Sustainable Futures is a non-profit organization in Boise that provides vocational training in ‘green-collar’ jobs to the members of the underprivileged lower echelons of the social strata. Our main focus is on seeking out and bringing forth the hidden value in the disposable items that compose our landfills, while at the same time bringing forth the hidden value in the analogous people who fill our correctional systems. We believe that by applying creative solutions to our various waste streams, trash may miraculously be transformed into treasure.
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Our main project currently deals with closing the glass waste stream in Boise, with particular focus on wine and liquor bottles. Every year, myriad glass bottles make their way into the landfills.
Sustainable Futures employs incarcerated women and teaches them how to turn these dirty discarded bottles into beautiful brand new glassware. The glassware is then either sold to the various restaurants in town that support our program, or is made available for retail, with the option of custom sandblast etching. Our employees learn how to clean, cut, grind, polish, and sandblast the glass, breathing new life into all those bottles.
In addition to job skills, Sustainable Futures also offers life skills as part of its curriculum. Our intention is to provide those entrenched in the correctional system with every tool they need to emerge from their experiences and become functioning members of a supportive community. We therefore offer our employees a wide spectrum of education, including mindfulness, stress management, nutrition, compassionate communication, and self-empowerment. We believe that with the right tools, anyone who is willing to change can break free of the limiting beliefs that keep him/her trapped in the endless cycles of self-sabotage. |
