PhotoPhilanthropy

About the Organization

Trees, Water & People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to improve people's lives by helping communities to protect, conserve and manage the natural resources upon which their long-term well-being depends.

About the Opportunity

In the nation's poorest communities — Indian reservations of the American West — bitter winters force many families to spend up to 70% of their total income to heat their homes. Choices are few: expensive electricity, polluting propane, or firewood from the few trees that remain. Energy costs on these reservations create hardship for almost every family. The result is more suffering for a people that has already suffered much. Trees, Water & People's Tribal Renewable Energy Program puts the power of nature — the warmth of the sun, the power of the wind, the shelter of trees — to work for Native Americans. Working with reservation communities, TWP builds and installs supplemental solar heaters for families in need and provides green job training to tribes around the country. These solutions are sustainable, economical, culturally appropriate, and environmentally friendly.