Healthier/Greener Tribal Housing: The Best of Old and New

In my second piece for the national journal Environmental Health Perspectives, I investigate housing-related health issues plaguing many Native American reservations, and look at solutions posed by healthier, greener homes. There's a quiet but powerful movement among tribal communities nationwide -- supported by both HUD and the EPA -- toward greener, more efficient homes that are often rooted in traditional designs and materials. These homes also promise to solve many of the indoor air quality issues associated with the standardized federally funded housing that's prevalent on reservations nationwide, from Alaska to Arizona. My 2,500-word feature story, complete with beautiful historical photographs of tribal structures, illustrates the connections between housing and human health and between a wide range of traditional tribal customs and shelters and the vanguard of modern green building. Read more at Environmental Health Perspectives. It was a fascinating story to research and report, and I hope you enjoy reading it.