Resources

The Sustainability in Prisons Project is a community of ideas as well as people. Our mission includes serving as a model for other prisons, educational and conservation organizations and residential institutions such as military bases, assisted living centers, and summer camps. We also serve as a clearinghouse for anyone—including current and formerly incarcerated people—interested in science, sustainability, green-collar jobs, and training opportunities. Please help us develop our resource library by sending professional research, reports, articles, programs, and other items to spp@evergreen.edu.

More resources available on other pages:

• Publications describing SPP
• Listing of allied organizations
• Resources for children of incarcerated SPP partners
• Thanks to guest speakers and other contributors

Re-entry Resources

Nationwide

• Best resource: Fair Shake Reentry Resource Center is a reentry resource center aiming to build connections with families, employers, property managers, corrections and communities
• You can also try: Jobs for Felons Hub  supports successful participation in society for formerly-incarcerated felons. The website shows city, state listings of companies that may hire felons, and access to other resources.
• GPS for Humans: This is a simple and positive planning guide, a “roadmap” for reentry, written for and illustrated by a man incarcerated in a Nebraska prison.

Washington State

• WA Corrections Resource page: links to relevant policy, law & regulations, and resources (scroll to bottom of page!)
• Washington Reentry Guide: “This guidebook contains legal information on sixteen different topics related to coming home: from finding employment, to securing housing, continuing your education, figuring out how to get around, and much more. While it is impossible to cover every individual circumstance, we included answers to the most frequently asked questions in each topic and organized the content in a question and answer format.” Published by Washington Appleseed, and further described here.
• For career assistance in western Washington, get in touch with Community Partnership for Transitional Services
• To find direct services in Washington State call 211 and give your zip code to a 211 operator; and/or enter any address into DSHS‘ interactive online map that shows the location of various resources (support, education, employment) in the vicinity (1-10 mile radius)
• Civil Survival: led by formerly-incarcerated individuals, Civil Survival’s mission is to change Washington State policy by educating a broader and more diverse voter base. They provide incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals with basic legal information, civic engagement, and life-skills education programs. Local Game Changer groups meet regularly in some areas.
• Freedom Project: this non-profit facilitates communications classes and workshops inside prison, and trains and supports program volunteers. Reentry initiatives include weekly phone circles, employment referral, and resources.
• Divine Alternatives for Dads (DADS): connects dads with resources to develop social relationships and meet their responsibilities
• Koinonia in Place: Licensing reconciliation and re-establishment program; (253) 398-5778 koinonianplace@outlook.com 114 Washington Ave North Kent WA 98032
• Above and Beyond Consulting Solutions LLC: mentoring program; (206) 551-3164 Rev.Jimmie.james@gmail.com
• Friend and message sppfellows on facebook; we will do our best to connect you to known resources and other SPPers

Curricula

• Roots of Success is a ten-module environmental literacy and work readiness curriculum
  designed to meet the needs of students who have not been well served by the education system. The course was created by a non-profit committed to adapting the curriculum to meet student needs. The program is low-cost, with fees for instructor training/certification, and materials needed by each student.
• Seed to Supper is a joint program of Oregon Food Bank and OSU Extension Service. The free gardening course provides a comprehensive overview of how to start a garden and grow food on a budget. It is most successful (and satisfying) when garden space and materials are accessible for hands-on practice. Free curriculum download available here.
• Energy Literacy: a free interdisciplinary curriculum provided by the Energy Department presents energy concepts to help individuals and communities make informed energy decisions; could serve as a complement to the energy module in the Roots of Success curriculum. Download electronic or request free printed copies.
• Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) Discussion Course Books offer a framework for discussing our relationship with the planet and discover new ways to live, work, create and consume. NWEI is a non-profit whose mission is to inspire environmental responsibility, and provides a way to break issues into “bite-sized pieces”. Course Books cover a variety of topics, and are low cost. 
• Designing Justice and Designing Spaces Toolkit: the free booklet is designed for use by incarcerated individuals and practitioner stakeholders in high security spaces. Ten exercise support academic reading, discussions, individual and group experiential activities, and mini-design labs in topics such as on restorative justice, correctional history, and environmental psychology. The toolkit was created by a non-profit to “re-envision and re-appropriate the design of institutional space to foster love and forgiveness”.

Supporting Studies 

Impacts of a nature based intervention on incarcerated women, 2018	Impacts of science education lectures…among incarcerated populations, 2018
Higher education programs in prison: What we know now and what we should focus on going forward, 2019	How nature imagery affects inmates, Corrections Today, January, 2017
Green prison programmes, recidivism and mental health, Criminal Behavior & Mental Health, 2015	Exploring the Value of Prison-Based Dog Handler Programs, The Prison Journal, 2017

Education & Training Opportunities

• Energy Education and Workforce Development: Career resources for clean energy jobs and training from the Department of Energy
• Graduate programs in Environmental Studies
  
• Green For All is a national non-profit organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty; a resource for information about green jobs, training opportunities, research, policy and much more.
• The Path to a Sustainability Career is onlinecollege.net‘s guide to schools offering online programs in sustainability; includes information on scholarships and sustainability career pathways.

Region-specific

• Post-Prison Education Program is a Seattle non-profit that helps people recently released from prison to transition successfully to college and the work force; they offer scholarships, academic advising and career counseling, and advocacy and mentoring.
• Tilth Alliance offers classes and workshops on how to grow food, compost, garden organically, raise urban livestock, and conserve natural resources.
• Washington State Beekeepers Association: Support for both hobbyists and professional beekeepers; the site includes a directory of local beekeeping organizations.
• Rising Sun Energy Center: Green energy jobs training in California
• L.A. Kitchen, similar to DC Central Kitchen, reclaims food, provides training for culinary and nutrition careers, feeds students and community members, and much more.
• DC Central Kitchen recycles food, trains unemployed adults for culinary careers, serves healthy school meals, and develops urban food systems.

Green-collar Jobs: Guides and job boards

• Washington State agricultural and natural resources job postings: http://agcenterofexcellence.com/job-postings/
• Thurston Eco Network is a group of environmental professionals in the area of Olympia, WA. Non-members can view the professionals’ profiles and education/volunteer guide. Members can sign up for their listserv and get email notifications about local jobs and events.
• Green Jobs & Career Pathways Guidebook: A printed guide (not available online) created by Roots of Success that is ideal for career libraries. Descriptions of 125+ jobs and careers in the green economy in the Water, Waste, Energy, Transportation, Building, and Food & Agriculture sectors; explicitly designed for people who have not been served well by the schools, and includes information on jobs and careers that do not require a college degree but offer employees living wages and occupational mobility over time.
• Green jobs network: A directory of green jobs boards
• Greenbiz.com lists jobs in renewable energy, green building, sustainable businesses, and more.
• A Guide to Green Careers: A compact and comprehensive resource for those seeking green jobs. The guide explains green job titles, describes typical salaries, and suggests where to focus your search.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics has a page on sustainability careers and professionals
• Go Green With Your Career: A free resource guide to environmental/sustainable opportunities, including best strategies, salary information, green resume tips, etc.
• Sustainable South Bronx is a community organization dedicated to youth development, vocational training, “Greening the Ghetto” and other innovative work in one of New York City’s oldest industrial neighborhoods.
• Veterans Green Jobs career development opportunities for military veterans, empowering and supporting them to lead America’s   transition to energy independence, ecological restoration, community renewal and economic prosperity.
• Small business resources for minorities and women for Washington State.
• Got Green (Seattle, WA) works to ensure that low-income people and communities of color in Seattle/King County can gain equal access to and reap the benefits promised by the green movement and the green economy.