Sustainability News:
Sustainability in Corrections is
alive and well! Since we started
GreenPrisons over six years ago the level of interest in sustainable products,
technology and services has manifested itself in increased requests for
information either through the website or presentations at institutions or
conferences.
Nowhere is this growth more
obvious than in the Sustainability Committee of the American Correctional
Association (ACA). Originally formed as
the Clean and Green Committee in January 2010, the Committee has been recently
renamed and granted standing committee status.
Beginning with the meeting at the Winter Conference in January 2017, the
Committee’s formal name will now be the Sustainability-Oriented &
Environmentally Responsible Practices Committee or the “Sustainability
Committee" for short. Follow the links elsewhere in this newsletter to learn
more about the committee or if you will be at ACA please plan on joining us on
Saturday, January 21 at 1:30, or just give us a call at 859-582-1900 to learn
more about the committee and what we do.
Another indicator of the interest
in sustainability is the growth of sustainable vendors in the exhibit hall at
major conferences. Following ACA’s lead,
the American Jail Association (AJA) and the National Correctional Industries
Association (NCIA) now have dedicated space in their exhibit halls as
well. In addition to the exhibit area
most of these associations also have workshops on sustainability as a part of
their formal training programs.
GreenPrisons continues its
practice of trying to attend as many state and regional conferences as
resources will allow, sharing information and attempting to learn what is
happening around the country. We
recently returned from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Association
conference and had the opportunity to present a workshop to over 40
correctional practitioners and to learn about the partnership of the South
Carolina Department of Corrections and “Palmetto Pride” a non-profit agency
that assists the Department in their recycling efforts. Click
here to see the article on the GreenPrisons website about our visit to
South Carolina.
If you would like GreenPrisons to
participate in your conference, simply email: info@GreenPrisons.org or call 859-687-9063
for more information.
Flexi Pave Expands Its Correctional Initiative
Kevin Bagnall of KB
Industries, manufacturer of Flexi
Pave has doubled down on his commitment to corrections
implementing an offender training program to assist agencies in using Flexi
Pave as part of their correctional industries and re-entry programs.
In a recent visit to the Shelby County
Detention Center in Memphis to demonstrate Flexi Pave’s many applications,
Bagnall trained six female offenders to mix and install two sections of
sidewalk in less than four hours. As a result,
the jail is currently considering using the product on several Department of
Parks projects including trails and tree surrounds. Click here to
see the full article.