Even prisons are becoming green making them more energy and cost efficient.
Does it take being locked up in a an eco-prison for a fool to get green and should they now be referred to as an eco-gansta, a green-gang banger or O.G.(organic gangsta)?
Butner Federal Prison, located outside of Durham, N.C. is the nation’s first and only LEED-certified prison, having met the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for sustainable design.
Butner's sustainable features water-smart landscaping, low-flow plumbing fixtures, optimized energy performance and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Many of the materials used to build the prison were locally sourced, 70 percent of construction waste was recycled and the faculty uses green cleaning products. Also included are bicycle storage, alternative fuel refueling stations, specified parking for alternative transportation, reduced site disturbance, storm water management and an exterior designed to reduce the heat island effect.
“It really was almost business as usual for the most part because a lot of the equipment that we put in is energy efficient already,” says Bill Downs, senior project manager for the construction of the prison. “The components are out there to enhance whatever construction is going on and they are not significantly higher in price. A lot of the manpower at the Butner project went to man-hours doing reports, documenting and putting statistics together that you don’t usually do with a construction job.”
Oh, I forgot to mention that Bernie Madoff is the latest guest of Butner facility...
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