New story for High Country News: Building better homes in Indian Country

The subject of my latest for High Country News, green building in Indian Country, has become one of my favorite topics. It's not only innovative and off the beaten path a bit, but it also brings together a number of my interests: green building, sustainability, science (as it informs architecture and man-made systems), infrastructure, renewable energy, water efficiency, and more. Yet at its core is a human story, one related to the sustainability of cultures and communities. Here, green building is not an end in itself, as we often find it framed in the wealthy and eco-conscious Bay Area, but rather a means to achieve something bigger and more permanent.

My first story on the topic, for Environmental Health Perspectives in December 2012, focused on human health and indoor air quality. My second, for Indian Country Today in May 2013, illuminated the cultural context and also offered a broader view of the trend and its benefits to tribes. My third, out today in High Country News, goes in-depth on a major project at South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation and concludes with a series of case studies on other green-building projects throughout Indian County. (You may need a subscription in order to read the entire story.)

And I'm not stopping here; more stories are likely to follow.