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Noticed activist LaDuke speaks Wednesday at SOU on Standing Rock, energy use and indigenous rights Winona LaDuke Tuesday Nov 15, 2016 at 8:38 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Far from experiencing fear or disorientation from last Tuesday’s election, former Green Party vice-presidential nominee and ex-Ashlander Winona LaDuke says she’s doubling down on shaping a food and energy economy to replace the fossil fuel economy being lauded by the new party in the White House. “I’m just being strong. It’s important to appreciate what we have and to work for and enjoy a stronger democracy,” says LaDuke, who will speak at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, in the Rogue River Room of Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University. “Let’s face it. The truth is that we are way cooler and way more awesome than (President-Elect Donald) Trump.”  LaDuke, the daughter of retired art professor Betty LaDuke of SOU, is executive director of Honor the Earth (HTE), a national Native American foundation. All proceeds from donations at the event will go to support HTE and water protectors opposing installation of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota.  Asked if she were afraid from the election, she said, “No, I am concerned, though. There have been a couple of moment when it (her outlook) could have gone bad. But,” she said, “I feel emboldened, is what I feel. I do not believe Americans are haters. I believe some of his people have that tendency. Some have been pretty ecstatic. But most Americans, no. I am deeply concerned and not afraid. I am dismayed at the American political system. I intend, like many others, to dig in my heels and remain strong and keep working the local, state and national, not just the national, to protect our environment.”  LaDuke will talk about the hotly embattled pipeline, indigenous rights, energy over-consumption, which underlies global warming, and transitioning to a post-carbon economy. LaDuke, in an interview after working at Standing Rock, said that if you’re looking for an energy and food model for the future, it’s about Ashland. “It has the perfect potential food and energy economy and you should all continue working on it in that direction, but remember, we can’t be an island to ourselves. Obviously, there will be a tremendous policy push by Trump and the pro-fossil fuel economy, but that also means, to the good, that the price in solar systems will drop significantly and already are.” The price of solar systems in the Rogue Valley are now about a sixth of the cost 15 years ago, meaning now is a great time to invest in them and lighten the planet’s carbon load, she notes. Asked what the next four years of the new administration will hold — and what people should work on — LaDuke said, “People thought Washington (D.C.) would save us. We see now that is not true. We’ll have to work for change in political institutions. We have to realize he is pretty much president of the world in many ways, but he doesn’t control the world. He doesn’t set the price of oil. The Saudis do and they set it low, too low. He doesn’t control the organic market or the solar market or oil.” LaDuke, who ran for vice president on the Ralph Nader ticket in 2000, and one other time, is a graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities and a renowned activist focused on sustainable development and food systems. She is author of five books, including “Recovering the Sacred,” “All Our Relations” and “Last Standing Woman.” She lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. Tickets for LaDuke's talk are free, but registration is requested at bit.ly/2fOVbaf. For more information, call Kathleen Gamer at 541-621-3299 or email [email protected]. LaDuke is urging attendance at the Rising Appalachia Concert, which echoes her themes, immediately after her speech. Rising Appalachia is due to perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Historic Ashland Armory. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].