboard, to digitally mark up and save images, documents, and presentations. For hybrid meetings with both in-person and video participants, you’re welcome to borrow our Meeting Owl. This portable video conferencing tool has a 360 degree camera that allows you to seamlessly blend in-person and remote guests. The Main Conference Room is available to virtual office clients for $30/hr. Build your community with us By design, the Green Garage is more than a building—it’s a community. We were founded not only as a place where business owners work side by side, but where they get to know one another, build friendships, and find opportunities to work together. To that end, we host regular events that provide priceless opportunities for members of our coworking and virtual office communities to make in-person connections. The first is our longstanding community lunch, which we host on the first and third Friday of each month. Guests enjoy a light lunch from our sister business, Seasons Market & Cafe, while connecting with others and learning about some good work going on in the city. Each lunch typically features a short talk given by a member of the Green Garage community. Recent speakers include Nick Leonard of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center and John Szarafinski, a local beekeeper. Beyond community lunch, which is open to the public, we also host events just for our members. These include technology learning opportunities, where we look at particular tech tools. Recent conversations have focused on AI resources available to small businesses, like Otter. ai for notetaking. Our member events also include happy hours, where the only items on the agenda are to enjoy each other’s company, have some good food and drink, and have some fun. (Some recent happy hours have included a talent show, a book swap, and a World Cup watch party. ) Virtual office members are invited to join us for any of these events to connect with each other and the fifty or so members of our coworking community. Securing a virtual office is an important step on the entrepreneurial path. It helps protect your privacy, gives your business credibility, and turns over the handling of your important business mail to a dedicated, professional service provider. But when you’re growing a small business, there’s no substitute for the benefits that come from face-to-face connection. If you’re deciding on a Detroit virtual office, be sure to find out which in-person services, resources, and amenities are included or available. If you’re ready to learn more about signing up for a virtual office here at the Green Garage, we’d love to hear from you! Just click the contact form below and we’ll be in touch. Get Your Business Address - Published: 2026-06-09 - Modified: 2026-06-12 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/the-buzz-about-beekeeping/ - Categories: community lunch, sustainability At our June 5th community lunch, John Szarafinski shared some of his extensive beekeeping knowledge. At the Green Garage, we have long been interested in bees and their survival. We know that bees are vital to our global food supply and our worldwide ecosystem, pollinating 90% of the world’s crops and 80% of all flowering plants. Wild bee populations, however, are in decline due to habitat loss, pesticides, climate change and disease. That’s one of the reasons we maintain Michigan native gardens around our building and in our green alley. We not only want to support our local bee population, but also to encourage others to use pollinator-friendly native plants in their gardens and landscapes, too. So we were especially interested to hear about the work of a local beekeeper, John Szarafinski, at our community lunch last Friday, June 5. John is a neighbor of the Green Garage, a member of our virtual office community, and a second-generation beekeeper. He keeps some of his hives just down the street from us at the North Cass Community Garden. During his talk, he shared some of his fascinating, up-close-and-personal knowledge about bees. For instance, did you know that... Worker bees live only about 6 weeks? They spend days 18-21 of their short lives guarding the hive from intruders, and then leave to forage after day 22? A queen bee lays 2,000 eggs a day? Michigan has 3 ‘honey-flow seasons,’ with bees collecting nectar from different sources in each season? John was able to pack quite a bit of information about bees in the space of ten minutes. If you’d like to hear the full talk, please click below. Community Lunch June 5, 2026 with John Szarafinski | RSS. com Join us for our next community lunch, on Friday, June 19th, for a Juneteenth reflection and celebration. - Published: 2026-05-21 - Modified: 2026-06-09 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/meet-the-detroit-repair-cafe/ - Categories: community lunch, sustainability Volunteers with Detroit Repair Cafe meet twice a month at free spaces such as public libraries or cafes and work together to fix whatever the community brings in. On Friday, May 15th, our community lunch speaker was Diana Graham, founder of the Detroit Repair Cafe. Diana is an industrial engineer who decided to start a repair cafe in Detroit after taking a turn at one in Lincoln, Nebraska. Since March of 2024, volunteers with Detroit Repair Cafe meet twice a month at free spaces such as public libraries or cafes and work together to fix whatever the community brings in—often pants, coats, lamps, vacuums and sewing machines. The first repair cafe was started in Amsterdam in 2009, and since that time more than 4,000 have popped up worldwide. The goal is not only to help save items from landfills, but also to keep old-fashioned repair skills alive. Based on the enthusiastic response from the crowd gathered at our lunch, Diana’s group is certainly a welcome addition to our Detroit community! Follow Detroit Repair Cafe on Facebook or Instagram to see when the next repair cafes are scheduled. Listen to Diana's talk below. Community Lunch May 15, 2026 with Diana Graham of | RSS. com - Published: 2026-05-07 - Modified: 2026-05-08 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/cultivating-a-food-sovereign-city/ - Categories: community lunch, sustainability, urban agriculture Keep Growing Detroit supports thousands of gardeners and farmers across Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck through education, resources, and connections. At our Community Lunch this past Friday, we heard about the great work of Keep Growing Detroit (KGD) from Ashley Atkinson. She is KGD’s longtime co-director of Farm and Market Operations and an old friend of the Green Garage. Keep Growing Detroit supports thousands of gardeners and farmers across Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck through education, resources, and connections. Their goal is a food-sovereign city, where the majority of fruits and vegetables consumed by Detroiters are grown by Detroiters. The idea is that the owners of such a system develop a greater resilience in the long run, since they are empowered to not only to be “consumers within the food system but also growers, stewards, and decision-makers guiding its future,” according to KDG. They support four types of gardens: family, community, school and market gardens. Inspired by research that suggests children learn their connections to food and nature by age 3, Keep Growing Detroit has a strong relationship with the Detroit Public Schools Community District and over 50 early childhood centers in the city. We also recommend checking out their Garden Resource Program, which provides thousands of Detroiters—including many members of the Green Garage coworking community! —with seeds, transplants, workshops and access to soil testing. Here is Ashley's talk and her slides: Community Lunch May 1 2026 with Ashley Atkinson of | RSS. com Our next Community Lunch is Friday, May 15th. Join us then to hear from Diana Graham about the Detroit Repair Cafe, which helps people fix items for free and teaches repair skills to visitors in the process. We look forward to seeing you then! - Published: 2026-04-23 - Modified: 2026-04-24 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/celebrating-a-clean-air-victory/ - Categories: community, community lunch, coworking, people, sustainability At April 17th’s Community Lunch, Nick Leonard spoke on winning a landmark $120 million judgment against DTE to protect the air quality of communities along the Detroit River. At April 17th’s Community Lunch, Nick Leonard spoke on winning a landmark $120 million judgment against DTE to protect the air quality of communities along the Detroit River. What could be a better way to celebrate Earth Week than hearing about a recent clean air victory for Detroit? Nick Leonard, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center and long-time member of our sustainable Detroit coworking space, spoke at our April 17th community lunch about the recent federal court decision to hold the EES Coke Battery facility and DTE liable for increased air pollution coming from their Zug Island plant. GLELC joined the suit after it was initiated by the Department of Justice in 2022, representing the Sierra Club. The final decision was handed down in February of 2026. (Read excellent coverage of the case in Planet Detroit, another Green Garage business-in-residence. ) If you’ve felt frustrated lately, feeling like we are heading backwards with regards to the environment, Nick’s talk will give you renewed hope. Real progress often takes time, and because it happens incrementally, it is often underreported. But do not underestimate the impact of this story. Because of this ruling, life will become infinitely better for the Southwest Detroit, Ecorse, and River Rouge communities. We are so proud of Nick and the work he has done to make our corner of the world a healthier place. Listen to Nick’s twelve-minute talk and review his slides below: Community Lunch April 17, 2026 with Nick Leonard o | RSS. com Please join us for our next community lunch on May 1st! Our old friend Ashley Atkinson will talk to us about the great work of Keep Growing Detroit, a local organization that supports gardeners and farmers across Detroit in order to cultivate a food sovereign city. All are welcome and lunch is provided free of charge. We hope to see you there! 12:00-1:00 at 4444 2nd Ave. - Published: 2026-04-22 - Modified: 2026-04-22 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/earth-day/ - Categories: design, green alley, sustainability We’re a triple-bottom-line business, which means that when we make decisions, we consider their effects not only on our financial wellbeing, but our local community and the Earth. From energy efficiency to waste and water reduction to eco-conscious landscaping, we use a holistic approach to reducing our environmental footprint. Happy Earth Day! We love this global celebration of ecological awareness and action. It's a day for the whole world to pause and acknowledge our interconnectedness with one another and the natural environment. We love it so much that here at the Green Garage, we celebrate Earth Day every day. We’re a triple-bottom-line business. That means that when we make decisions, we consider their effects not only on our financial wellbeing, but our local community and the Earth. From energy efficiency to waste and water reduction to eco-conscious landscaping, we use a holistic approach to reducing our environmental footprint. We do this so that future generations can have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of clean air, clean water, and a thriving, biodiverse planet. But we certainly don’t do it alone. We’ve learned from the best, and we take our responsibility to pass that knowledge onto others seriously. With that in mind, we thought we'd share some of the design and operational principles behind our historic Detroit coworking space. These practices keep us operating at approximately 10% of the waste, water, and energy of a traditional office building. (For a deeper dive, check our wiki, where we extensively documented our building systems, and our Measurement Pages, where we keep track of our waste, water, and energy performance monthly. ) Powered By Renewable Sources One of the biggest opportunities to reduce your impact on the environment is by reducing your reliance on harmful traditional energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas. We’ve worked hard to cut our consumption at the Green Garage—so hard that last year, we were certified as a green building by Energy Star! We earned a 100 rating, which means our building is as energy efficient as you can get. Our energy bills have told us this for years, but it's nice to have the outside validation. Our energy reduction is achieved through means both large and small. One first step was to use passive design techniques, like super insulation, a white roof, and high efficiency windows to keep the heat inside in the winter and the cool air inside in the summer. Once that was done, we invested in renewable energy. Our building is equipped with 50 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels that generate electricity, as well as 10 thermal solar panels that generate heat in the winter. These systems reduce our carbon footprint by reducing our reliance on conventional energy sources. In the sunny months, we meet well over half of our energy needs through solar. Overall, we use about a tenth of the energy of a traditional office building. The Green Garage is also the longtime home of Strawberry Solar, a residential solar installer that works throughout Michigan. If you’re thinking about making the switch to solar, we can’t recommend them more highly. They’ve helped us out on several projects and the quality of their work speaks for itself. Waste & Water Usage Reduction Sustainability extends beyond energy. It's also about how we responsibly manage waste and water. When it comes to waste, we first work to reduce the amount of disposable materials we bring into our building. Then we recycle and compost as much of what we do bring in as possible, sending a minimum of waste to local landfills.   One simple way we reduce disposables is by stocking our shared kitchen with real dishes, glasses, cutlery, and cloth napkins. Eliminating single-use items from the kitchen not only has clear waste-saving benefits, it also sends a signal to our members and guests that we take our responsibility to reduce unnecessary waste seriously—and encourages them to do the same. It’s all about diverse groups of people taking small steps in the right direction together. When it comes to responsibly disposing of the materials brought into the building, we practice both recycling and composting. Many visitors are surprised to learn that Detroit’s Department of Public Works offers a voluntary commercial curbside recycling program. We're proud to be a part of it. This service includes a dependable weekly curbside pickup of recyclable materials like plastics, glass, metal, and cardboard. It's offered to businesses, nonprofits, and multi-family homes for less than $1000 annually (assessed through your property taxes). That's a small price to pay for supporting the City's sustainability initiatives and keeping harmful materials like single-use plastics out of our local landfills. We also do our own on-site composting. This is a daily process that turns food scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags into fertile growing material that we spread throughout our Michigan native gardens. We have both a compost pile and a tumbler that we keep in our back yard. Since we’re in an urban environment, we stick to fruit and veggie scraps—no meat or dairy—so as not to attract critters. ) Together, these practices mean that we end up sending far less to the landfill than a traditional office building. Data from New York City Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination suggests that the average office worker there throws away 13 pounds of waste per week. By contrast, the average Green Garager throws away one pound per week—just 8% of that figure. Our water conservation efforts are equally robust, but they start simply, too: all our sinks and toilets are low-flow, engineered to maintain high pressure while using less water. We also harvest rainwater on our roof and underground, using it as a first resort when we need to water our gardens or indoor plants. As a result, we average 41 gallons of water per person per month—compared with the industry standard of 400 gallons per person per month. Embracing Green Infrastructure Our commitment to Earth-friendly design extends beyond the walls of our building, into the Cass Corridor neighborhood we’re proud to call home. Back in 2009, we worked with Motor City Brewing Works and Midtown Detroit, Inc. to create Detroit’s first green alley, a lush pedestrian pathway adjacent to our building. It's also an active demonstration center for green infrastructure that reduces harmful runoff from entering the Detroit River. During heavy rainfall, Detroit's combined sewer system tends to fail. Storm water mixes with grey water from sanitary sewers and ends up in the river—causing a range of public health concerns. The green alley shows that another way is possible. Its convex surface is bordered by permeable pavement and lined with Michigan native plants. This design diverts rainwater from the sewer system and back to the water table, where it can support the health of our native ecosystem as nature intended. A Team Effort Thanks to all the practices and decisions outlined above—plus a whole lot more! —Green Garage operates at approximately 10% of the waste, water, and energy usage of a traditional office building. Meeting this goal wouldn’t be possible without the daily participation of everyone who calls our sustainable Detroit coworking space home. We view sustainability not as an individual act, but as a team effort. And there’s room for everyone on our team.   Over the years, Green Garage has drawn dozens of talented sustainability professionals—including green building consultants, environmental attorneys and journalists, and leaders in water quality engineering. We’re proud they've found in the Green Garage both a sustainable base of operations and a welcoming community. But we’re equally proud of the impression we've made on members from other backgrounds—technology, design, food, the arts, and more—who tell us that they want to make a difference too, not once a year but every single day.   It reminds us of a saying we have at the Green Garage: “Every business is a triple bottom line business—some know it, and some don’t. ” No matter what we do every day, we all have the opportunity to do it better, in a way that prioritizes the wellbeing of our one and only Earth. What Can You Do? The Green Garage is an experiment in green living. We realize that for most, this sort of deep dive will be impossible. But there are simple things we all can do. You may noticed, for instance, that incandescent light bulbs are no longer available, and so moving to more enery efficient LED bulbs is a naturally easy step. Things like Baggu Bags are easy to tuck away into a purse or backpack, and come in handy as a replacement for plastic or paper bags at the store. Recycling has become the norm in most communities, and perhaps yours allows for composting. Can you replace a small part of your lawn with a garden filled with Michigan native plants? There are so many ways to be green, but these are a good start. - Published: 2026-04-08 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/michigan-resident-agent/ - Categories: virtual office In this post, we’ll look at what purpose a resident agent in Michigan serves, as well as some key factors to keep in mind when deciding on a resident agent provider. If you’re starting a business in Michigan or setting up a Detroit virtual office, you’ve probably come across the term “registered agent,” or, as it’s known in Michigan, “resident agent. ” But what is a resident agent? What services do they provide? Does every small business need one? Those are questions we get asked often, especially by people who are starting a Michigan small business for the first time. Since resident agent service is part of the virtual office package we offer at the Green Garage, we thought we’d spend some time diving into this important topic. In this post, we’ll look at what purpose a resident agent in Michigan serves, as well as some key factors to keep in mind when deciding on a resident agent provider. The Role of a Resident Agent A resident agent is a person or entity authorized to receive legal and official state documents—including lawsuits, subpoenas, and tax notices—on behalf of a business. The resident agent serves as the official point of contact for the company, receiving important documents regarding your business and relaying them to you, the business owner, promptly. The Green Garage at 4444 2nd Ave. in Detroit The resident agent must have a physical address (not a PO Box) in the same state where the business is registered, and they must be reachable at that address during regular business hours. Any individual or entity can serve as a business’s resident agent, provided they can be found at your business’s registered address in Michigan, and are available to receive documents during business hours. Michigan Resident Agent Requirements for LLCs Every business formed in Michigan must have a resident agent on file. Establishing a small business here requires filing Articles of Organization with the state and renewing those articles annually. For LLCs—the most common type of small businesses formed in Michigan—that process is handled through form CSCL/CD-700 (found here), which establishes the legal existence of your LLC, as well as your registered address, mailing address (if different from registered address), and resident agent. As you can see from the screenshot of the form above, there is a direct link between the resident agent and the registered address. Your resident agent must be physically located at your business’s registered address. While your business’s mailing address can be totally separate, when you designate a resident agent, make sure they can be found at your registered address. Serving as Your Own Resident Agent Can you serve as your business’s own resident agent? Yes—the state of Michigan allows individual business owners to serve as their own resident agent. However, this may not work for all business owners, depending on a variety of factors. To serve as your business’s resident agent, you must be reachable during business hours at your business’s registered address. This can work out well if you’re operating a storefront, or if you work in a field that requires you to otherwise be present at the registered address. On the other hand, if you have a day job outside the house, or if you travel for work or bounce between multiple business locations, serving as your own resident agent may be difficult. There are also privacy concerns to consider. Your registered business address is a matter of public record that is easily findable online. If you mostly work from home and wish to serve as your own resident agent, it’s important to note that your home address would be publically accessible. All those reasons and more are why many small business owners choose to designate a resident agent entity like the Green Garage. How We Can Help We at the Green Garage are more than happy to serve as the resident agent for our virtual office clients. Designating us as your resident agent will not only help protect your privacy, it will give you more freedom and time to focus on running your business, without worrying about legal and state paperwork piling up or not being received at all. In addition to sending same-day delivery notifications of subpoenas and lawsuit filings, we will notify you upon receipt of timely documents from Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and the IRS, including notification of changes in law that affect your business. We will also send courtesy reminders when it comes time for annual re-filings, which are required to keep your business in good standing with the state. Offloading your resident agent requirement to us at the Green Garage will simplify your day-to-day operations while protecting your privacy and peace of mind. Get Started Today A Michigan resident agent is more than a legal requirement—it's essential for keeping your business in good standing and running smoothly. Choosing the Green Garage as your resident agent will give you credibility, convenience, and confidentiality, all in one place. If you have additional questions or would like to sign up for our virtual office service today, we would love to hear from you! Use the button below to reach out. Get In Touch - Published: 2026-02-26 - Modified: 2026-03-05 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/the-original-detroit-coworking-space/ - Categories: community, coworking, sustainability Let's take a look at three principles that have guided our Detroit coworking space for 15 years: flexibility, community, and sustainability. The Green Garage turns 15 this year! We’re not ready to bust out the champagne quite yet (that’ll come this fall, when we get closer to the actual anniversary date). But the approaching milestone has us reflecting on how much has changed since we opened our sustainable Detroit coworking space all the way back in 2011.   Back then, we were the first bona fide coworking space in Detroit, and the clear choice for socially and environmentally minded startups looking for a shared workspace to join. These days, there are numerous options for small business owners, nonprofit leaders, freelancers, and remote workers who are looking for workspace that’s free from the distractions of home, but more accessible than a traditional office.   Having choices means that if you’re looking for a Detroit coworking space in 2026, you’ll be able to select one based on a variety of factors, including location, values, and overall vibe. People who gravitate toward the Green Garage do so for a variety of reasons, but it often has to do with our central location in Midtown’s Cass Corridor neighborhood, our inspiring historic facility, and our sustainable, community-based approach. 15 years after we first opened our doors, coworking is on the rise, both locally and nationally. And with the boom in remote work since the pandemic, having a dedicated place to work is more important than ever in helping professionals overcome the isolation that can come from working from home day in and day out.   For the benefit of mobile professionals who are new to coworking or just checking out their local options, we thought we would take a look at three key principles of coworking, Green Garage style: flexibility, community, and sustainability. Flexibility One of the many benefits of coworking is the flexibility it offers companies large and small. Flexibility has always been baked into our five membership options: shared table seats, dedicated desks, 2-person offices, 3+ person offices, and private studios.   We work closely with each incoming business-in-residence (as we call our members) to figure out which option is best for them given their unique situation and needs. If you’re a remote marketer looking to upgrade from local coffee shops, a shared table seat will probably fit just right. A sole proprietor of a design firm, on the other hand, would benefit from leasing a dedicated desk, where you can install your multiple monitor set-up, bring your favorite rolling chair, and settle in for long sessions.   Small teams thrive in our multi-person offices, which seat between two and eight people and are designed with collaboration in mind. (We’re happy to reconfigure them, space permitting, based on incoming businesses’ needs. ) And for companies who make and sell products or have special storage requirements, our private, closed-door studios provide a versatile yet rock-solid home base for a wide range of activities. Beyond our different space options, we understand that our businesses experience fluctuations in staffing, so we’re happy to work with them to accommodate changes, including seasonal adjustments for short-term workers like interns. We also offer flexibility in terms of the length of our lease agreements. Our default lease term is one year, well shorter than the length of an average commercial lease. But we understand that even a year-long commitment might not make sense in every situation, so we also offer shorter-term contracts on a case-by-case basis.   Community One of the biggest benefits that coworking spaces offer their members is easy access to other professionals. There’s nothing like having a built-in network of like minded people to bounce ideas off of, get inspired by, learn from, and build friendships with. From our earliest days, we at the Green Garage have defined ourselves by our commitment to cultivating a diverse and connected community. This community spirit touches everything from the physical layout of our space, which is designed to reduce isolation by promoting connectedness among our members, to our longstanding traditions of getting folks together to build and strengthen both personal and professional relationships.   These opportunities include our twice-a-month community lunches (which the public is always welcome and encouraged to attend) as well as regular gatherings for our members like happy hours, field trips, and learning opportunities. Since we opened Seasons Market & Cafe down the street in 2022, those opportunities have grown to include neighborhood family fun days and afternoon yoga practices, too. Over the years, our community mindedness has resulted not only in our members forging strong, supportive relationships, but also in the notably long periods of time that businesses remain in residence with us. It is not at all uncommon for businesses to cowork with us for six, eight, even ten or twelve years!   Mahala Clayton of Patronicity, which has been based at Green Garage since 2012, summed it up recently when she described the Green Garage as “a home away from home. ”  “As businesses in residence,” she said, “we are able to have a real support network and get personal guidance and recommendations for nearly anything and everything we need to support us and our work. ”  With our building being located in the dense and walkable Cass Corridor neighborhood of Midtown Detroit, we like to say that the Green Garage is a “community within a community. ” With its abundance of small, locally owned businesses within just a few blocks, the Cass Corridor offers numerous opportunities to step out and make those neighborhood connections that make everyday life in the heart of the city so special. Sustainability  Broadly speaking, sustainability is about managing resources to promote wellbeing and longevity. The argument could be made that coworking is, by its nature, more sustainable than traditional commercial leasing, since it generally costs less, allowing businesses to devote more of their resources to their operations, rather than facility maintenance.   Here at the Green Garage, we take sustainability to another level. We were founded not just as a coworking space, but a demonstration center for sustainability practices in business and the built environment.   Our holistic approach to resource management includes everything from solar energy to high-performance windows, and from on-site bike storage and composting to Michigan native plant gardens. In 2025, our energy conservation efforts earned us a 100 score from ENERGY STAR, their highest rating. Our leadership in this area has drawn many individuals and businesses to our Detroit coworking space from sustainability-related fields, including green building certification, solar energy, environmental journalism, and water quality engineering (to name a few). But we take a big tent approach, so you don’t have to be a “green business” to join us. We just ask that you get involved and participate in the systems we’ve set up to keep our footprint well below the average commercial building’s. Finally, a key aspect of our sustainable approach to business operations is continuous improvement, which means we’re always optimizing and fine-tuning our services to create more value for our businesses-in-residence.   In recent years, improvements we’ve made include upgrading our five meeting rooms to support better videoconferencing and in-person collaboration, as well as opening our Lucky Duck Mini-Mart, an in-house satellite market that gives our members convenient access to their favorite pick-up-and-go snacks and lunch options from Seasons. In 2025, we also launched a new Virtual Office service, which provides a business mailing address to a growing network of clients who are benefiting from our recent certification as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency with the US Postal Service. This is a different from but related to our coworking options, with Virtual Office clients being able to purchase as-needed access to coworking space, and with some businesses-in-residence taking advantage of our new enhanced mail management services, like mail scanning and forwarding.   Learn More and Get In Touch As we look back at the first 15 years of our Detroit coworking space, we’re feeling deeply grateful for the more than 200 businesses-in-residence who have called us their home since 2011. We’re also feeling optimistic about the future of coworking in Detroit and looking forward to bringing new individuals and teams into our diverse and welcoming professional community.   If you’re considering joining us, visit the Coworking page to explore membership details and use the contact form to start a conversation. You may also want to browse this list of businesses-in-residence so you can see who’s currently based here. Last but not least, we encourage you to attend one of our community lunches on either the first or third Friday of the month from 12:00 to 1:00. They include networking and learning opportunities and are always followed by a tour of our building, providing the best opportunity to meet others here and get a feel for the place. - Published: 2026-01-19 - Modified: 2026-01-23 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/martin-luther-king-jr-reflection-2026/ - Categories: community, community lunch, events Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day from all of us at the Green Garage! We held our 14th annual MLK Reflection during community lunch last Friday, January 19 and are starting the week feeling hopeful and inspired. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day from all of us at the Green Garage! We held our 14th annual MLK Reflection during community lunch last Friday, January 19 and are starting the week feeling hopeful and inspired. Each year, the Green Garage community gets together to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in order to strengthen our moral grounding and prepare us for what the new year has to bring. (Green Garage co-founder Tom Brennan always says that his new year doesn’t really start until MLK Day, or as he calls it, “the New Year for one’s soul. ”) We typically select a quote from Dr. King to start our thinking and center our conversation and activities around. This year we started with one of his most famous quotes: “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. ” We used that profound statement to inspire reflection on how each of us is called to respond to injustice according to our own unique gifts and experiences, and how, in the fight against injustice, we are all stronger together than we are alone. Our reflection included a short talk by Tom, a group poetry reading from members of our community, a song we listened to together, and a community art activity that gave everyone who joined us the opportunity to share about their resistance to injustice. Dr. King’s Blueprint for Resistance Tom began with an acknowledgement that it can be overwhelming to know how to respond to injustice when injustice has come to be so rampant in our society. But he says that Dr. King left us with a “blueprint for resistance,” comprising five aspects: love, service, excellence, community, and movement. Here’s a little more about each: Love This is the basis of all Dr. King’s teachings. Simply put, he believed we need to act from love to bring about a more just world. This was directly tied to his deep, unwavering faith. As only Dr. King can explain: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. "  So, in order for us to help drive out the darkness, we need to act from a place of love. Service For Dr. King, service to others is our highest calling. As he said: “Everyone has the power for greatness, not for fame but greatness, because greatness is determined by service. ” Excellence The important thing is to be your best at what you do, not someone else’s best. Dr. King teaches: “Whatever your life's work is, do it well. If a person is called to be a street sweeper, they should sweep streets even as Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. They should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did their job well. ’” Community Dr. King implores us not to act alone, but together. As he put it, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. ” He goes on to say our togetherness is our destiny: “All life is interrelated. All people are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. ”  For Dr. King, every boycott, every march, every sit-in was done with others. He formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with friends. This is where he drew his strength. So, in memory of him, remember to lean on each other. Movement Dr. King was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement to bring about racial justice and social justice more broadly. We tend to skip over the word “movement,” but he didn’t. He famously stated: "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. " Poem: “Of History and Hope” Our annual reflection typically includes a poetry reading, because we find that poetry has a unique power to speak to our diverse community and inspire rich conversation on our theme. This year we invited four members of the Green Garage community—Henry Cesari, Rhonda Greene, and Pam and Keith Owens—to join the Green Garage’s Matt Piper in a group reading of Miller Williams’ 1997 poem “Of History and Hope. ” Williams (1930-2015) was a poet, biologist, and lifelong resident of Arkansas. His poem doesn’t address MLK or the topic of injustice directly, instead speaking in strong, simple language about our nation’s past and the crucial work of creating a better future together. You can read it here at Poetryfoundation. org. Song: “BLACKBIIRD” by Beyoncé (lyrics by Paul McCartney) We also like to explore our theme by listening to music together. This year we listened to “BLACKBIIRD,” Beyoncé’s 2025 cover of “Blackbird” (1968) by the Beatles. A deceptively simple tune, “Blackbird” might not be the first song you think of when you think about songs having to do with the struggle for justice. But when Beyoncé covered it last year, she was intentionally referencing its Civil Rights-era inspiration.   As this article in Time explores, Paul McCartney has made it clear over the years that he was inspired to write “Blackbird” after learning of Civil Rights struggles in the US, specifically the story of the “Little Rock Nine,” a group of Black high school students who were met with fierce hostility when they integrated Little Rock High School in Arkansas in 1957. "In England,” he said, “a bird is a girl, so I was thinking of a Black girl going through this—you know, now's your time to arise, set yourself free... . ” Beyoncé’s beautiful, simple cover makes the connection clear. Listen to it from the video linked below: https://youtu. be/xhempeEjGUA? si=gxLqiXvemJctPW09 Justice Tree for MLK The heart of this year’s reflection was the Justice Tree. This was a collaborative community art project that gave everyone who joined us the opportunity to answer two questions: “Where does your resistance to injustice come from? ” and “Given your special talents and spirit, what form does your resistance take? ” Each person wrote their answers to one or both questions on a paper leaf, then stood and shared their answers with the group. While they spoke, we added their leaves to our Justice Tree, made of yarn and installed on the wood wall that served as the background for our event. We were so grateful and honored that everyone who attended participated in this exercise. It was a diverse group, including past and present members of our coworking space, virtual office clients, longtime friends of the Green Garage, and first-time visitors. Their answers were wonderfully diverse too, but they all came from the heart. Some common themes emerged, including a sense of responsibility to the ancestors who fought for justice before us, as well as a commitment to celebrating diversity and honoring the dignity and worth of every person, no matter their individual circumstance. The conversation left us feeling inspired, optimistic, and full of gratitude for the abundance of good will, creativity, and resistance to injustice that help to define our community. Together, as Miller Williams put it in his poem, we are “believing ourselves toward all we have tried to become—just and compassionate, equal, able, and free. ” We consider our Justice Tree a work in progress and will leave it up through February. If you're visiting the Green Garage before then, please take a moment to add a leaf of your own in honor of MLK and the ongoing struggle for justice across our nation. - Published: 2026-01-13 - Modified: 2026-01-13 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/three-reasons/ - Categories: virtual office Here are the top three reasons why a Detroit virtual office at the Green Garage might be right for you in 2026: privacy, professionalism, and cost effectiveness. Set your small business up for success this year by establishing a Virtual Office at the Green Garage! Our virtual office service provides entrepreneurs with a physical mailing address, mail services, and secure mail and package storage at our established coworking space in Midtown Detroit. Virtual office clients can also opt into using their Green Garage mailing address as their registered business address with the state of Michigan and listing the Green Garage, LLC as their Registered Agent. There are a whole host of reasons why a Detroit virtual office at the Green Garage might be right for you in 2026, but we wanted to highlight the top three: privacy, professionalism, and cost effectiveness. 1. Privacy is Key One of the basic decisions small business owners must make is whether or not to use their home address for their business’ mailing address and official registered address. Both of those are matters of public record; having your home address associated with your business can entangle your personal and professional life in unhelpful ways, and potentially expose you to privacy risks. A reliable way to avoid those risks is to set up your mailing and/or registered address at a virtual office provider like Green Garage. Our Virtual Office clients can rest assured knowing that their home address will remain private, with only their address at the Green Garage being accessible to their clients, colleagues, and the general public.   Furthermore, the Green Garage is a certified Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA), which means we are qualified to receive and handle your business mail in accordance with USPS standards for privacy and security. Your mail will be stored safely and securely within a locked cabinet, and we will send you notifications immediately upon receiving mail for you. We also require ID checks for those picking up mail, guaranteeing the security of your business mail and your personal information.   2. A Professional Presence Since opening our coworking space in 2011, we’ve been a home base for more than 200 small businesses, including creative startups, consultants, and established teams. Our building, a sustainably rehabilitated historic auto showroom in Detroit’s thriving Midtown district, has become known as a place where entrepreneurs and other professionals come to work, connect, and grow. And with dedicated support staff available on site Monday-Friday, you can feel confident that a knowledgeable member of our team will be here when you need us, and ready to help with whatever comes up. A virtual office at the Green Garage can also help you achieve a more professional presentation for your business. For instance, virtual office members have the ability to purchase hourly access to the Green Garage's meeting rooms, which seat between 2-10 people and come equipped with state-of-the-art technology to support videoconferencing and in-person collaboration. Meeting room rentals are available for $15-30/hr, depending on room size. If you simply need access to a professional environment where you can be productive for the day, you can also purchase a coworking day pass for just $20/day and enjoy access to our historic coworking facilities, lightning fast wifi, and high quality coffee. These additional services are all aimed at providing our virtual office members access to tools and resources to make your entrepreneurial venture a success. 3. A Cost Effective Alternative Running a small business can be costly, and we understand the importance of optimizing your resources. Our virtual office service has been designed to be the most cost effective way to establish a professional presence in Detroit. We believe that a professional mailing address should be accessible for business owners at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey. That’s why our virtual office service starts at $35 per month, a competitively low rate among Detroit-area providers. Our low rates ensure that our members can dedicate their capital to their business growth, and pay only as needed for access to our coworking facilities and meeting rooms. As such, the virtual office service at the Green Garage is ideal for entrepreneurs who value staying flexible, nimble, and within their budget. Choosing the Green Garage as your business mailing address in Detroit will give your business instant credibility and privacy, all while benefiting from traditional office space benefits, such as our meeting rooms and coworking day passes. Our virtual office service isn’t only convenient; it’s the most cost effective business mail handling service in Detroit. Ready to get in touch? Head to the Virtual Office page of our website to discover how we can help you grow your business right here in the heart of Midtown and use our contact form to get in touch. You can also contact us directly at virtualoffice@greengaragedetroit. com or by phone at 313-444-4025 with any questions. We're looking forward to working with you! - Published: 2026-01-05 - Modified: 2026-02-26 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/the-green-garage-gets-energy-star-certified/ - Categories: design, sustainability The Green Garage recently hit a major milestone when we were certified as a green building through ENERGY STAR. We earned a score of 100, meaning that our historic building in Midtown Detroit is more energy efficient than 100% of comparable buildings in the national ENERGY STAR portfolio. The Green Garage recently hit a major milestone when we were certified as a green building through ENERGY STAR. We earned a score of 100, meaning that our historic building in Midtown Detroit is more energy efficient than 100% of comparable buildings in the national ENERGY STAR portfolio. This makes us the clear choice for anyone looking for an eco-conscious coworking space in Detroit or Detroit Virtual Office provider. Let’s take a closer look at what ENERGY STAR certification is, how we achieved ours, and what it means for us moving forward. What is ENERGY STAR certification? ENERGY STAR is one of several types of green building certifications. (Others you may have heard of include Passive House, LEED, and Living Building Challenge. ) It’s administered by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, which describes it as recognizing “commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings for superior energy efficiency, based primarily on operational energy data and comparative performance among similar facility types. ” Representing 25% of building stock in the U. S. , it is awarded to buildings that achieve a score of 75 or higher. How does certification work? In order for a building to become ENERGY STAR certified, a licensed engineer or architect must perform a comprehensive energy analysis. This process includes reviewing 12 months of utility bills, as well as conducting a site visit to assess comfort factors like temperature, humidity, CO2 and lighting levels. Our analysis was performed by architect Paulina Reyes. She’s the principal of the firm Prospect Works and member of Sustainability Institute of Detroit, a Green Garage-led initiative that helps a growing network of Detroit nonprofits and social enterprises, including Detroit Horse Power and DBG, build, renovate, and operate their own buildings sustainably. Why does it matter? Our ENERGY STAR certification doesn’t just demonstrate the Green Garage’s commitment to a more sustainable future. It also empowers the entire network of small businesses, nonprofits, and remote workers who are part of our coworking and Virtual Office communities to know that by partnering with us, they are meaningfully reducing the environmental footprint of their business operations. That’s nearly 100 businesses and individuals who can rest assured knowing that they’re part of a professional community that’s making a real difference. It is also a proof of concept for our approach to building design and construction, which emphasizes reduced demand for energy and higher return on investment through high-efficiency building systems and renewable energy sources. This certification validates the holistic, collaborative, and science-based approach we pioneered at the Green Garage and which we continue to refine with our community partners through the Sustainability Institute of Detroit. We’re starting 2026 feeling proud of our new ENERGY STAR certification and grateful to everyone in our network who has supported us in our sustainable journey. But the journey, of course, is far from over, and we’re looking forward to continuing to grow our community of sustainability-minded professionals this year and beyond. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, whether it’s leasing Detroit coworking space, opening a Virtual Office, or joining us for our twice-a-month community lunches to meet others doing good work in the city and the region. Let's work together to achieve a more sustainable future for Detroit! - Published: 2025-12-02 - Modified: 2026-01-09 - URL: https://greengaragedetroit.com/giving-guide-2025/ - Categories: community, coworking, spotlight On Giving Tuesday, make a donation to support the great work that members of our Detroit coworking space are doing to make our city and the world a better place. On Giving Tuesday and through the rest of year, we encourage you to make a donation to support the great work that members of our Detroit coworking space are doing to make our city and the world a better place. We know the need is great, and that it can be overwhelming to decide which organizations to support with your end-of-the-year giving. With that in mind, we put together a brief guide highlighting eight organizations based at Green Garage that would benefit from your generosity and support. It’s impossible to summarize the impact that these organizations make every day, but we at the Green Garage have the utmost confidence that a donation made to any of them will contribute meaningfully to a better future for us all. Please note that all donations to 501(c)(3) (public charity) organizations are tax deductible, but that donations to support other orgs/projects may or may not be. (See notes below. ) Common Cause Michigan 501(c)(4) Nonpartisan organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. Donations to 501(c)(4) orgs are not tax deductible; to make a tax deductible donation supporting CC’s work, donate to Common Cause Education Fund, 501(c)(3). Website | Donate to CC MI | Support Common Cause Education Fund Detroit Food Academy 501(c)(3) Through edible education, mentorship, and industry immersion, DFA helps young people cultivate essential life skills, grow confidence, and build college and career pathways within our food system and beyond. Website | Donate Detroit Horse Power 501(c)(3) Teaching Detroit students to ride and care for horses to develop critical skills that will set them up for academic, career, and life success. Website | Donate Great Lakes Environmental Law Center 501(c)(3) Environmental legal advocacy organization that works with communities impacted by racism and economic discrimination to hold polluters and government agencies accountable. Website | Donate Green and Healthy Homes Initiative 501(c)(3) Preventing childhood lead poisoning and creating green, healthy and safe homes across the nation. In Detroit, GHHI administers the Detroit Home Repair Fund, which has made over 600 homes (and counting) safe for the people who live in them. Website | Donate Heritage Works 501(c)(3) Promoting youth and community development in Detroit through cultural traditions, arts and education. Website | Donate LaunchGood The largest fundraising platform for Muslims globally. Donations may or may not be tax deductible; check individual campaigns to be sure. Website | Discover campaigns to support | More on LG and taxable donations Planet Detroit Producing quality climate, equity, health and environment journalism in the public interest that centers grassroots voices, holds power accountable, spotlights solutions and serves the community. Donations are tax deductible through fiscal sponsor Michigan Environmental Council, 501(c)(3). Website | Donate