Volume 20 Winter 2008 Issue No. 2
In This Issue:
Native Green
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RESOURCE GUIDE
Discovering the Path to Sustainability
by Beau Mitchell and Jeremy Wescott
To be “green” means to live sustainably with the earth. Add “Native” to the mix, and the outcome is to live sustainably in a culturally appropriate way that perpetuates Indigenous wisdom. To do so, we need undeniable data supporting lifestyle change, a basic understanding of vital systems, ability to use simple tools for change, and an Indigenous cultural value system.
The resources listed here provide the tools to live more sustainably. Tribal cultural information is not included, but some organizations with a pulse of the tribal cultural community are listed. The best way to glean Indigenous wisdom is to interact with tribal elders or those tribal members who adhere to tribal cultural values. Any other medium attempting to capture tribal culture is sub-par.
The ultimate driver behind living more sustainably is not economic, environmental, or social. When factoring in the “Native” component for living sustainably, the moral obligation predominates. Those morals can only be truly obtained by living with the tribal community or sitting down with tribal custodians of knowledge. Tribal culture is living and passed along through words, motions, postures, voice inflections, eye contact, emotion, and other variables that will not be captured by media.
ORGANIZATIONS
Sustainable Development Institute
www.sustainabledevelopmentinstitute.org
The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) at the College of Menominee Nation provides multi-media resources for sustaining the forest, sustaining the nation, and sustaining the spirit. Prompted by the success of the sustainable forestry practices of the Menominee, SDI was organized in 1993 to look at sustainable development through the prism provided by Menominee efforts to sustain their forest, culture, traditions, values, society, and people for the past centuries. Research, education, and outreach associated with the achievements of the Menominee Nation in sustainable forestry are the focus of the institute. Contact: Melissa Cook, director, at mcook@menoominee.edu or (715) 799-6226, ext. 3043.
SDI is currently conducting a sustainability indicators research project at the College of Menominee Nation. The process of identifying, benchmarking, and improving upon the indicators of sustainability at the college will be shared with tribal colleges throughout the nation. The benchmarking process includes identifying and incorporating tribal cultural values into the benchmarking process. For more information on the sustainability indicators research project, contact Beau Mitchell at bmitchell@menominee.edu or at (715) 799-6226, ext. 3145.
American Indian Higher Education Consortium
www.aihec.org
The search for tribal cultural knowledge can start at the tribal higher educational hub. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium provides a list of all the tribal colleges and universities in the United States and Canada that are members. Visit AIHEC’s website for the list with contact information for each. Cultural knowledge is best gleaned from personal and community interaction, and the tribal colleges can serve as a good starting point.
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
www.nathpo.org/mainpage.html
No media can replace the real-life experience of sitting down and learning from a tribal elder. The National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers has a solid listing of tribal historic preservation officers (THPO) throughout the United States. THPOs are liaisons to tribal cultural communities. Oftentimes, a THPO can facilitate a meeting with local tribal elders and can give insight on the appropriate cultural protocols for approaching a tribal elder. The association also has information on tribal museums, legislation, and an excellent listing of federal and state laws pertaining to historic preservation. Contact: (202) 628-8476
National Park Service Tribal Historic Preservation Program
www.nps.gov/history/hps/tribal/
The National Park Service is an excellent starting place for finding cultural contacts in Indian Country. The website contains a listing of all tribal historic preservation officers (THPO) in the United States and includes information on grants, program partners, and a link to the Cultural Resources Diversity Program. Visit the website for more information on the role the National Park Service plays in tribal historic preservation. Contact: James Bird at james_bird@nps.gov or at (202) 354-1837.
Honor the Earth
www.honorearth.org/multimedia.html
The multi-media link on Honor the Earth’s website contains abundant information related to Indigenous issues. Audio, video, and journal articles are all available as free downloads. The website includes references to books written by Winona LaDuke and information on other opportunities for Indigenous communities. The mission of Honor the Earth “is to create awareness and support of environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and Indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard.” Contact Honor the Earth at (612) 879-7529 or at info@honorearth.org.
White Earth Land Recovery Project
http://nativeharvest.com/
Reliance on foreign resources such as energy and food limits sovereignty. The resources presented by the While Earth Land Recovery Project are well organized to address the urgency and vitality of “food sovereignty” in Indian Country. The organization’s website serves as a link to the Native Harvest Online Store, providing a source for organically grown coffee, wild rice, and other merchandise.
“The mission of the White Earth Land Recovery Project is to facilitate recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation, while preserving and restoring traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening our spiritual and cultural heritage.”
BOOKS
Brown, L.R. (2008). Plan B 3.0 mobilizing to save civilization. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Society is in a dilemma. The climate is changing; the environment is severely threatened by human activity. Even with all the wonderful advances in technology, children are still dying of hunger; and species are becoming endangered or extinct. Some call the situation a crisis, and others say that the changing environment is part of a natural cycle.
Regardless of the belief system used to cope with the upcoming social and environmental changes, the fact remains that the overall current living system is not sustainable. Lester Brown pulls together all of the current scientific data necessary to make this point. The 82 pages of references alone are worth the cost of the book.
Brown states the challenge used to be to save the planet; now the challenge is to save civilization. As the president of the Earth Policy Institute, he not only presents the empirical scientific data supporting lifestyle changes but also offers suggestions and tools to implement those changes.
The book is easy to read. Try not to get overwhelmed by the first section of the book that deals with the current environmental, social, and economic situations. In the second half of the book, Brown offers achievable solutions to the issues he introduced in the first half. Although there are few references to Indigenous people, the book is strongly recommended purely for the data and references it presents.
Hemenway, T., (2001). Gaia's garden: A guide to home-scale permaculture. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Co.
During a time when food prices are escalating and climate change is evident, securing a reliable food source is a smart move. Gaia's Garden presents sustainable gardening techniques that can be used to grow organic foods, utilizing resources efficiently and effectively.
Jacke, D., & Toensmeier, E. (2005). Edible forest gardens. White River Junction, VT:Chelsea Green Publishing Co.
Access to a reliable food source is a serious issue facing communities world-wide. A challenge for those living in a forest environment is how to produce food that works with the forest rather than against the forest. Jacke and Toensmeire provide an excellent resource on which seeds to plant and how they interact with the forest. Edible Forest Gardens has two volumes, which provide information on starting and maintaining a forest garden. This two-volume collection gives people living in temperate climates hundreds of edible and useful species of plants to begin their own forest gardens.
Jenkins, J., (2006). The humanure handbook: A guide to composting human manure. Grove City, PA: Joseph Jenkins Inc.
Tribal elders teach that water is sacred and that water is to be respected. Urinating and defecating in water is neither a sign of respect nor an indicator of a sacred resource. The Humanure Handbook offers the tools necessary to return to treating water as a sacred and respected resource.
Lancaster, B., & Marshall, J. (2006). Rainwater harvesting for drylands: Guiding principles to welcome rain into your life and landscape. Tucson, AZ: Rainsource Press.
This is the first book in a three volume setthat provides tips on reducing costs of living. It discusses different ways rain water can be used to live a more sustainable lifestyle. In areas of growing water scarcity, this book presents principles and practices that could become essential elements for sustainable living.
Mollison, B., Jeeves, A., & Slay R. (1988). Permaculture: A designers' manual. Tasmania, Australia: Tagari Publications.
Permaculture is a method for living a more sustainable lifestyle. The principles parallel tribal belief systems. Permaculture incorporates recent and not so recent technologies to live with the environment. Areas of focus include organic gardening, soil creation, community building, and environmental design. Combining permaculture with tribal belief systems will render a sustainable lifestyle that is technologically, environmentally, and culturally appropriate. The book is still available and widely used to design sustainable food communities.
Ramlow, B., & Nusz, B. (2006). Solar water heating: A comprehensive guide to solar water and space heating systems. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers.
This book on solar water heatingexplores the advantages of having a solar water heating system. It focuses on project financing and proves that in the long run, solar water heating saves money and is better for the environment. The book also dives into designing an appropriate system, system components, and the associated advantages and disadvantages.
Smith, L.T. (1999) Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples. New York: Zed Books Ltd.
Research on Indigenous knowledge has historically involved taking from tribal communities. Researchers from outside tribal communities have approached tribal elders seeking data, tribal stories, and sacred information. Seldom is anything given back to the community. Smith dives right into the social research issues associated with studying and reporting on tribal communities. This book is a must read for those people aspiring to research Indigenous knowledge.
Venolia, C., & Lerner, K. (2006). Natural remodeling for not-so-green house: Bringing your home into harmony with nature. New York: Sterling Publishing Inc.
This book on remodeling gives great tips on how to turn a previously existing home into an environmentally friendly dwelling, which not only benefits the person living there but the planet as well.
Whitefield, P., & Hart, R. (1996). How to make a forest garden. New York: Permanent Publishing Co.
The authorsgive insight on planning, choosing plants, and laying out a forest garden. This low maintenance gardening promotes the enjoyment of the forest while providing nut and fruit trees, herbs and perennial fruits, and vegetables. This tool can be used to design a garden in a forested area, enabling a more sustainable lifestyle.
ARTICLES
Dasgupta, P., Levin, S., Lubchenco, J. (April 2000). Economic pathways to ecological sustainability. BioScience, 50(4), 339-345.Economists place dollar values on resources with the understanding that capitalizing on available resources will maximize social welfare. But how can one justifiably and accurately place an economic value on natural resources and ecological functions? It is important to realize that different value systems exist, and not all are capitalistic.
The article focuses on the fertile and expanding common ground between ecologists and economists. An overarching challenge is to determine what kinds of social institutions would be expected to best protect and promote the environmental resources. The article sketches the sub-problems that are believed to be of particular importance: local versus global constraints, economic valuation of ecosystem services, non-convex processes, and institutional failure.
Ehrlich, P. R. (December 2003). Bioethics: Are our priorities right? BioScience, 53(12), 1207-1216.
It is easy to get caught up focusing efforts on the physical environment, such as constructing green buildings, improving electrical use efficiency, improving water use efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recycling waste streams, or replacing light bulbs. While these efforts will improve the sustainability of the organization, there are other opportunities to consider. The desire to live more sustainable is centered around an ethical responsibility. The article states, “Achieving a sustainable global society will require developing an agreed-upon ethical basis for the necessary political disclosure, and the time to start is now.”
Hood, E. (July 2003). Connecting to a sustainable future. Environmental Health Perspectives, 111(9), A474-479.
The term “sustainability” is being used more and more in our professional culture. Businesses, colleges, government agencies, and other organizations are generating sustainability reports, sustainability action plans, and hiring personnel to improve the organizational sustainability. These initiatives will attempt to improve organizational economics and social equity issues, reduce environmental impacts, and attempt to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The article focuses on the role of technology in the movement towards sustainability.
McDaniel, C. N., Borton, D.D. (October 2002). Increased human energy use causes biological diversity loss and undermines prospects for sustainability. BioScience, 52(10), 929-936
The article identifies human energy consumption as a priority for improving sustainability. “The challenge before us is to accept biological constraints and shift as quickly as possible from an econocentric to an ecocentric world view. Perhaps the easiest part of this transition will be to exchange fossil fuel and nuclear energy for present-day flow of solar energy.” The article provides data on energy flows and personal energy consumption that identify the necessity for change.
Mills, A. (Winter 2005). Resource Guide: Making tribal campuses sustainable. Tribal College Journal, 17(2), 23-26.
The resource guide has several good references to energy-related measures that can improve the sustainability of tribal campuses. Mills has compiled a comprehensive list of resources that help make a case to college leadership for a more sustainable tribal college campus. The guide is available at
http://tribalcollegejournal.org/themag/backissues/winter2005/winter2005rg.htm
Morris, D. (Spring 2002). Resource Guide: Sustainability at your fingertips. Tribal College Journal, 13(3), 34-37.
Dr. Diana Morris compiled a Resource Guide on sustainability. She included video resources related to the environment, sustainability, and Indigenous issues among other resources. Available at www.tribalcollegejournal.org/themag/backissues/spring2002/spring2002resource.html
Potera, C. (May 2005). Growing green communities. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(5), A300.
The article describes components of a green community. There is always room for improvement, and the question becomes, how far down the sustainability path is society willing to go?
Beau Mitchell works in the Sustainable Development Institute at the College of Menominee Nation (CMN) as the sustainability coordinator. He was hired in January 2008 to take the lead on the sustainability indicators research project at CMN. He is a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, MT.
Jeremy Wescott is a student intern with the Sustainable Development Institute. He is majoring in elementary education at CMN and is a member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.