The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
 
 
 
 
 Thursday, February 16, 2017 — 5B

COURTESY OF GREEN GARAGE

Detroit’s sustainability 
leader: work with heart

Local co-working space Green Garage illustrates the potential 
harmony between eco-friendly practices and economic success

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. This shared workspace 
houses 
50 
businesses 
and 

non-profits all engaged in the 
community that seek to improve 
the lives for all Detroiters. 
The Green Garage consumes 
approximately 1/10th of the 
energy compared to, on average, 
other office building of its size. 
Located in Midtown, one of 
the city’s main urban renewal 
hotspots, the Green Garage 
paves the way for the most 
innovative 
advancements 
in 

sustainability 
and 
highlights 

the importance of an inclusive 
working community.

Last summer, I had about 

as 
good 
of 
an 
internship 

opportunity as possible — one 
which 
would 
make 
anyone 

jealous. Even though I wasn’t 
coding for Google and making 
$20,000 a month or advising 
the president on foreign policy, I 
was a part of a work-community 
that cared about issues beyond 
its four walls. I worked for 
Fresh Corner Café, a food 
business focused on improving 
Detroiters’ access to healthy and 
affordable food, which is housed 
in the Green Garage.

My work with Fresh Corner, 

along with everyone else in 
the Green Garage, positively 
impacts the lives of Detroiters. 
Rather than ignoring lifelong 
residents’ voices and concerns at 
the expense of selfish gain, the 
Green Garage’s many businesses 
listen and cater to them. There 
is an omnipresent commitment 
to the future of Detroit, one that 
will be better for everyone.

It’s astounding how dreary 

and soul-sucking some office 
spaces can be. With unflattering 
fluorescent lights and crusty 
carpets, it’s no surprise why 
many people dread going into 
work. If workers must spend 40 
hours a week in the same place, 
it only makes sense to put forth 

the resources to create a more 
livable and aesthetically pleasing 
environment. The Green Garage 
is an archetype for livable office 
spaces, but not in a douchey tech-
startup kind of way with ping 
pong tables and flashy colors. 
It’s understated and beautiful, 
including lots of natural lighting 
and gorgeous wood floors and 
ceilings.

Everyone 
entering 
the 

building is warmly greeted by 
Manager Matt Piper. He grew 
up just northeast of the city in 
Harrison Township and later 
attended Wayne State University, 
receiving both a bachelor’s and 
master’s degree there. Since 
then, he has lived in Detroit for 
ten years. Piper firmly believes 
that other businesses can do 
their part in becoming more 
sustainable. 

“We are an extreme case of 

people who have worked hard to 
reduce the impact of our activity, 
but everyone can do something,” 
Piper said. “Certainly, people 
can consider installing more 
energy efficient windows, better 
recycling, and a composting 
plant.”

The Green Garage features 

a zero-waste recycling system 
in which very little is actually 
thrown 
out. 
Its 
extensive 

composting 
system 
supports 

an urban ecosystem around the 
building. A lot more goes into the 
Green Garage’s environmental 
efficiency, however.

“Our heating system is a solar 

thermal system that doesn’t 
generate electricity, but heats 
up 5,000 gallons of water that 
is then pumped through tubes 
under the floor,” he said. “The 
heat then rises.”

In 
2013-2014, 
the 
Green 

Garage spent about $3,100 on 
electricity, which is shockingly 
less than the average cost of 
an office building of its size: 
$28,000. The main factor of the 
Green Garage’s sustainability is 
its thick insulation.

“The best thing you can do 

is insulate the building really 
well and reduce the demand 
for heating and cooling. Our 
insulation is so thick that it takes 
longer to change the thermal 
properties of the building,” Piper 
said.

The Green Garage is unlike 

other 
shared 
workspaces. 

In lieu of closed offices, the 

building features an open work 
environment in which businesses 
operate all in one place separated 
by small dividers. In the back of 
the building are more private 
conference rooms. This design, 
according to Piper, was inspired 
by Christopher Alexander’s book 
“Pattern Language.”

“The key insight is that 

a 
building 
should 
have 
a 

progression of public to private 
space. When you walk in, it is 
most public. We want it to be 
non-hierarchal 
where 
cross-

pollination 
and 
information 

sharing happen naturally, and 
the open-plan facilitates that. 
You get to know your neighbors.”

Piper 
emphasized 
the 

importance 
of 
the 
Green 

Garage’s tightknit and inclusive 
community, and I can attest 
to this. The building offers 
more than just an incubator for 
professionals.

“In a time where things seem 

to be so divided, it feels special 
that we’re bucking that trend 
and finding ways to be accepting 
and welcoming to one another,” 
he said. “We have a place 
where people of all different 
backgrounds come together to 
work and be intentional about 
the fact that they accept one 
another. We start everything 
with the idea that we are more 
than just an office building and 
find ways to help people grow.”

Regarding the city’s future, 

Piper remained optimistic.

“I think that we are one of 

many leaders looking toward 
a more sustainable future for 
Detroit There are a lot of other 
people that speak our language 
and think along the same lines,” 
Piper said. “We are a place where 
the future leaders of Detroit are 
getting started.”

The Green Garage represents 

the 
potential 
for 
positive 

social impact in the city. If the 
resources are there, there truly 
is no reason not to increase 
sustainability. With an emphasis 
on community, the Green Garage 
is a place where professionals 
all look forward to work rather 
dreading it. My time working 
here opened my eyes to the 
potential for improved work 
spaces more similar to a home 
rather than a typical office. And, 
I was fortunate enough to call 
the Green Garage my home for 
two months. 

WILL STEWART

Daily Arts Writer

‘Detroiters’ is a two-bit 
buddy comedy with heart

Created by and starring two Detroit natives, Comedy Central’s 
newest sitcom puts the Motor City on display in all its comedic glory

“Detroiters” 
co-creators 

Tim Robinson (“SNL”) and 
Sam Richardson (“Veep”) were 
determined to shoot their new 
buddy sitcom on location in 
Detroit, and after watching the 
series pilot, it’s evident why. 
Shots of Detroit landmarks 
aside, the series seamlessly 
weaves the city’s narrative into 
its very own, calling on viewers 
to shift their perspective of the 
city. The series is the first in a 
long time to be set in the motor 
city; while it doesn’t address 
Detroit’s history or current 
socioeconomic 
landscape 

directly, 
the 
series 
subtly 

nods to its setting in theme 
and story, harking back to the 
past in order to set its focus on 
moving towards the future.

After inheriting his father’s 

ad 
agency, 
Tim 
Cramblin 

(Tim Robinson), along with 
his partner Sam Duvet (Sam 
Richardson), struggle to live 
up to the agency’s (and the 
city’s) former glory. With Tim’s 
legacy on the line, the standard 
premise is treated with higher 
stakes, balancing comedy with 
heart.

In 
the 
first 
scene, 
the 

two are shown producing a 
second-rate 
commercial 
for 

the 
robe- 
and 
crown-clad, 

jacuzzi king of Detroit, Eddie 
Champagne (Steve Higgins, 
“Saturday Night Live”). Before 
Eddie is doused in boiling 
water in a cheap practical 
effect, Tim and Sam dismiss 
the potential hazard. Their 
obliviousness establishes the 
expectation that neither are 
equipped to handle their jobs, 
making their blundering path 
towards success all the more 
entertaining.

The Second City Detroit 

alums 
are 
a 
well-matched 

comedic 
team 
with 

authentic 
rapport. 
Though 

the two characters are so 
interconnected 
— 
they’re 

childhood friends, coworkers 
and 
brothers-in-law 
— 

their 
characters 
verge 
on 

becoming one in the same. The 
cornerstone of a great sitcom 
friendship is the possession of 
a quality by one character that 
their counterpart lacks (i.e. 
Rachel and Monica, Jess and 
Nick and so forth). Perhaps 
this will become clearer as the 
series progresses, and for now, 
their natural chemistry makes 
up for the lack of inherent 
distinction between the two. 

When it comes to wooing 

clients, 
Sam 
and 
Tim 

effectively act as 
a single, in-sync 
unit. Even their 
brash decision to 
pitch 
to 
Carter 

at his hospitable 
bed is met with 
wholehearted 
agreement 
between the two. 
They 
attempt 

to 
persuade 

Chrysler 
executive 
Carter 

Grant 
(Jason 
Sudeikis, 

“Saturday Night Live”) to hear 
their pitch is one comedic gaff 
after another. Their efforts 
range 
from 
Tim 
staining 

his tie with steak sauce to 
accidentally 
hitting 
Carter 

with their car. In one sequence, 
the two attempt to break a 
glass door pane with various 
office items before swallowing 
diet pills decades past their 
expiration 
date. 
Though 

loosely connected, the series of 
events remains amusing. While 
seemingly unmotivated, their 
asinine actions lead them to a 
revelatory moment in which 
they craft an unexpectedly 
smart, resonant tagline for 
Chrysler — one that plainly 
sings Detroit’s praise.

Much 
like 
the 
winding 

nature of the series itself, 
Sam 
and 
Tim 
appear 
to 

meander carelessly until they 
stumble upon some revelation 
or opportunity. The show’s 
sketch-like structure, similar 
to that of “Broad City,” lends 
itself to the plot’s discursive 
pattern and Sam and Tim’s 
absurdist 
physical 
comedy 

and harebrained one-liners. 

Moments of farce balanced by 
pathos that doesn’t feel forced 
or cheesy are meant to surprise 
the show’s audience.

The 
show’s 
tendency 
to 

surprise is very much in tune 
with the theme of confounding 
expectations throughout the 
pilot. Sam and Tim show us 
a side of Detroit that feels 
authentic, but put their spin 
on it, melding together the old 
with the new. Sam’s house, 
which sits next door to Tim 
and 
Sam’s 
sister 
Chrissy’s 

(Shawntay 
Dalon, 
“Daylight”) is a 
dilapidated relic 
of Detroit that 
Sam’s 
trying 

to 
flip 
(with 

difficulty). 
He 
lives 

there 
happily, 

withstanding 
the ruin with his 

infectious optimism.

Sheila (Pat Vern Harris, 

“Sirens”), 
Sam 
and 
Tim’s 

elderly 
secretary, 
is 
a 

caricature of the antiquated 
workplaces characteristic of ad 
agencies in the ‘50s and ‘60s. 
Her attempts to act seductively 
while confusing Tim for his 
father (referred to as “Big 
Hank”) are a comical reminder 
of a past at odds with modern 
times. 

The theme of past and 

present set within Detroit’s 
cityscape, in addition to Sam 
and Tim’s endearing desire to 
succeed in spite of themselves 
and 
their 
circumstances, 

is what gives the show its 
legs and launches it past its 
conventional 
sitcom 
setup. 

Though not quite edgy — but 
nowhere near bland — the 
series has great potential to 
push its sketch-like comedy 
(the result, no doubt, of the 
heavy involvement of “SNL” 
alum) even further, allowing 
its characters and setting to 
really shine. The series is a 
testament to what a little bit of 
heart can add to quirky comedy 
and a simple set up. 

COMEDY CENTRAL

SHIR AVINADAV

Daily Arts Writer

“Detroiters”

Series Premiere

Comedy Central

Tuesdays at 10:30 

p.m.

COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN

What happened to rest?

I get it, you’re busy.
I am too –– the pace of life is 

moving so fast, you can’t even stop 
to consider the idea of slowing 
down. Even if you do consider such 
a thing, I doubt you’ll really do it.

What is it that are we so driven 

by that makes it impossible to 
consider slowing down? We are 
consumed by the notion that every 
second of every day has to be put 
toward something and hold some 
sort of purpose.

If we choose to rest, it is only to 

equip us to go on to accomplish the 
numerous tasks of the next day. 
If we choose to do something fun 

or less stressful one day — let’s say 
watch a movie — it is only to provide 
a brief form of relief. Until we move 
on to the next task and the cycle 
continues.

We have all lost the incentive to 

enjoy life at a slower pace. Because 
if we stop, that other person who 
kept going has a “better shot.” 
They’ll make it and I won’t. That’s 
the mentality I think we are living 
under and it is strangely paralyzing, 
though paradoxically: If I slow 
down in efforts to revitalize my 
energies enough to move forward, 
the person who didn’t stop will be 
one step ahead. It leaves us stuck in 
this battle of trying to do too much 
or feeling guilty if we take time to 
pause.

My agenda is tightly packed 

— too much so, I’ll admit. Even 

sitting down to write this demands 
a certain amount of peace and 
patience that I’m not sure I know 
where to find at this point in my 
life. My weekends become just 
as packed as the weekdays; even 
vacations carry a lingering guilt, 
almost a sinking feeling as my body 
and mind slow down. It’s a feeling 
that shouldn’t be foreign to us, but I 
feel it has become that way.

It’s the thought lurking in your 

mind: I should be doing something.

Our inability to rest or slow down 

is due, in part, by the technological 
advancements 
that 
make 
our 

information so instantaneous –– 
we are addicted now to making the 
rapid pace of life the norm. We are 
connected to so much online, it feels 
foreign to remove ourselves from 
that and just sit still.

A friend of mine recently shared 

with me the idea that we have 
grown to “compete” in our levels 
of workload. If one person you 
converse with is “so busy” with his 
or her three essays, you can think 
to yourself: “Well, I have three 
essays too and a midterm. Don’t 
tell me about a busy week.” There 
is an underlying pride that emerges 
through this game of comparison 
and if anything, it just pushes us to 
do more.

While looking at all that demands 

your attention — class, homework, 
clubs, career plans — what is it that 
you really want to win your time?

Typically, it is not what you are 

hoping for. The fun movie night you 
had planned is now canceled. The 
10 hours of sleep you hoped for has 
now been dwindled down to five. 

Those amazing friends you wish to 
visit who live in Chicago, D.C. and 
New York will have to wait another 
season. It looks like next weekend 
won’t work after all for a visit.

Your phone reminds you of all 

the people you wish to call and 
catch up with. Scrolling through 
Facebook deceives you, where it 
seems like everyone has so much 
time for so many things and you are 
the one who needs to catch up.

Our time off, that we refer to 

as “free time,” has entirely lost 
its meaning. This “freedom” has 
to have such purpose, such drive 
and amount to such success, that 
the very value to which we find 
our most treasured relationships 
and feelings are discarded for the 
sake of finding purpose. This isn’t 
freedom — it’s restriction.

This isn’t to say that busyness 

needs to evaporate in order for value 
in life to be restored. Maybe the 
purpose behind all this craziness 
is that we have found ourselves 
stuck in needs to be reevaluated to 
some extent. That nice dinner with 
friends may cost you a few hours 
of homework. And then sleep. And 
maybe rob you of some peace the 
following day.

But remember that you need to 

slow down once in a while. Slowing 
down doesn’t mean falling into a 
trap of laziness or apathy; rather, it 
is finding the form of genuine and 
honest rest. That way, when you 
actually gain some free time, you’ll 
know what to do with it. For the 
moments that feel incredibly hectic 
and busy, you’ll be more energized 
and prepared to face them. 

BAILEY KADIAN
Daily Culture Columnist

BUSINESS PROFILE
TV REVIEW

