Strange But True: Norway Announces First "Ecological Prison"
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.30.07
Prisons probably aren't the first buildings that spring to mind when you think about green design and architecture. Yet one small island in Norway is set to change that perception with the recent introduction of the "world's first ecological prison" — a facility powered by solar energy that will put its inmates to work coordinating daily operations, such as recycling and food production, and learning their part to protect the environment.
Norwegian authorities hope to thus instill a sense of responsibility in their inmates and to better prepare them for an eco-conscious life once they leave the prison. The facility, which is located on Bastoey Island (about 46 mi south of Oslo), houses 115 inmates. Justice Minister Knut Storberget explained that "from a social and economic perspective, this is cheapest for society," adding that it only made sense for a prison already renowned for its pleasant living conditions — resembling a summer camp more than a conventional prison with activities like tennis, horse riding and swimming — to go that extra step to rehabilitate its inmates.
Running costs at the Bastoey facility are lower than at most traditional prisons — which often require more officers to supervise the inmates. The prison produces its own high-quality organic food with the help of grants from several environmental organizations, and it is surrounded by beaches and verdant fields. Its solar panels cut its electricity needs by close to 70%.
The inmates have few complaints: "We are given full freedom within a limited area," said Erik, a hobby carpenter who helped put up the solar panels. Another inmate stated that, "This is like a holiday camp compared to a closed facility." It hardly even seems like a prison to us anymore.
Via ::Reuters: Norway Unveils "First Ecological Prison" (news website)
See also: ::Prisoners Smash Computers, ::Biogas: Poo-Powered Prison in Rwanda
Image courtesy of Seansie via flickr
Prisons are actually interesting from an energy management point of view because there is ultimate control oer the behaviour of inmates - you know exactly when and for how long there will be showers, lights out etc. Behaviour change to support efficiency is a little different in prison than trying to run an awareness campaign in an apartment building, neighbourhood or country...not saying that this is what is needed but it is an interesting contrast.
A part of maximizing the value of efficient and renewable (but intermittant) technology is to try to align time of energy use - this can be done with energy storage (batteries, compressed air energy storage, flow batteries etc), time of use pricing, smart meters and smart appliances (ie delay the turn on of fridges and air conditioners), integration of different technologies in different geographic locations, as well as individual behaviour change
suddenly I want to go to prison in Norway, it sounds better than my life here.
There's a prison in Brazil that has a ecobrick plant. They produce the bricks and then build their own facilities. There's a video about that in portuguese here:
http://video.globo.com/Videos/Player/Noticias/0,,GIM647389-7823-TIJOLO+ECOLOGICO,00.html
this prison is for minor law breaks like drunk driving etc.. It works so that prisoners in regular prisons if they beave nice can be transfered as wel after many years. It works well in rehabiltiation. And greening it gives a purpose and value to the work and skills learned :)
Sounds brilliant to me. Thanks for posting this info...great site!
Micheal Moore shows footage of this prison in the extras to his Sikco movie claiming that he couldn't put it in the movie cause it might offend people more than the movie already did.
I think Norway has proven to be quite abit more civilized and perhaps more advanced in thinking than the rest of the world.
He also claimed that Norway had the lowest murder rate in the world. I definately think that the prison system in north america is very flawed and i believe people not matter what their crimes still deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. When we treat these people with the same barbarity that they may have treated another person, then we're just a good as them. Obviously this person must have experienced some sort of trama or deficiancy in their life to make them that way. So why not work at healing them instead of hurting them more. I wish i was from Norway. Screw North America.!!!!