Nashville Plans Eco Friendly Jail
A new detention center being built to house female inmates in Nashville will be Tennessee’s first green jail.
The facility will hold 256 beds when it opens in September and features solar panels, a geothermal heat pump system, parking for alternative fuel vehicles, low-flow plumbing fixtures and a recycling program.
Architect Mackie Shanks of Centric Architecture told The Tennessean the jail will save over $8,000 a year in energy. The county-owned jail cost under $10 million and will be operated by Corrections Corporation of America.
Shanks explained energy efficiency for jails is important because they are operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
