From Waste to Energy to Currency: A Model for Closed-Loop Sustainability in Institutional Communities

Abstract

Conventional institutions-particularly prisons, military bases, and remote settlements-operate as miniature economies that consume large volumes of food, water, and energy while generating equally large volumes of waste. These closed or semi-closed systems face the same challenges confronting nations: how to manage waste sustainably, reduce dependence on external fuel and currency, and create economic incentives for efficient resource use