Earlier this month, indigenous scholars, sustainability scientists and tribal leaders from around the world gathered in Tempe, Arizona for the "Conference on Indigenous Sustainability: Implications for the Future of Indigenous Peoples and Native Nations." The conference, inspired in part by the leadership of the ASU Wrigley Institute, served as a forum to discuss and debate indigenous sustainability and environmental issues.

The conference featured multiple panels, including one titled "Tribal Energy and the Environment" that featured three sustainability scientists: Rebecca Tsosie, Harvey Bryan and Clark Miller. These panelists highlighted the importance of indigenous people’s right to self-determination, as well as navigated the issue of natural resource sustainability with the help of indigenous knowledge.

“We are all connected, so what we do now to build better energy and other systems will have an effect across the world,” Miller said. “Indigenous and non-indigenous people will have to come together, listen to each other’s perspectives and find common solutions to common problems.”