Sustainable Community |
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wisely so that we don't use them up. We think beyond today and immediate gratification and change how we live so that future generations will have adequate resources. It is a mandate that requires transformation. In order to address the aging and health care needs of its members, the IHM Congregation recently completed a $58 million renovation of its historic Motherhouse, where over 200 IHM Sisters and a small number of family members reside today. This renovation was done according to environmentally responsive sustainable design. This extremely successful renovation has come to serve as a national model for sustainable renovation.
The IHM community sees both the process and the ultimate goal of a 21st century sustainable community incorporating all the elements of a triple bottom line approach. This approach incorporates and integrates the elements of social, environmental and economic sustainability. Our Motherhouse is home to over 200 IHM Sisters and serves as headquarters of the IHM congregation. This decision invited us to rethink how we live. Throughout our deliberations, we often turned to Nature for instruction because we wanted to become a restorative presence on Earth rather than a destructive one. Our discernment led us to "recycle" our 376,000 square-foot home instead of building a new one. We chose a sustainable renovation because we believed it was the only moral choice for the future. Construction began in spring 2001 with salvaging items and materials to be recycled or reused in the building. Next, mass demolition equipment removed interior walls, demolished stairwells and removed the debris from the building. Sustainable technologies and methods in the renovation project include a geothermal heating and cooling system and graywater recycling system. The design of the Motherhouse maximizes daylight, incorporates retrofitted period light fixtures and restored original wood windows. Materials and finishes are sustainable and contribute not only to excellent indoor air quality but also to a beautiful living environment. The renovation was completed in January 2003 and the sisters moved into the Motherhouse in February 2003. We are monitoring and realizing dramatic savings in energy costs because of the sustainable systems in the building. More on the Motherhouse renovation. Back to top
Phase I: Inform The IHM Leadership Council appointed the MCLRMP steering committee to begin gathering data surrounding the IHMs' need for suitable retirement housing and health care facilities for their senior sisters. The congregation analyzed and reflected upon the results from surveys and reflection gatherings. Over 1,200 participants attended the events. Phase II: Incubate, Integrate and Articulate The IHM Leadership Council considered recommendations based on the data gathered and selected the areas for development. The Leadership Council finalized the areas to be developed based on feedback from the community. Incubation groups researched and developed specific options in these five areas: health care, day care and elder services, human services, sustainable living, education and land and facility ese. They then communicated their findings with the community. Congregational discernment meetings gave direction regarding the options developed by the Incubation Groups. In 1999, the Coordinating Council discerned the outcomes from the congregational discernment meetings and provided consultation to the Leadership Council. The Leadership Council articulated the decisions about specific uses for the campus in the Monroe Campus Long Range Master Plan Integrating Idea. Phase III: Implement The first segment of the implementation phase was the total renovation of the Motherhouse into an environmentally sound, progressive retirement center and IHM administrative headquarters. In 1999, the Congregation selected Susan Maxman & Partners of To Motherhouse Renovation |
The congregation's intense research, study and discernment that accompanied the Motherhouse renovation have led them to envision the entire Monroe campus as a center for growth and learning. This campus, a 280-acre parcel of developed and undeveloped land bordering the River Raisin, includes 35 acres of native woodlands, including a rare and ecologically important oak savannah, open meadows, an organic garden, pond, an undeveloped four-acre island and other valuable natural features. Through an intensive planning process with substantial community involvement, SSIHM desires the campus to become a living laboratory for sustainable communities across the globe. They hope the campus development would include mixed-use development, parks and open spaces, social services, community facilities, a spirituality center, a facility to showcase sustainability, and preservation of the oak savannah. 
The purpose of the Monroe Campus Long Range Master Plan (MCLRMP) is to ensure that the entire campus will express the mission of the congregation and ensure that resources are available to carry out its mission into the future.