Inmates of minimum-security prison in Washington raise bees, grow organic tomatoes and lettuce, compost 100 percent of food waste and even recycle shoe scraps into playground turf. To keep costs down, the Indiana Department of Corrections installed water boilers that run on waste wood chips, and built a wind turbine at one prison that generates about 10 kilowatts an hour and saves $2,280 a year. At Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, Calif., 6,200 solar panels send energy back to the grid, enough to power 4,100 homes a year.
To save money, improve health and occupy inmates, prisons are getting creative with their environment. Full story: Associated Press
