Remote Alaskan Village Energizes With Renewables

The village of Igiugig is weaning off diesel generators and turning on solar and wind power. Watch a video of their story.

The village of Igiugig (population: less than 70).
The village of Igiugig (population: less than 70). (David Timko / Earthjustice)

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I was lucky enough to travel to Alaska last summer for a meeting of all the terrific groups who work together protecting America’s Arctic waters from destruction related to offshore drilling. I was even luckier to meet the fine folks of Igiugig, a remote community of less than 70 people who are transitioning away from diesel fuel to renewable energy sources.

Yes—in a remote village in Alaska. Take an introspective moment this Earth Day to ponder that. They are doing it in Alaska, the land of day-long nights and frozen tundra. But their determination is strong and the young leaders of the community have committed to a sustainable future.

My former CNN colleague Dave Timko and I packed a couple of cameras and microphones, hopped on a single prop plane and travelled over some 200 miles of Lake Iliamna shoreline to share their story with you:

We hope this inspires people in the big cities, small towns and remote villages to examine greener fuel sources.

Kari Birdseye worked at Earthjustice from 2011–2016, as a national press secretary and on advocacy campaigns protecting our health and the environment from the impacts of pesticides and toxic chemicals.

Opened in 1978, our Alaska regional office works to safeguard public lands, waters, and wildlife from destructive oil and gas drilling, mining, and logging, and to protect the region's marine and coastal ecosystems.