By Summit Voice
In a peaceful demonstration against energy imperialism, members of Navajo Nation demonstrated the power of solar along the Central Arizona Project canal in Scottsdale, using a large mobile solar-powered generator to run pumps that moved water from the canal into nearby buckets and barrels.
“Many Navajo families had to pen their sheep alone today on the reservation to be here in Scottsdale and show SRP (Salt River Project) that solar works,” said Marshall Johnson, Navajo Nation resident and To Nizhoni Ani co-founder. “We were able to get a little bit of water from CAP pumped into our barrels today before the police moved us, and we are going to take this back to our sheep on the reservation.”
After decades of coal industry on Navajo Nation, many Navajo families have not benefited; thousands still lack electricity and running water to their homes and haul water in trucks every week for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. One of those water trucks was used to bring the solar-powered pump alongside the CAP canal in Scottsdale today.
