Norway's eco-friendly prison

-- (Credit: SHYAMAL)Norway's Bastoy Island prison has become the world's first 'ecological prison' where inmates are doing their bit to protect the environment. About 75 km from Oslo, the prison, with a total of 115 inmates, is trying to reduce its carbon footprints. It uses solar panels for energy (reducing the prisons' electricity needs by up to 70 per cent), produces most of its own food and recycles most things. "The step was taken to develop a sense of responsibility in inmates and prepare them for life outside," says justice minister Knut Storberget. The prison has received grants from environmental bodies to take forward its initiatives.