Jihan Gearon, Executive Director, Black Mesa Water Coalition

Anyone who gets to hear Jihan speak is very clear about her mission: to build the capacity of communities throughout the U.S. and Canada who are impacted by energy development and climate change. Although coal-fired power plants in the Navajo Nation light up cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, 18,000 tribal homes LACK electricity there. These plants operate on land leased to public utilities or the federal government, which means the Navajo Nation gets a whole bunch of emissions, but receives very little financial benefit. Gearon, who is Navajo and African American, has been diligently working to introduce the idea of renewable energy systems to tribal members. Getting fellow Navajo to understand the potential advantages will go a long way toward Gearon’s broader push for large-scale clean energy on the reservation. Learn about the issues and hear about some possible solutions.