The green movement in Metro Detroit has brought rise to some unique self-made startups and non-profits that support Detroit's issues, based on their own unique methods of promoting environmental sustainability. 1. Detroit Grease What began as a cheap way to convert vegetable oil into fuel so Gabe Jones and Joe McEachern could tour the country with their band, Detroit Grease is an Ann Arbor based bio-fuel company that collects cooking oil and grease from local restaurants to convert into bio-diesel fuel and compost. This carbon-free recycling method has become such a hit in Metro Detroit that plans are in the way for cities such as Ferndale to require this eco-friendly grease disposal as a city requirement for restaurants. Where alleys have been overrun by improper disposal of grease, cities where cooking oil and grease have created sewage clogs and other major environmental hazards such as San Francisco, require services similar to Detroit Grease to save millions of dollars waste clean up due to improper disposal. Detroit is slowly taking note. Read more about their initiative here. Fact: This works for vegetable oil only- not for use with animal lipids or barbecue drips. 2. Bees in the D Did you know on top of Cobo Center in Downtown Detroit lives a giant living green roof and 4 honey beehives? This green roof is used to harvest many of the herbs in its kitchen and help revive the bee populations in the city of Detroit, incorporating 29 total rooftops and over 80 beehives across various buildings in Detroit. This includes local distilleries and Eastern Market, where the local honey makes its statement into signature cocktails and local food sources. With bee populations in Michigan seeing a 72% die-off rate in recent years, Brian Peterson found himself inspired to jump into action and reclaim the wasted space of local business rooftops and embark on his future bee highway project. These bees are then used to pollinate urban gardens and wildflowers across the city. Fact: Bees help produce one-third of all food consumed nationwide. 3. Michigan Green Safe Products Michigan Green Safe Products is Detroit's leading supplier of biodegradable carry-out food containers/utensils, using renewable resources like corn, sugar cane, and biomass to make their zero-waste disposable products. A staple at various restaurants, schools, and hospitals across Detroit, this company seeks to push a green initiative by aiding the service industry in transitioning to more sustainable solutions for their oil-based carry-out products, replacing products like Styrofoam, plastic straws, and plastic kitchenware. 4. Michigan Urban Farming Initiative This all-volunteer non-profit organization seeks unique opportunities to use vacant land and food scarcity in many Detroit neighborhoods by creating sustainable urban gardens used to feed and support surrounding community members. Created as a solution to poor nutrition diets being seen in single-parent households of inner-city Detroit neighborhoods, this initiative has grown more than 50,000 lbs of produce since its introduction and is being used as a Green Infrastructure solution for many restoration projects across the city of Detroit. Michigan Urban Farming Initiative prides itself on being a "platform to promote education, sustainability, and community while simultaneously reducing socioeconomic disparity." See more about their upcoming projects on their website, here.
5. The Greening of Detroit The Greening of Detroit has single-handedly planted over 85,000 trees in Detroit since 1989, where Dutch Elm Disease wiped out 500,000 of Detroit's native trees from 1950 to 1980. Founded on the single purpose of restoring Detroit's tree infrastructure, tree planting through the Greening of Detroit has been seen as a solution for rising home values, reducing crime rates, solving irrigation issues that save natural ecosystems, reducing air pollution, solving blight issues, and engaging in Green Infrastructure projects. You can fill out an application here to collaborate with your community and have a tree planted through the Greening of Detroit this summer. 6. The Green Garage What makes the Green Garage more unique then other Detroit warehouse spaces is its all recyclable material renovation and the fact that it runs on almost zero energy. Using passive design methods such as a white roof, triple-glazed windows, and extra-thick insulation, the Green Garage runs on a tenth of the energy, water, and waste of traditional office buildings. It is also home to over 50 socially conscious and environmentally friendly business startups looking to turn the city's pollution problems into a recycled means of new business opportunities. The Green Garage runs on the principle that “Small is big. We think that it’s the cumulative effect of all the small changes that are really going to be the big thing.” Find out how you can get involved here. 6. De-Tread Metro Detroit is known for the tireless amount of discarded tires that litter the sides of highways, city streets, and even alongside our waterways and rivers. While post-consumer tire waste can account for 1 tire per person in the US, Metro Detroit's poor road conditions and automotive lifestyle means this problem exists in Michigan on a considerable scale. De-Tread looks to tackle the problem of post-consumer tire blight by reclaiming thousands of discarded tires to be repurposed into floor-mats, new products, and other recycled materials that can be reused and re-manufactured into rubber material for future auto parts. Learn more about this innovative new startup here.
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