People & Partners

The Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) began informally in 2003. Individuals from The Evergreen State College and Washington State Department of Corrections wanted to bring science, education, and nature into prison, and their overlapping interests became SPP. (See our History page for the story.)

Today, SPP is a statewide effort with programs in all 12 prisons in Washington. These programs encompass several focus areas: environmental education, conservation, sustainable operations, community contributions, and restorative nature. We also track and evaluate contributions from each program.

The partnership is the program

SPP has been a collaborative effort from the beginning, and our success is built on partnerships. The original partnership between The Evergreen State College (Evergreen) and Washington State Department of Corrections (WA Corrections) remains the foundation of all we do, both in Washington and for the SPP Network. The partnership is strengthened by SPP’s co-directorship: Kelli Bush is a member of the staff at Evergreen, and Donald Holbrook is an Assistant Secretary for WA Corrections. The two organizations share in initiating new programs, collaborating with non-incarcerated and incarcerated partners, and disseminating SPP outreach materials and resources. SPP staff at Evergreen and WA Corrections work together daily and at every level of our operations.

Complementing the efforts of founding partners, program partners contribute to almost every SPP program. Most programs would not be possible without their input, enthusiasm, and resources. We have nearly 200 known and named partners, partnering with WA Corrections, Evergreen, or both.

Read more about SPP’s approach: what SPP is and isn’t.

SPP partners from Evergreen, WA Corrections, and Kitsap Conservation District all played a part in hosting prison-garden enthusiasts from France. Mathilde and Matthieu worked in Washington prison gardens for two weeks in 2019. Photo by Rachel Friederich.

Corrections staff at every level of the department shape and support SPP programs. From the department Secretary and Directors of multiple offices at Headquarters, to leadership at each prison, to every kind of staff and custody position. At Evergreen, SPP staff are housed in a Public Service Center, and their efforts are enriched by input and support from faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and other college staff.

SPP Partners and Allies (Partnering with WA Corrections, Evergreen, or both),
2019 – 2020

Adam County Pet Rescue
ARC of Tri-Cities
Assist International
Benton Franklin Humane Society
Black Prisoners Caucus
Blessings Under the Bridge
Blue Mountain Action Council
Blue Mountain Humane Society
Brigadoon Service Dogs
Calbag Metals
Canyon Creek Cabinet Company
Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington
Center for Natural Lands Management
Central Kitsap Food Bank
Centralia College
Cherish our Children
Christian Aid Center
Christmas for Kids
City of Airway Heights
City of Monroe
City of Sultan
Clallam Bay Food Bank
Clark County Beekeeping Association
Clark-Skamania Flyfishers
Coastal Harvest
Community Beekeepers
Correctional Industries
Diamonds in the Ruff
Dolly Haakenson
Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County
Doris Duke Conservation Scholars
Duke University
Emergency Food Network
Everett Police Department
Evergreen Hospice
Evergreen Education Coalition for Justice Involved Students
Fallen Outdoors
Family Promise of Grays Harbor
Farm to School
Forgotten Dogs
Forks Chamber of Commerce
Forks Gamers Group
Forks Lions Club
Forks Soroptimists
Forks Timber Museum
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Friends of the Carpenter
Friends of Willapa Wildlife Refuge
Great Peninsula Conservancy
Green Prisons
GRACE Project
Habitat for Humanity
Hard Headz
Harvest Now
Holy Rosary Church
Hood Canal School District
Hood Canal Food Bank
Hope Crew
Humane Society for Southwest Washington
I-CON Systems, Inc.
Institute for Applied Ecology
Institute for Human-Animal Connection
Interfaith Family Shelter
Jefferson Land Trust
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Justice Involved Students Group, Evergreen
K & S Recycling
Kaff Zanjira
Kalaloch Lodge
Kitsap Conservation District
Kitsap Humane Society
Kiwanis Hoodsport 
Lake Quinault Fire Department
Lamb Weston
Lettuce Grow
Lions Club
Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
Little Eorthe Farm
Littlerock Elementary School
Makah Tribe
Marysville Police Department
Master Composters
Master Gardeners
Matlock Community Church
Mid-Columbia Beekeepers Association
Millers Homestead
Monroe Community Senior Center
Monroe Police Department
Mother Earth Farm
NASA Astrobiology Program
Nature Imagery in Prisons Project (NIPP)
North Mason Food Bank
North Olympic Peninsula Beekeepers Association
Northwest District Beekeepers Association
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections
Ohio State University
Olycap
Olympia Beekeepers Association
Olympia Community Solar
Olympic Peninsula Humane Society
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Department of Corrections
Oregon State University Extension Service
Oregon Zoo
Over the Rainbow Fabrics
Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship
PAWS
Peninsula College
Pioneer United Methodist Church
PPL Electric Utilities
Project 41
Providence Hospital
Purrfect Pals
Quileute High School
Quileute Tribe
Quillayute Valley Scholarship Auction
Quillayute Valley School District
Rainbow Center
Relay for Life
Roots of Success
Salmon for Soldiers
Sarge’s Place for Homeless Vets
Seattle Children’s Hospital
Second Harvest Food Bank
Shriners Hospital for Children
SNAP Spokane
South Sound Prairies
Snohomish County Boys & Girls Club
Snohomish County CTA
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
Spokane Humane Society
SpokAnimal
SPP Tasmania
Summit Assistance Dogs
Sunshine and Rainbows Child Development Center
Sustainable Living Center
Swedish Hospital
Symbiotic Cycles
Tacoma Community College
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Saint’s Pantry Food Bank
The Shelton Community Kitchen
Thurston County Food Bank
Tilth Alliance
Tri-Cities Toys for Tots
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
Union Gospel Mission
University Beyond Bars
University of Utah
University of Washington Ecosystem Science Division
University of Washington, Composting and Waste Treatment Scientists
University of Washington – Tacoma, Professors Criminology & Restoration Ecology
Un-loop
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
Washington State Beekeepers Association (WASBA)
Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges
Washington State Department of Ecology
Washington State Department of Enterprise Services
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Washington State Department of Transportation
Waste Connections
Waste Management
Welfare for Animals Guild (WAG)
West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
West Plains Beekeepers Association
West Sound Beekeepers Association
West Sound Wildlife Shelter
Westlake Shelter
Westport Shipyard
Wheels for the World
Whidbey-Camano Land Trust
Wolf Haven International
Woodland Park Zoo
WSU Department of Entomology
WSU Extension, Pierce County
YWCA
179 reported organizations + 100s more charities receiving donations