For over a half century, the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe have been subjected to an extractive economy that has fueled cheap electricity, air conditioners, and neon lights in the distant desert cities of Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson. Now that the coal mines and coal-fired Navajo Generating Station have closed, Native communities have the opportunity to create economies that provide for basic needs, align with priorities, reflect cultural values, and heal the air, water, and land after decades of damage.
The "just transition" movement on the Colorado Plateau is about shifting agency from the federal government and large corporations to local communities as they create a vision for the world they want and know is possible, from housing, to food systems, to basic infrastructure needs and beyond. It’s about replacing extractive economies with ones rooted in respect for the Earth. It’s about recognizing Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and self-determination. And, it’s long overdue.
For at least two generations, the coal industry has provided high-paying jobs to Navajo and Hopi families, plus revenue to tribal governments. But those benefits are short-lived — the economy comes to a grinding halt when the resource that's being extracted is gone. It has left behind ravaged strip-mined lands and diminished local groundwater. Now that the largest coal-fired power plant in the West has closed, how do Indigenous communities rebuild their livelihoods?
Momentum is building for the just transition movement. In 2020, Navajo and Hopi community members met virtually to paint a picture of what new economies could look like for the region. Food security — being able to grow and source food locally — and equitable access to water are the building blocks. Once those basic needs are met, the charge is to expand the economy utilizing skilled workers, educated individuals, technology, and innovation.
We convene gatherings and create space for community members, local organizations, and leaders to design their dream economy. Achieving an equitable economy requires local drivers of change.
Change Labs is breaking down barriers for small business owners on tribal lands and building an entrepreneurial ecosystem that creates multiplier effects throughout the region. Learn more ›
The Trust helps find investment dollars and form equitable partnerships to increase resources available to communities for their sustainable economic development projects.
The clean up of Navajo Generating Station and the Peabody coal mines presents an opportunity for people in the region to reclaim their land and water. The Navajo Nation, with support of the secretary of the interior, can require Peabody to contract with Native-owned businesses for the clean-up. Getting local people and former mine workers involved in the restoration is a way to invest in skilled workers and local communities.
A just transition necessarily starts from within Indigenous communities, but it's not all on their shoulders. You can help support a just transition by paying attention to policies around power generation, water use, and climate change. Collectively, we need to rethink our economic systems, figure out how to live in balance with nature, and put sustainability in place for all communities.
First-generation jeweler Thomas Deel is back at his jeweler's bench crafting statement pieces out of silver, turquoise, coral, and gold.
Read More
Summer and LaMandez Brown knew there weren't a lot of jobs on the Navajo reservation. So they made their own.
Read More
Marisa Mike, a Diné fashion designer, combines traditional styles with contemporary twists in her line of special-occasion wear.
Read More