GreenRise Intentional Community is about sustainability in an urban environment. Our roots stem from the Ecumenical Institute/Institute of Cultural Affairs, in whose building we are housed, but we’ve been through many iterations. Although we lease space (individually) from ICA and some of us are either employed by or volunteer for ICA programs, we are not officially affiliated with ICA. About 25-35 of us live on two floors of the ICA GreenRise Learning Laboratory, a building in Uptown Chicago. We range from teens to 80-somethings in years old, and we are are racially/ethnically/gender diverse.
We are in the process of reworking our Mission Statement.
Contact us and express interest. We’ll arrange a community tour and interviews with our New Members Committee. Once the community approves your application, ICA does a background check ($100 non-refundable fee) and executes a lease with you. Once you move in, we work with you to onboard you to our community life.
Contact us and describe your need. We have a guest rooom for people visiting the community for a few days. We also have an open community potluck dinner on the first Saturday of every month.
The whole membership decides collectively.
Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
We work together in governance. Some people have been living in this community since the early 1970s. Others have moved in within the last six months. We meet monthly for community business meetings and various teams like Sustainability/Home Improvement/Commons Care, Fun de Mentals (Gatherings), New Members, and Values and Practices report on their respective areas. Although we’ve adopted a super majority model with an 80% threshold, that’s just to expedite our decision-making. We generally reach consensus on most decisions.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Labor: Yes (3 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Since we lease individually from ICA, ICA has the burden of vetting credit risks and enforcing timely rent payment. It has its pros and cons.
Common House, Greenhouse(s), Library, Large Scale Kitchen, Stage or Auditorium, Waterfront access, Internet
Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.
Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
kitchens, dining, and social areas.
Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.
Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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