Transformative Activities for Tribal Communities in the Russian River Watershed and Surrounding Areas.
Vision for Transformation:
The goal of PSLF is to serve California’s most disadvantaged communities by reducing greenhouse gas emission and air pollution. The Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) is an awardee of TCC’s Project Development Grant along with Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation (PSLF) and four Tribal Communities who are participants of the overall program. The project is located in the Russian River Watershed and it’s surrounding Areas. The intention of the project is to provide:
- GHG emission reduction by utilizing renewable energy systems and different methods of decarbonization. (a) Residential Energy Efficiency and Solar PV (b) Community Solar PV, micro-grids (c) other clean energy systems.
- Reduction of air pollution and reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses by shifting away from sources of pollution, installing energy sources to decrease exposure to harmful emissions, promoting healthier living environment and supporting public health efforts.
- Collaborative Stakeholder Structure through partnership of participating tribes and other relevant public programs. The partnership will guide the community needs assessments and knowledge exchange to reach economic benefits driven project activities.
GOALS AND AIMS:
The project aims at benefitting multiple tribes located along the Russian River Basin and its surrounding within Mendocino County. Their vision is to become a resilient community that can adapt to the effects of climate change and continue to function during extreme events and with preparedness, response, and a recovery plan.
CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE:
The major focus is in the clean energy sector, water resources, ocean and coasts, forest land management, wildfires, food security and biodiversity. The beneficiaries of this project are known to face multiple vulnerabilities of climate change that demand localized adaptation strategies. The approach was to identify the challenges and incorporate strategies into the proposal as proposed and vetted by the Tribes themselves.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES:
>> SOLAR WATER PUMPING
>> BIO CHAR DEMONSTRATION
>> MICRO GRID DESIGN
>> ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT
Within Community engagement the most important partnership is the Tribal community-based approach with the public and other agencies. The proposed project introduces several activities aimed at Climate Change mitigation and adaptation to enhance resiliencies for all participating tribes based on their needs. The project focuses on the needs, and makes direct action to address climate impacts to tribal homelands and increase collaborative tribal-state partnerships to enable climate actions.
A central activity of the proposed project encompasses education and knowledge transfer toward workforce development through training of Tribal and non-tribal community members. The topics of interest include climate change adaptation training and capacity building for the tribal population to engage in the workforce with marketable skills leading to their economic prosperity
METHODS AND PROCESSES:
