“Putting power back into the right hands”

Renowned professional climber Alex Honnold is known for turning his thoughts into meaningful actions. Now, he’s using his platform to shine a light on the “unfair” conditions that have left thousands of Navajo Nation members without power.

The Honnold Foundation, established in 2012 with the goal of building a better, more equitable future, has partnered with an Indigenous-led organization to provide solar energy solutions to Navajo and Hopi communities.

“Over the years, we’ve supported other organizations that are doing similar work, and one in particular is called Native Renewables,” Honnold told The Cool Down. “The Navajo Nation has, surprisingly, about 10,000 people who live without access to electricity.” (Honnold’s estimate may be modest, as Brett Isaac, founder and executive chairman of the Navajo Power organization, told ABC News in April that the figure is about 15,000 homes without access to electricity.)

According to the Honnold Foundation’s official website, “Navajo and Hopi Nations communities have some of the best solar resources.”

Despite this, the lack of access to electricity persists.

As well as being inequitable, this situation can put lives at risk during extreme weather events, such as heat waves, which have become more frequent and intense due to global warming, mainly caused by pollution from dirty fuels such as gas, coal and oil.

“This is another example of communities being most impacted by climate change,” added Honnold, who highlighted how the comfort of other communities has come at the expense of tribal nations and lands.

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“But basically, it’s extractive industries that are exploiting the land,” the “Free Solo” climber told TCD, detailing a story about the now-defunct Navajo Power Plant. “This giant coal-fired power plant that was recently shut down is basically putting pollution on their land and power lines that run through their land to serve communities and other places, but then they don’t have access to electricity. And you think, that’s crazy and really unfair.”

Coal is the dirtiest and deadliest fuel available. According to the University of Oxford’s Our World in Data analysis, air pollution from coal is linked to at least 25 premature deaths per terawatt-hour of electricity. Solar power, on the other hand, is the safest energy source.

The Honnold Foundation established its first partnership with Native Renewables in 2021, when six homes received off-grid solar systems so they could begin harvesting low-cost, clean solar energy. The foundation also developed a grant to provide four Hopi and Navajo solar technicians with paid career development.

The following year, she renewed her partnership to continue supporting Native Renewables’ mission to empower Indigenous communities through solar solutions and education.

Overall, the Honnold Foundation’s collaborative work with community organizations has helped make a meaningful difference in more than two dozen countries.

According to its 2023 impact report, no fewer than 204 communities now have access to electricity for the first time, improving their access to healthcare. At the same time, 64,000 beneficiaries in 125 communities are helping to protect more than 500,000 acres of land.

“I love supporting projects where everybody wins. It was like a job training aspect. People in the community are learning how to do the job, gaining the skills to provide electricity to their community and save their community a lot of money,” Honnold told TCD. “… When you support a project like Native Renewables, you think, ‘This is putting electricity in the right hands.’”

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