Redwood Valley Rancheria

The Solar Living Institute is proud to partner with the Redwood Valley Rancheria. In the spring of 2010, we completed a workshop series that taught tribal members valuable skills and concepts while they created for themselves a more sustainable community.

The workshops were regularly attended by the same group of individuals. Each week the students built upon the knowledge they gained in the previous workshops, and used their new skills on actual home maintenance projects. Using hands-on demonstrations, they learned carpentry techniques, inspected solar hot water systems, used shade analysis tools for solar site assessments, created earthen plaster, repaired drywall, fixed leaky faucets and sinks, soldered copper pipes, and much more. The course topics inspired in-depth discussions about ecological design, healthy living, and human impacts on the environment.

The group visited many homes in the community to inspect existing systems for maintenance needs and to make repairs. The balance of discussion and hands-on activities during the courses truly empowered the students, giving them the confidence and knowledge to take on projects at their homes and around their community. Because of this series, the entire Redwood Valley Rancheria is experiencing a positive impact thanks to the individuals’ new understanding of self-reliance and sustainability.