ECOLOGY & NATURE TREE HUGGER – 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. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/strange_but_true_prison.php