I’ve blogged about Crossroads, the green from the ground up homeless shelter about to open in Oakland, Calif., and the groundbreaking Katherine K. Hanley Family Shelter in Fairfax, Va. Today, I am going to tell you about the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, Ill.
The Pacific Garden Mission has been in Chicago since 1877, but two years ago, a new, greener building was constructed to house the homeless. The new mission, which has 950 beds, has solar panels and low flow water fixtures. They used local materials to cut down on emissions and recycled their construction waste. Best of all, the new mission has a green roof. No, literally, the roof is green with native vegetation. Residents can even grow their own food in the greenhouse.
The Cass Community Social Services in Detroit, Mich. offers a homeless shelter that has a new green gym. The green gym, which will initially serve for the 240 men, women, and children living in the Cass homeless shelter, has two weight machines, boxing bags, and a treadmill, but the most exciting part is the stationary bikes. The ten bikes will be ridden during four daily classes to generate electricity. It is estimated that the riders can generate enough electricity to power 36 homes for a month or, over a year’s time, can generate enough electricity to power three homes. However, to reduce the center’s cost, the power will be redirected to the center’s power grid.
Now you may be wondering why the homeless need a gym, much less one that is green. But, it is all a part of social conscious. Many homeless people are suffering from ailments that exercise may cure and could certainly starve off. The executive director of the center, Rev. Faith Fowler, said, “Not only is this gym a good idea for the environment, but it will help build the general health of our clients who often struggle with diabetes or heart disease associated with obesity and weight gain.”