Make your next Chicago meeting or event a mindful one by holding it at an eco-friendly venue. Going green is a healthy choice for your attendees and the environment. Check out these earth-friendly Chicago venues.
Greenhouse Loft
One of Chicago’s most sustainable meeting and event spaces, Greenhouse Loft is located within the LEED-certified Platinum Green Exchange building. Once a manufacturing facility, the entire building has been restored and repurposed, from its 130-year-old hardwood floors to its collection of mid-century modern furniture. The light-filled, 3,600-square-foot Greenhouse Loft venue can be used as one large room or divided into two separate areas. The Glasshouse section features floor-to-ceiling windows with city and garden views, while the Loft is perfect for more intimate sessions. Reserve the 8,000-square-foot organic Outdoor Garden for private evening events. Greenhouse Loft can host everything from team-building events to cocktail parties for up to 250 guests.
Catalyst Ranch
This boutique conference center in the West Loop offers 15,000 square feet of eclectic meeting space. The colorful surroundings are accented with recycled retro furniture, diverse artwork, brick walls, and warm wood floors. Six meeting rooms are available across two floors, with playful names like Tango and Polka. The environmentally conscious Catalyst Ranch uses the 4-Star Green Certified Big Delicious Planet as its caterer. Dinnerware is made up of Catalyst’s Ranch’s collection of vintage plates and glasses (never styrofoam or plastic). Any unserved food is donated to Chicago’s Pacific Garden Mission, along with compost for the Mission’s farming efforts.
The Joinery
This former custom cabinet factory in the hip Logan Square neighborhood was stripped down to its minimalist brick and timber beauty to stunning effect. Obsolete woodworking machinery has been repurposed into furniture and decorative elements. Reclaimed timber is found in the farm tables and window framing. And a huge central skylight floods the space with natural light. The Joinery’s flexible open floor plan can accommodate 100 guests for events ranging from a sit-down dinner to an alfresco cocktail reception.
Studio Gang Treehouse
Chicago’s high-profile Studio Gang architecture firm offers this airy event space atop its Wicker Park headquarters. The rooftop venue features floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over a prairie garden that’s a living laboratory for developing best practices for creating thriving green roofs in an urban environment. More than 50 varieties of native grasses, plants, and trees have become a lush habitat for birds and a colony of bees. The 1,500 square-foot venue can accommodate 60 attendees for meetings and receptions, with access to the 1,000-square-foot outdoor garden deck.
