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Without water, no life can exist.
Native American Wahleah Johns formed the Black Mesa Water Coalition after the groundwater supplies on the Navajo Reservation came under threat from a local coal company. The goal of the coalition was to protect the sole source of drinking water in the region by curbing the exploitation of its natural resources. Johns organized a grassroots campaign that not only sought to inform the local Native American communities about the issues at stake, but also outlined a plan to build sustainable economic developments in the region.
Johns' successful campaign convinced lawmakers to protect the pristine ground waters from exploitation by the coal industry, and the local strip mine was eventually closed.
More About Wahleah
Drawing on her Native American heritage, Johns is driven by a deep-rooted respect for our planet and the need to live in harmony with it. She lives on the Navajo Reservation in Forest Lake, Arizona. Co-founder of the Black Mesa Water Coalition, Johns works as a community advocate to protect the local groundwater supply, the sole source of the area's drinking water, which has been depleted for mining purposes.
Johns seeks to build self-sustaining indigenous communities through education and political activism. Most recently, Johns organized and coordinated efforts to create green jobs in the Navajo community. After a yearlong campaign of intense grassroots action, the Navajo Nation Council passed a groundbreaking green jobs legislation in the summer of 2009, which included significant funding for local green projects.
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