Sustainable Prisons

There are three million prisoners in America. Many have little contact with the natural world. Sure, there are jobs on the prison farm or picking up litter, but lasting interaction with the environment is rare. Until now, conducting environmental research was pretty much unheard of. The Sustainable Prisons Project in Washington state is working to change that. It’s a joint project between the state’s Department of Corrections and Evergreen State College. Inmates at Cedar Creek Corrections Center are involved in researching lifeforms from moss to endangered frogs. The center also has an organic garden, a composting center, and its own beehives.

It's part of a growing movement to reduce the environmental impact of America’s prisons and train inmates for jobs in the green economy. As part of our "next green thing" series, we speak with Nalini Nadkarni. She’s the co-founder of the Sustainable Prisons Project and faculty member at Evergreen State College.