So We May Live

Bringing original teachings of natural and green energy to youth.

We live in a world too dependent on fossil fuels, the way to solve Mother Earth’s problems is to divest from extractive energies and reinvest in original teachings and grassroots communities. If we go back to the original teachings, in which we live in harmony with Mother Earth we will remember how to use the energy around us that is abundant in a good way and replenish rather than destroy. We would like to bring back the original teachings of living with the earth and create a series of educational videos that can be used in schools, at events and in grassroots communities. We will promote regenerative education, where we teach the youth and they return to their districts to teach their communities. Through oral teachings with elders and teachers from the community, the youth will learn sustainable living using the energy from the sun, wind and water as well as tradition architecture friendly to our environment. We will document the teachings and do more in depth interviews with elders and educators to create a digital program that can be shared everywhere.  

The community suffers from high energy rates as well as substandard housing.We intend to teach young people how to recognize and design with original teachings to help address these issues. Traditional architecture embraces the harsh climates abundant sun and wind and uses them to live better with respect for them. Then we will be able to teach the rest of the word how to see the original teachings of this earth.

The biggest barrier we face reaching more people is transportation to and from each district. It takes a lot of time and gas to make sure every district receives the same attention. 

We want to look at modern technology and fuse it with original teachings, going back to original teachings and enhancing it with modern technology. We will bring wisdom of solar & wind, new structures of architecture and mix it with original methods of cleaning water and restoring soil. We would blend the use of drones, cameras and iPads with Indigenous seeds, traditional medicines and vernacular lodging.

Original teachings have been around since the beginning of time, but much of it has been lost in current american culture. The innovation is unburying them to make changes in the currently unsustainable establishment.

All the sessions will be free, we will provide transportation to and from the event from each district. We will work to develop partnerships with the education systems on the reservation to help reach out to the community as well.  We would like to pay the facilitators and the youth who come and help film as well as those youth that want to go out and teach their communities what they learn.

We would like to start with 15 students, 5 students per facilitator. Students will meet once a week and by the end of the week we will have 1 video filmed that can then be shown in their community, youth group, or school.

Our future goals are creating a healthy relationship with green energy on the reservation where everybody is working in harmony with solar, harnessing wind, building organic gardens, practicing methods to clean water, continuing to protect the water from threats like the DAPL and developing energy efficient homes that are seperate from the constraints from the government housing authorities. Finally gaining the tribal sovereignty that was promised by the United States.

We are still in the idea phase of the project.

We are applying to Solve because of the work they continue to do in indigenous communities, which has presented a unique ability to change the world through its intricate and beautiful network of big thinkers and positive disrupters. 

Sacred Stone is our organization. 

We would love to reach out to other organizations here on Standing Rock that are bringing green energy to the community.