Water Webinar Scheduled for Wednesday

Join GreenPrisons on Wednesday, June 11 at 11 AM EST for our free webinar on Effective Water Management in the Correctional Setting. Learn more about controlling water flow, waterless urinals, and rainwater management for some of America's foremost. Register at www.GreenPrisons.org

NAAWS Kicks Off With Great Crowd

Hello from the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents (NAAWS) Annual Training Conference in Springfield, MO. Conference coordinator Pat Keohane has put together a great training event that kicked off with a great reception in the exhibit hall. Tomorrrow's feature speaker will be General Mark Inch, Commander of the Military Police Corps.

GreenPrisons will be well represented as we co-present with the Indiana Department of Correction. If you aren't here with us be sure and check back with GreenPrisons.org to see the powerpoint presentation.

More from the conference tomorrow.

Lighting Webinar Shines A Bright Light

Our lighting webinar last month was a big hit and received a number of positive comments in the post-webinar evaluation. With more than 30 states participating again this month it demonstrates the continued interest in hearing from practitioners in the field about what other agencies are doing to save energy and dollars.

MagnaRay one of the systems presented during the webinar has announced that they will be coming to the NAAWS Conference in Springfield, MO April 15-18. You can follow this link http://www.magnaray.com/images/catalogpdf/25.pdf to see the case study they have on the Thumb Correctional institution that was mentioned during the webinar. Come by our booth at NAAWS to pick up additional materials.

Our next webinar is March 21 at 11 AM and will examine the effect new HVAC systems can have on your utility bill. We are still looking for one more agency to spotlight so if you have recently revamped your HVAC system or if you are a vendor who would like to see your products featured please contact me.

Register now to join us on March 21.

Savings and Security Through Enhanced Interior and Exterior Lighting Modifications

Be sure to join us on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 11 AM Eastern time for our next webinar exploring various lighting options that enhance security while resulting in significant utility savings. Kevin Orme and Jim Basinger from the Indiana Department of Correction will talk about new technology employed by the Department and the performance contracting process that was used. Ed Vallad of the Michigan Department of Corrections will also present new Florescent technology.

Register for the webinar at www.GreenPrisons.org and remember it's free.

Upcoming Events

We have a busy two weeks ahead. The latest edition of the newsletter will be out this week and we are currently finalizing the detail on our next webinar, Feb 15. Be sure to register soon as slots are limited and they are filling up quickly.

As we noted in the last blog we had a busy week at ACA. We learned this week that the workshops GreenPrisons was involved in were the best attended of the conference reflecting the growing interest in sustainability by the corrections community. We have been asked to propose additional workshops for the Congress in Denver. If you would like to join us and talk about your sustainability program let me know ASAP. Our proposals are due to ACA by Feb 13.

Registration for the 2nd National Symposium on Sustainability in Corrections is now open. That means you can also propose a workshop and if it is selected you can attend the Symposium for free. If you have any questions give me a call at 859-629-6116.

If you have a program you would like featured on GreenPrisons.org be sure and send an email to info@GreenPrisons.org

GreenPrisons Is At ACA Winter Conference

Greetings from Phoenix! GreenPrisons arrived in beautiful Phoenix this afternoon, the weather is great and folks are starting to stream in. This year's Winter meeting will have a minimum of four workshops on sustainability. The idea is catching on. GreenPrisons will also be providing training on the new standard on sustainability giving accreditation auditors first hand information on the background of the new standard and ways agencies can demonstrate their compliance.

On Wednesday, January 18th GreenPrisons launched our 2012 webinar series with Paul Sheldons "Seven Steps to Sustainability in Corrections". Pauls "7 Steps" will serve as the outline for the series. Join us on Feb 15 to look at energy and lighting.

Our January newsletter will be delayed slightly so we can bring you all the information from this year's Winter Conference.

Registration is NOW OPEN !!! for the Second National Symposium on Sustainability in Corrections. Register early to get the discounted rate and possibly win a free registration. The call for presentations is also out and we encourage you to propose a workshop and share your experiences with sustainability. Check out the GreenPrisons homepage for registration information.

Watch for more updates from Phoenix!!!

GreenPrisons Announces New Webinar Series

As promised before we took a little break at Christmas, we are back with our popular webinar series beginning Wednesday, January 18 at 11 AM EST. This first webinar will kick off the series exploring the Seven Steps to Sustainable Corrections developed by Paul Sheldon.

This is one you won't want to miss because we will outline how you can learn ways to begin saving your institution money and resources tomorrow!!! In the following months we explore each one of the Seven Steps in depth with presentations by practitioners and providers of the technology.

Based on requests we received from a number of vendors who would like to share information with you about their products and services we will offer them the opportunity to have exclusive vendor webinars. If you would like more information on how you can schedule a webinar contact me at Tommy@GreenPrisons.org.

We will continue to offer these webinars as a free service to the corrections community if we can get support from advertisers. If you would like to sponsor one or more webinars and help support this effort please contact me.

Finally, if you are going to be at the winter conference of ACA be sure and come by the Clean and Green Committee meeting on Saturday at 1 PM in room 122B of the convention center or visit with us in the NAAWS suite and learn more about their upcoming conference in Springfield, MO in April.

If you would like to present in a future webinar please shoot me an email at Tommy@GreenPrisons.org or call me at 859-629-6116.

GreenPrisons Gears Up for 2012

It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post but I thought this would be a good week to share with you what we're planning for the new year before everyone got caught up in their holiday festivities.

First and formost I met in Indianapolis last week with representatives of the Indiana Department of Correction, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, the Bluegrass Recycling Center (KY) as well as Johnson Controls, WESTCO Distributors, and Designaire Engineers for the purpose of initiating planning for next year's National Symposium on Sustainability in Corrections. Following on the heels of our very successful innaugural event we will return to Indianapolis for 2012.

So mark your calendars for October 29 - November 1, 2012, for this important event. A call for presentations, participant registrations, and exhibitors will be available on www.GreenPrisons.org shortly after the first of the year.

In addition to planning next year's conference we have also been busy preparing for the first issue of a new quarterly journal on sustainability in corrections. We will have copies available online and at ACA. Be sure you are on our mailing list to be able to download your free copy! Advertisers and contributors for stories for future issues are also wanted. Send me an email at Tommy@GreenPrisons.org for more info.

Also be sure to look for us in the NAAWS suite at ACA in Phoenix.

I was recently contaced by a vendor who has a large quanty of CFL lightbulbs available at deep discounts. If you can use them send me an email and I will put you in touch with the vendor.

Finally, as we approach the holidays I want to thank eveyone for your support. GreenPrisons is barely six months old but we have managed to become the voice for sustainability in corrections. While it would be impossible to identify all the individuals, agencies and companies who have lent their support to get us started. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the support we have gotten from the Indiana Department of Correction and Commissioner Bruce Lemmon. Both in his former life as the warden of the Pendleton Correctional Facility and now as Commissioner of the Department he has been a leader in this movement. Our vendors, particularly Johnson Controls, I-CON, Energy Systems Group, Solaris, and Portion-Pac have been with us since the beginning and continue with their support and we sincerely appreciate it.

I also want to acknowlege all the members of the Clean and Green Committee of ACA and particularly Former Commissioner John Rees and former Secretary Richard Staler for giving me the opportunity to get invloved with this important work. The contributions of Paul Sheldon have been incalcuable. His expertise in this field continues to boggle my mind every day.

Finally, I have to acknowledge the contribution of my daughter Ann as the Marketing Director for GreenPrisons. She is the one who inspite of a full time job in a totally different field, regularly Tweets about our activities, maintains our Facebook page, publishes the newsletter and all other things electronic. GreenPrisons would simply have no voice with out her, and I am very greatful for her contributions.

2012 will be a big year for us. Hopefully we will achieve 501 (c) non profit status with the IRS, expand our webinar offerings, activate our vendors data base, and host another stellar conference.

Merry Christmas and a Green New Year!!!

Planning for 2012

Thanksgiving is barely over and we have more than a month until Christmas but here at GreenPrisons we have already begun planning for a number of activities for the new year.

On the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving Ann and I spent the day checking out possible locations for the 2012 Symposium. Our goal was to find a location that provided as much meeting and exhibit space as the Hilton but to do it more economically. We think we've done it. We won't announce the location until after a planning meeting the week of December 5th but we believe this venue will provide more space, upgraded accommodations, and reduced costs for participants and vendors alike. Keep an eye on the website for all the details.

Speaking of next year's Symposium we have options on two dates, one in late September and one in early November. What is your preference? Let us know before the planning meeting and we will include that in our discussions.

In addition to the Symposium and the webinars we will begin conducting Sustainability Surveys for agency's in 2012. If you would like us to assist you in getting started or maximizing your current efforts shoot us an email and we can talk details.

The BOP and Performance Contracting

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has made extensive use of performance contracting for several years and it has enabled them to accomplish many of the sustainable projects they have initiated in recent years. Several of these projects will be discussed in our upcoming webinar on Nov 9 at 10:30 AM. Be sure to join us. You can register at www.greenprisons.org and it's free!!!

Energy Savings Performance Contracts in the

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Hilary L. Martinson, Senior Acquisitions Officer, Procurement Executive’s Office, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Department of Justice

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has discovered that Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs)can be a winning solution―both environmentally and financially―for Federal agencies and the energy service companies, or ESCOs, with which they partner. But what exactly is an ESPC?

An ESPC is a unique type of government contract that was authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and is now authorized by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, 42 U.S.C.§ 8287. Relevant regulations include the Department of Energy (DOE)’s implementing regulation on ESPCs, 10 C.F.R. part 436.34, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).[1]An ESPC enables a Federal agency to reduce its energy consumption in a particular facility by installing energy conservation measures (ECMs).[2]An ESPC, or the updated and streamlined “Super ESPC,” begins with the DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) office competitively awarding indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (ID-IQ) prime contracts to several energy service companies. Federal agencies subsequently create their own ESPC projects by issuing delivery orders under the prime ESPC. The ESCO is then “paid” by receiving firm-fixed payments over time that are less than the agency’s yearly guaranteed cost savings. Unlike other government contracts, the project costs are paid by the savings achieved over the course of the contract. Moreover, if savings guaranteed by the ESCO do not materialize, the ESCO reimburses the government for the shortage.
How is the BOP implementing ESPCs?

In the BOP, the use of ESPCs has been steadily implemented since a solar thermal system was installed at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Phoenix, Arizona, in 1998 through an ESPC.[3]This renewable energy system satisfies 70 % of the hot water requirements at the facility, producing up to 50,000 gallons of hot water each day for kitchen, shower, and laundry use.

The Federal Corrections Complex (FCC) Victorville, California, won DOE’s 2006 Federal Energy and Water Management Silver Award for its efficient use of energy, which includes the use of a 750 kilowatt wind turbine, which produces 30 percent of peak electrical demand for one of its institutions, and the use of 300 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. FCC Victorville also received several upgrades to its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

In an effort to improve energy and water conservation, FCC Petersburg, Virginia, implemented an ESPC with the ESCO’s initial investment totaling $10 million. The 12 ECMs include a biomass boiler system, dry heat receiver, six electric vehicles for perimeter use, an air cooled chiller, ozone laundry (i.e., a cold water wash system that reduces washing and drying times and chemical usage), a steam system and control upgrades, ground source heat pumps, and a solar PV system. On an annual basis, the ESPC is expected to save FCC Petersburg 34 billion British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy and 70 million gallons of water.

A recently implemented ESPC at FCC Lompoc, California, will significantly reduce Operations and Maintenance tasks during the contract’s 13-year period of performance and contains 11 different ECMs, including lighting and boiler improvements, renewable energy systems, refrigeration, and improvements to the HVAC and water and sewer systems.The changes are expected to result in an annual reduction of 47,374 (btu x 10ᶺ6).

At BOP’s FCC Beaumont, Texas, an ESPC awarded in 2009 will annually reduce 65,928 of energy (btu x 10ᶺ6). The initial project investment by the ESCO includes several ECMs, such asboiler and chiller improvements, building automation systems, lighting and HVAC improvements, renewable energy systems, electric motors and drives, energy surveys, and water and sewer systems improvements.

Other BOP facilities are utilizing ESPCs to achieve greater energy efficiency. A list of ID-IQ ESPC-awarded delivery orders and task orders from FY 1998 – FY 2011 may be found at DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website: www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/do_awardedcontracts.pdf.

Conclusion:

An ESPC is a vehicle that enables Federal agencies to pay for the costs of energy savings projects over the course of the contract performance period from the guaranteed realized savings. Agencies can upgrade and improve facilities and meet their energy conservation goals without expending large amounts of capital for equipment, materials, and labor. BOP has implemented approximately 22 such contracts to date.

[1]See FAR section 23.205,Energy-savings performance contracts, and subpart 17.1,Multiyear contracting.

[2] General information on ESPCs was obtained from the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) website, www.eere.energy.gov.

[3]See Greening Federal Prisons: Meeting Future Demands, Corrections Today, June 2009 and Heating Water with Solar Energy Costs Less at the Phoenix Federal Correctional Institution, www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/33211.pdf (visited on April 13, 2011).

Monday Blog - Guest Bloggers

This week's blog is a guest entry from Paul Sheldon, Gene Atherton and Burt Klein

Save $1,000 per Inmate: 7 Easy First Steps to Greening Corrections

By Paul Sheldon, Eugene Atherton, and Burt Klein

When correctional professionals hear that it is possible to save $1,000 per inmate by "greening" correctional facilities, the most important question is, "What can we do to get started?" What follows here are straightforward ideas – "low-lying fruit" – that can be implemented immediately to save money and conserve resources. We first presented these ideas during a workshop at the 2010 ACA summer conference.
By using resources more efficiently, correctional institutions can free up funding, staff time, and facility space for other security-oriented activities. In a sample facility with 1,200 beds, if utility prices rise by as little as 5% per year over the next 20 years, the cost to the institution could be as high as $1,200,000 or more, which is $1,000 per inmate.
Reducing energy/water use and waste disposal by just 5% will prevent this cost increase. Rather than having to spend $1,000 per inmate, the facility will SAVE $1,000 per inmate, allowing the institution to maintain staffing and meet other security needs.
If the annual increase in combined energy, water, and waste disposal bills were 10%, the cost over 20 years could be over $7,200,000. Reducing energy/water and waste disposal by 10% would similarly save up to $7,200,000, once again making these funds available for staffing and security.
Doing maintenance first, maximizing efficiency, using inmate labor, providing job training, and using third party funding sources all enhance the value of these cost-saving measures.
The 7 easy steps to saving money are:1) More efficient lighting2) More efficient HVAC3) More efficient plug-in appliances4) More efficient motors & pumps5) More efficient water use6) Materials (moving towards zero waste)7) Independent and secure energy

LightingInstitutions as diverse as the Boulder, Colorado, County Jail1 and El Dorado State Correctional Facility in Kansas2 have invested in lighting upgrades, including skylights and other forms of daylighting, replacing T-12 fluorescent fixtures with T-8s, replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, and providing LED task lights. Kansas invested $2,123,556 in various energy-saving measures, including lighting, and is saving $247,517 per year. This translates to a utility cost reduction of 16%, simple payback of 8.2 years, and a 10-year return on investment of more than 12%.

HVACIn addition to lighting upgrades, many facilities, such as Norfolk, Virginia, Correctional Complex have tuned up or replaced their HVAC systems in order to save money and time. Norfolk installed a complex-wide energy management and control system, replaced two 1,500-horsepower steam plants, installed steam trap upgrades, and expects to reduce costs by more than the upgrades cost.3

Plug-in appliancesSimple upgrading to ENERGY STAR appliances can save up to 25% or more of the energy used for refrigerators, freezers, office equipment, washing machines, dryers, water coolers, etc.4 Just turning off appliances such as vending machines when not in use can save 30-50% of the electricity. Requiring inmate televisions to be certified as ENERGY STAR efficient could save 30-50% of the electricity used for televisions. And requiring prison industry shops to use efficient appliances and machinery could save similar amounts on utility bills.

Motors & pumpsMotors and pumps use large amounts of electricity. Installing variable speed motors, such as was done by Norfolk Correctional Complex,5 reduces electricity used by motors by 15-35%. Some companies, such as Emerson Motors,6 offer corrections-specific audits, recommendations, and services to help reduce energy use by pumps and motors.

WaterSaving water means saving money. Installation of water-efficient toilets, urinals, shower heads, rain barrels, and green roofs can further reduce water bills. Efficient garden projects, like the Women’s Garden Project at Evergreen Corrections Center in British Columbia, Canada, can beautify surroundings and reduce stress, while conserving water through use of rain barrels and swales.7

Materials (moving towards zero waste)Procedures such as recycling, composting, gardening, and life-cycle-cost-analysis can reduce the cost of procurement and waste disposal. Nearly every state boasts facilities that compost, grow vegetables and livestock, recycle, and evaluate the full life-cycle costs of operating equipment as well as purchase price, saving money in the process. Mississippi Prison’s Agricultural Enterprise generates $3,025,655 in revenues to offset the $3,124,507 cost of food, and employs 374 inmates for 774,000 hours per year. The system grows 23 different varieties of vegetables, corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, fruit, 7,300 hogs, and 36,000 chickens for inmate consumption, livestock feed, and outside sale.8

Independent and secure energyThe most reliable way to save money on energy is to install local, renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines,9 solar panels,10,11 geothermal systems,12 and biomass-fired heat and power systems.13

ConclusionEnergy, water, and waste efficiency upgrades are so profitable that many third-party financiers,14,15 will provide the up-front cost for free, in exchange for an agreement to share the cost savings with the finance company. In July of 2010, the American Correctional Association adopted the first standard to recommend that accredited facilities implement cost-effective energy efficiency, water efficiency, recycling, and renewable energy. In addition to saving money, the seven steps listed above will help comply with this standard as well.
***
A version of this article originally appeared on http://www.correctionsone.com/ in August of 2010. An expanded version was published in the April/May issue of Corrections Today magazine.
About the authors
Paul Sheldon is the Senior Advisor forNatural Capitalism Solutions (www.NatCapSolutions.org), who has authored numerous articles and reports on sustainability-oriented topics, has served as a workshop leader on greening corrections for the American Correctional Association, the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, and the U.S. Department of Justice, and is a member of the Clean and Green Committee of the American Correctional Association.
Gene Atherton is currently in his 33rd year of service in the criminal justice field. He is contracted to serve as the Institutions Program Manager for the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center Center of Excellence of the National Institute of Justice. He served 27 years for the Colorado Department of Corrections. After promoting through the ranks, he became Director of Prisons for the Western Region in Colorado until retirement in 2004. For the last fifteen years Mr. Atherton has served as a technical assistance consultant and trainer for the National Institute of Corrections on a variety of topics related to corrections. He has served as an author of numerous ACA publications. He has provided evidence in Federal Court as an expert witness on a variety of correctional issues, including conditions of confinement, use of force, unlawful discrimination, and management of high risk offenders. He currently serves as a member of several committees for the American Correctional Association.
Burt Klein is the President of PortionPac Chemical Corporation (http://www.portionpaccorp.com/), a Chicago-based manufacturer of the “CorrectPac” line of ecologically responsible cleaning supplies. PortionPac was recently honored by Inc. Magazine as one of the top small companies in America.

Doing More with Less

On a mission to find out as much about energy savings in corrections as possible, we attended an ACA workshop on "Best Practices: A Review of Facilities" presented by Robert Schwartz, VP of the Justice Group at HOK, Inc., and Eric Hackman, Project Manager with Tower Pinkster. They reviewed three facility projects in three separate counties in Michigan and gave us project highlights including the energy savings established due to the new construction. Here are a few notes:

Midland County Jail:

• Created with a compact floor plan which encourages energy efficiency
• Designed with extensive day lighting to reduce the need for artificial lighting, saving electricity
• Installed a ground source heat pump
• Ozone laundry system, allowing cleaner laundry washed with cold water, reducing the demand for warm water
• Light harvesting - system automatically turns the electric lights off when a pre-determined amount of light is detected in a given space
• Design avoids inmate cells on the exterior wall, thus reducing the amount of energy needed to heat the cells in the winter
• Polished concrete floors can be cleaned with a wet mop, reducing the need for chemicals

Midland county energy costs:

• $185 annual energy costs
• $1.75 per square foot/year
• $740 per bed/year
  
• $57K annually in energy savings
• 25% savings of a "typical" building

Washtenaw County Justice Complex:

The new Justice Complex added 30% more space to the building's footprint but created a 20% energy savings from $2.43 to $1.93 per square foot by using the following practices:

• Installed new "air handling" units
• High efficiency boilers
• Ozone laundry system