Cherokee Preservation Foundation Makes Grants Totaling Nearly $400,000 to Help the Qualla Boundary Pursue Green/Clean Energy Agenda

CHEROKEE, NC, October 15, 2008 – Cherokee Preservation Foundation announced it has awarded six grants totaling approximately $400,000 for projects being undertaken as part of a green/clean energy agenda.  The projects stem from Generations Qualla, a community-wide planning initiative involving members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). 

Generations Qualla was organized and convened by Cherokee Preservation Foundation, and it involved adult and youth members of the community.  They have established an agenda that includes clean energy production and alternative fuels, energy conservation and energy efficiency measures, green businesses, and recycling/waste reduction measures. 

The first grants from Cherokee Preservation Foundation enable:

• EBCI Public Transit to construct additional transit stops and expand transit programming that will reduce vehicle usage in the downtown area of Cherokee.

• Energy audits of 20 Tribal and nonprofit buildings on the Qualla Boundary by March, 2009 to identify both short-term and long-term ways to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs.  The audits of the first two buildings, completed this summer, showed the potential for energy cost reductions in the range of 20-35% of total energy costs, with only modest investments.  Waste Reduction Partners, which is associated with the Land of Sky Regional Council, is conducting the energy audits.

• A significant increase the volume of recycling collected and processed on the Qualla Boundary by purchasing more recycling containers and enabling the Tribal Recycling staff to expand its processing capabilities. 
• Youth-led environmental projects, including community clean-ups, recycling and environmental education, and natural habitat restoration.

• A new Qualla Green and Beautiful program that will engage Cherokee communities in environmental improvement projects. 

• A culturally based summer camp for Cherokee Middle School students that emphasizes environmental sustainability.  Youth will learn traditional Cherokee culture and nature lore, and will integrate them with a scientific understanding of the environment and ecology. 

• Streamlining of the site review process for all construction on the Qualla Boundary by enabling further development of the Tribe’s Geographic Information System.

• The development of an improved building standard that incorporates green building practices. The new standard that is created will have significant long-term impact on energy efficiency and resource use across the entire Qualla Boundary.  The WNC Green Builders Council is assisting the EBCI as it develops the new green building standard.

Powerful Assets for Success

“For a very long time, it has been important to the Cherokee people that they be stewards of the land, and that makes us very excited about the potential of the green and clean energy agenda on the Qualla Boundary,” said Susan Jenkins, executive director of Cherokee Preservation foundation.  “The Generations Qualla adult and youth committees spent a considerable amount of time discussing traditional Cherokee values and behaviors, and how respect for the environment and the importance of reciprocity should be woven into daily life. 

“Another important advantage we have on the Qualla Boundary is that the EBCI is the primary developer for commercial and residential buildings on the Qualla Boundary.  Unlike many places in which there are many developers who work independently, most of the development on Tribal lands is managed by various Tribal departments, which all report to a common management.  So it is much easier to get a strategy implemented on the Qualla Boundary than in other locations.

“The EBCI community is also excited and inspired by youth leadership in the Generations Qualla effort,” said Jenkins.  “The Cherokee Youth Council was established a year ago to provide young members of the EBCI the opportunity to learn culturally based leadership skills.  The group is leading cleanup and recycling efforts on the Qualla Boundary and setting a great example for other members of the community.”

Jenkins also noted that rising prices at the pump and the recent gas shortages have focused community members’ attention on the pressing need for energy conservation and energy efficiency.  In addition,the EBCI’s economy is based on tourism and gaming, which are easier to move toward a green/clean energy agenda than economies that are based on manufacturing or extraction, and tourists appreciate improvements that lead to cleaner, greener, and more environmentally friendly places for them to visit.

About Cherokee Preservation Foundation

Cherokee Preservation Foundation (www.cpfdn.org) was established on November 14, 2000, as part of the Second Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact between the EBCI and the State of North Carolina. It is an independent nonprofit foundation funded by the EBCI from gaming revenues generated by the Tribe. CPFdn is not part of or associated with any for-profit gaming entity. Since CPFdn’s inception in 2000, it has made 487 grants totaling nearly $40 million to EBCI and regional projects and programs that address cultural preservation, economic development and job creation, and environmental renewal and protection. Every dollar of CPFdn support has been matched by $1.41 in secured grants or other funding or in-kind resources, making CPFdn’s total contribution to the region more than $95 million.

For more information, contact Cherokee Preservation Foundation at 828/497-5550.