GreenPrisons.org

The following article is provided by guest blogger Bill Sturgeon.  A correctional practitioner with decades of experience, Bill's primary focus has traditionally been security.  In today's blog he shares his observations of our recent Sustainability Symposium

Sustainability and Greening Correctional Facilities  

By

Wm. Bill Sturgeon

 This past Fall I attended the 2^nd Annual “Sustainability and Greening Symposium” in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I found the Symposium to be a marvelous experience. For the first time in many years, I felt as though I was with a group of professionals who were truly working to identify more efficient ways to operate correctional facilities in the twenty-first century.

 
Without question, correctional facilities are an enormous drain on any community’s resources, from electricity to sewerage processing. The time has come for corrections to develop more efficient methods to operate its institutions.

At this Symposium there were the obvious areas that affect every correctional institution:

1.      Lighting

2.      Water

3.      Sewerage

4.      Trash

5.      Fuel for heating

6.   Reassignment of staff

 Yet, there were others present who looked at more efficient ways of serving meals on recyclable trays, there-by cutting back on the dishwashers’ use of clean water, soap and wastewater treatment. Also featured were cleaning materials that did not have any harsh chemicals in them, yet were as effective as their predecessors. As an “old” security guy, I found these new cleaning compounds very interesting, because they have eliminated dangerous chemicals from the secure perimeter.

Of course, for all of these new “Sustainability and Greening” initiatives, there will have to be cost analyses done to ascertain what type savings there will be. As I was thinking about writing this article, I wanted to stress the idea that “Sustainability and Greening” are not restricted to just “hard” evidence that is easily gathered. Rather, “Sustainability and Greening” is a “way of life”.  

I believe that correctional institutions who are pursuing the “Sustainability and Greening” initiative should look at them holistically rather than specifically. While it is true that by installing new perimeter lights an institution could save a significant amount of money, an institution could also save money by recycling materials, using water saving shower heads, and using recyclable trays for two of three meals per day.

 As I stated above, “Sustainability and Greening” is a “way of life”. Getting the staff, at every level, involved in the process will help the process move along more expeditiously and the staff can come up with great suggestions.

As a security guy, I have come to the realization that not all “Sustainability and Greening” initiatives are appropriate for every security level. This said, security should not be used as an excuse for not moving forward with “Sustainability and Greening” efforts. The criminal justice community has to find more efficient ways of conducting day-to-day operations.