There is still an opportunity for individuals and agencies to share their sustainability accomplishments with the larger correctional community at the ACA Winter Conference January 22-27, in New Orleans. The deadline for submitting proposals is September 11....

At its Inception last summer there were 12 booths set aside for exhibitors of sustainable products and services. Ultimately 11 of them were filled. This establishment of a dedicated area for one type of product exhibitor was unprecedented in recent ACA history. The idea was that new, smaller vendors.....

ACA President Mary Livers appointed several new members to the Clean and Green committee for her two year term and reappointed Tommy Norris, Founder and CEO of GreenPrisons.org as Chair of the committee....

In little more than twelve months the Green Aisle at the American Correctional Association has more than doubled in size. This unique exhibit area within the larger exhibit hall, allows participants at the conference to focus on exhibitors of sustainable products and services.

It was the winter of 2012 when I visited the Noble Correctional Institution in Ohio to observe their sustainability programs. Tops on my list of things to see was the Big Hanna in-vessel composter. Warden Tim Buchannan was justifiably proud of all his programs at the institution, but the Big Hanna was a different way of doing business.

GreenPrisons has been partnered with the American Correctional Association (ACA) since we got our start in 2011, and we’re really excited about this upcoming Conference! The 145th Congress of Correction is in Indianapolis, IN, this year from August 14th – 19th. ACA has long since set the standard in all aspects of corrections and this year the conference has expanded the Green Aisle to a full aisle of sustainable vendors and products!

The American Jail Association (AJA) held their 34th Annual Conference & Jail Expo in April in Charlotte, NC, and GreenPrisons was there for the first time. This was also the first conference that AJA has dedicated a special area in the exhibit hall exclusively for companies that provide sustainable products and services to the corrections profession.

One of GreenPrisons’ most enduring partnerships has been making news lately. Founder, director and class facilitator Beth Waitkus began Insight Garden Program (IGP) in 2002, and has continued to grow and expand her operation....

GreenPrisons had an active October visiting jails in New York, presenting at the Construction Management Institute, and assisting in an onsite visit by representatives from CommTech Systems and EESI Global at the Marion County (KY) Detention Center.

The American jail Association announces its new Eco Aisle to promote sustainability in jails. Demonstrating the continued growth of sustainability in corrections, the American Jail Association (AJA) will set aside a dedicated area of their exhibit hall for sustainable products and technology at its annual conference April 18-21, 2015, in Charlotte, NC.

Officials from the Kentucky Department of Correction (KYDOC) and the Louisville Metro Detention Center and the Solid Waste Division of Louisville visited the Noble Correctional Institution (NCI) on 06/02/14. The officials traveled to Caldwell to benchmark green initiatives implemented at NCI.....

Barely three and a half years after forming the Clean and Green Committee, ACA has seen the interest in sustainable technology and products grow to such an extent exhibitors were given the opportunity to exhibit at this year’s 144th Congress of Correction. Ten companies, including GreenPrisons, filled the “Green Aisle” with activity up and down the aisle throughout the conference.

Alabama Department of Corrections launches pilot project using propane autogas for work-release vans. For the Alabama Department of Corrections, ferrying inmates to and from work-release jobs had become increasingly costly in recent years. Their 15-passenger vans average almost 5,000 miles of travel a month, and gasoline for the fleet of 77 vans totaled about $1.3 million a year.

The new facility in Lafayette Parish, LA is all about sustainability and inmate training opportunities