Native Wind was formed to protect the environment and promote the welfare of
Native Americans by facilitating the development of
wind power
Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historicall ...
and other
renewable energy resources on
tribal lands. Directors of Native Wind include representatives of the
Intertribal Council On Utility Policy,
Native Energy,
ICLEI
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (or simply ICLEI) is an international non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable development. ICLEI provides technical consulting to local governments to meet sustainability objectives. ...
,
Honor the Earth
Honor the Earth is a non-profit organization founded to raise awareness and financial support for Indigenous environmental justice. The organization was founded by Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers after meeting Winona LaDuke, and after cons ...
and American Spirit Productions.
Two wind facilities have previously been built through Native Wind -- a 750kW turbine at the
Rosebud Indian Reservation
The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Rosebud Sioux Tribe, who are Sicangu, a band of Lakota people. The Lakota name ''Sicangu Oyate'' translates as ...
and another at the
Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is a U.S. Indian reservation in western North Dakota that is home for the federally recognized Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. The reservation includes lands ...
in North Dakota.
The Indian tribes of the North and South Dakota and Nebraska are presently collaborating on a project to develop the large wind resources of the northern Great Plains. Eight separate tribes are moving ahead with plans to develop the first large-scale Native owned and operated
wind farm
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind tur ...
s in the United States.
See also
*
Community wind energy
Community wind projects are locally owned by farmers, investors, businesses, schools, utilities, or other public or private entities who utilize wind energy to support and reduce energy costs to the local community. The key feature is that local c ...
*
Wind Powering America Initiative
References
External links
Native WindNAWIG Newsletters 2003–2009Wind Power for Native Americansat U.S. DOE
{{Energy in the USA
Energy cooperatives
Wind power companies of the United States
Cooperatives in the United States