WINDOW ROCK—The time is ripe to start "greening" the Navajo Nation, say representatives of the Navajo Green Economy Coalition.

The coalition hopes the Navajo Nation Council will pass two bills during its spring session that would establish offices aimed at creating green jobs. The bills are sponsored by Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan (Iyanbito/Pinedale).

The coalition is made up of the Black Mesa Water Coalition, the Grand Canyon Trust, and Sky One New Mexico - non-governmental organizations that have in the past sometimes been on the other side of projects supported by the Navajo government.

The new emphasis on renewable energy coming from President Obama, however, has changed the playing field.

The coalition hopes to direct some of the money in Obama's economic stimulus package to green energy development on the Navajo Nation, said coalition spokeswoman Nikke Alex.

Tony Skrelunas, a member of the Grand Canyon Trust, agreed that the atmosphere is right for initiatives aimed at green development on the Navajo Nation.

"There is a tremendous opportunity right now with Obama in office," Skrelunas said. "The whole country is moving toward this. Right now maybe two percent of power in the U.S. comes from renewable sources. Obama wants to change that to 20-3020percent.

"And the Navajo Nation and the Southwest have some of the best solar and wind opportunities in the country," he said.

Navajo needs to get in on that before it the money is all allocated to projects elsewhere, he said.

One bill would create offices at each agency as well as a commission to guide the development of green jobs on the Navajo Nation. The second legislation would establish a fund by which to finance jobs as well as attract federal monies earmarked for green initiatives.

The idea of a Navajo green economy is not new to the local environmental groups. They've been urging the tribe to develop its solar and wind resources for years.

When the Black Mesa Mine closed in 2005, they petitioned for revenue to be channeled into the development of green energy jobs for the Navajo and Hopi tribes. That would make more sense than trying to reopen the Black Mesa coal mine and its sole customer, the Mohave Generating Station, they said.

Navajo Nation leaders in the executive and legislative branches rebuffed them at the time, but Obama's election signaled that the federal government was now ready to pour money into developing those overlooked resources. Now the non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, and the tribal government are working together.

"In the past sometimes NGOs wouldn't be allowed before a Navajo community or a council committee," Skrelunas said. "There was a lot of 0Amistrust there."

"(The NGOs) spent years of building alliances," said Skrelunas. "A lot of NGOs are saying we can't just fight the nation but we have to collaborate now, too."

The partnership started a few years ago when the NGOs formed the Just Transition Coalition following the closure of the Black Mesa Mine. The tribal officials started working with the coalition members, who are seeking to ensure that the local communities benefit from money that will be generated by pollution reduction from the closure of Mohave.

Although the idea of a green energy initiative started with the NGOs, the Navajo Nation will have to take the reins if it is going to work, he added.

Skrelunas and others in the coalition believe that a green economy is the future of the Navajo Nation, based on Diné tradition and culture.

Skrelunas, a former director of the Navajo Nation's Division of Economic Development and key player in the passage of the Local Governance Act, says that Navajos at the grassroots level support the formation of a green economy.

For the elderly, it's heartening to find that there is a whole industry that matches Navajo beliefs about taking care of the lands, he said.

But for a green economy to really take off it would need the support of the youth as well and that's where Nikke Alex comes in.

A youth director for the Navajo Green Economy Coalition, Alex speaks to students in s chools about the need for renewable energy and sustainable living habits in a world facing global warming.

Alex, 23, also is part of a number of young Navajos in the coalition with college degrees who want to return to work on the Navajo Nation. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science and one in sociology.

"With this new organization we want to bring students back to the community," said Alex, who is originally from Dilkon, Ariz., but now lives mainly in Flagstaff. "We have very educated people and we want for them to have an opportunity to work in communities close to their families in a sustainable economy."