RAMONA INDIAN RESERVATION, CALIF.—Catalyx, Inc. has been contracted to be the technology provider and will team with the Ramona Band of the Cahuilla Indian Tribe to develop the Tribe’s Ecotourism resort near Anza, Calif. The first of its kind, the Ramona Band of Cahuilla Mission Native Americans’ resort is designed as a 100 percent off-grid renewable energy project that will employ multiple alternative energy technologies to meet 100 percent of its energy needs. The resort will also recycle much of its own waste by-products, such as sewage, biogas, and restaurant food waste.
The resort, funded jointly by the Ramona Band, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and multiple other federal agencies, is being built in the Anza Valley on the Ramona Indian Reservation in Riverside County, near San Diego. Upon completion it will offer a peaceful retreat to the public and corporate clients, as well as an educational experience about the Native American culture, habitat, natural remedies, and care of the environment through the use of renewable energy and sustainable green lifestyle practices.
“We want to create a truly natural retreat which mirrors our ancestral heritage of living in harmony with Mother Earth,” said John Gomez, cultural director for the Ramona Band. “When finished, this resort will not be a burden on the environment. All energy will be renewable and all waste and wastewater will be recycled. This resort will be a model for other tribes to generate revenues for themselves in a more appealing manner that is true to their heritage.”
One Megawatt of Energy
The completed project is expected to produce one megawatt per day of renewable energy, with propane as a backup energy source until the project is complete.
“Small tribes such as the Ramona Band face many obstacles when competing for federal grant dollars, especially since larger tribes often get the lion’s share of available federal funding,” says Ramona Band vice chairman Manuel Hamilton. “Once we were able to secure funding from the numerous federal agencies involved, the next major challenge was identifying and overseeing multiple renewable energy technology vendors that could work together to cover the many needs of the resort. We believe that Catalyx’s breadth of in-house renewable energy technologies and strategic partnerships with other alternative energy companies provide the complete green technology integration mix to meet our needs.”
“With Catalyx’s expertise, we will be able to prove our vision that an off-grid sustainable business community is not only possible, but economical, practical and enjoyable,” says Ramona chairman Joseph Hamilton.
Catalyx Will Coordinate Technology Installations
For its part, Catalyx, Inc. will provide multiple renewable energy and water treatment technologies from its own portfolio and will contract with third parties for additional technologies to be used at the resort and throughout the reservation.
“Since 2002, Catalyx, Inc. has been developing technologies focused on reducing the cost of renewable energy and water treatment,” says Juzer Jangbarwala, CEO of Catalyx, Inc. “This year, through our various spinoffs, we are rolling out several of these new products. The Ramona Band’s Ecotourism Resort, with its hybrid energy system and other environmentally friendly components, will demonstrate the multiple facets of what is required to be truly ‘green,’ sustainable and, once integrated properly, how affordable being ‘green’ really is.”
The Ramona Band resort is scheduled to have its first stage operational by August of 2009, consisting of five of the 38 planned cabins. Pending successful completion of the first stage, The Ramona Band anticipates receiving funding for the remainder of the project.
Go to Catalyx and the Ramona Band of the Cahuilla Indian Tribe.
