In reminiscing about her journey to warmth and comfort, Carol Parrish could hardly hold back the tears as she ignited her new wood stove for the first time. She felt as though her long-awaited pleas for help had finally been heard. Her residence had previously found itself in a dire state—the crumbled stovetop she had used to warm up her living space during frigid winters showed cracks on its backside, causing smoke to permeate throughout the house. Compounded with the rotting roofing and the shattered windows fastened with a plank, her living conditions were bleak.
Bearing the identity of a Navajo Nation tribe member, Carol had spent countless years appealing for assistance from tribal authorities, but her efforts had not borne fruit. Her situation was reflective of the plight of countless homeowners inhabiting the Hopi and Navajo nations in the Four Corners area, where unsafe living conditions have become a chronic issue.
For numerous generations, these people have predominantly depended on antiquated wood or coal-operated heating stoves. There’s also an adverse side to these stoves – they tend to dispense elevated quantities of particulate matter and smoke. This unfortunate circumstance accounts for the relatively high rates of respiratory diseases in these communities, surpassing national averages by a significant margin.
It wasn’t until November that Parrish experienced a considerable improvement in her living situation. The damaged stove, her leaking rooftop, and the shattered windows were finally replaced or repaired. The source of these much-needed improvements was the elevated funding sent from the federal government, under the Biden administration, directed at Red Feather Development Group. This Flagstaff-based non-profit focuses on ameliorating the housing conditions for the communities in the Four Corners region.
Red Feather has been instrumental in providing numerous families with assistance in stove replacement, heat pump installation, and weatherproofing. Their initiative spans across several decades; however, the recent acceleration in activity can primarily be attributed to increased financial support from the federal government.
Joe Seidenberg, the Executive Director of Red Feather, underscores the organization’s commitment to finding solutions which deliver real benefits, regardless of the political party that is in charge. Speaking from the organization’s Flagstaff headquarters, he highlights that these communities endure high energy demands which pertain to the costs homeowners need to cover for heating and cooling their homes.
Before, many inhabitants from the Hopi and Navajo tribes counted on coal-powered stoves to provide warmth during winter. Contrarily, the majority of households had no cooling mechanisms during summer, which can often witness the mercury rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A significant shift from coal came about in 2019 with the closure of the Navajo Generating Station.
When coal became economically unsustainable, the APS, the utility company operating the power plant, shut it down in 2019, bringing about both jubilation and despair. While environmental organizations and some tribe members celebrated the plant’s demise, not everyone was equally enthusiastic. The shutdown resulted in job losses and terminated a crucial method many families used to heat their homes during chilling winter months.
Faced with the lack of coal, several families have resorted to burning wood in their stoves. However, the longstanding practice of burning coal in wood-burning stoves has negative implications for the stove system due to its corrosive effects, particularly when rainwater mixes with coal dust to form sulfuric acid.
In addition to causing corrosion within the chimney pipes, a stove that’s not EPA-certified can emit a level of pollution equivalent to seven diesel buses. Alternatively, families have turned to using propane or electric space heaters, which each come with their own set of issues. For instance, heating homes with propane without sufficient ventilation can result in carbon monoxide accumulation; meanwhile, electric space heaters are known triggers of house fires.
According to Seidenberg, EPA-certified stoves are cleaner, more energy efficient, and contribute to job creation in wood supply. Helping to clear forests, these stoves reduce wildfire risks and represent a source of domestically-produced energy.
The Red Feather organization took its first steps in 1995, drawing its name from the first woman it assisted: Katherine Red Feather. Initially, they built straw-bale houses for families in need, but due to financial and practical constraints, the organization could manage to build only about two homes annually.
This limitation led to a pivot in Red Feather’s focus—turning from new house construction to the renovation and improvement of existing homes on the Hopi and Navajo reservations. In an array of structural deficiencies, roofs and windows were notably prevalent issues, as many were damaged and negatively impacted the overall energy efficiency.
Thanks to the influx of federal funds in 2021, Red Feather has been able to assist over 6,500 individuals from the Hopi and Navajo communities through various programs. They’ve replaced over 300 stoves with EPA-certified ones, made repairs on over 1,000 individual homes, and installed heat pumps in over 60 houses. ‘Changes in the federal landscape are natural,’ says Seidenberg, ‘Our task is to find the most effective course moving forward, aligning with current goals and fulfilling the pressing needs of tribal families.’