Airway Heights Corrections Center
More than Just Green:
Correctional Industries' Sustainability Efforts Transform Prisons into Centers of Social Benefits
By JenP
- September 27, 2010Posted in: Business & Industry
by John E. Fike
Efforts to "go green" have transformed Washington's state prison system into a powerhouse of social benefits, completely dispelling prison systems' traditional rap as necessary evils that only consume tax dollars and resources. Washington State Correctional Industries, the job training arm of Washington's Department of Corrections, generates an estimated $32.50 in benefits for every dollar spent on the agency-an achievement largely accomplished through a focus on sustainable practices.
Charged with training felony offenders with job skills that will help keep them out of prison in the future and with reducing the Department of Correction's reliance on tax dollars, Correctional Industries has found that focusing on sustainable practices and environmentally friendly products increases its ability to fulfill that mission. Although CI's environmentally conscious changes started as an effort to fulfill state-mandated sustainability targets, it quickly became evident that such changes multiplied the effectiveness and positive social impact of CI's programs.
Offender workers sorting through cardboard and plastic for recycling
New programs, like CI's paper and plastic recycling program, enable CI and the Department of Corrections to reduce landfill-destined waste while creating new jobs for offenders who are needed to collect, transport, sort and package the materials before being shipped to recyclers. CI's mattress recycling program, which processes 52,000 mattresses a year and keeps them out of landfills, also provides additional offender jobs. The new jobs created through these programs also increase the variety of skills CI can teach because they use different processes and materials than existing operations.
New production areas like upcoming aquaponics operations not only provide additional jobs, but also teach offender-trainees about closed-loop systems, alternative energy sources and other environment-specific knowledge areas. While raising fish for CI's meal production lines, the water from the fish ponds will feed hydroponic vegetable gardens. Once the vegetables filter the water by consuming the fish effluent, it will be returned to the fish ponds to minimize consumption of municipal water. The skills required for this operation will differ greatly from those required for manufacturing furniture or other products and thereby enhance the variety of job skills CI can provide.
continue reading: http://ecozome.com/more-than-just-green-correctional-industries%E2%80%99-sustainability-efforts-transform-prisons-into-centers-of-social-benefits/
Correctional Industries' Sustainability Efforts Transform Prisons into Centers of Social Benefits
By JenP
- September 27, 2010Posted in: Business & Industry
by John E. Fike
Efforts to "go green" have transformed Washington's state prison system into a powerhouse of social benefits, completely dispelling prison systems' traditional rap as necessary evils that only consume tax dollars and resources. Washington State Correctional Industries, the job training arm of Washington's Department of Corrections, generates an estimated $32.50 in benefits for every dollar spent on the agency-an achievement largely accomplished through a focus on sustainable practices.
Charged with training felony offenders with job skills that will help keep them out of prison in the future and with reducing the Department of Correction's reliance on tax dollars, Correctional Industries has found that focusing on sustainable practices and environmentally friendly products increases its ability to fulfill that mission. Although CI's environmentally conscious changes started as an effort to fulfill state-mandated sustainability targets, it quickly became evident that such changes multiplied the effectiveness and positive social impact of CI's programs.
Offender workers sorting through cardboard and plastic for recycling
New programs, like CI's paper and plastic recycling program, enable CI and the Department of Corrections to reduce landfill-destined waste while creating new jobs for offenders who are needed to collect, transport, sort and package the materials before being shipped to recyclers. CI's mattress recycling program, which processes 52,000 mattresses a year and keeps them out of landfills, also provides additional offender jobs. The new jobs created through these programs also increase the variety of skills CI can teach because they use different processes and materials than existing operations.
New production areas like upcoming aquaponics operations not only provide additional jobs, but also teach offender-trainees about closed-loop systems, alternative energy sources and other environment-specific knowledge areas. While raising fish for CI's meal production lines, the water from the fish ponds will feed hydroponic vegetable gardens. Once the vegetables filter the water by consuming the fish effluent, it will be returned to the fish ponds to minimize consumption of municipal water. The skills required for this operation will differ greatly from those required for manufacturing furniture or other products and thereby enhance the variety of job skills CI can provide.
continue reading: http://ecozome.com/more-than-just-green-correctional-industries%E2%80%99-sustainability-efforts-transform-prisons-into-centers-of-social-benefits/
http://www.bft.org/news/
BFT Achieves Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design Standards
BFT Achieves Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design Standards
Ben Franklin Transit - New Admninistration Facility
In 2007 Ben Franklin Transit was the recipient of the coveted Governors Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices. This same environmental awareness was paramount in the design and sustainability criteria established for our base modernization program that was started in August of 2009. The US Green Building Council prescribes an approach called the LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) Rating System to evaluate the performance of building designs and compares that against industry accepted energy efficient standards. This rating system provides designers the opportunity to objectively demonstrate the performance of their sustainable design efforts. The goal of our project(s) was to achieve a LEED Silver Certification or beyond. By attaining this standard, our facilities will have achieved the prescribed benchmarks in efficiency and comfort. Some of the highlights of the six (6) areas of consideration are shown below:
* Our new facility uses a buried drip irrigation system for both lawn and decorative plants. This system reduces water usage by putting water below the surface which also eliminates wind blown loss.
* The use of light reflecting roofing decreases the absorption of heat further reducing our cooling needs.
* In the remodeled building we created a ceiling height and design that allowed us to retain original glass blocks used in the initial construction to be used as a natural light source adding to the openness of our newly created common area.
* During construction The United States Department of Energy used our new building as a model in their production of a compact disc evaluating commercial buildings as it relates to energy codes and energy efficiency.
It was the goal of Ben Franklin Transit to produce buildings that will promote future green building efforts by show- casing sustainable building concepts, materials and methods that will aid in achieving this goal while reflecting our commitment to continued environmental stewardship.
* Our new facility uses a buried drip irrigation system for both lawn and decorative plants. This system reduces water usage by putting water below the surface which also eliminates wind blown loss.
* The use of light reflecting roofing decreases the absorption of heat further reducing our cooling needs.
* In the remodeled building we created a ceiling height and design that allowed us to retain original glass blocks used in the initial construction to be used as a natural light source adding to the openness of our newly created common area.
* During construction The United States Department of Energy used our new building as a model in their production of a compact disc evaluating commercial buildings as it relates to energy codes and energy efficiency.
It was the goal of Ben Franklin Transit to produce buildings that will promote future green building efforts by show- casing sustainable building concepts, materials and methods that will aid in achieving this goal while reflecting our commitment to continued environmental stewardship.
Spokane Falls Community College Music Building
Coyote Ridge Corrections Center
Spokane Community College VoTech and Carpentry Buildings
The Water & Energy reduction measures on this project are particularly impressive. The laundry in the Coyote Ridge facility set up a loop for the commercial machines which take the hot rinse cycle water, filter it, reclaim the heat from it via a heat exchanger, and re-use it. The heat from the water leaving the machine preheats the incoming water. The soapy water runs through a filtration system and is treated on site to be reused in the cycle again. 2,160,000 gallons of water are saved as 3 million pounds of laundry are washed each year. Total water savings from this and other devices account for a total water savings of over 12 million gallons per year.
The facility also used photovoltaic panels, a Renewable Energy technology on their storage building roof. They convert energy from the sun to create the needed electricity to power the entire warehouse storage building, which was their goal. The client can track the energy gain per day, month, and year on an internet site. The 21 building Coyote Ridge prison campus is the first U.S. prison to receive a LEED Gold certification.
The facility also used photovoltaic panels, a Renewable Energy technology on their storage building roof. They convert energy from the sun to create the needed electricity to power the entire warehouse storage building, which was their goal. The client can track the energy gain per day, month, and year on an internet site. The 21 building Coyote Ridge prison campus is the first U.S. prison to receive a LEED Gold certification.
Alice A. Payne Health Care Center
Washington Corrections Center for Women
Symetix Key Tech
US Consulate Compound, Tijuana, Mexico
US Embassy Compound, Bosnia, Sarajevo
US Embassy Compound, Djibouti, Djibouti
Alouette Correctional Center for Women
Washington Youth Academy
Central Washington University Old Heat Plant
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Information Coming Soon!
Information Coming Soon!
Information Coming Soon!
Located in Connell, Washington, West of Spokane
Like all facilities constructed with public taxpayer dollars, the goal is to save money during the course of construction and continue that savings in operating costs during the life of the building. Corrections facilities have the need to be secure facilities, which creates challenges for the introduction of sustainable concepts. Perimeter lighting needed for security at the boundary fences could not be adjusted to fit the parameters of the LEED, but the client still shielded all the lights within the security fence to cut off their Light Pollution to the night sky, reducing light interferes with people’s ability to view the stars on a clear night.
photo courtesy of Integrus Architecture
photo courtesy Integrus Architecture
photo courtesy Integrus Architecture
photo courtesy Caddell
photo courtesy Integrus Architecture
photo courtesy Caddell
read more at Wakefield Aucustics