Henry Red Cloud Selected as 2009 Innovative Idea Champion

Henry Red Cloud, founder of Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE) and partner of Trees, Water & People (TWP), has been recognized as a 2009 Innovative Idea Champion by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED).  As an Innovative Idea Champion, Henry will have the opportunity to present his concept of renewable energy on tribal lands at the 2009 Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C. in October. 

Building on the foundation of Lakota Solar Enterprises, one of the nation’s first 100% Native American owned and operated renewable energy companies; Henry is now developing the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center (RCREC).  Located on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, RCREC is a training facility for tribes to learn about renewable energy applications from fellow Native Americans.  RCREC returns newly certified Solar Technicians to their communities with the expertise to start their own renewable energy programs.  By incorporating small-scale applications, such as solar air heating, into their tribe’s housing, energy and employment policies, tribal leaders will be able to provide new green jobs, save money on home heating costs, and combat global climate change. 

CFED’s 2009 Innovation Summit will exhibit top innovators introducing ideas, products, programs and policies that will create the future of economic activity.  There, Henry will have the opportunity to engage with others to shape and advance next-generation solutions in the hope of creating a community that will address today’s unprecedented economic uncertainty.     

For more information about Henry Red Cloud, LSE, and RCREC please visit http://www.treeswaterpeople.org/tribal/tribal_intro.htm.