2023 Dreamstarter Cruz Collin of the Oglala Sioux Tribe is a second-generation scientist and activist, with a dream to address climate change and directly improve the lives of the Oglala Lakota people. Through the Dreamstarter grant, Cruz received $20,000 to make his dream into a reality. With the support of Running Strong and empowered with traditional Lakota knowledge, Cruz set out to develop a truly sustainable solar panel that has the power to transform lives and pave the way for a positive, sustainable future for his community.
A way to give back to his Oglala Lakota community. Cruz’s mentor organization, Sacred Healing Circle, was co-founded by his parents and other Native people when he was young. It has been a constant throughout his life as he worked closely with Elders and works to give back to his Oglala community. Oglala Lakota County, which encompasses the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is the poorest county in the United States. 60% of homes on Pine Ridge lack basic amenities like running and heated water, sewage systems, and electricity as these homes are not connected to the main infrastructure grids that run throughout the state. Blistering summers and freezing cold winters are a concern for families that cannot cool and heat their homes or have convenient water sources. Cruz’s solar panels offer a beam of hope for his community to provide sustainable energy for basic needs. His eventual goal is to fabricate his panels on Pine Ridge, providing opportunity for well-paying jobs to sustain the community at large.
Creating solar panels that use natural materials and Indigenous knowledge. Solar panels that are currently on the market are made of non-natural materials that must be repaired and replaced often, making them inaccessible for low-income communities and creating mass amounts of waste and pollution upon creation and disposal. Utilizing traditional Indigenous knowledge and all natural materials, Cruz set out to create an energy system that would not have the negative environmental impacts current models do, a task that Cruz says, “just seems crazy, even to me as the person holding the dream.”
300 prototypes in one year alone! With funding from Running Strong and guidance from his Elders, Cruz was able to identify, purchase and test materials and methods that would produce the most energy using the cleanest materials. In his “free time” between college courses, Cruz produced over 300 different small prototypes over his grant year. Starting as spinoffs of current renewable energy systems, later prototypes “evolved into a system that is almost 100% all natural materials, free of chemical refinement in almost every single component” that would significantly reduce the amount of pollution and waste that is seen with other models of solar panels. Cruz’s groundbreaking discovery proves that traditional Indigenous Knowledge and modern science can not only be used together, but that “they have the potential to be even better from an energy density and safety standpoint then what is currently used today.”
Elders have given the youth a foundation of knowledge. Cruz’s success not only marks an important milestone in the scientific community, but in his home community as well. He shares that “This process has been giving so many of my elders hope for the future and confirmation that they have not failed the youth, but rather they have given us the foundation to truly change the entire world for the better.”
Investors and partnerships are next. Energized with success and support from his community Cruz plans to continue his work far past the end of his grant year. Cruz has started his own company, gained investors and partnerships, and has plans to build a full-sized prototype of his solar panel in the coming months.
It’s more than sustainable energy. Cruz Collin’s journey is not just about creating sustainable energy; it’s about empowering the Oglala Lakota people and fostering hope for future generations. Cruz’s dedication to creating environmentally friendly solar panels shows that solutions rooted in both heritage and science have the potential to shape a more sustainable and just future, not only for Pine Ridge but for the world.
