Maryland Secretary Gary Maynard Confirmed As Keynote Speaker for Symposium

Maryland Secretary of Public Safety and Corrections to Keynote Second National Symposium on Sustainability in Corrections
Maryland Secretary of Public Safety and Corrections, Gary Maynard will be the keynote speaker at the opening luncheon for the Second National Symposium on Sustainability in Corrections. Secretary Maynard has an extensive background in correctional management including serving as a warden and regional director. He has served as Commissioner or Director in Iowa, South Carolina and Oklahoma before being selected to lead the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
In addition to his correctional experience Mr. Maynard retired from the Oklahoma National Guard as a Brigadier General after 32 years of service. He is past President of the American Correctional Association, a Commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation of Corrections, and served on the ACA Standards Committee. He is an author, adjunct professor and a truly dedicated public servant.

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
  

Success in Indianapolis at the first National Symposium on Sustainable Corrections

June 17, 2011
For Immediate Release

Media contact:
Ann Norris, Director of Marketing
Ann@GreenPrisons.org; 317-384-3637

Symposium participants touring
the Putnamville facility

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Greenprisons.org concluded a hugely successful first-ever National Symposium on Sustainable Corrections on Thursday, June 16th. The three-day Symposium focused  on cost saving sustainable practices and training inmates in “green collar” jobs to ensure they are prepared for 21st century jobs upon reentry. Two days of workshops concluded with a tour of the Putnamville Correctional Facility where participants saw green practices in action.

GreenPrisons.org chose Indiana as the location for the first Symposium because of the efforts of former commissioner Buss and current commissioner Lemmon’s actions to save taxpayer  dollars by supporting green efforts. “Sustainability makes sense for Indiana,” stated IDOC Commissioner Bruce Lemmon. “Governor Daniels has charged the Department to measure effectiveness and efficiencies, and sustainability has given us a great starting point.”

“Indiana was an obvious choice to host this inaugural symposium,” said GreenPrisons.org founder and CEO, Tommy Norris. “Commissioner Lemmon’s commitment to seeking out and implementing renewable and sustainable solutions to energy consumption is an example for the industry to follow.”

The Greenprisons.org Symposium focused on products and providers who play key roles in taking first-steps in greening the corrections community. Johnson Controls and NORESCO, two leaders in sustainable energy practices, gave special targeted workshops.

The Symposium also explored trends in training inmates in “green collar” jobs. Among the topics explored, Dr. Raquel Penderhughes, of San Francisco State University spoke on how to harness green business growth to fight both pollution and poverty and provide youth and adults with pathways to prosperity.

Paul Sheldon, Senior Advisor at Natural Capitalism Solutions, presented innovative, proven effective strategies to save as much as $1,000 per inmate through implementation of "green" technologies and strategies. Sheldon addressed lighting, water, appliances energy, waste disposal, recycling materials management, security and safety concerns, and employee and inmate transit among other topics.

Visit www.GreenPrisons.org for more information on the specific accomplishments of the Symposium.  Commissioner Lemmon has volunteered to host  the 2012 GreenPrisons.org Symposium on Sustainable Corrections again in Indiana; dates TBD.

GreenPrisons.org and Corrections.com team up to offer the Sustainable Corrections Blog

Hello, my name is Tommy Norris, Executive Director of GreenPrisons.org, and I am the editor of Corrections.com’s newest blog, Sustainable Corrections.  This new blog is the result of a collaboration between Corrections.com and GreenPrisons.org.  GreenPrisons.org is the only source on the web dedicated exclusively to sustainable products and practices in corrections.

In the coming weeks you will find a series of articles about what’s happening in corrections relating to sustainable products and practices.  From sophisticated energy conservation efforts, LEED construction and what it means, to recycling and composting.  

The blog will have three focal points.  First and foremost, generating cost savings through adopting a variety of sustainable practices and the use of more efficient, sustainable products.  Secondly, we will examine the evolution of training programs designed to prepare offenders for 21^st century “green collar” jobs.  Finally, we believe that the adoption of sustainable practices and products will make corrections a better neighbor and contribute significantly to an improved environment in the communities where correctional facilities are present.

This blog and the GreenPrisons.org website are an outgrowth of the “Clean and Green” committee created by the American Correctional Association some 18 months ago.  Readers will be asked to suggest topics for that committee and we will keep you apprised of the actions of the committee. 

Unlike other blogs on Corrections.com this one will not have a single contributor, but rather a series of experts in the field who will offer their opinions about the products and services utilized by institutions around the country.  You are encouraged to provide your comments to each of the articles which will be published about every two weeks.  If you would like to contribute an article it should be 500-1,000 words and address a sustainable practice, product or service utilized in corrections.  You can address your article to me at Tommy@greenprisons.org  and I will respond to you directly.

You are also encouraged to visit GreenPrisons.org for an expanded discussion on sustainability in corrections.  There you will have the opportunity to learn about specific efforts from agencies in our featured program as well as check out the links to many other articles focusing on sustainability in corrections.

Join us in the coming weeks to learn how you can save $1,000 per inmate per year by adopting sustainable practices, or the latest in “green”, environmentally neutral cleaning solutions.  We will explore links between accreditation and sustainability including the latest standard adopted by the Commission on Accreditation of Corrections requiring every correctional function to at least examine ways they can develop more sustainable practices.

There will also be something for vendors as well.  Providers of sustainable products and services will hear first hand from senior agency managers what a vendor must do to successfully contract with government, and how they can ensure that the uniqueness of their product is explained in a way that does not compromise the procurement process.

By visiting GreenPrisons.org you can also learn how to register for the National Symposium on Sustainable Corrections to be held in Indianapolis, June 13-16.  In addition to national speakers, the Symposium will also include a tour of an Indiana correctional facility to observe a variety of sustainable practices and programs.

Be sure to check back here beginning May 16, for Correction.com’s newest blog and to learn the latest in sustainable practices and products in corrections.

Tommy Norris

Executive Director