Th
is past Thanksgiving, Empowerment WORKS’ Founder joined the Red Lightning team in the ongoing protection of indigenous lands from the North Dakota Access Pipeline. While there she was blessed to capture a few extraordinary interviews for a special Pulse of the Movement webcast episode Voices from Standing Rock, recommended for a first hand feel of the below…
Red Lightning is an award winning Burning Man Camp that creates a sacred space for the regeneration for the self, community and planet. In 2016, with its deeper commitment to service and related partnership with Empowerment WORKS as a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project, Red Lightning supported Indigenous communities gathered to protect the water at Standing Rock.
Since the snow started falling on the chilly plains of North Dakota, Red Lightning team has been stewarding it’s community dome and working closely with Standing Rock Leadership to provide a vital gathering space for front line Water Protectors at Oceti Sakowin (7 Council Fires) Camp.
Throughout this past winter, the Red Lightning Village has provided a 44’ dome powered and heated by wind and solar and learned a few lessons along the way.
From hard pressed need comes innovation! Adapting to the extreme winter weather, and taking advantage of the winds, comes Lightning In A Box!
A mobile system delivering next generation Solar + Wind + Battery + Water Storage with back-up generator + a transport trailer for the dome and tipis. In addition to powering the Red Lightning village at Standing Rock, the project upgrades the dome with mylar insulation and a combination of 4 Mini Split AC/Heat systems and thus will be heatin
g the Dome primarily with electricity, vs wood stoves.
Down the road, when Red Lightning tribe returns the dusty playa of Black Rock City Nevada (and heat is no longer needed in North Dakota), the same system will provide AC in the Lighting Dome at Burning Man – far more efficiently and using solar and wind power! While it’s hard to top the American Indian led civil rights movement to protect our precious watersheds, advancing sustainability at Burning Man via demonstration of appropriate technology is pivotal and with rippling potential.
