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A Vision for Tribal Sovereignty through Sustainable Energy — Homegrown Stories [1]

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Date: 2023-01

Wes is Anishinaabe and was born and raised on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. He has seen a lot change since he left home at 17 years old to pursue an education in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC). After several years away learning the trade and learning about sustainable systems, Turtle Mountain Community College recruited Wes to return home to be the facilities manager for the college. Wes says that the sustainability aspect really hit him one Christmas Eve, when he was working 40 hours a week and his power was cut off in his home. He couldn’t afford to keep his electricity on. He began asking around with his friends what they were paying per month for energy and $700 was the answer he was getting back from several people in the community, keeping in mind these homes on average are 1,200 square foot or less. “I want our community to be healthier and have a better quality of life and not have to be taxed all winter long just to keep their homes warm,” explained Wes.

The history of the Anishinaabe people plays an important role in Wes’s work centering around sustainability and environmentalism. “I want to make sure that the teachings that we have known for thousands of years, are taken into consideration when we're doing sustainable living. Because keep in mind, before, we always knew that the sun gave us power, it gave us plants, trees, it heats the ground, and it's an amazing gift from the Creator,” said Wes. Turtle Mountain has changed drastically over the years according to Wes. There has been a revitalization in recent years that has been connecting Indigenous people with their culture, a connection that was disrupted by colonialism and genocide. “It's amazing, because everybody takes pride in being who we are. It's not always easy to be Indigenous, especially in the world we live in right now. But society's taking us in, and there's all kinds of allies and people who are not native, who believe in what we believe in, and we have a mutual respect, and we have integrity for each other,” said Wes.

As the facilities manager, Wes led an effort to lower the energy bill of the college by 300%. It went from $600,000/year to less than $200,000/year. He did this through controlling the 256 geothermal heating and cooling pumps in the school, each equipped with their own sensor. Wes has used those savings in a variety of ways from investing in energy infrastructure to improving the quality of life for the students.

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[1] Url: https://www.homegrownstories.org/wes-davis-a-vision-for-tribal-sovereignty-through-sustainable-energy

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