Students from Intertribal Energy Tour to Study Pelton Round Butte Passage

PORTLAND, OR -- July 2013 – On July 28th, 21 tribes from Oregon, Washington and California will collaborate to launch the first Intertribal Energy and Technology Tour. High school students from each of the tribes will study Pelton Round Butte Passage during the 7-day tour.  Pelton Round Butte Passage is fish passage system co-owned by Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. 
 
High school students have been selected from 21 regional tribes to participate in the tour of Native American energy projects on tribal lands.  Other sites the students will study include Warm Springs Water & Power Enterprise, Yakima Power and Ecotrust’s Sundown Concert series. 
 
The mission of the tour is to educate regional tribal youth on the renewable energy, tribal utilities, smart grid, carbon offsets and energy-efficiency and careers in energy and to generate awareness of existing tribal renewable energy projects in Oregon, Washington and Northern California.

The Tour is the creation of Redbridge, Inc, a Native American owned Portland-based Company. Information on participating tribes can be seen at http://redbridgeonline.com/energytechtour/.  Supporters of the tour include Portland General Electric and non-profit Ecotrust. 

For generations, tribes have practiced sustainability and environmental preservation. Today, with over 5% of the nation’s natural resources located on tribal lands, tribes have the opportunity to share sustainable practice and lead the nation toward energy independence on and off reservation lands. Department of Indian Energy estimates 14 billion MWh utility-scale rural solar resources exist on tribal lands.

“With over 500 tribes across the US and 5% of the nation’s natural resources on tribal reservations, energy and technology savvy tribal communities are in a position to generate power and jobs for their communities and lead market transformation. And it starts with educating our tribal youth about the potential. Get them inspired and asking questions and there’s no limit to what they’ll achieve,” said Shannon Hulbert, Yurok Tribal Member and President of Redbridge, Inc. 
 
Redbridge, Inc. is a Native American owned company. Founded in 2011, the Portland-based marketing company specializes in consistent delivery of effective and sustainable marketing services to tribes and tribally owned businesses, energy, and tourism.
 
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