Update:
Hey everyone and happy 2023! Sorry for the long time between newsletters, this winter has been tough but every new years day marks a year closer we are to being with you all.
Some key events have taken place. In late November we had a visit from the Dept. of Ecology along with Kelli Bush from the Sustainability in Prisons Project. We had prepared a power point and proposal laying out our plans which was presented to DOC admin as well. Unfortunately, we were not able to be part of that presentation (internal politics) but we did get to have an amazing tour and meeting with the DOE folks and Kelli. A couple of really cool things came out of that meeting. First of all they were really impressed with our Black Soldier Fly operations and I think we were able to make believers out of them on the Bokashi process. They said we were miles ahead of anybody else in the State, which was pretty awesome.
Juan and I also got a chance to briefly mention what we want to do with EARN and they said they would love to talk with us when that time comes. The DOE actually has a mission on prison reentry. Who knew?
The other cool thing that happened is that we finally have approval to start processing 100% of the food waste here at WCC. We are gearing up and will start in a couple of weeks. It has been an unbelievably hard and long journey to get to this point. We won't be able to divert 100% right away but being able to process it through the Insinkerator will be a huge first step!
KEY POINTS
Point of Perserverance:
We have spent over two years in the toughest conditions, fighting massive obstructions with very little support and we are at the brink of finally being able to make a significant impact here. Juan and I often talk about training in lead shoes and we can't wait until we are free and able to fly.
Point of Practice:
A real breakthrough for us has been the creation of a full-scale bokashi treatment system. In brief, bokashi is a method for microbial fermentation of food waste (think sauerkraut). It creates a really acidic environment and allows us to stabilize the food waste and prepare it for treatment.
Point of Peace:
We have spent a lo of time writing and it allows us an outlet. I recently published another piece in the Economist 1843 magazine with Tomas. www.economist.com/1843/2022/10/31/cell-block-hot-how-prisoners-are-facing- rising-temperatures. And Juan,Tomas and I were recently accepted to write parts of a new book being published out of Boston College called Ecologies of Justice that is about the intersection between incarceration and environmental issues. We also heard Kelli Bush is going to be involved so that will be awesome.
THE PLANET
There is a lot of really nerdy science that goes into equating carbon emmisions to food waste because it puts off different kinds of greenhouse gasses (methane and ammonia among others) but the EPA put out a calculator for it that we got ahold of. It turns out that about 3600 pounds of food waste creates the equivalent greenhouse gas as the average passenger car being driven for a year. This place sends about 2,000 lbs a day to the landfill. So once we get to 100% diversion it will be like taking nearly 4 cars a week off the road for a year!
BIG IDEA
Our hope is to create a full-scale training center here that can be used to expand the technology we have created across the prison system. It is somewhat far-fetched and may not ever happen but if we can get it done it will be a great asset for EARN down the road.
FINAL THOUGHTS...
As we tick off another year and feel closer to coming home we are torn between excitement and fatigue. On the one hand we are super excited about what is out there. We spend a lot of time vision questing. On the other hand knowing how great it will be makes this time long. Thank you so much for being our community and giving us hope.