Ford inmates fuel the climate change fight

3:16pm Thursday 24th April 2008

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Inmates at Ford Prison are in the running to be recognised as Britain's most eco-friendly lags.

The prisoners, who recycle vegetable oil from the nation's prisons to be used as vehicle fuel, could be in line to win a slice of £1 million for their efforts to save the planet.

Their scheme has been shortlisted alongside a dozen others in the South East as one of the most innovative ways to tackle climate change.

The shortlist includes ideas ranging from a farm energy project in Winchester to one urging students to use less electricity in Kingston, plus the prison's bio-fuel production scheme, part of its Work This Way scheme.

The Prison Service caters for a large number of inmates on a restricted budget every day.

As a result it is the second biggest user of vegetable oil in the country, behind only the Ministry of Defence.

Claire Cherry, who runs the prison's Work This Way scheme, said: "The Prison Service and National Offender Management Service are both keen to actively reduce carbon emissions.

"This form of bio-fuel, unlike that produced directly from crops, is using a waste product in a virtually carbon neutral way to produce a high quality fuel.

"Coincidentally the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) launched the Big Green Challenge at about the same time and we decided to put in a bid."

The Nesta challenge is Britain's biggest community environment challenge.

The prison has called in representatives from the University of Brighton, the National Offender Service Waste Management Department, Greenfuels Ltd, the Regional Resource Centre for Environmental and Technical Skills and the Prison Service's Transport Unit for its bid.

Ford Prison officer Pete Nettles researched the benefits of using the prison's used vegetable oil to produce bio-diesel for its vehicles.

He showed it was financially viable on a limited scale but that it might prove difficult to progress to a larger scale.

He said: "The upside of that is there will also be lots of opportunities for properly trained people to find work in this area and there is no reason why this cannot be offenders when they are released.

"This project is about people, the planet and profit, where the profit goes straight back into helping the people and the planet and it's a win-win situation."

Inmates work in conjunction with commercial trainer Labour Plus, which operates at the prison.

Ms Cherry added: "We have been looking at a number of ways of raising income, which at the same time will offer the offenders opportunities to engage in work experience that can lead to employment.

"Employment is one of the main influences on reducing reoffending, so it is a good investment if we can improve offenders' chances of getting a job."

The eco-friendly inmates have until the beginning of June to complete more detailed plans about how their oil recycling scheme works.

Ten national finalists will be given £20,000 to support their green projects for a year.

The groups with the most imaginative and successful approach to cutting carbon emissions at the end of the competition will win a share of the £1 million.

Nesta chief executive Jonathan Kestenbaum said: "We want to see local communities really getting behind the innovative projects as they strive to demonstrate how their ideas could really have an impact in the fight to combat climate change."