Going Green Outreach Program

Going Green served as a community-oriented catalyst to promote Indigenous empowerment through digital story-telling initiatives, youth leadership, professional development and the advancement of eco-initiatives. The goal of the Going Green project was to announce an environmentally active presence to local communities and to make important information about regional issues surrounding energy production accessible to the general public and native communities. By encouraging Indigenous youth to engage with environmental issues relevant to their experiences and those of their families, Diné community members investigated the impacts of environmental concerns and the possibilities of new solutions to these issues. The project was conducted with a wide range of educational, arts, and renewable energy partners, and supported with a grant awarded by the Stranahan Foundation. It involved creating the New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce, building a Chapter House on Navajo Nation, hands on training in wind turbine technologies and solar panel installation, interviews with renewable energy specialists, and supporting youth working with New Energy Economy to write and present a progressive cap-and-trade energy bill to the New Mexico state legislature that was subsequently adopted and signed into law. Filmmaking production, post-production and animation workshops were held, and participants were equipped with video cameras and editing equipment. The project was additionally supported by the Smithsonian Institute, which funded a two-month long Indigenous exhibition and teach-in, and enabled the environmental documentaries produced over the scope of the project to be screened at Santa Fe’s annual Indigenous Cinema Showcase and elsewhere.