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iversity in STE A M www.diversityinsteam.com
WHAT'S TRENDING
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ndigenized Energy Initiative (IEI), the Native-led nonprofit that aims to diminish energy poverty, mitigate climate change and create thriving American Indian communities with the clean and regenerative power of solar, has announced its relaunch as Indigenized Energy Initiative. It was formerly known as Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative. IEI is bringing together for the first time renowned Indigenous solar leaders Chief Henry Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, founder of Red Cloud Renewable and Lakota Solar Enterprises ; Otto Braided Hair, tribal member and traditional leader of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and co-founder of IEI and ecoCheyenne; Robert Blake, tribal citizen of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, and founder of Solar Bear and Native Sun Community Power Development; and Cody Two Bears, Standing Rock Sioux
PHOTO CREDIT: SARAH YEOMAN
Robert Blake, Cody Two Bears, Chief Henry Red Cloud and Otto Braided Hair, Jr.
How Native Communities Are Diminishing Energy Poverty
tribal member, co-founder of Indigenized Energy Initiative, and founder of Indigenized Energy at Standing Rock. The announcement marked a historic moment for these tribal communities as they banded together as they have at other imes throughout history.
Indigenizing Energy Sovereignty
Through the work of Indigenized Energy Initiative, we are indigenizing - decolonizing - the deployment of renewable energy to address the social, economic, spiritual and environmental concerns of Native people, said Cody Two Bears, co-founder of IEI. Our new name better reflects our mission - Native people are taking back the power. Unlike one-offsolar projects, IEI focuses on the long view, taking a holistic and systems- based approach to eradicating poverty and joblessness in Native communities. Using regenerative solar and other renewable technologies, the mission of Indigenized Energy Initiative is to eliminate the crippling effects of energy poverty on Native Americans, restoring sovereignty, vitality and a sense of hope. We want to empower our tribes and tribal members with the knowledge, skills and clean alternative methods to pro- duce energy, said Otto Braided Hair, co-founder and executive director of Indigenized Energy Initiative. It is important our people bring about this change, that this effort is made by Na- ive people, for Native people. Indigenized Energy Initiative leverages solar energy as a tool to transform entire economic, ecological and social systems in some of the most marginalized and disadvantaged communities in the country while upholding our commitments to protect and preserve the Earth. This is the new way of honoring the old ways, said Chief Henry Red Cloud, advisory board member of Indigenized Energy Initiative whose two decades of effort to bring renewable energy to tribal lands has been recognized nationally and internationally. Red Cloud and IEI Director of Training Daniel East, who built the solar training infrastructure for SolarCity and Tesla Energy, have created training courses custom tailored for their Native American students, dubbed Solar Warrior Trainees. Energy is a trillion-dollar in- dustry, said Bob Blake, advisory board member of Indigenized Energy Initiative. Renewable
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