Earth Care 2009 Sustainable Santa Fe Guide by FlavorGrafix Design

Crop Diversity, Food Security, and Climate Change – Miguel Santistevan

100 La Cieneguia Family Farmers 102 Community Garden Projects Water 104 Environmental History of the

Santa Fe Watershed – Tara Plewa

– David Groenfeldt

108 A Quick & Easy Recipe for a Living River 112 SSF Plan: Water Conservation 112 SSF Plan: Ecological Adaptation 114 Citizen Groups Still Concerned about

the Buckman Project – Michael Jensen

– Stephen Wiman

117 Water Purification Technology ECONOMIC WELL-BEING 120 Santa Fe Economic Development

Targets Green Industries – Kate Noble

Modern Times – Kathy Holian

– Vicki Pozzebon

147 SSF Plan: Green Building Code 148 SF Green Building Codes – Kim Shanahan 152 Sustainable Grassroots – Faren Dancer 156 The Railyard Park & Plaza – Laurel Savino Waste 160 SSF Plan: Solid Waste Reduction 162 Mining for Golden Business Ideas

– Margo Covington

ENERGY

164 SSF Plan: Clean Renewable Energy 165 Ensuring Santa Fe’s Future - Ken Hughes 167 NM Meets its 21st Century

Energy Challenges – Lisa Szot

– Rebecca Sobel

– Boaz Soifer

– Jo Anne Peña

169 Power to the People – Bill Althouse 173 Renewable is Doable: Solar Santa Fe 179 Evaluating Your Green Options

123 Sustainability: An Old Story for

182 Geothermal – Conserves Today’s Energy

128 Stimulate This (Economy) – Right Now!

184 Small to Medium Size Wind

132 Sustainable Capital – William Underwood 134 SF International Folk Art Market Photos 136 The Permaculture Credit Union

Power Systems & PV: A Useful Comparison – Daniel Jencka

TRANSPORTATION

– John McAndrew

– Marc Choyt

138 Commerce Based on Circle Wisdom 142 SF/UNESCO Internation Conference on

Creative Tourism

THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Design 143 SF County Land Use from the

Past to the Future – Jack Kolkmeyer

and Zoning Code

146 SSF Plan: Santa Fe Development

188 SSF Plan – Transportation 189 Buses, Bicycles, City Vehicles, Walking 190 A Sustainable Fuel Future for NM

– Charles Bensinger

PERSONAL SUSTAINABILITY

194 The Greening of Healthcare –

How to Stay Healthy in a Changing World – Robyn Benson

197 ADVERTISERS’ LISTINGS SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

From The Editor: An Introduction Seth Roffman

his is an exciting time for Santa Fe as the city commemorates its 400th (+/-) anniversary. There is evidence of a Spanish settlement in 1607, which makes SF as old as Jamestown. Unlike Jamestown, which today exists as an historic site, SF is an historic, living city. As both a small town and an international center, amazing things happen here that the rest of the world can learn from. In response to the 2030 Challenge and the US Conference of Mayors Agreement on Climate Change, both of which seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission developed the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan to address global warming and other issues of sustainability. In addition to recommending ways that we can mitigate our contributions to global warming, such as reducing the impact of building construction, the Plan also provides a vision for how SF can respond to and thrive in a future with much higher transportation and energy costs. The Commission looked to the history of this region for a model of how to develop a more self-sufficient mode while creating economic opportunities and a greater sense of community. A synopsis of each section of the SSF Plan is included throughout this publication. Sustainability is something basic. No community is truly sustainable unless it controls its essential resources. To some extent, SF controls its water – but not energy or food. The city is a national leader in developing cleanenergy and water conservation businesses to help meet long-term needs. SF is also a leader in the living wage movement and is gaining national attention for efforts to strengthen families and community through affordable housing opportunities. Water, economic development and affordable housing are interrelated. As far as becoming more self-reliant in food, most people probably don’t realize that almost all of the land around what is downtown today was, at one time, farmed. SF’s earliest known farmers lived between 400-600 A.D. The transition from a farming community to the world-class center of arts and cultures the city is today began in the Territorial period, around 1848. Art and culture can connect people and build community. Community building is also an essential part of sustainability. Many community dialogues have been taking place. Given current local, regional and global imperatives, and a need for self-reliance, there are opportunities for people to cross cultural, generational and economic boundaries to create some things together. This will require further dialogue about the inequalities and prejudices that separate us, and the shared hu-

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

manity that joins us. The restoration of the SF River is something that could bring the community together. There is a tremendous amount of culture and history tied to the river. Everyone views it as a shared community space. The City and County are dedicated to creating a River Trail from the watershed reservoirs west of town, all the way to La Cienega. In this 4th annual Resource Guide, we have included a cross-section of interrelated sustainability initiatives, from the historic to the visionary. Former National Hispanic Cultural Center (and Palace of the Governors) director Thomas E. Chavez takes another look at who actually founded SF. El Museo Cultural President Tomas Romero provides some perspective on what happened when the border crossed the people in 1846. The word “imagine” is used in many articles in the Guide. Systems thinker John Goekler discusses accelerating sustainability by connecting social justice with raising healthy children. Bill Althouse looks at the possibility of a publicly owned electric grid powered by renewable resources. Bianca Madrid, 17, of Youth Allies for Sustainability, dispels stereotypes of apathetic teens. Meanwhile, as the Rail Runner finally connects SF with Albuquerque, a Brookings Institution study contends that northern NM’s Rio Grande corridor from Espanola to Belen and four other “mountain megas” of the Intermountain West with interconnected economies, are transforming the region into a “new American heartland” that is among the most economically and culturally dynamic places in the country. Of course, SF has long been a “Creative City,” as the UNESCO designation affirms. SF’s roots as a major international trade center date back centuries to the area’s earliest Pueblo Indians, who attended regional trade fairs to exchange goods with neighboring tribes and indigenous peoples of Mexico. The site of a 600-year-old pueblo is under SF’s City Hall, the new convention center and nearby federal buildings. The Pueblo peoples’ strong but sometimes subtle influences are still felt in SF and throughout Northern NM. Artist Bob Haozous reminded us recently that it is a wholistic concept of the Earth that unites indigenous peoples. They have had a way of looking at the Earth that demands tremendous problem solving from everyone. Continuing to move toward sustainability will require that as well.

BE: The more peaceful and compassionate I can be, the happier I am. With patience, I hope to continue to get better in these five areas of my life.

From the Executive Director of Earth Care International Taylor Selby

any people ask me how I can be so darn happy while so many bad things are going on in the world. In Santa Fe, our aquifers are threatened by mining and radioactivity, we have reached “peak water” and are proposing to pump surface water from the Rio Grande, while thousands of people live in poverty, even in this affluent town. Global warming is happening and we have created social systems that favor the “haves” over the “have-nots.” The issues that plague our community and the world are very serious. After studying and teaching sustainability full-time for seven years now, I can say that my happiness is not due to my ignorance. It’s easy to smile with your head in the sand, but with your eyes and heart open? Now that takes some work. I’d like to share with you what keeps me moving on a positive path. POTENTIAL: I believe that anything is possible and that we don’t allow anything to stand in our way when we unite toward the common good. We have everything we need to create a society in balance with the natural world; one that is just and thriving. GRATITUDE: I am grateful for the beauty of nature, from the subtle to the sublime. I enjoy the glow of the sun rising over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the trickling sound of the Santa Fe River, and the enchanting calls of the red winged blackbirds. SHARE ABUNDANCE: I give as much as I am able. I give houseplant clippings to friends, I distribute the abundance of garden harvests to my neighbors, and I donate to non-profits. I find my happiness increases the more I serve others.

I believe that if we remain hopeful and in action then we can accomplish anything. I find that I am the most effective and I feel the best when I am operating out of love, compassion, reverence and happiness. It is not always easy to choose a path of peace in the face of challenges, but I am committed to the practice. In muddy waters, peace brings clarity. Sustainability is much more than solar panels, hybrid cars, and gardens. It is our individual and collective journey to live up to our fullest potential as human beings on a finite planet. It is about keeping what we want, what is healthy and good; and releasing and removing that which doesn’t serve us. Sustain-Ability is our ability to keep (sustain) what we want. After many years of asking groups of young people and fellow community members what is important to them, it is apparent that deep down within ourselves, we all pretty much want the same things. We want healthy water, air, and land. We want a diversity of vibrant cultures. We want art in all its creative forms. We want good jobs to provide for our families. We want places to intimately connect with nature. We want everyone to have equal access to health care, housing and education. We want safety, happiness, and most importantly love. Holding the same vision is a significant first step. Sustainability is our journey. Taylor Selby is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Earth Care International. He has a Masters in Environment and Community. Taylor has worked for Paul Hawken and was the Vice Chair for the Permaculture Credit Union. Taylor is currently a member of the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission.

DO: I restore the land around my house by digging swales and planting native seeds. I work with the next generation to advance their social and ecological consciousness. SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

The Cover Artist Rose B. Simpson

Rose B. Simpson was nurtured into art and permaculture through her dual families in Santa Clara Pueblo and Santa Fe. She has spent her 25 years of existence experimenting with life, including attending school at the University of New Mexico and the Institute of American Indian Arts (BFA, ‘07). She is currently a full-time artist, teacher, singer, dreamer, creator, and avid pursuer of consciousness. The Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute helped raise her so now she sits; pulling weeds, mud plastering, collecting seeds, dreaming big and really small, with the board of directors. She also collaborates with other young and boisterous artists on a warehouse art venue on the south side of town called Humble Space, where the band she sings with, The Wake Singers, plays on occasion, surrounded by local and underground art. You can find her riding her bike (with no hands) on the back roads of Santa Fe or at www.rosebsimpson.com.

Featured Artist Glen T. Strock

In various sections of the SSF Resource Guide, we have used vignettes from the Dreaming New Mexico “future” map of the Age of Renewables in NM. The map depicts a compelling vision of a clean energy future for the state. Along with the artist’s beautiful rendering of a positive future, an accompanying pamphlet goes into depth on various do-able energy “dreams.” These dynamic materials offer the start of a “greenprint” for how the Land of Enchantment can live up to our name. It’s up to us to realize the dreams together. The poster and pamphlet are available at www.bioneers.org. Glen Strock has lived and produced artwork in NM since 1979. His imagery has appeared on numerous book covers, publications and murals focusing on the history and folklore of Mexico. Glen’s distinctive linear style generates from years of study steeped in the folk arts of Mexico and owes a stylistic debt to the woodcuts and steel engravings of Posada. He received a degree in Communication Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and went on to study painting, printmaking and primitive ceramics at Instituto Allende and Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. Glen lives in Santa Fe with his wife Alida and four children. Silkscreen and giclee prints of Glen’s paintings offer an affordable way to take home and enjoy his work. Glen may be contacted at 505-474-4468 or e-mail: yobrog@cnsp.com. 10

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

Evolution of the American Dream:

Sustainable Neighborhoods and Heaven on Earth Brian Skeele

iving by the Golden Rule and being our brother’s keeper aren’t just nice ideas; they’re pragmatic ways of taking care of ourselves. After the dust settled from 9/11, we realized our security is based on how the rest of the world feels they are doing. Suddenly, we are not an “island,” and injustice and suppression in Saudi Arabia, and extreme poverty in 3rd World nations breed desperate, deep resentment. What if changing the way we live in our neighborhoods not only contributed to reversing global warming but also impacted the planet’s nations in a way that created good will for all? It might look like this…

“ Sustainable is where Heaven and Earth collide” Neighbors meet on a Saturday morning at a Designing Sustainable Neighborhoods workshop, and watch a PowerPoint presentation on what else they can do “besides sprawl”; best practices gathered from around the planet. The participants’ imaginations begin to fill with the possibilities; from mixed use, mixed income neighborhoods and profit sharing, to cooperating around shared facilities and needs being met in

creative and exciting ways. And it’s not all talk; they’re out of their seats laughing and playing fun group problem-solving games. Over lunch, the big fun begins. Teams of four to six, armed with colorful markers, gather around large sheets of paper, and start sharing their ideas on sustainable redesigns of specific parts of town. Neighbors are going for a better life; pedestrian friendly, walkable, prosperous, wholesome, connected, fun places to live; a more affordable, lower consumptive lifestyle based in local renewable energy and local food production. They see how, through cooperation, they can have a life where there’s more time and less commuting. They can grow old, stay active and included in the neighborhood if it’s redesigned to support “aging-inplace.” The neighborhood they’re envisioning is more like the one they remember growing up, where kids rode their bicycles everywhere and nature was nearby. The new and improved American Dream is emerging.

Freedom and Democracy in Action Every neighbor’s contribution adds to the greater good. What’s surprising is that the gift of each contribution makes the life of each neighborhood greater than the sum of its parts. It is a celebration of human ingenuity, talent, and love. Working together redesigning their neighborhood to be sustainable, participants get the actual experience of freedom and democracy in action and see a prosperous future designed with their needs in mind. It can feel risky, sharing from the heart; putting ones needs and dreams out there, and yet the deep respect and dynamic results of the group wisdom are exhilarating. Working moms dare to ask for help and dream of a nature-filled courtyard surrounded by affordable

In May 2008, approximately 60 educators, youth service providers, parents and youth participated in the SF Community Partnership’s “Better Together” retreat. The group identified community needs and action steps required for the well being of children, youth and families. For more info, contact Shelly Cohen: scohen@nmvoices.org. SFCP is a program of NM Voices for Children.

homes; their children absorbed in play in a safe and nurturing environment at one end of the courtyard. After work in the evening, the parents gather at the other end of the courtyard and have a conversation as the evening meal is put together. This, for working single parents, is Heaven on Earth. My Grandfather, after Grandma died and he was losing his eyesight, just wanted to be around babies and a garden. He had a hard time asking for help with the daily chores of life, as he felt he wasn’t contributing. Imagine a neighborhood where youngsters would bring him a hot meal while he’s listening to the Dodgers ball game, or escort him to the nearby daycare center so he can hold babies for the afternoon. And his heirloom tomatoes are the cause for celebration. This would be Heaven on Earth for my Grandpa.

Health, Peace and Security, and ProsperityCommunity Beyond Suburbia These examples speak to a more connected community, a community beyond the suburban American Dream of the 20th Century. They speak of a more affordable, simpler, walkable lifestyle; mixed-use neighborhoods with open space. Neighbors are walking to services, work, school, and recreation. The streets are safe and child-friendly, with folks naturally looking out for each other. Life is healthier and more affordable as walking, biking and transit become viable and convenient. In the Designing Sustainable Neighborhoods process, existing suburban neighborhoods get transformed into mixed-use, mixed-income communities with lifelong learning and open space. The new, smart infill commercial shops and businesses, and the increased 2nd and 3rd floor residences to make those businesses successful, create new square footage. Who owns this new square footage? From best practices comes the answer, “the neighbors!” Imagine this, a democratically redesigned neighborhood where neighbors put together a mutually beneficial redevelopment plan and then profit-share off of the well-thought-out mixed-use design. This is Heaven on Earth. Wealth isn’t accruing into nearsighted shareholders’ pockets. An atmosphere of cooperation is created and rewarded on a grassroots level. “We are all in this together” isn’t just a slogan or a heartfelt philosophy, but a day to day evolving experience.

lation, consumes 25% of the world’s resources. If the world’s 6.5 billion people were to adopt our car-dependant sprawl lifestyle, four planets of resources would be required. By creating ecologically sound mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods with lifelong learning and open space, the US can become a true world leader. Once we are demonstrating a sustainable lifestyle built on the needs and dreams of our citizens, we can then ship this most welcomed export across the planet with pride, our love manifest. This is Heaven on Earth. The new, improved American Dream: – Sustainable Neighborhoods; of the People, by the People and for the People. This is Heaven on Earth.

“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness...” – The Declaration of Independence Article submitted to be part of How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth (Pelican Press, John Wade II, editor), a collection of 100 essays on how to make the world a better place for one and all. Each essay elaborates upon one or more of the ten elements of a heaven on Earth: peace, security, freedom, democracy, prosperity, spiritual harmony, racial harmony, ecological soundness, and health, as well as moral purpose and meaning. Santa Fean Brian Skeele is a general contractor, pragmatic visionary and cofacilitator of Designing Sustainable Neighborhoods Workshops. For more information: www.beyondsuburbia.com

Spiritual Harmony, Racial Harmony, Moral Meaning and Purpose, and Ecological Soundness. America, with 5% of the world’s popu-

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

Santa Fe Community Partnership’s “Better Together” retreat

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

City of Santa Fe Sustainability Update Katherine Mortimer

he momentum behind sustainablility in Santa Fe has been incredible. Last year the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission was given a new, more focused direction to reduce the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution of greenhouse gas emissions and to prepare our community to be resilient in the face of climate changes that are inevitable at this point. The recently adopted Sustainable Santa Fe Plan takes a comprehensive approach to both goals. The City has allocated several staff positions to coordinate the activities needed to implement that Plan, and has already conducted audits of eleven City buildings. We plan to implement the recommendations, as funding is available. Perhaps one of the most ambitious programs the City has embarked upon to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions has been to develop a draft Green Building Code for residential structures. As of January 2008, all newly permitted single-family residences have had to submit a confirmed Home Energy Rating index score.

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

The objective is to inform builders and architects of what the energy demands of their designs and building techniques are. Because of this, when they have to meet a specific target under the new Green Residential Building Code, they will have some familiarity with how to get to that target. The Green Building Code addresses more than the energy used to operate a building; it also looks at how sites are selected to take advantage of existing infrastructure and transit, how sites are designed to take advantage of rainfall to minimize irrigation requirements, the embodied energy in building materials, the quality of the indoor environment, conservation of water both inside and outside the building, and homeowner education to ensure that the sustainable design features are understood by the occupant. It is modeled after the National Association of Home Buildersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; program, but has been modified to address local building traditions, climate, and environmental concerns. While buildings are the biggest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions for Santa Fe, transportationrelated emissions are not far behind. These emissions result from internal combustion engines used to transport both people and goods in, out, and around Santa Fe and the region. Buying locally grown and made products is one way to reduce that transportation. Using public transit and other alternatives to cars is another.

However, the low-density character of our community limits the extent to which those alternative modes are feasible for some people. Electric vehicles that could be charged from renewable electricity sources are a promising future solution. In the meantime, reducing the amount we drive, using public transit, using vehicles with high gas mileages, using alternative fuels, and even keeping our tires well inflated can cumulatively make a substantial difference. Reducing our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is only half the story. Making our community resilient to the effects of climate change is the other half. This means preparing for when the cost to transport items into the region becomes more prohibitive. Food is probably the most basic of these imports but it includes other items as well. Increased transportation costs may also cut into our tourism economy. Developing local businesses that will flourish during this period such as solar panel installers, alternative technology research and developers, and sustainability knowledge professionals will both diversify our local economy and position us to take advantage of emerging opportunities. In order to ensure the success of these sustainability efforts, it’s necessary to have a strong public education and outreach effort. There are a lot of people making a lot of claims about what to buy, what to do, and what to invest in. How can a person make sense of it all? The Green Building Codes are intended to provide that measure for buildings, but similar measures are needed for everything else. A well-informed public can make the smart decisions required to create a real difference. We need to have the biggest bang for every buck we spend. The City’s new Sustainability Division can help provide unbiased information to help sort it all out. Check out our webpage by clicking the “Sustainability” button on the lower left of every City of Santa Fe webpage. You can also read the complete Sustainable Santa Fe Plan there: www.santafenm.gov.

Santa Fe Community Convention Center dedication Sept., 2008

“ There is nothing we can do that can’t be done.” - The Beatles

Katherine Mortimer is the supervising planner in the Long Range Planning Division for the city of Santa Fe and staffs the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission. She holds a Masters in Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley and has 24 years of experience in environmental and land use planning.

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

City and County Initiatives

he City and the County, are working together on sustainability-oriented initiatives. The new County courthouse will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. The County uses bio diesel fuel for its vehicles. The new Community Convention Center was designed to earn LEED Silver certification. Materials from the demolished Sweeny Center and construction waste from the new facility were separated for recycling. The Center was built entirely by union labor and features a gallery to display the work of local artists and craftsman. The City’s new Southside Branch Library, which includes an Environmental Resource Center, is one of the greenest public buildings in northern NM. Daylighting and controlled passive solar gain in all primary spaces reduce energy costs for heating and cooling. LowVOC (volatile organic compound) adhesive and paints reduce off-gassing. Recycled content materials were used in the carpeting, flooring and ceiling tiles. Farmed cherry wood was used whenever possible. Countertops were made from recycled paper and wood residual fiber. A concrete floor on the south side of the building

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

serves as a heat sink in the winter and in the summer is shaded by a carefully placed awning. An automatic control system dims artificial lighting when not in use. Stateof-the-art waterless urinals reduce water consumption. Low “e” operable windows provide natural ventilation. Automatic timers irrigate xeriscaped plants using water collected by four cisterns, which hold up to 30,000 gallons of roof-runoff. SF has received a grant to install a combined heat and power cogeneration installation at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. The City is interested in installing a large solar-power system near the wastetreatment plant.

Mayor David Coss and First Lady Carol Rose

Excerpts from an interview with

City Councilor Wurzburger On a Sustainable Santa Fe

The NM Rail Runner Express connects SF and Albuquerque

ffordable Housing: One of the areas of the SSF Plan that I really believe in is affordable housing. One of the most important things we can do for economic sustainability is to have people who work in Santa Fe, live in Santa Fe. A study pointed out that approximately 9,000 workers used to live in the city but now commute to their jobs. That’s an estimated loss to the local economy of over $300 million annually. One of the reasons we’re supporting the workforce-housing initiative is to develop additional money to do homeowner assistance; buy down their loans, help them with down payments so that police, firefighters, parks workers, schoolteachers; the main people that run our city, can come back. Water: Good land use policy is policy that ties development to water availability. One of the things I did in my first term (Councilor Ortiz was involved) was propose the water budget. While we’ve continued to grow at the same level or a little less, our water use has actually gone down. We instituted, not only the toilet retrofit program, but also, if you you’re going to build another bathroom at your house, you have to make up for that water. And more importantly, developers putting in projects have to buy water rights... The real challenge is to develop new options for retrofit; whether its other kinds of gray water use. We just need to get the right people in a room to discuss how to do more of that. Release water to the SF River.We’re doing that.

Transportation: I’ve been working with a subcommittee to develop an integrated traffic plan that encourages reduced reliance on autos. We’re doing that with our bus system and I think the train is going to help, but the key is to develop Park & Ride and ways to move people around very conveniently so you can get off the train and get downtown on a bus or a mini-van, and you don’t have to wait 15 minutes; the service is constant. Develop multiple free peripheral parking lots. I feel really strongly about that.parking lots like at both at 599 and I-25, and the Outlet Center. Subsidizing transportation from Eldorado will reduce traffic in Santa Fe. Energy: We hired an energy consultant to retrofit City facilities to be more energy efficient. I’ve been very discouraged that we haven’t been able to implement an alternative use of energy with the Buckman Project, but the timeline was such that we couldn’t. We had to go with PNM and take a 10-year contract. But we really do need a demonstration cogeneration facility like they have at the community college. I still believe that the City and the County should work together to make that happen downtown. Let’s explore the applicability of the community college biomass project to displace gas use in City buildings. We are looking at shifting City electric use to non-peak hours. We have established a Green Building Advisory Task Force and have made progress on specific code changes. Economic Development: Supporting the historic preservation that keeps us unique is very important. We’ve built the Convention Center.finally. Encouraging the production and sale of locally produced art: We have the new convention center gallery. We’ve been developing a comprehensive marketing strategy that capitalizes on Santa Fe’s designation as UNESCO’s first “Creative City.” I think the International Conference on Cultural Tourism will help promote the artists selling their work. Tourists coming from other countries still have money, compared to what’s going on in this country. So, a focus on international tourism is a really smart choice for sustainable economic development. We have the “Buy Local” Program.We’ve worked really hard with the community college to develop Santa Fe as a leader in training for conservation technology.

I promise to aggressively monitor the construction of the Buckman Diversion Project. That’s something that I think is very important. Conservation’s been very important in this community but it’s not sufficient, nor should it all be placed on people. I feel real strongly that we need to continue to acquire water rights. I don’t think it makes sense to continue to have the City and the County and developers fighting for the same water. I envision going to the State to talk about how could we do what I call “Regional Water Acquisition Authority.”

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

144

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

14 3

SERVICES

Covington Consulting .......25 982-0044 Creative Couriers...........115 920-6370 Davis Innovations............53 424-6631 Dotfoil ............................27 954-9955 Heard, Robins, Cloud and Black LLP....................5 986-0600 Medlin Mechanical ...........65 577-8087 Mobile Sharpening...........36 577-4491 Net Pros .........................39 474-0822 New Mexico Environmental Law Center .....................31 989-9022 Regenesis .......................61 986-8338

142

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

The Housing Trust............71 989-3960 Tiny Tots.........................15 204-1653; 757-2281

TRANSPORTATION

Beaver Toyota Scion ......144 982-1900 Broken Spoke..................15 992-3102 Chainbreaker...................66 989-3858 Chalmers Capitol Ford ....146 888-858-0015 Creative Couriers...........115 920-6370 Hal Burns Power Systems135 471-1671 Hal Burns Truck and Equipment 39.......................471-1671

WATER

Harvest the Rain .............81 424-4444 Natural Systems International ...................29 988-7453 Q, S, & V Electro/ Mechanical ......................21 660-9047 Santa Fe Watershed Association .....................33 820-1696 The Firebird.....................19 983-5264 Water Lady.....................97 1-505-660-4162

[2011] LANDSCAPING/ RESTORATION/ NURSERY

Down to Earth Landscapes ...49 983-5743 Dryland Solutions ............37 577-9625 EcoScapes .......................27 424-9004 Franco's Trees .................75 412-2875 Harvest the Rain .............81 424-4444 Native Earth Landscaping ....................81 316-2284 New Mexico Hydroponic .....................61 316-5855 Plants of the Southwest ......................61 438-8888 Santa Fe Greenhouses......13 473-2700 Santa Fe Premium Compost .......................134 310-3971 Santa Fe Tree Farm..........52 984-2888 Soil Secrets .....................45 505-550-3246 Tooley's Trees .................73 1-505-689-2400

NON PROFITS

Academy for the Love of Learning ...................115 995-1860 Bioneers .........................23 986-0366 Camino de Paz School ......35 1-505-747-9717 Chainbreaker...................66 989-3858 Dragonfly School ............76 995-9869 Earth Care.....................143 983-6896 Farm to Restaurant (SF Alliance)....................99 989-5362

New Mexico Environmental Law Center .....................31 989-9022 New Mexico Land Conservancy .................133 986-3801 Randall Davey Audubon Center ............................85 983-4609 Santa Fe Alliance .............41 989-5362 Santa Fe Area Home Builder Association ..........75 982-1774 Santa Fe Conservation Trust...............................89 989-7019 Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity ReStore ...........52 473-1114 Santa Fe Watershed Association .....................33 820-1696 The Food Depot .............103 471-1633 The Housing Trust............71 989-3960 Youth Media Project ........56 986-1880

OTHER

Advanced Janitor Supply ..57 989-7188 Amanda's Flowers...........28 473-9212 Copy Shack .....................87 982-0200 Heard, Robins, Cloud and Black LLP....................5 986-0600 Linson's ..........................31 984-8700 Mobile Sharpening...........36 577-4491 Rio Grande Return.........139 466-1767 Shaklee...........................97 757-3696

PETS

Critters and Me ...............25 982-5040 The Feed Bin ...................97 982-0511

REAL ESTATE

Galisteo Basin Preserve...48 982-4466 Interval Ownership .........39 982-5222 New Mexico Land Conservancy .................133 986-3801 The Housing Trust............71 989-3960 The Sanctuary .................49 982-5222

India House...................105 471-2651 Joe's Santa Fe *F2R ........95 471-3800 Mu Du Noodles..............109 983-1411 Peas 'n' Pod Catering, Inc107 438-2877 Real Food Nation *F2R ..101 466-3886 Santa Fe Capitol Grill .....103 471-6800 Second Street Brewery *F2R 103.....................982-3030 Tree House Café *F2R ....104 474-5543 Vinaigrette .....................21 820-9205

RENEWABLE ENERGY RETAIL Advanced Janitor Supply ..57 ADI Solar ......................133 490-0994; 575-422-3088 Bella Solar ......................11 660-6220 Medlin Mechanical ...........65 577-8087 Positive Energy .................3 424-1112 Q, S, & V Electro/ Mechanical ......................21 660-9047 Renewable Energy Partners .........................53 466-4259 The Firebird.....................19 983-5264

RESTAURANTS

Aqua Santa ...................119 982-6297 Atrisco Café and Bar *F2R.............................103 983-7401 Cowgirl BBQ *F2R .........104 982-2565 El Farol .........................109 983-9912 El Patio...........................91 820-0717 Il Piatto *F2R................105 984-1091

989-7188 Amanda's Flowers.........135 473-9212 Big Jo True Value.............89 473-2255 Centaur Cycles and Scooters .........................11 471-5481 Dotfoil ............................27 954-9955 Milagro Herbs ...............123 820-6321 Moon Rabbit Toys ...........29 982-9373 Reflective Images............65 988-7393 Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works............133 984-8221 Santa Fe Exchange...........67 983-2043 The Ark...........................23 988-3709

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ADVERTISING/ BUILDING MATERIAL Jo True Value.............89 MARKETING/MEDIA Big 473-2255 Flavorgrafix....................85 316-0237 Jennifer Esperanza ..........85 204-5729 SAR Press.......................37 888-390-6070 Signs of Santa Fe...........139 474-0495

ARCHITECTS/ BUILDERS

Denman and Associates ...59 983-6014 Hands Engineering ...........76 473-7373 Kreger Design Build .......133 660-9391 McDowell & Satzinger .....25 982-5238 McDowell & Satzinger ...134 982-5238 Pompei's Home Remodeling ...................133 982-7378

BANK/FINANCIAL SERVICES

Century Bank ....................9 955-1200 Horizon Sustainable Financial Services ..........133 982-9661 LANB ................................0 662-5171 New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union ........51 467-6000 Secular & Associates......139 421-3480 State Employees Credit Union....................57 983-7328

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Bioshield.........................73 438-3448 Chaparral Materials Inc....77 471-3491 DAHL Plumbing .................2 438-5096 Linson's ..........................31 984-8700 Mexico Lindo...................69 820-9898 Miller's Insulation ...........89 505-924-2214 New Mexico Stone ..........35 820-7625 Nudura - Verde Materials 21 474-8686 Omni ..............................63 424-3565 Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity ReStore ...........52 473-1114

Golden Acorns .................36 795-9079 Harvest the Rain .............81 424-4444 Randall Davey Audubon Center ............................85 983-4609 Santa Fe Alliance .............41 989-5362 Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association.........75 982-1774 Santa Fe Community College .............................1 428-1000 Santa Fe Waldorf School...123 983-9727 SAR Press.......................37 888-390-6070 Scherer Institute..............56 982-8398 Southwestern College ....117 471-5756

FOOD/FARMING/ CLOTHING/FABRICS GROCERY Camino de Paz School ......35 Act 2 ............................133 983-8585 Barkin' Botique ...............33 986-0699 Double Take ....................89 989-8886 Santa Fe Quilting...........139 473-3747 Sense Clothing.................59 988-5534 SOS from Texas...............75 1-800-245-2339 Tiny Tots.........................15 204-1653; 757-2281

EDUCATION

Academy for the Love of Learning .......................115 995-1860 Camino de Paz School ......35 1-505-747-9717 Dragonfly School ............76 995-9869 Earth Care.....................143 983-6896

1-505-747-9717 Dish n' Spoon ..................66 983-7676 Farm to Restaurant (SF Alliance) ............................99 989-5362 La Montanita ................145 984-2852 Peas 'n' Pod Catering, Inc ..107 438-2877 The Food Depot .............103 471-1633 Walter Burke Catering .....97 473-9600 Whole Foods .................119 992-1700

FURNITURE

Mexico Lindo...................69 820-9898 Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity ReStore ...........52 473-1114 Stephen's Consignment Gallery ...........................65 471-0802

GOVERNMENT

City of Santa Fe Economic Development...127 955-6915 City of Santa Fe - Parks, Trails and Watershed Parks Division...............135 955-2100 City of Santa Fe - Public Works (Santa Fe Trails)......4 955-2001 City of Santa Fe Solid Waste ....................55 424-1850 City of Santa Fe Water Conservation.........87 955-4225 Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau ........83 955-6200

HEALTH

Advanced Janitor Supply ..57 989-7188 Buddha Fitness ................67 983-7909 Dahn Yoga ....................142 820-2211 Exploring Health..............35 982-0044 Lakind Dental Group ........27 988-3500 Milagro Herbs ...............123 820-6321 Scherer Institute..............56 982-8398 We the People Community Acupuncture ..................134 982-3711

to old favorites such as the Garden Tours in June, the Fabulous Fall Plant Sale, and the Children’s Holiday Workshop in December. Supporters can also anticipate another season of plant and bird walks, bat watching, nature photography and writing, mountain hikes, and garden planning workshops. Another noteworthy event in 2011 is the Winter Lecture Series, which will include topics such as “The Gardens of Ancient Rome” and “European Medieval Gardens.” Individuals who are interested in becoming Members of the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, signing up for volunteer opportunities, or learning more about programs and events can visit www.santafebotanicalgarden.org for more information.

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

“preserved for the future and are accessible for recreational learning.” Sustainability and preservation, however, call for a continuous flow of advocates, do-gooders and starry-eyed idealists. But with busier schedules and less time for volunteering, and a younger generation that has grown up with less exposure to nature than their predecessors, the Garden must evolve much the way southwestern verdure adapted to its desert environment—conserving precious water while alluring interaction with other species by essence of its natural beauty. While SFBG could never have succeeded without its devoted volunteers over the past two decades, we want to entice the next generation into the gardens as well. Therefore, this year is a call to action to those who may or may not know the difference between a juniper and a Gambel Oak. Join the movement! The Garden is currently seeking individuals ages 18-34 who are interested in serving as volunteer docents, leading nature hikes, and assisting in outreach and social media campaigns. Commitments can be either long or short-term, and SFBG will work around a volunteer’s schedule to create a mutually beneficial experience. The Garden, armed with a dedicated brigade of both old and new-timers, expects 2011 to be another exhilarating year for plants and beyond. Members and participants can look forward

.................................................. Erin Sindewald is an intern at St. Elizabeth Shelter and an ardent fan and volunteer of Santa Fe Botanical Garden.

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GARDENS GONE WILD Santa Fe Botanical Garden Remembers its Roots while it Grows its Future BY ERIN SINDEWALD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANICE TUCKER

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

What’s in a name? Staff at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden often joke that one of the most common questions they receive is, “Where’s the garden?” Those unfamiliar with the work of SFBG are often surprised to learn that this nonprofit has been serving the community for more than 20 years.

Founded in 1987 by a small group of plant enthusiasts and experts, the Garden is composed of two nature preserves, a trove of community activities and educational programming, and a future site for a 12acre botanical garden at Museum Hill, slated to open in August 2011. So when someone asks about the Garden’s exact location, staff members often respond with a lighthearted, “It’s more than a garden!” before launching into a detailed description of the organization’s many programs. The Garden’s mission is to celebrate, cultivate, and

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conserve the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of the region through educational programs and community service. This mission is carried out with the support and dedication of nearly 100 volunteers, who staff the preserves and serve as trained docents, help at the annual Garden Tours, write articles for quarterly newsletters, and teach school children about the joys of flowers and bugs. Due to such dedication, volunteers, Garden members, and occasional participants alike can collectively celebrate the history and beauty of our unique Northern New

Mexico ecosystems, inhabited by ponderosa and piñon, bears and bats, cottonwoods and coyotes. But the Garden’s impact does not end with its commitment to the community and natural splendor. By inspiring the City Different to protect its unique native flora, the SFBG provides both a vision and educational resources for a more sustainable Santa Fe. Since its humble beginnings, the Garden’s board has understood the importance of xeric landscaping and water conservation in the region, and thus advocates through workshops and lectures for environmen-

tally responsible gardens and water catchment systems. And community members have been taking note. SFBG volunteer Vicky Jacobson believes that the organization’s nature preserves provide opportunities for individuals to learn about making more sustainable choices, “whether it’s composting and recycling plants, or learning which plants contribute the most in beauty, longevity, and drought tolerance” in a desert landscape. Further, volunteer Jane Burns notes that the Garden’s two nature areas do not allow development or harvesting, so both are

Their sermons on the mountains go to our hearts; and if people in general could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish.” When you feel disillusioned about the enormous mess we’ve made of our home, go up Hyde Park Road outside Santa Fe; follow the winding curves to the Winsor trailhead. Leave your car and your disconnection behind. Listen to the hubbub of wilderness beings welcoming you as one of their own. When you come back to town, you’ll know what to do: defend more wilderness, protect the endangered, clear trails with the Sierra Club, clean up riverbeds, demand green spaces and parks, fight big oil, logging, and mining profiteers, or advocate for whatever place makes you feel as whole as I felt that day on Jicarita Peak.

In July, lightning smacks the sky, and I am a fragile presence in the biosphere. In the Pecos, nature’s voices harmonize. Elsewhere, regrettably, they’re more like weeping children: toxic fish, poisoned vegetables, disappearing aquifers, melting glaciers, and worse, absolutely silent species weeping from the spirit world. As environmental activist and author Derrick Jensen says, “There’s the nagging little fact that this culture is murdering the planet.” There’s no ignoring that stark reality, especially once you see what it can be like in a protected sphere. Muir understood the leap from awareness to advocacy and offered the antidote to his own lament about separateness: “Few are altogether deaf to the preaching of pine trees.

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Pecos—and green spaces of all kinds—that fosters this commitment to become an advocate for nature? Carl Jung wrote that, in nature, “Being is a field of force” and the impact of organic and inorganic beings is corporeal as well as spiritual. Out in the wild, relieved of the cacophonous human din, I can sense fields of force from stone to bud to grub. When I cross Panchuela Creek, moisture raises the little hairs on my cheek. Along the Santa Barbara Divide, bighorns gaze at me with slitted cat-like eyes. On the Dockweiler Trail in October, aspens bathe the forest in a mystical golden glow. The boulder fields under Truchas Peak retell their liberating tumble from the summit.

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

law as wilderness areas have grown into 756 wildernesses covering almost 110,000,000 acres. But that’s only 5% of the US land mass, so there is much more work to be done. The Pecos Wilderness, within an hour’s walk of Santa Fe Ski Basin, was included in the original 1964 document, protecting 200,000 acres between Santa Fe and Pecos, New Mexico. An additional 55,000 acres were added in 1980. As a new steward of our wounded environment, I’ve now joined the efforts of WildEarth Guardians, Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity to explore and preserve ecosystems within both the Pecos Wilderness boundaries and the greater Santa Fe National Forest. What is it about the

Out in the wild, relieved of the cacophonous human din, I can sense fields of force from stone to bud to grub.

Cinny Green is a Santa Fe writer, editor, and Sierra Club hike leader. She is author of Trail Writer’s Guide (Western Edge Press, 2010) that links inspiration from the wild with elements of writing craft. For trail writing workshops in the Pecos Wilderness and beyond, go to trailwriters.com. Read Cinny’s blogposts about all things wild at cinnygreen.wordpress.com.

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THE PECOS WILDERNESS: A FORCE OF NATURE INSPIRES A FORCE FOR NATURE BY CINNY GREEN

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

Humans have used every tool of our big brains— from magic to logic—to both own and participate in the bounty of our only home in the universe. Nonetheless, a sense of disconnection has prevailed. “Most people are on the world, not in it,” wrote John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, “having no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything

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about them—undiffused and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.” Many studies have shown that disconnection from nature causes us unhappiness and conversely, the experience of nature— whether in a garden, on a hiking trail or from a tree outside a window—fosters a sense of well-being and efficacy. Along the twisted

route of separation from our source, a few special souls have recognized the dangers, ached for the bridge back to the full community of nature, and worked tirelessly to reverse the loss of habitat, fresh air, clean water, and all kinds of splendid creatures. In 1964, a group of visionaries, including the vilified President Lyndon Johnson, held the conviction

In July I stood on Jicarita Peak on the northern edge of the Pecos Wilderness. I went there to resolve a recent loss but forgot myself under the spell of the view from 12,835 feet elevation. The wind gusting across the summit wove the endless weft and warp of nature together. It offered me a sensation of wholeness. At the same time, I knew the landscape before me was peppered with ecological losses more fragmenting than my own. I pledged to reciprocate the personally restorative vision from Jicarita to become a steward of the wild, to put my awareness into action, and not to be just a visitor.

that parts of the Earth needed to be “untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” On September 3rd of that year, he signed into law the revolutionary Wilderness Act. Others persisted in the mission, as if a dam had opened and ecological awareness flowed, at first trickling and now tidal. The first 9.1 million acres signed into

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NEW MEXICO’S HEADWATERS: OUR LIFEBLOOD BY BRYAN BIRD

Clean water and wild forests are inseparable. WildEarth Guardians, a homegrown conservation organization founded over twenty years ago, is supporting the state’s effort to gain permanent protection for our headwaters. Some of our nation’s most pristine water resources are found in designated Wilderness areas (such as the Pecos Wilderness, Gila Wilderness, Sandia Wilderness, and Wheeler Peak Wilderness) and the roadless forests of our public lands system. Largely undisturbed, wilderness and roadless areas are not only a serene and beautiful

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refuge for wildlife and recreationists, but the streams flowing from these areas are among our most pure. When you think of water quantity and quality—healthy, intact forests do the work: capture, store, purify and deliver. These wildland waters support our communities and economies downstream. UNM economists estimate that the water alone from these undeveloped forests in New Mexico may be worth over $80 million annually to the state. Given the overuse, overappropriation and too often poor land-use decisions combined with climate

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

Santa Feans are deeply aware of our precious, life-giving waters and recognize that our forests provide that water. We live in a state where less than two percent of the landscape is water and yet our acequias, ranchlands, pueblos, cities and wildlife depend nearly exclusively on that small amount of water for survival. Our forefathers and mothers long ago recognized the connection between clean water and wild forests and have taken sound action to preserve the forests above our city and the sanctity of our water. Now, the state has embarked on a bold attempt to ensure similar protections for all of our headwaters.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

change and the vagaries of the drought cycle, it’s more important than ever to protect and preserve our waters. If we wish to conserve our farms and ranches, hunting and fishing opportunities, rural economies, acequias, wildlife as well as the sustainability of our high-desert city, we will need to proactively assure the quality and quantity of our waters and forests. And that begins with protecting New Mexico’s forested headwaters. Using the federal Clean Water Act, Governor Bill Richardson and his environment department filed a petition before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) to designate waters within previously designated Wilderness areas as Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW) under the Clean Water Act. If successful, this nomination would protect over 700 miles of rivers and streams, 29 lakes, and approximately 6,000 acres of wetlands in our state. WildEarth Guardians re-

quested another 900 miles of waterways be added in roadless forests. Because these waters are not always polluted by one single damaging action, the cumulative effect of activities can lead to degradation. However, once designated as “Outstanding” under the Clean Water Act, pollution to the waterway is explicitly prohibited. .................................................. Bryan Bird is the Wild Places Program director for WildEarth Guardians in Santa Fe. Bryan has undertaken conservation research and planning in Mexico, Central America and the Southwestern United States. He lives in the Galisteo watershed.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Join WildEarth Guardians in the Clean Waters, Wild Forests campaign. Send a letter of support to the Chair of the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission in support of Outstanding waters: Chair, WQCC c/o Joyce Medina 1190 St. Francis Drive, N2153 Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502 Or send email to Joyce.Medina@state.nm.us For more information, please visit www.wildearthguardians.org

below: Photo courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service. One of the Gila National Forest’s alpha wolves that had to have a leg amputated due to injury, either from a gunshot or leg-hold trap. Such traps were banned in July 2010 by Governor Richardson.

species depend. In part, the failure to make progress toward recovery is a consequence of government disregard of this congressional intent. The Fish and Wildlife Service has instituted policies that scapegoat wolves for occasional predation on livestock (despite the fact that stock owners are reimbursed). But neither the wildlife agency nor the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management has implemented changes on the publicly owned mountains and grasslands where livestock grazing degrades habitats and suppresses the numbers of elk, pronghorn and other wolf prey animals. The Mexican wolf is suffering because its ecosystem still is. Modern science has revealed wolves’ profound influence on ecosystems. In Yellowstone National Park where elk avoid wolves in low-visibility valleys, previously browsed cottonwood saplings have rebounded and grown tall, stabilizing stream banks and providing habitat for songbirds and food for beavers. Fish flourish in the beaver ponds. In Grand Teton National Park, wolves have reduced coyote numbers and thereby increased pronghorn numbers. The coyotes hunt newborn pronghorns, but these fawns are too small for wolves to seek out as a primary prey. With so few wolves in the Southwest, we have not reaped these benefits. And

unless we break from the mistakes of the past, we never will, and the Mexican gray wolf will become a creature of memory and eventually even of myth— yet another extinct animal to mourn along with the decline of the other animals and plants it once helped sustain. We should hearken back to Aldo Leopold, who shot a wolf in 1909 in the Apache National Forest, urged their extermination while he lived in New Mexico, but later came to regret deeply what he had helped to accomplish: Since then I have lived to see state after state extirpate its wolves. I have watched the face of many a newly wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anaemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddlehorn. Such a mountain looks as if someone had given God a new pruning sheers, and forbidden Him all other exercise. In the end the starved bones of the hoped-for-deer herd, dead of its own too-much, bleach with the bones of the dead sage, or molder under the high-lined junipers. I now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer. And perhaps with better cause, for while a buck pulled down by wolves can be

replaced in two or three years, a range pulled down by too many deer may fail of replacement in as many decades. So also with cows. The cowman who cleans his range of wolves does not realize that he is taking over the wolf’s job of trimming the herd to fit the range. He has not learned to think like a mountain. Hence we have dustbowls, and rivers washing the future into the sea. Reintroduction of the Mexican wolf allows us a rare second chance to try to live in balance, to allow wolves to be wolves and to set limits on the insatiable demands we make of the natural ecosystems that their recovery requires. Whether we will seize this opportunity for the lobo and for ourselves remains to be seen.

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

to just seven animals founding the population has also declined, leading to lower litter sizes in the wild and lower pup survival rates. Scientists warn that diversity in the captive population, limited to approximately 300 wolves maintained in 47 zoos and specialized facilities in the US and Mexico, will decline as well. The Mexican wolf can still be saved and recovered, but it will take a commitment from the Fish and Wildlife Service that is not yet apparent. The government should retrieve telemetry receivers and change the radio collars’ compromised frequencies. Dozens more wolves should be released into the wild, and three additional wolves prepared for release to replace each that may be found shot or go missing. Authority should be developed to allow release of wolves from captivity directly into New Mexico, and a scientific recovery plan should prescribe additional protections and identify new recovery areas to release wolves. Looking beyond urgent administrative reforms, the perilous plight of the Mexican gray wolf, the lobo that is almost as intertwined into dusty cross-border lore and culture as it is instrumental to its ecosystems, should remind us of the first statement of purpose of the Endangered Species Act—to conserve the ecosystems on which threatened and endangered

.................................................. Michael Robinson is a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, in Silver City, New Mexico. He is author of Predatory Bureaucracy: The Extermination of Wolves and the Transformation of the West (University Press of Colorado, 2005).

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By the time President Richard M. Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in 1973, few wolves were known to exist in Mexico. Five were trapped alive between 1977 and 1980 for an emergency captive breeding program; three of these animals and four others already in captivity were successfully bred and served as the founders of the Mexican wolf’s uncertain future. No other wolves have been confirmed alive in the wild in Mexico since 1980. Despite the recovery mandate of the Endangered

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

while a buck pulled down by wolves can be replaced in two or three years, a range pulled down by too many deer may fail of replacement in as many decades.

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Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Service opposed reintroduction of the Mexican wolf to the wild. A lawsuit by conservationists led to the reintroduction beginning in 1998, but under adverse conditions demanded by the livestock industry: Unlike wolves reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains three years previously, Mexican wolves would be confined to an arbitrary, politicallydefined zone and would be trapped if they established territories on national forests or other public lands aside from the Apache National Forest in Arizona and the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Their management would vary by state lines, with releases from captivity only to occur in Arizona but releases of animals captured from the wild also allowed in New Mexico. And while wolves could be shot or trapped for preying on livestock, they would not be protected from temptation through any requirement, such as that imposed in the northern Rockies, for stock owners to remove or render inedible (for example through lime) the carcasses of cattle and horses that died of nonwolf causes. Though conditions are much improved since wolves were exterminated—elk were long ago reintroduced, deer are common, and the local public largely supports the wolves— management on behalf of the livestock in-

dustry has proved surprisingly akin to the earlier era of persecution. Since 1998, the government has shot eleven Mexican wolves, and an additional 18 wolves died as a result of capture. Dozens more have been captured and released in unfamiliar habitats, often after separation from a mate, parents or pups. Thirty-four other wolves trapped from the wild are undergoing long-term captivity, with nine of those animals dead of old-age so far. Releases to the wild are few and far between. As if that wasn’t bad enough, 33 wolves have been found illegally shot, and 46 are missing, many under suspicious circumstances. While only three cases of illegal killing have been solved (and just two of those prosecuted), the Fish and Wildlife Service has loaned telemetry receivers programmed to the wolves’ radio collars to wolf opponents, and admits it cannot account for all the receivers it has handed out. The many deaths and removals have taken a steep toll. Despite the releases into the wild of exactly 100 Mexican wolves since 1998, and dozens born in the wild in the intervening twelve years, the wild wolf population has declined or stagnated in each annual census from 2006 through 2010. Only 42 animals including just two breeding pairs could be counted in January 2010. Genetic diversity that was already attenuated due

They were an engine of evolution, honing the alertness of each generation of white-tailed deer and providing leftover meals for bears, eagles and badgers.

the deer, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and bison that had long sustained wolves. The last native elk in the Southwest was killed in 1906, and even deer were on a trajectory toward extinction. In an era that pre-dated

$125,000 to hire hundreds of federal hunters to exterminate wolves and other predators on behalf of the livestock industry, the first in an annual appropriation for what eventually was called “predator control” and that has grown tremendously and continues to this day. Salaried federal hunters determined to leave no wolves alive proved more efficient than bounty hunters. The US Fish and Wildlife Service trapped what may have been the last US-born wolf in the West in southern Colorado in 1945, and in 1950, began sending its experienced personnel and custom-concocted poisons to Mexico to set up the same organized wolf-killing program that had proved so successful in the United States, thereby first slowing and eventually stanching an influx of wolves northward.

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

Whether that hopeful potential has been realized is open for debate. Mexican wolves are the smallest subspecies of gray wolf, the “desert wolf” in the words of pioneering ecologist Aldo Leopold, and once roamed Mexico’s Sierra Madre as well as southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In central and northern New Mexico, they intergraded with northern wolves. They were an engine of evolution, honing the alertness of each generation of white-tailed deer and providing leftover meals for bears, eagles and badgers. The nineteenth century arrival of people of European origin occasioned the gunning down of almost all

an ethic of sustainable hunting and before the imposition of game limits, frontier society similarly rejected any limits on the grazing of cattle, horses and sheep on the open range. In the absence of their natural prey, wolves relied on livestock. In 1893, the territorial legislature for Arizona and New Mexico authorized counties to pay bounties on wolves and other predators, and eventually all western states appropriated funds for bounty payments. Yet some wolves learned to avoid traps and poisoned baits, and bounty hunters sometimes let wolves live in order to perpetuate their livelihood, or left for greener pastures without taking the last, hard-to-kill wolves. As a result, wolves persisted and, in some areas, even increased. In response, in 1915 Congress appropriated

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OUR NATURAL HERITAGE 132 New Mexico’s Headwaters: Our Lifeblood 136 The Pecos Wilderness: Where a Force of Nature Inspires a Force for Nature 138 Gardens Gone Wild: Santa Fe Botanical Garden Remembers Its Roots While It Grows Its Future

A RARE

SECOND CHANCE Can the Mexican Gray Wolf Help Us Learn to Live in Balance? To Start, We Must Look Unflinchingly at Our Century-Long Fiasco in Trying to Exterminate, Control and Manage the Lobo. BY MICHAEL J. ROBINSON

The 1998 reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf to the Gila ecosystem of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona represented a potential turning point—not just for this rarest subspecies of the gray wolf, but also for a human society that had come within a whisker, or more precisely, within seven animals, of exterminating the “lobo” from the face of the Earth.

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EDUCATION 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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Green and White Fettuccine with Tomato Basil Sauce Serves 6 to 8

EDUCATION

Fresh pasta is just like any other dough, fun to make and easy to handle. Pasta machines are fun, but you can make pasta the old fashioned way. All you need is is a rolling pin and some patience. Fettuccine • 1 cup unbleached white flour • 1 cup semolina flour • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt • 1 egg, lightly beaten • 1⁄2 teaspoon olive oil • 1⁄3 cup water + 1 tablespoon Make white fettuccine dough: In a bowl, mix together the white flour, semolina flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir together until a roughlooking dough forms. On a clean, lightly floured work surface knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is no longer sticky. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Make green fettuccine dough: In a small saucepan, heat a small amount of water until boiling. Add the spinach and cook, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted, but still bright green. Use a strainer to drain the spinach, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Chop the spinach. Mix the same ingredients and follow the instructions for the white fettuccine dough, but add the chopped spinach to the egg, olive oil and water, omitting the extra tablespoon. Follow the directions for mixing, kneading and cutting the white fettuccine dough. To make fettuccine with a hand crank pasta machine: 1.Start with setting #1. Flatten each piece of dough and put it through the machine. Fold each piece of dough in

half and put it through the machine again. Remember to fold the dough in half before feeding it through the machine the second time. 2.Change the pasta machine setting to #3. Feed each piece of dough through the machine two times at setting #3. Fold the dough in half before feeding it into the machine the second time. 3.Change the machine setting to #5 and repeat. 4. Move the hand crank to the fettuccine cutter on the pasta machine. Carefully feed each sheet of dough through the cutter. Hang the pasta over clean dowels or lay it in a single layer on cookie sheets dusted with semolina flour. To make fettuccine using a rolling pin: 1. On a clean work surface dusted with semolina flour, roll the dough into a flat rectangular shape. Fold the dough into thirds and roll again. Repeat this folding and rolling process four to six times until the dough is very smooth and is about 1⁄16 inch thick. Sprinkle the finished piece with semolina flour and loosely roll up like a jellyroll. 2. Use a sharp knife to “slice” through the rolled pasta dough every 1⁄4 inch. Carefully unroll the fettuccine and hang over clean dowels or lay it in a single layer on cookie sheets dusted with semolina flour. Roll, fold and cut the remaining pieces of dough as described above. Tomato Basil Sauce 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 pounds ripe tomatoes (10 to 12 medium), washed and diced 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 2 ounces Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated 1.In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat. Sauté for 10 seconds, until fragrant but not browned. 2.Add the diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes juicy. Remove from heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and chopped fresh basil. 3.Cook the fettuccine: Put 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. 4.Add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Add the fettuccine and stir once. Cook the pasta over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until “al dente.” Drain the pasta in a colander. Serve immediately, topped with tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese.

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Family Food Children learn first about the world from their parents. CWK expands students’ world of food and understanding of many cultures. If adults bribe them to eat their vegetables by offering a sweet reward, they come to prize the candy or dessert, not the vegetable. Parent volunteers in CWK classes are often surprised by how capable and enthusiastic their children are about cooking and eating new foods, including spinach salad, black beans or kale. Modeling good nutrition and having a variety of healthy foods in your home helps children to develop healthy eating habits. Invite your children to cook with you. Choose three or four dishes that you want to eat and let the child pick from those recipes. Make

sure that each child has something to do—then let them do it! Take your children grocery shopping, and in the produce section, ask them to choose three fruits or vegetables to buy. A great spring gardening activity with young children is to plant peas. The large seeds are easy to handle and fun to plant, and children love to pick and eat the sweet green peas! When my daughter was in fifth grade, a friend came over every afternoon for a week in June. Our sugar snap peas were ready, and I suggested that the girls go into the garden for a snack. The friend seemed skeptical, but they ventured into the garden, where she picked and tasted fresh snap peas for the first time. The rest of the week, as soon as they got home, the first thing she wanted to do

was go to the garden for peas! Why Cook? A wise friend once commented: “Someone has to cook my food; it might as well be me.” Is being able to dress yourself and brush your teeth more important than being able to cook? Is getting the correct change at a restaurant more important than shopping and cooking, or growing a garden? We care about saving time and money. We care about not getting fat and sick—or so we say. Marion Nestle, Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University, notes that changing habits is not “fast, cheap, or easy.” There can be aesthetic pleasure in cutting juicy, vine-ripe tomatoes with a sharp knife. Who has not

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Is being able to dress yourself and brush your teeth more important than being able to cook? enjoyed the fragrance of fresh garlic sautéing in olive oil? Cooking is not just for people with time on their hands. It is not just for the poor or the wealthy. We seem to have traded the flavors of spring onions and fresh peas for frozen pizza, all in the name of convenience. But cooking skills empower us. They enable us to do more with less, foster creativity—and bring bright smiles around the table. .................................................. Lynn Walters is founder and executive director of Cooking with Kids. To learn more about Cooking with Kids, visit www.cookingwithkids.net.

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COOKING WITH KIDS: EMPOWERING CHILDREN IN THE KITCHEN STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LYNN WALTERS

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A cooking revolution is underway—and it’s winning the hearts of our children. First Lady Michelle Obama recently noted that her middle-school daughter enjoys cooking and is more likely to eat a snack that she has made. In fact, toddlers to teens enjoy the sensory allure of cooking. In light of our society’s obesity epidemic, cooking is beginning to be recognized as a means of improving eating habits. Cooking with Kids The award-winning Cooking with Kids (CWK) program has introduced over 12,000 Santa Fe children to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods during the past fifteen years. We begin with pre-kindergarten children and continue through sixth grade—teaching children that they can cook, and sharing the fun of creating a variety of colorful, flavorful dishes from around the world. One student noted, “I was surprised that we can travel the Earth and

not leave home!” The magic of CWK is our hands-on approach. Students learn about the origin and cultivation of foods, then cook together with their classmates. While our staff lead the classes, it is all of the adults, including teachers, parent volunteers, and sometimes local chefs or farmers, who model and reinforce that cooking is a valuable skill. When sixth graders prepare and eat North African Tajine, their parents exclaim, “They’d never eat this at home!” A

critical element is that tasting the food is up to the children. Often, one or two children in a class may not want to eat what they have just made. Positive peer pressure often takes over when classmates begin to rave about the food. They discover that they really like the Green (spinach) and White Fettuccine with Tomato Basil Sauce or another seemingly exotic dish. After cooking Black Bean Tostadas with Salsa Fresca, one student said, “I never used to like beans, but now I do!”

Children are acutely aware of the myriad messages about what to eat— fruits and vegetables, not candy. And, as adults, we all have developed our own ideas about what tastes good. How can we provide opportunities for children to enjoy healthy foods, without tricking them into eating vegetables? CWK offers experiences that encourage children to take an active role in taking care of themselves. At the end of one two-hour cooking class when students had cooked East Indian Lentils with Carrot Rice Pilaf, one boy announced, “Voy a ser sano y fuerte!” (I’m going to be healthy and strong!). When asked why, he answered it was because he was eating salad and vegetables.

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School Program Director: Le Adams, www.farmtotablenm.org, ladams@cybermesa.com; or Santa Fe Public Schools’ Farm to School Coordinator: Betsy Torres, etorres@sfps.info Other local resources: • Santa Fe School Garden Blog: School garden resources and views by the Youth Food Cadre AmeriCorps volunteers working to sustain them: http://sfschoolgardens.wordpress.com/ • Mobile Garden Toolshed: Got Tools? Resource-sharing of tools and food processing equipment delivered to your door: www.earthcare.org • Santa Fe Master Gardeners: Stumped by those pesky garden problems? Free expertise and services from our local Master Garden group. www.sfmga.org • Santa Fe Community Gardens: Stay on top of local gardening events, workshops and resources through this comprehensive online resource. www.santafecommunitygardens.org

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LOCAL RESOURCES FOR SCHOOL GARDENS Santa Fe is blessed with comprehensive school-garden programs, thanks to the collaboration of nonprofit organizations. Get your garden growing!

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Plant the Seeds: Earth Works Institute Get your project off to a good start with support from Earth Works’ Earth Action Education and 4C: Climate Change Conservation Corps programs. They support schools by engaging youth in designing and building the necessary infrastructure for a successful school garden and outdoor classroom initiatives. They also provide a Teacher Toolkit for an outdoor education curriculum as well as training to young adults interested in working in conservation, green design and building, and renewable energy. For more information contact: Dana Richards, dana@earthworksinstitute.org or 982-9806. www.earthworksinstitute.org

Cultivate: Earth Care Cultivate longevity in your project with support from Earth Care’s Sustainable Schools and Youth Food Cadre programs. Earth Care has partnered with Santa Fe Public Schools to place AmeriCorps volunteers at K-12 schools to develop, maintain and connect garden programs to broader youth empowerment and sustainable community development initiatives. AmeriCorps volunteers work with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to maintain and connect school gardens to the curriculum, school meal programs and youth-led nutrition and food education, en-

ergy and water conservation, waste recycling and reduction efforts. For more information contact: Christina Selby at Earth Care, christina@earthcare.org, 983-6896. www.earthcare.org Santa Fe School Gardeners Group Keep your garden groove going by joining this skill- and resource-sharing network coordinated by Erin O’Neill, the former School Garden Manager at Monte del Sol Charter School. This informal network of avid school gardeners meets monthly to exchange ideas, resources, and learn best practices through tours of the many emerging school gardens, guided by the dedicated gardeners that make them happen across Santa Fe and beyond. For more information contact: Erin O’Neill, Educational Garden Consultant, at seedybeans@gmail.com. http://seedybeans.wordpress.com

Harvest: Cooking with Kids Tap into food passion and adventure with Cooking with Kids’ educational programs. Cooking with Kids uses hands-on methods to teach elementary school students about the joy of healthy foods from diverse cultures. They provide cooking classes and fruit and vegetable tastings and support healthy, delicious cafeteria meals in schools where 50% or more of students qualify for free or reducedprice meals. Cooking with Kids also connects and extends their nutrition education to school gardens, where students can directly experience where food comes from. Contact: Lynn Walters, Executive Director, lwalters@cookingwithkids.net, 438-0098. www.cookingwithkids.net

Extend the Scope: Farm to School The sky is the limit when you tap into the resources offered by our regional Farm to School chapter, a program facilitated by Farm to Table, based in Santa Fe. Farm to School supports sourcing more local fresh fruits and vegetables and other farm products to feed children in K-12 schools for meals and snacks. They also provide educational activities to promote the integration of fresh produce into school cafeteria menus. Farm to School connects local efforts to state and national advocacy actions, such as working with the federal Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization Act to ensure local efforts are supported by policymakers. Santa Fe Public Schools’ Farm to School Coordinator focuses on procurement of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Contact Regional Farm to 122

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in the classroom thrive in the garden, and the garden thrives because of them. Gardens in Santa Fe schools are sprouting up all over. Over the past three years as the garden teacher at Monte Del Sol, I fielded countless inquiries and tours from teachers, parents and students who wanted to create thriving food systems at their schools. I became connected with school garden projects at El Dorado, Salazar, Acequia Madre, Alvord, Larragoite, Pecos, Capital High, Santa Fe Prep and Santa Fe High, to name a few. These schools don’t employ garden teachers; visionary teachers and community members make it happen solely on a volunteer basis. Together we started a school garden group to support each other’s work and of course, talk about obstacles we face: budget cuts, overworked teachers, busy parents, test score pressure, land use issues and more. Though the seed has been planted, how to prioritize and utilize school gardens is still an issue. Fortunately, many organizations—such as Cooking With Kids and Farm to Table—have been working to support and complement the growing need of healthy food, both in the school cafeterias and schoolyards. The City of Santa Fe together with schools and nonprofits are addressing food issues through the Sustainability Education Task Force, including Earth Care’s Youth Food Cadre Program. By

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cannot afford to be so far removed from our own life support systems. We all nurture children along the road of life. But our children spend most of their time in school, and we place huge responsibility on these institutions to expose them to broader knowledge. Schools also often feed children, for one if not all the meals they will get in a day. Since we know how important schools are to children’s development, wouldn’t we be inclined to make them the most thriving learning environments possible? An optimum learning environment includes diversity, color, life and beauty. Planting a school garden is a perfect way to bring alive those elements. If you have ever been in a school garden, you know what an oasis it can be, not just for the students, but the whole community. A garden invites curiosity and creativity. It is a place to play, to take in the world around you through all of your senses. There, a person can cultivate ownership, relationship, cooperation and leadership. A school garden is also a place to be alone, to rest, to think, to breathe. It’s where children must be aware, patient, and respectful of all life that teems around them, beyond their classmates and teachers. Skills that often seem abstract in a classroom— math, science, history, art—all come alive beyond the walls of the classroom. More often than not, the students who struggle most

growing and cooking with dedicated mentors, our children will not lose the vital link to the land—the legacy of our New Mexican ancestors. By reconnecting our children with the very systems that give us life, we are giving them the chance not only to nourish their bodies, but also to nurture life itself. .................................................... Erin O'Neill is a garden teacher and consultant for educational gardening projects in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a blog to support others in their high desert gardening efforts: seedybeans.wordpress.com.

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SCHOOL GARDENS: NOURISHING LIVES, NURTURING LIFE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIN O'NEILL

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Children hear it often: “You are what you eat.” But now the quandary is, “If I can’t read what I am eating, how do I know what it is?” So…why are children reading what they are eating to begin with? Well, life is busy and preparing food takes time. Vegetables can be more expensive than industrial food, and some of us simply don’t know how to cook. There are myriad reasons why our root cellars have turned into box and can closets. But the fact is, processed foods constitute the daily diets of many of our children, affecting their nutrition as well as their relationship to nourishment itself. If kids don’t know what is in their food, much less how to grow and prepare it, how can we expect them to develop a healthy relationship to it? Both our children and the planet are suffering from this disconnect.

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In the US, childhood obesity affects one in every three children. And one in six are going hungry. Our children are getting sick from not eating and sick from eating, affirming that it is high time to take a good hard look at what we are calling food. While contemplating this, wandering out to the garden may seem like the last thing on the to-

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

do list. But that is where I stand, and not just to get away from it all. It is in the garden that great change can take root and hope can be planted, especially for future generations. Simply by planting seeds and eating freshly grown food, we can help our children cultivate a relationship with life and livelihood. The value of learning

where our food comes from may seem simple. But to a child it can be life altering. Putting a hand in the ground and reaping sustenance is what people have done for millennia. Many of us are blessed with a fond memory of grandma showing us a freshly dug carrot or newly sprouted seed, but now such an experience is shockingly for-

eign to many of our children. Farms disappear every day and fewer and fewer grandmas live off the land, much less grow a garden. Many parents of my generation don’t know how to cook or grow food, most likely because they didn’t have anyone to teach them. These everyday miracles inspire our first reverence for nature, and it is that reverence that cultivates consciousness and care in our actions. If the very ground where these interactions take place continues to disappear, we may just have to dig up the parking lot, plant some seeds and bring the grandparents there. We simply

The ENLACE/GEAR UP Collaborative increases col-

lege awareness and readiness of low-income students and students who are first in their families to pursue a college degree. Engaging Latino Communities for Education (ENLACE) is funded by the State of New Mexico through the Higher Education Department. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is funded by the US Department of Education. .................................................... Kristen Krell is Manager of the ENLACE/GEAR UP Collaborative at the Santa Fe Community College. She can be reached at kristen.krell@sfcc.edu for the full report.

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creased funding is necessary to increase the academic achievement for New Mexico students and invest in the future of our state. These student leaders are presenting their findings and recommendations in a variety of venues over the course of the 2010-2011 school year, including the national GEAR UP conference in Washington DC, local school board sessions in Santa Fe, Espa単ola, and Pojoaque, school staff meetings, the Back to School Institute, and hopefully the Legislative Education Study Committee. Higher academic achievement takes a village!

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EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS: YOUTH SPEAK OUT! BY KRISTEN KRELL

EDUCATION

How can a community be sustainable when there is a huge achievement gap among its various ethnic and socio-economic subgroups? What is getting in the way of academic success for certain groups of students? What educational policies are needed to address this issue? Student leaders from Española, Pojoaque, and Santa Fe have spent the past year leading a community action research project to try to answer these questions and develop solutions to close the academic achievement gap.

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Over the past four years, 35 students in Northern New Mexico participated in the ENLACE/GEAR UP Collaborative program. During the 2009-2010 school year, these students enrolled in a college-level Service Leadership class offered by Santa Fe Community College. This dualcredit course provided students with intensive training in leadership and facilitation skills. It also included in-depth community action research and a service leadership project. Students used their new skills to lead focus groups in their communities. Close to 1,000 students, teachers, parents and educational leaders participated. The sessions began with a short, youth-produced video entitled “Closing the Achievement Gap: An Educational Necessity

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for the Future.” Group discussions focused on identifying and exploring barriers to success for lowincome and minority youth and ways teachers, families, and the students themselves can boost achievement in school. Responses to these questions were compiled and analyzed. The student leaders then developed 15 policy recommendations that address the key findings. Over 45% of students responded that there is a lack of “support and encouragement” from their families as well as from teachers and administrators. One 11th grade student at Capital High School (CHS) said, “If you don’t understand something and no one cares, you stop caring too.” Other common responses included negative peer pressure, stress at home,

lack of interest in school, and lack of self-confidence as contributing factors to low achievement. Students shared that the best ways to promote academic success is for families to get involved in their children’s education, to believe in their potential, to push them to be their best, to take time to listen to them and problem-solve, and to lead by example. A CHS 9th grade student said, “Families need to know what is going on with their child, where they are at all times, to make sure they are doing their homework, and talk to their teachers.” When students were asked what teachers and the education system can do to foster learning, their recommendations included providing a culturally relevant curriculum, explain-

ing the material more effectively, making learning engaging, having academic support programs, and communicating high expectations. A 6th grade student from Hernandez Elementary School said “Believe in us, show us that you care.” Another 10th grade CHS student said, “We need help with our classes such as AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), where we have tutors to help us with what we don’t understand and push us.” The ENLACE/GEAR UP student leaders recommended increasing access to both academic and social support programs such as in-school and after-school tutoring, peer to peer mentoring, social workers and counselors. They also recommended that all communication be provided in Spanish to more effectively engage and inform the large Spanish-speaking community. Their final recommendation was to increase the percentage of the New Mexico State budget that funds education from 45% to 50-55% of the overall State budget as they do in many other states. In-

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COLEGIO SIN FRONTERAS: UN LUGAR PARA APRENDIZAJE EN COMUNIDAD Y EL DESAROLLO SOCIAL BY CELIA MEDINA

EDUCATION

Colegio Sin Fronteras es un proyecto de Santa Fe Partnership for Communities and Schools, que evolucionó de una serie de diálogos en la comunidad. Con una interacción deliberada, facilitando conversaciones con los vecinos incrementando la Colaboración Social de esa manera contribuye a la capacidad y destreza de los individuos, familias y comunidades. Escritora Margaret Wheatley lo dijo claramente, “Dondequiera que haya un problema, la comunidad tiene la respuesta.” Una comunidad rica en colectivo humano es una comunidad lista para buscar la respuesta, cualquiera que sea el problema. Este fue el contexto que dirigió la fundación de Colegio Sin Fronteras, un lugar sin límites de oportunidades para aprender. La idea empezó en Septiembre 2009, y se inicio con la orientación en Enero del 2010 utilizando un espacio público por algunos meses. Las puertas se abrieron en Marzo en nuestro propio lugar rentado, con cincuenta jóvenes entre las edades de 16 y 30. Muchos de nuestros estudiantes viven al sur de Santa Fe, todos careciendo de high

school diploma o GED y todos compartiendo el deseo de continuar su educación para pasar a la edad adulta con el conocimiento y las técnicas que se necesitan para ser buenos padres, obtener y mantener un trabajo y participar más íntegros en su comunidad. El aprendizaje en Colegio Sin Fronteras ocurrió en diferentes formas, pero fue el progreso de nuestras relaciones lo que fue creciendo y lo que impacto profundamente a todos. Como nos íbamos formando era claro: La cosa que nos hacia diferentes era que “todos estábamos juntos en esto;” todos éramos estudiantes y todos éramos maestros; nosotros éramos una comunidad de aprendices. Por ejemplo, al comienzo nos dimos cuenta de que muchos de nuestros

estudiantes no tenían casa. Ellos dormían en diferentes lugares y llegaban a la escuela con hambre. La respuesta de nuestra comunidad fue empezar una clase de cocina para proporcionar apoyo, y al mismo tiempo construir la capacidad en ellos. En nuestros cortos meses juntos celebramos el nacimiento del hijo de una de nuestros estudiantes y sufrimos la trágica muerte de un estudiante. Nos reímos juntos, jugamos juntos, resolvimos problemas juntos, lloramos juntos, nos movimos juntos através del laberinto de vida y sobre todo, lo que aprendimos en las palabras de Dr. George Otero, que es a través de nuestras relaciones, con nosotros, con otros y con nuestro mundo es como la transformación y el crecimiento sucede.

Nosotros sellamos el final del año escolar con una gran celebración. Hubo certificados, regalos, entretenimiento y comida. También algunos estudiantes tardaron en el laboratorio de computación dando los toques finales a sus trabajos, un estudiante con su recién nacido a su lado. Hoy, algunos de nuestros estudiantes asisten al colegio Santa Fe Community College, otros asisten a la high school y otros siguen preguntando que es lo que siguen. Colegio Sin Fronteras fue una verdadera comunidad de enseñanza. Todos nosotros fuimos transformados por nuestras experiencias compartidas, y hoy vemos hacia adelante para explorar nuevos caminos para seguir juntos y continuar nuestro aprendizaje. Santa Fe Partnership for the Communities and Schools está evaluando el suceso de los estudiantes que asistieron el semestre pasado al Colegio Sin Fronteras y actualmente, está buscando otras formas de expander el programa. ...................................................... Celia Medina is the Bilingual Services Coordinator at Youth Shelters and continues to volunteer with the SFPCS as a Community Educator.

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Sustainability Programs in Higher Education: Surging by Popular Demand BY JESSICA ROWLAND

In 2007 there were just 27 academic programs in sustainability at US colleges and universities. Now there are more than 200. The University of New Mexico offers Studies in Sustainability as a minor degree to any major except Engineering.

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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities named sustainability as one of its Top 10 State Policy Issues for Higher Education in 2009. In 2009, member institutions of Universitas 21, an international network of 23 research-intensive universities in 15 countries, signed a statement on sustainability that emphasized the â&#x20AC;&#x153;role universities play in facing the challenges of climate change, the decline of biodiversity, the need for energy, food and water security, and of economic sustainability and of human health.â&#x20AC;? According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), grants for sustainability research projects totaled $534 million in 2009. The U.S. Department of Energy has committed to investing almost $780 million over the next five years in the creation of Energy Frontier Research Centers, 31 of which will be located at universities. .......................................................................................................... Jessica Rowland is an Instructor & Education Support Coordinator for the Sustainability Studies Program at the University of New Mexico.

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COLEGIO SIN FRONTERAS: A PLACE FOR COMMUNITY LEARNING AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHELLEY COHEN

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Colegio Sin Fronteras, a project of the Santa Fe Partnership for Communities and Schools, evolved out of a series of community dialogs. Engaging in intentional, facilitated conversations with our neighbors increases our social capital, thereby contributing to the strength and resiliency of individuals, families and communities. As author and organizational behavior expert Margaret Wheatley says, “Whatever the problem, community is the answer.” A community rich in social capital is a community ready to seek the answer, whatever the problem. This was the context that led to the founding of Colegio Sin Fronteras, a college without borders and a place for limitless opportunities for learning. The idea began to take root in September 2009, was kicked off with an orientation in January of 2010, and after using a host of public spaces for several months, the doors opened on our rented space on Espinacitas Street in March 2010, with fifty young people ages 16 to 30.

Many of our students lived on the south side of Santa Fe, all lacked a high school diploma or GED, and all shared a desire to continue their education and move forward with the knowledge and skills needed to parent their children, get and retain employment, and participate more fully in their community. Learning at Colegio Sin Fronteras happened in a variety of ways, but it was the relationships that developed that had the most profound impact on everyone. As we were forming, it was clear that one thing that set our project apart was that we were all in this together. We were all students and all teachers; we were indeed a community of learn-

ers. For example, early on we realized many of our students were homeless, moving from couch to couch and arriving to school hungry. Our community’s answer? A cooking class to provide sustenance while building skills. In our few short months together, we celebrated the birth of a student’s baby, and we grieved the tragic death of a fellow student. We laughed together, played together, solved problems together, cried together, moved through the maze of life together and above all, we learned that, in the words of Dr. George Otero, it is through our relationships with ourselves, others and our world that transforma-

tion and growth happen. We marked the end of the school year with a closing ceremony—a graduation of sorts. There were certificates, gifts, entertainment and food. Amidst the celebration, a few students lingered in the computer lab putting the final touches on their term papers—one with her newborn baby at her side. Today, some of our students are attending Santa Fe Community College, and others are attending high school. Still others are asking, “what next?” Colegio Sin Fronteras was truly a learning community. We were all transformed by our shared experience and look forward to exploring new ways of coming together to continue our learning. Santa Fe Partnership for Communities and Schools is evaluating the success of the students attending Colegio Sin Fronteras last semester and is currently looking for ways to expand the program and its offerings. ...................................................... Shelley Cohen is Executive Director of the Santa Fe Partnership for Communities and Schools and has been involved in community organizing for more than 20 years. For more information, call 955-1812 or e-mail: community.learning09@gmail.com.

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started; Seam Rippers: Waste Reduction through Repurposing; the EcoSchools Student Coalition; and Blueprint for Sustainable Communities (a project that seeks to develop neighborhood sustainability resource centers that model affordable sustainability practices in neighborhoods across Santa Fe). This year they are running more than ten projects and campaigns— exploring, testing and creating a meaningful path forward for themselves and their communities. In the process, they are building transformative relationships, discovering their unique strengths, and making their parents and community proud. They may not have all of the answers but they have many of the right questions—quest-ions that can guide us all. ...................................................... Bianca SopociBelknap is the Associate Director and Youth Programs Director of Earth Care. She has been with the organization since 2006 when she was hired to develop and launch their flagship program, Youth Allies for Sustainability. She is 28 years old and originally from Santa Fe.

Amy Biehl Community School: Designed with the Future in Mind Santa Fe Public Schools hopes to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver certification with its new K-6 school in Rancho Viejo. Honoring the spirit of Amy Biehl, a 1985 graduate of Santa Fe High School and a Fulbright scholar who lost her life in 1993 in South Africa while working for social justice, the school is a model of community outreach while integrating energy efficiency and engaging learning environments.

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Luckily, youth are experts in transition, as adolescence presents a crossroads for every individual who enters it. There, the questions are: Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going? How do I fit in? What is my unique path forward and gift to give? Within this questioning and uncertainty lies the opportunity for social change, innovation and cultural revitalization. Which is why we believe young people are so important, why we should all be paying really close attention to their ideas and dreams, and why their leadership must be at the forefront of the transition movement. At Earth Care, we have built our organization around supporting the development of young change-makers. We provide training in cross-cultural leadership, ecological literacy, sustainable practices and social entrepreneurship & community organizing. We provide training for teachers to do the same. But really we are in the business of building relationships and supporting young people as they test out alternatives and solutions together across socio-economic and cultural lines. The young people in our Youth Allies Program learn about our present social and ecological contexts and then find ways to contribute their unique gifts, time and creativity to community-change projects of their own design. Examples include the Food Not Bombs Chapter they

Merging geothermal with passive and photovoltaic (awaiting grant funding) solar energy, the District expects to realize an annual 41% savings on energy as compared to a standard school of similar size; more than 16% reduction in CO2 emissions; a 44% savings in indoor water use; and a nearly 60% savings in outdoor water use. Stormwater will be captured in the educational wetland, providing students an outdoor lab for field biology investigation while attracting wildlife. The 62,000 square-foot building and 14.5-acre campus feature environments that inspire a sense of wonder and creativity: classrooms abundant with sunlight, gathering and performance areas, outdoor classrooms, and native vegetation. Still in the design stage is a school garden for instruction in cultivation, nutrition and cooking. Vitally important though, is the “Green Team,” a group of eco-savvy 6th graders who act as role models in teaching their fellow students about ecological practices.

—SSFRG staff

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YOUTH: FORGING THE SOCIAL TRANSITION USING THEIR OWN INGENUITY BY BIANCA SOPOCI-BELKNAP

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“I may not know what I want to do with my life, but I know I want to do something good; something that will make the people I love proud; something that will leave a good mark; something that will leave a legacy for my grandchildren.” – Rebecca Gonzalez, Age 16

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Young people today are hungry for meaning. They are hungry for self-discovery and the opportunity to break free from the monotony of everyday life to discover their gifts, develop and share them, and offer them to the world. An important part of this process is recognition and affirmation from others and locating one’s unique individual contribution within a larger community context. We have been working

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with youth in the Santa Fe community for nearly a decade. For ten years we’ve been learning about how to support young people who are coming of age at this very unique moment in human history—a moment when it appears much more is at stake than ever before. The path forward is not clear. As adults and elders, our role would normally be to be good examples and acculturate our children—passing along

the values, beliefs and customs of our society and to help young people find their unique place within our cultural, social and economic institutions. However, if we are engaged in the struggle to recreate society, to steer our world from a period of human devastation of the Earth into a period when diverse human communities find their place within their larger ecological community, our role as adults

and elders becomes a little less clear. For how can we teach our children and youth about a world that does not yet exist? And how can we model sustainable community, interdependence, and ecological respect when many of our own behaviors, lifestyles and institutions seem to contradict the values and visions we espouse? This is the challenge of transition. It is the unique challenge of our time.

us to return. In our six years, we have made some good stories. There is the tale of the place Aysia fell out of a tree, and the place Caitlyn got stuck to her hips in mud, and the place Erin went swimming, intentionally, of course. There is the time of the icebergs in the river, and icicles growing from the tips of the grasses, and minnows frozen in solid pools. There is the story of using willow sticks to measure groundwater because the beeper was broken. We have stories of a roadrunner, of a great blue heron and the ibises, and of the day we found the dead beaver. But my favorite small story comes from the day shortly after all the Russian olives had been pulled. It is a dramatic thing to see a tree yanked out of the ground, even if it is an inva-

sive species. There is a shocking violence to it, and we felt the moral dilemma. Who were we to remove these living beings that were simply doing what they do best? The land looked extraordinarily different: torn, disturbed. We arrived with the 8th grade and decided that we needed to mark the change, to explore, and not to work. The girls dispersed, and my co-teacher, Mary Alice Trujillo, and I were left to our own devices. We walked and we told stories about childhood and work, about sensibility and how a person gets it. Catholic nuns appeared in the conversation, along with tractors and schools and coyotes. We discussed moral decisions and we wandered amongst the piles of uprooted Russian olives until we came to the few cottonwoods now standing alone and Mary Alice said, “I think they have breathing room now. ” It was as if “breathing room” were the answer to everything: better teaching, better learning, a sense of place, stewardship, community. One group of girls sat together talking in the shade of a newfound cottonwood. Their hands were busy with the grasses and sticks, as if they were weaving, and then another group approached. “We just found a secret cave! A cliff face and a perfect place to sit above the water!” Breathing room to see and feel a place for what it truly is. Something changes when we spend time on the land, working, playing and learn-

ing. Something takes hold. My students have made this place their own. I knew it for sure on a cold and miserable day in March. We arrived and I had to get something out of the truck. When I looked up, the girls were already gone, through the gate, into the mud and rain without a moment’s hesitation, without a single complaint. I realized truly—this is what sustainability means. Mary Alice and I were irrelevant. These kids know what to do. They are not daunted or intimidated by mud, rain, cold, ice, marsh, bugs, snakes, thorns, rocks, tools or work. This is their program, their river.

EDUCATION

The 8th grade is the Board of Directors. They decide which projects to initiate each year and they document our work. We study water chemistry; we learn about pollution and nutrient cycles and we make small documentary films. We talk about community and ethics and conflict resolution. Each class helps with fence repair, bridge building, well digging, tree planting, and lopping and spraying with vinegar to keep the Russian olives from coming back—perfect work for middle school students. We return every week to the same small piece of land. Slowly, the place reveals itself to us, its stories. And we make our own stories there. It is the way we remember, the way we teach. Stories remind us who we are and why we do what we do. They remind

...................................................... Will Barnes is an ecologist and founder of Project PRESERVE, and teaches science and literature at the Santa Fe Girls’ School. His ecological consulting business, called GrassWorks Inc., specializes in vegetation monitoring.

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BREATHING ROOM STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILL BARNES

It’s late March in Santa Fe—overcast, drizzly, cold. It will snow tonight. Along the river, the barest hint of green shows at the feet of the grasses. The trees rattle, black and gray. Mid-morning: I have a truck full of 8th grade girls and I think, “Okay, let’s work for twenty minutes, and then we’ll go home.”

EDUCATION 112 Youth: Forging the Social Transition Using their own Ingenuity 113 Amy Biehl Community School: Designed with the Future in Mind 114 Colegio Sin Fronteras: A Place for Community Learning and Social Development 115 Sustainability Programs in Higher Education: Surging by Popular Demand 116 Colegio Sin Fronteras: Un Lugar para Aprendizaje en Comunidad y el Desarollo Social 118 Educational Success for All Students: Youth Speak Out! 120 School Gardens: Nourishing Lives, Nurturing Life 122 SF School Gardens Guide 124 Cooking With Kids: Empowering Children in the Kitchen 126 Green and White Fettuccine with Tomato Basil Sauce

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2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

This class has been coming to the river for three years; they have overseen the removal of 14,000 Russian olive trees. We want to know what impact this work will have on water levels, habitat, and the plants and animals that live here. But today, the weather is miserable, and I am not looking forward to the complaints that will issue from my 8th grade girls as we wade into the wet, shivery day. In collaboration with many groups, including River Source and the Santa Fe Girls’ School, I run a small restoration project in La Cieneguilla. We call our program Project PRESERVE—Protecting the River Environment, Stopping Erosion and Restoring the Vital Ecology. Every Thursday, I take my classes to the river. In the 6th grade we learn about rocks and soils; we study erosion and stream flow. We dig holes. We talk about sediment and flood plains and dirt. We think about landform, and history in geologic terms. In 7th grade we learn about all the species that live on our river. We collect bugs and fish; we watch birds; we look for tracks; we collect plants for our herbarium; we peek into holes. We walk across habitats, biomes and ecotones, touching them, surveying. We get very muddy. We collect ground water and streamflow data.

Red Mesa Grassfed Beef and All Natural Pork, Clines Corners River Canyon Ranch Certified Organic Beef, Ocate www.rcrorganic.com Shepherd’s Organic Grassfed Lamb, Tierra Amarilla www.organiclamb.com Soaring Eagle Ranch Organic Grassfed Highland Beef, Los Ojos www.naturalsteak.com Taos Mountain Grassfed Yak sites.google.com/site/taosmountainyak

BREADS AND PASTRIES

Available at the Santa Fe Farmers Market: Buckin' Bee Honey & Candles, Santa Fe www.buckinbee.com For the Love of Bees Honey www.fortheloveofbees.com Old Pecos Foods Gourmet Mustards, Santa Fe www.oldpecosfoods.com Pasta Divina Organic Fresh Pasta, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque www.pastadivina.com RZ’s Honey, Alcalde

Available at the Santa Fe Farmers Market: Cloud Cliff Bakery Crumpacker’s Fresca Baking and Catering www.crumpackersfresca.com Galactic Bread Company

Available at La Montanita Coop: A variety of locally produced salsas, spreads, tortillas, pasta, kombucha tea, fruit juices, condments, herbs and spices, chocolates and other value added items including body and skin care products and herbal tinctures.

Available at La Montanita Coop: American Pie pastries Chocolate Maven pastries Plaza Bakery pastries and breads Sage Bakehouse pastries and breads Fun Bun Bakery Fano Bread TLC breads Wolf’s Bagels

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

LOCAL FOOD

Available at La Montanita Coop: Sweet Grass Producers Coop Beef Shepherd’s Organic Grassfed Lamb, Tierra Amarilla • www.organiclamb.com Beneficial Farms Eggs, Santa Fe www.beneficialfarm.com Rancho La Capilla Eggs, La Cienega Talus Wind Ranch Lamb, Galisteo www.taluswindranch.com Embudo Valley Organics Turkey

OTHER FOODS

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EARTH CARE'S LOCAVORE GUIDE

LOCAL FOOD

Available at La Montanita Coop: The Coop offers locally grown fruit and vegetables provided they are certified organic or verified to be produced by a grower who uses no synthetic chemicals or GMO seed and employs sound land stewardship practices.

Bulk food items from New Mexico and southern Colorado include: Chicos Dried chile peppers, chile powder and herbs Sangre de Cristo and Nativo organic unbleached white and whole-wheat flours Raw honey Pinto beans Peanut stock for peanut butter Pecans Posole Quinoa

Synergia Ranch Organic Fruits, Santa Fe www.synergiaranch.com Talon de Gato Vegetables, Embudo Valley www.talondegato.com Trujillo Fruit, Chimayó Vigil’s Chimayó Produce, Chimayó

DAIRY Available at the Santa Fe Farmers Market: Boxcar Farm Goat Milk, Llano www.boxcarfarm.com Old Windmill Dairy Artisan Cheeses, Estancia www.theoldwindmilldairy.com South Mountain Dairy, East Mountains, Santa Fe lafarmita.com Sweetwoods Dairy, Peña Blanca Available at La Montanita Coop Cheese, milk and yogurt products from the following producers:

Coonridge Goat Cheese, Pie Town Lazy Ewe, Edgewood Old Windmill Dairy, Estancia South Mountain Goat Dairy, Tijeras Desert Skies, Williamsburg Native Pastures, Tucumcari Rasband Dairy, Albuquerque

Khalsa Greenhouses © Tammy Maitland

MEATS AND EGGS

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2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Available at the Santa Fe Farmers Market: Camino de Paz Farm and Montessori Middle School Eggs www.caminodepaz.net LaMont's Wild West Buffalo, Bosque Farms www.lamontbuffalo.com Pollo Real Pasture-Raised Poultry and Eggs, Socorro www.polloreal.com

LOCAL FOOD

Jacona Farm Produce, Jacona McGinn’s Pistachio Tree Ranch, Alamogordo www.pistachiotreeranch.com Mr. G’s Vegetables Maria’s Farm, Velarde Shirley & Ernesto Martinez Vegetables , Chimayó Mendez Produce, El Guique & Española Monte Vista Organic Farm, Española Pat Montoya’s Family Orchard, Española montoyaorchard.com Mountain Flower Farm, Cedar Grove www.mountain-flowerfarm.com Nambé Orchard and Vegetables, Nambé One Straw Farm Vegetables, Peñasco and Dixon Orozco Farm Vegetables, Española Rancho La Jolla Vegetables and Fruits, Velarde Rancho Llam Fruit and Vegetables, Velarde

Red Mountain Farm Fruit and Vegetables, Abiquiu Matt Romero Farms Produce, Embudo and Dixon Rey Romero Farm Fruit and Vegetables, La Ciénega Sam Romero Farm, Chimayó Sanchez Farms Vegetables, La Mesilla, El Guique Santa Cruz Farm & Greenhouses, Española Singing River Farm, Alcalde The Succulent Garden Vegetables and Fruit, Santa Fe Sunstar Herbs, Madrid www.sunstarherbs.net

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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LOCAL FOOD

EARTH CARE'S LOCAVORE GUIDE

Available at the Santa Fe Farmers Market: The following list includes a good sampling of farmers/vendors that frequent the Market, but it is by no means a complete list. Over 150 farmers are members of the Santa Fe Farmers Market with over 130 vending booths at the height of the season. To receive more information on the Market or to contact vendors, contact Miguel Gallegos, Market Operations Manager: miguel@santafefarmersmarket.com or 505-983-4098.

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2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Alcántar Produce, Española B&B Farm, La Mesilla Boxcar Farm Garlic and Vegetables, Llano www.boxcarfarm.com Camino de Paz Farm Vegetables www.caminodepaz.net Corrales Garden Nursery Produce, Corrales www.corralesgardennursery.com Del Valle Pecans, La Mesilla Duke’s Raspberry Ranch and Produce, Edgewood Earthen Accents, Santa Fe East Mountain Organic Farms, Escabosa www.eastmountainorganicfarms.com El Bosque Garlic and Produce, Dixon Española Valley Farms Vegetables, Española Eve’s Farm Fruit and Vegetables, Velarde The Fruit Basket, Velarde www.ranchodesantafe.net Gemini Farm Vegetables, Las Trampas

Gilberto’s Orchard, Chimayó Gonzales Farm, Alcalde Green Tractor Farm Vegetables, La Ciénega Harmony Farm, Abiquiu harmonyfarmnm.com Heidi’s Raspberry Farm, Corrales www.heidisraspberryjam.com J & L Gardens, Española www.jandlgardens.com

SEASONAL FRUITS, VEGETABLES, NUTS, FLOURS AND LEGUMES

LOCAL FOOD 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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Without The Food Depot, much of this food would go to waste—filling dumpsters, not stomachs.

LOCAL FOOD

food assistance and provide the volunteers to support the distribution. When The Food Depot truck arrives, the volunteers are there to help and deliver the food that same day. The program also offers its participants other opportunities for support such as receiving health screenings and flu shots, and nutrition education. The Food Depot’s Mobile Food Pantry program reaches 16 communities in the counties of Colfax, Harding, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel and Union in Northern New Mexico. All Mobile Food Pantry sites receive monthly deliveries of food such as produce, bakery items and USDA commodities. Our efficient model of distribution to both urban and rural “food deserts” has made the Food Depot an effective solution to ending hunger in Northern New Mexico. We work with local farmers, the Santa Fe Farmers Market, and receive produce through the New Mexico Association of Food Banks Produce Initiative. Our program “Planting a Row for the Hungry” encourages people to plant an extra row in their backyard gardens to donate to The Food Depot. We must come together as a community to provide access to a necessity as basic as food. Together, we

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2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

can achieve this by growing community gardens, donating food, giving to community food drives, making financial contributions, and volunteering time at the food bank. Last year, our community enabled The Food Depot to provide 4.8 million meals to families and individuals. Your support will offer continued help and hope to people in need. It’s sometimes difficult to believe that hunger exists in Northern New Mexico. We don’t see the terrible tragedies of famine or mass starvation in our community. However, hunger does exist here. It is likely to show itself as an undernourished child who can’t concentrate in school, a senior who routinely chooses between food and medicine, or a working poor family who struggles to make ends meet. Let’s come together to fight the crisis of hunger. In a land of plenty, no one should go hungry. .......................................................... Sherry Hooper has been executive director at The Food Depot, Northern New Mexico's food bank, since September 2001. Prior to taking this position, she spent more than nine years as Community Relations Director for Harvesters, Kansas City's food bank.

LOCAL FOOD 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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NUTRITIOUS FOOD: EVERYONE'S BIRTHRIGHT BY SHERRY HOOPER

LOCAL FOOD

Have you ever been forced to choose between buying food or paying rent? Have you ever lain awake at night wondering how you were going to feed your children the next morning?

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Nearly 40,000 New Mexicans seek help from a food bank agency each week. More than 54% of people who receive assistance through New Mexico food banks have reported choosing between food and their utilities. Over 40% of the members of households served by these agencies are children. Who is hungry in our community? They are working adults feeding their families on minimum wage; seniors struggling to make ends meet on a fixed income; and victims of domestic abuse. They are in poor health and home-

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

bound. They are families living without shelter. They are our community’s children. Why are people going hungry? Low-paying jobs lead the list of causes of hunger. Other causes include unemployment, high housing costs, a weakening economy, utility costs, welfare reform, medical costs and mental health problems. The Food Depot, Northern New Mexico’s food bank, is committed to providing this most basic of sustenance, and removing those situations which force our neighbors to

make such tragic decisions. The Food Depot distributes food and related products through a network of 120 partner agencies including food pantries, hot meal programs, homeless shelters, youth programs, senior centers, day care centers and shelters for battered families. The food bank reaches some of Northern New Mexico’s poorest citizens living in some of the country’s most impoverished counties— Mora, San Miguel, Taos, Rio Arriba, Colfax, Union, Harding as well as Los Alamos and Santa Fe. Donors such as food

manufacturers, farmers, grocers, bakeries and restaurants support hunger-relief efforts by donating slightly damaged goods, products produced in excess, items nearing their sell date, and food prepared but not served. Without The Food Depot, much of this food would go to waste—filling dumpsters, not stomachs. The food bank provides a delivery program to reach communities throughout Northern New Mexico. Towns like Taos, Española and Las Vegas have many agencies that take advantage of this opportunity. The program saves these partner agencies in both funds and resources such as volunteers and staffing. To further reduce barriers to food distribution in smaller remote areas, The Food Depot launched its Mobile Food Pantry program in 2009. It is a food distribution program in which we deliver food to a designated location for immediate distribution to hungry people, eliminating the need for long-term storage. The program reaches those communities without the resources to set up their own emergency food pantries. They inform local families about the opportunity to receive emergency

There are approximately eight community gardens that Santa Feans can participate in.

LOCAL FOOD

tions in the City and County to looking at the various income levels of our residents and the distances they have to drive to get to these food locations, are all variables on the Food Map that we are creating. We are also looking at the various types of soil we have around our county, and where the most valuable agricultural land is located. This would allow us to formulate policy to make sure our best agricultural land is preserved for farming and community gardeningâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;basically to produce food for Santa Fe. These are just a few of the projects we have delved into. By coordinating the work of all governmental and non-governmental food organizations through food system research and assessment, and through community outreach and education, we can support a legacy of healthy food and ultimately the preservation of the local food system and agricultural traditions of the Santa Fe area. You can learn more about the work of the Santa Fe Food Policy Advisory Council at: www.santafefoodpolicy.org. .............................................. Rubina Cohen is the Santa Fe Food Policy Council Coordinator. Her background is in marketing and communications with an emphasis in advocacy and influencing policy at the local level. Mrs. Cohen is also the owner and CEO of Firefly Santa Fe, a marketing and communications strategy firm helping small businesses and nonprofits.

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CLOSING THE FOOD GAP THROUGH FOOD POLICY COUNCILS

LOCAL FOOD

BY RUBINA COHEN

How can we be sure that Santa Feans are nourished in a fair and equitable manner? Who's keeping an eye on our emergency food reserves? How can we get more local food into our senior centers and schools? What's the best way to preserve farmland to shore up our local food security? What kinds of facilities and training are needed to make it easier to produce food locally? These and other questions are at the heart of the work of the Santa Fe Food Policy Advisory Council. To address questions similar to the ones posed here, communities across the country have begun to create Food Policy Councils (FPCs). There are now hundreds of FPCs nationwide. Typically, FPCs are established by municipal or county resolutions or by state statutes; or sometimes, they are a private coalition of people working with government representatives on food issues. Formed by a joint resolution in 2008, the City and County of Santa Fe appointed the Santa Fe Food Policy Advisory Council (SFFPAC) to improve and create a just and sustainable food system. SFFPAC works to make healthy food a reality for everyone in our community—not just those who can afford

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2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

it—by making recommendations to the City and County. Food policy, most simply, is everything that government does that can affect the cost, availability and quality of food. It also refers to how both the government and private sector—food businesses, farmers, nonprofit organizations at the local and regional level—can best work together to solve food problems like hunger, obesity, and the loss of farm and ranchland. The SFFPAC is now in its second year. Having focused the first year on surveying and learning about

the local food system, reaching out to food related groups, and setting strategy and goals, the SFFPAC is currently working on a variety of projects that will lead to strong food policy recommendations for the City and County of Santa Fe. One of major projects the SFFPAC has undertaken is procurement (purchasing). The SSFPAC has identified the City and County food purchasing habits for our senior citizen centers. Thousands of seniors participate in the senior meal and lunch programs across our City and County. Though both the City and County have exemplary standards in feeding their seniors, the SFFPAC has worked with them to increase the amount of fresh and local food in the senior meals even more. The SFFPAC envisions growing this project beyond just our seniors, but also to our schools and other institutions such as hospitals and detention centers, to name a few.

Another current project is the education and promotion around community gardening, backyard gardening and community farms. The impetus here is to get Santa Fe to grow more food! The more food we grow, the less we have to worry about contaminated food, the cost and the environmental impact of the transportation of food, and ultimately, the quality of food. There are approximately eight community gardens that Santa Feans can participate in. In addition, there are several food and environmental organizations that have made it part of their work to teach people how to grow their own food. Organizations like the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute, Farm to Table, Earth Care and Santa Fe Community Gardens are just a few that have programs and educational material for folks to get their gardens going. The SFFPAC is working to collect as much information about our local food system, from mapping all the food and grocery loca-

LOCAL FOOD 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

A CLIMATE-CHANGE SURVIVAL STRATEGY: GROWING FOOD YEAR-ROUND

LOCAL FOOD

BY ROQUE MARQUEZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM HITT

Around the globe, traditional elders are speaking out about the state of the world and plight of Mother Earth. From what I gather, two of the most common themes are: to form a closer bond with nature, and to grow your own food. Their message and the economic uncertainty that permeates our world inspired me to get together with my longtime friend and master gardener, Sam Hitt, and develop a food-growing system. With my skills as a woodworker and farmer and Sam’s expertise (and a year of head-scratching and experimentation), I present the Sun Pod! Taken from an old design that Sam used for close to thirty years, and redesigned for lighter weight and a modern, high-tech cover, this durable food machine allows you to extend your growing season to twelve months. The insulated covering and low profile allow you to grow frost resistant greens in the coldest months of the year without a heat source other than the sun. In higher elevations, a thicker and higher R-value covering protect against a heavier snow load and more extreme temperatures. The Sun Pod fits onto a 4 x 8 ft.

x 9.5 inch-high, raised-bed planting box. The wood for the planting box is made of locally harvested woods such as pine and fir. In my many years of working with wood in the Southwest, I have found that the sun’s ultraviolet rays—rather than moisture—are the most formidable destroyer of wood in our desert environment. The tighter treerings (from less rain) and the higher pitch content make the wood less vulnerable to cracking and splitting in the harsh sun. I believe our local wood gives the cedars of the northwest and Alaska a run for their money in durability, not to mention the detrimental greenhouse gas factor for shipping those magnificent giants! If you

live in a high-moisture, lowsun environment such as a high altitude canyon, cedar boxes are readily available. While planting this spring, I discovered that on colder days, if I lowered the box, I could build up heat and quicken germination with some plants. I also discovered after loosing many sprouts to hail over the years that placing the Pod over the sprouts in a hailstorm protects the newborns. In June of 2010, when we had those heat waves that cold weather greens just don’t like, one of my customers and I found that placing the Pod on the box, open to the northward position, protected the plants from the harsh wilting rays. In fact, my customer had one other planting box without our

Pod, and the greens in that bed grew at half the rate. Placing your hand on the soil of the covered box on the hottest of days confirms that the soil remains cool to the touch, but with plenty of diffused light getting to the plants. In other words, the Sun Pod serves as very effective shading. It also serves as valuable wind protection on the windswept, open mesas we have in New Mexico. Wind can sure dry out a bed fast! Last but not least, take off the top and place two sections of 6-inch heavy gauge wire mesh, which comes precut to size, and you have a superior hoop covering. Separate coverings such as insect netting, shade cloth, as well as insulating cloth and plastic for those taller, less frost-resistant plants can be applied. The wire mesh is superior in that it has a much stronger snowbearing capacity and wind resistance than conventional plastic hoop designs. With the Sun Pod, a few seeds and willing hands, you really do have a yearround food machine. ............................................ Roque Marquez grows his fourseason food in Santa Fe and can help you to do the same. You can reach him at roque@ecoisp.com. www.RoqueMarquez.com

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

LOCAL FOOD 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

REDEFINING ORGANIC BY WILLEM MALTEN

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From early on, these fallacious ideas of what farming is all about found opposition in deep thinkers who were also practicing farmers, such as J. I. Rodale, Paul Keene of Walnut Acres, and Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, a disciple of Rudolf Steiner. They were the pioneers who started the organic lineage. They understood that sound, organic agriculture goes hand in hand with a healthy ecosystem and healthy animals and humans. As a grassroots movement, organic was a way to distinguish, for example, the Santa Fe area farmers markets from industrial farming, and find a way to be competitive. Organic, when it was still a farm movement and before it became fully regulated by the government, meant three things: Small family farms, bioregional marketing and above all—no synthetic chemicals or genetic engineering. So it had three layers: social, economic and ecological. Due to the organic movement’s overwhelming public buy-in, larger farming entities also wanted to get in on the act. Since industrial lobbyists are now 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

such a big part of how our laws are passed, they jumped at the opportunity. They promised to protect the organic farming community. Through sleight of hand, however, the organic legislation allows for standards that in effect do more to protect agribusiness than small local producers. How? The original meaning of organic has been stripped of its social and ecological layers. Organic can be little more than a marketing tool, that at the same time imposes unnecessary restrictions on farmers and processors who want to maintain small-scale operations. These regulations hamper local farming and marketing for bioregional consumers. The organic certification requires a unique premium on the use of the word organic. While agribusiness farmers pay no environmental costs for allowing their chemical treatments to flow downstream, organic farmers face an additional tax for the use of the word organic and the burden of frequent inspections and excessive paperwork. This should be reversed. Now that organic has

been co-opted by conventional farming and political maneuvering, the practice and the use of the word has become a tool for largescale farms and grocers. In view of all this, our local growers and producers should emphasize the bioregional character of our farmers markets, touting their rejection of synthetic chemicals and genetic engineering. Perhaps we can transition to the word “bio,” denoting bio-logical, bio-regional and bio-beneficial—supporting life. (In French, the word used to denote organic is biologique). For now, forget about organic. What’s so great about a grape grown in Chile, flown all the way to North America to be sold at health food stores as organic, when it competes with a grape that is grown right here? That is one of the ironies resulting from the distortion of the word. Local producers need to set themselves apart from those who have subverted organic standards. They should adhere to the concept that honors the organic pioneers’ triple bottom line: small local family farmers; local mar-

As a concept, organic came about as a reaction by small-scale farmers and processors to the introduction of chemical farming that began just after World War II. Nitrogen previously used for weapons and chemicals—such as nerve gas—needed a new market. So they were expanded as farming aids. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer could boost soil nitrogen, and organophosphate poisons derived from chemical weapons could play a role in insect control.

kets; and enhancing the farm’s biodiverse ecosystems—not destroying them. Fortunately, there are reputable nonprofits such as the Organic Consumers Association that work to hold policymakers and manufacturers who use the organic label accountable to high organic standards for the health and safety of the public. But it is the consumers who stay informed on these issues and support local growers who will truly drive the movement back home. ............................................ Willem Malten is a baker, filmmaker and community activist. He owns Cloud Cliff Bakery and can be found at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. As a baker, he is active in supporting the re-emergence of native and organic wheat farming in New Mexico.

LOCAL FOOD 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

HOLDING QUART: THE FIRST FUNKY BUTTE RANCH ZERO CARBON-MILE DAIRY PRODUCT MANIFESTS AS A MICROBIOLOGY EXPERIMENT IN MY STOMACH With little Nico, our new goat kid, only half-weaned, mamma Natalie (named for having a similar voice to Natalie Merchant) is already giving us humans more than a quart-and-a-half of creamy, hint-of-molasses milk per day here on the Funky Butte Ranch. Not only is this allowing me to further reduce my petroleum use and protein purchases, I felt we had enough supply to give a shot at some yogurt. This, of course, is a science experiment that involves intentionally cultivating the kind of microorganisms that refrigeration was invented to destroy. But I figured the worst that could happen (other than my E. coli death as Official Taster, since my

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

sweetheart is nursing our son) was a pint or two of wasted milk. Ya know, in the name of local food science. Literal Home Economics. Who knows what we’d create? I mean penicillin got invented this way. The recipe I used came from a link recommended

by a friend I call my Fairy Goat Mother. This woman has already saved me thousands of dollars in vet costs with concise advice like, “Try feeding them some charcoal.” Her yogurt recipe was amazingly simple; it amounted to elevating some goat milk to a steady 108 degrees for 8 hours, with a scoop of yogurt starter culture to get those billions of good bacteria going. I used a Thermos and a candy thermometer. It worked out deliciously fantastic. I added vanilla, granola, some frozen blueberries, and some local honey. It was truly the best yogurt I’ve ever eaten (but I have this reaction as a Val-U-Meal-raised kid whenever I eat real food not from a store). And despite the fact that I spilled the Thermos at first, tainting my “clean” surface, and probably went both over and under the recommended 108 degree cultivation temperature several times during the yogurt-making process, no negative parasites have in-

LOCAL FOOD

BY DOUG FINE

vaded my intestines as of this writing. So I presume that the yogurt is doing its job of fighting the good floral fight, and I have just taken a few thousand more carbon miles out of my diet (not to mention adding about $15 a week in Ranch budget savings). Go acidophilus and my army of microscopic bacteriological warriors! And thank you, Natalie, for the milk that is the building block for my body’s arsenal of mass microbe health maintenance. ............................................ Doug Fine is the author of the bestseller Farewell, My Subaru. He speaks around the world about his efforts to banish petroleum from his life without giving up his Digital Age comforts. Written and film accounts of the continuing carbon-neutral misadventures on his remote Funky Butte Ranch are at www.dougfine.com

almond cream weren’t necessary at all. These apricots were utterly enough. Sufficient. Complete. Nothing more needed. I think about the people who grow the old, often temperamental varieties, the ones that don’t fit in the commercial marketplace. It takes a rare commitment and passion to stay with such fruits and their vagaries. I think about the growers who revisit their apricot trees, date palms, or fig trees to pick the fruits as they ripen, instead of picking them all at once regardless, a method scornfully regarded as inefficient by commercial growers, but what it takes to get the very best fruit. I think about the farmer who knows that the apricots for jam—those fruits that fall into a puree the minute you handle them—are inconveniently placed at the top of the tree, but who insists on making the climb to pick them. And what about the jam makers who strive to use as little sugar as possible so that the powerful flavor of their well-grown berries or pears or peaches is what’s preserved, not just some sticky sweet sub-

stance? It’s growers and producers like these, people who discern and commit to such qualities that put substances in our mouths that have the power to connect us to the place where we are, or perhaps were for an afternoon. These are gifts of human culture. True agriculture. The soul of fruit depends especially on those people who take the inconvenient route to perfection, and the same nourishes our own souls. You won’t find these fruits at the supermarket, but you might find them at your farmers market. So go and follow your nose to the most fragrant of delights, real fruit. Ask what its name is so you can ask for it again, next year. And thank the farmer for growing it. ............................................

I believe that a good piece of fruit has the power to change our lives, but you have to be a local eater to even imagine such a thought. Once at the Healdsburg farmers market in Sonoma Country, I bought some Blenheim apricots. I watched how the woman placed them in a paper sack, carefully, without rushing, so that the fruits wouldn’t be damaged. The Blenheim, a comparatively rare apricot these days, is fragile, one of the reasons it doesn’t make it far from the farm. It’s not as pretty as the big, dumb Castlebright, which is why most shoppers ignore it, but it’s favored hands down by connoisseurs. An hour later, when three of us were finishing our farmers market lunch, we picked up the apricots, split them open, removed the stone, and saw that a puddle of floral juice filled each half. One half apricot, one bite, or you’d lose that honeyed syrup. We savored it and sighed over such a deep pleasure. I could only imagine what a galette these apricots might have made. But in truth, with fruit like this, the crust and

LOCAL FOOD

five that had enough promise to warrant their use. Once home, I tasted one. It was curiously tart, as in unripe, fermented as in overripe, and mushy; but I had no choice. I made the dough, made the frangipane, assembled and finally baked my tart. It looked beautiful. But when my husband and I took a bite, we both looked at each other. “It tastes like nothing!” he said, speaking my thoughts exactly. Like nothing at all. All that work, time, butter, and it was like eating shadows. And that’s why I was up thinking about fruit at 2 AM. Marianne’s frangipane, a fragrant paste of butter, sugar and ground nuts, was made from her own almonds and the peaches were grown down the road from her orchard. Therein lies the clue. Fruit, more than any other food, is a good reason for shopping at your farmers market or farm stand, and even growing your own. Good fruit just doesn’t travel. Well, maybe some does, but the most delicate and delicious fruits of summer— stone fruits and figs and berries—don’t. They’re meant to be eaten close to where they grow.

Deborah Madison moved from San Francisco to the Santa Fe area twenty years ago, where she has written many books. Her latest is called Seasonal Fruit Desserts from Orchard, Farm and Market (Broadway Books, 2010).

“The Fruit Basket,” owned and operated by Eddie Velarde and family.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

LOCAL FOOD 94 Holding Quart: The First Funky Butte Ranch Zero CarbonMile Dairy Product Manifests as a Microbiology Experiment in My Stomach 96 Redefining Organic 98 A Climate-Change Survival Strategy: Growing Food Year-Round 100 Closing the Food Gap through Food Policy Councils 102 Nutritious Food: Everyone's Birthright 106 Earth Care's Locavore Guide

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

AMERICAN FRUIT: LOOKING FOR THE SUBLIME BY DEBORAH MADISON

It’s 2:00 AM and I’m lying awake thinking about fruit, in particular American fruit, how disappointing it is and what it takes for fruit to be sublime. This is the kind of thing I ponder in the wee hours—this and global warming, fire, drought, flood, the tyranny of cell phones. Recently I made a frangipane and peach galette, a dish I enjoyed at a Slow Food brunch in Chico, California one June. The cook, Marianne, hosted the brunch in her almond orchard. It was one of those desserts that’s so amazingly good that you are willing to make a complete pig out of yourself in front of others. Clearly it had to have a page or two in the book I was writing, Seasonal Fruit Desserts. Here we might not see peaches until late July or even August, or we might not see them at all. When I asked one peach grower at the farmers market if he’d have fruit one year, he sighed, “Maybe two bushels out of 600 trees.” A prolonged, cold spring and/or a late freeze can effectively nix a fruit crop, though devastation is never uniform in New Mexico. I lost all my apples, quince and pears to a cold June night, but people just up the road didn’t. Farmers complain of loss, but still something shows up at the market. When there’s no local fruit, my recourse for recipe testing becomes the supermarket, my least favorite source for fruit. I don’t want to disparage the supermarket, but it is consistently disappointing. Fruit is rock hard and it has no perfume. Names are reduced to simplistic colors—red plums, white peaches. Shoppers drop this pretty but dead fruit into plastic bags without bringing it to their noses first to read its promise because there’s nothing to read. I wanted to make Marianne’s tart so I could include it in the book. The peaches I bought at the supermarket looked gorgeous. Smooth, with nectarine-like skin, they bore a bright red blush, since the marketing folks know that people reach for red. I spent a lot of time searching for

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Ripples in Still Water

SOLUTIONS RISING

ZANE FISCHER

integrating bicycling and walking into the City and County’s joint Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). Getting elected officials, local government staff, and citizens out on bicycles together is a key way to raise awareness of the opportunities and obstacles for local bikeway development. Next steps for the MPO include the development of a “Bikeways Master Plan” for the Santa Fe metropolitan area that will promote the use of nationally-accepted engineering standards, best practices based on local, national and international models, and proper planning and prioritization of future investments in local bikeways. From Second Street Brewery, cyclists took the Rail Trail north to a “secret” connector to the West Railyard site, then followed trails and quiet streets along the old Acequia Madre down to the back of Ashbaugh Park. After a jaunt over to the newest additions to the River Trail, and then a mile’s ride upstream, the group was only a few blocks from cold lemonade at the Brewery’s new Railyard location. Those not distracted by the Farmers Market returned along the Rail Trail to the original Second Street Brewery, where they were treated to a lunch discount. Once again, there was interest in doing the next community cruise sooner than next year. So, with the support of Second Street Brewery and the Santa Fe MPO, the first “fall edition” of the ride 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

was scheduled for Nov. 6, 2010. The rides will continue next year too, so please come along on the Fourth Annual Crawfish Cruise to be held on the Saturday after Bike-toWork Day in May 2011. More details at http://santafempo.org ...................................................... Tim Rogers is a transportation planning consultant specializing in non-motorized modes. He has worked to improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians in communities throughout New Mexico and is currently under contract with the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization to develop a "Bikeways Master Plan" as well as initiatives for pedestrian safety and safe routes to school.

Sustainable Santa Fe Plan The following trails were completed in 2009: • Arroyo Chamiso Trail extension at Rodeo Rd., adjacent to Nava Ade neighborhood • The Acequia Trail, which goes from Baca Street Railyard to St. Francis Dr. • The Rail Trail, which goes from Rabbit Road to the Santa Fe Depot near Montezuma St. Currently in design or under construction: • The Museum Hill Trail will extend the Arroyo Chamiso Trail north and east of St. Francis Dr. • The Arroyo Chamiso Trail extension underpass at St. Francis and Zia Rd., which will go north along St. Francis Dr. to St. Michael's Dr. • A crossing at Cerrillos Rd. and St. Francis Dr. near the end of the Acequia Madre Trail. Planners are considering an above-grade pass, on-grade pass, or a belowgrade tunnel. For more information contact Bob Siquieros at 955-6977.

The mainstream media may hammer us daily with the stagnant state of our economy, but in local communities around the country, entrepreneurs and innovators are more willing than ever to make waves. If communities are lucky, as we are in Santa Fe, the city government will be engaged in (gently) rocking the boat. The City's Business and Quality of Life Committee formed two sub-committees in 2010—one to examine needs related to the current economy and another to plan for the development of a robust future economy. Implementation strategies are still being developed for the two groups' action plans but preliminary reports to BQL and the City Council have demonstrated that key focus points will include encouraging entrepreneurship, offering resources for the growing class of “1099 nation” (freelance) workers, and facilitating the transition of business leaders from one generation to the next. Such broad goals can sound like vague hyperbole, but in this case clear plans are forming and both private and public sector financial support is aligning. A few factors have combined to make now an ideal time to push for experimental but holistic approaches to building the economy. First, challenging economic times breed innovators and entrepreneurs, much as still water attracts an influx of opportunistic plants: when times are tough, bold ideas gain more traction. Secondly, government has been made keenly aware of the weaknesses— and strengths—in the local economy and its connections to the social and cultural network of the community. Finally, Santa Fe has a number of organizations willing to engage government and private citizenry both on multiple fronts. To get the lay of the land and figure out how you can be involved, check out the following websites: • Santa Fe Economic Development santafenm.gov • MixSantaFe.com • SFComplex.org • CreativeSantaFe.org • SFAI.org • SantaFeInnovate.org • SantaFeChamber.com • SantaFeAlliance.com • SFBI.net .............................................................................................................. Zane Fischer is a multiple award-winning columnist and web editor for the Santa Fe Reporter weekly newspaper. He currently volunteers on the joint Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce/City of Santa Fe public/private initiative to create networking and entrepreneurial activities for young professionals. He also sits on the City of Santa Fe’s Business and Quality of Life “future economy” subcommittee.

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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ANNUAL BIKE CRUISE SHOWCASES CITY’S NEWEST TRAILS AND CONNECTIONS BY TIM ROGERS

When you hear “sustainable transportation,” you may think of important strategies like more efficient vehicles, renewable fuel sources, or public transportation. But the most environmentally friendly form of transportation is self-propelled. Walking and bicycling can help address a wide variety of society’s ailments at the personal, community and global level. A key strategy is to keep trips short by identifying local destinations that meet your needs and figuring out safe and convenient ways to get there. If you decide to walk, see how public transportation might help increase your range. If

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

you decide to bicycle, you may eventually find that most of what you need is within a reasonable cycling distance from where you live or work, particularly in a smaller city like Santa Fe. Whether you are a seasoned “gear-head” or a

novice toting kids to the playground, bicycling around Santa Fe is getting easier. More streets that need bike lanes are getting them. The network of urban trails is blossoming into a “critical mass” capable of conveying cyclists to almost

any part of the city. In between are a variety of lowtraffic roads well known to local cyclists as safe, efficient and comfortable ways to get around. All three kinds of routes are featured on the Santa Fe Bikeways and Trails Map, available at bike shops, libraries and other locations, or on-line through the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) (http://santafempo.org/). Aiming to get more Santa Feans out onto this growing bikeway system, the third annual Crawfish Cruise set out from Second Street Brewery on the Saturday after Bike-to-Work Day last May, with roughly 35 participating cyclists of all ages. Traveling on bikes ranging from serious road and mountain machines to tagalongs, trailers and traditional single-speeds (with coaster brakes), the group traced some of previous years’ routes, but included several pieces of paved urban trails that were previously unavailable. Along for the ride were Councilor Patti Bushee, who chairs the City’s Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee (BTAC), and Keith Wilson, the MPO planner responsible for

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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CAR IDLING GETS YOU NOWHERE BY SSFRG STAFF

Idling: When your car engine is running but the car is not in motion Miles per gallon when idling: Zero Idling a car contributes to global warming and air pollution, which is bad for our health. It wastes gas that could be put to better use, like getting from point A to point B. By turning

off our engines, we can reduce CO2 emissions and pollution while saving money. Facts About Idling 1. Ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting your engine. 2. Contrary to the belief that constantly restarting a car will damage the engine, there is actually

very little impact on the car’s battery, starter, motor, etc. 3. Idling is not an effective way to warm up your engine. An idling engine is not operating at peak temperature, causing incomplete fuel combustion. This results in fuel residue condensing on the cylinder walls, contaminating oil and damaging engine components. In extreme cold, the best way to heat up your engine is to wait 30 seconds for the oil to circulate, and then set the car in motion. 4. No idling laws exist on the books in 18 states, (Environmental Protection Agency Website: 2009) but we don’t need to wait for lawmakers to start cutting down on unnecessary car idling and pollution.

Turning off the engine to wait longer than it takes at a typical stoplight— whether for roadwork, a passing train, in the drivethru, or while you drop off your recyclables—can save wear and tear on your engine, our atmosphere and your wallet. Keep public spaces free of car exhaust so we can all breathe a little more easily. This message is brought to you by Earth Care’s Youth Allies who will provide a free sign for businesses or schools that are willing to post a sign at their drivethru asking patrons to turn off car engines while waiting (call 505-983-6896 or visit www.youthalliesnetwork.org for more information). ...................................................... Data from The Hinkle Charitable Foundation www.thehcf.org/antiidlingprimer.html

Do you have an idea for the 2012 Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide? Call 983-6896.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING 9. Plan, regulate, finance and operate real estate and transport options. 10. Re-engineer freight movement. The South Korean ambassador noted that most emissions in large Asian cities come from vehicles, and they have doubled motorcycle use in the last four years. Mitigation in transportation has huge potential, using policies such as congestion pricing. The model of building more roads for more cars, as

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

done in South Korea, is self-defeating. The French ambassador shared that Paris does not allow offices to be built anywhere except next to a metro stop, and no parking garage can be built for that office building. The Costa Rican ambassador stated that his nation’s 2021 goal of carbon neutrality hinges on transportation: “We’ve hit a wall” in figuring out what to do. All fuel is imported for its road-based system, constructed on the advice

of multilateral lending banks. The car is a status symbol used to deliver a message of identity. The government seeks to increase public transit ridership from 8% to 90%. Munich, Tokyo and Vienna are cities noted for both high car ownership and high quality transit systems. Naturally, the session on cycling in Copenhagen was led by its mayor. The city’s mission to be an eco metropolis means being the world’s best bicycling city, the green/blue capital and the climate policy center. Thirty-five percent of residents see themselves using the fastest and most flexible form of transportation, which happens to be the bike. The city spends $30 per resident per year on bike infrastructure, with 5,000 parking stands placed in 2008 alone. By 2015, 90% of residents will

be able to walk 15 minutes to a park, five minutes by bike, to reach public spaces where litter is removed every eight hours. The 2025 goal: carbon neutral, with cars running on windgenerated electricity. In short, while the US Senate spins its wheels, communities can truly be the bottom-up approach to lead us toward a low carbon future—sooner rather than later. ...................................................... Ken Hughes is Conservation Chair for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. He also chairs the club’s national committee on building healthy communities.

City of Santa Fe Convention and Vistor Center Full Page Ad Page 83

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VIEWPOINT FROM THE INSIDE: THE COPENHAGEN 2010 CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE BY KEN HUGHES | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KEN HUGHES

I had the great fortune to attend the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference as part of a 40-person group sent by the Sierra Club. We split up to attend from among hundreds of sessions; I chose urban related sessions and offer here a few insights from a smattering of these sessions. A Swedish presentation at the EU pavilion touted both Stockholm, named the European Commission’s 2010 Green Capital due to its Climate Positive Development Program, and Malmo, just across the spit from Copenhagen, which has been transformed from a graying industrial city to a green oasis. Half of all solar power generated in Sweden and 40% bike-towork or school is in Malmo. Its 110-megawatt offshore wind farm powers 60,000 homes. Biogas made from food waste powers

many of the city’s buses. No wonder Malmo can see clearly all the way to carbon neutrality by 2025. Rio de Janeiro made a hefty pledge to reduce emissions, based on a Bright Green Initiative it has begun in collaboration with IBM. Since 70% of the world’s people will live in cities by 2050 and 67% of all carbon demand is city driven, low carbon models are huge. South Africa is partnering with Brazil, their largest trade partner in South America, to optimize shipping routes, and

is redirecting roundabout Internet service that previously went through London. A presentation on building energy efficiency praised the Vauban homes in Freiburg, Germany that are in effect power plants disguised as living quarters, producing more energy than used by the residents. Frankfurt is setting a 90% energy-use reduction goal for the renovation of existing homes. Singapore has advanced ways to naturally cool buildings, using staircases and apartment build-

ing landscaping to cool air currents. A session on transportation featured the Bridging the Gap Initiative (http://www.transport2012.org) to integrate transportation into the climate change negotiations and subsequent agreements. Michael Replogle, who co-founded with me the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (http://itdp.org/) 25 years ago, offered ten principles for sustainable transportation: 1. Start with the pedestrian. 2. Connect suburban and urban centers with high quality transit. 3. Link bicycling to transit with continuous networks, and secure parking at intermodal centers. 4. Market incentives to switch costs of driving from fixed to variable, inducing less driving with less ownership. 5. Design complete streets that serve all users and modes. 6. Manage motor vehicle speeds. 7. Offer innovations such as real-time ridesharing. 8. Provide people-oriented public spaces.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

At the potluck of life, there are choices.

Be visible. Wear bright colors, employ hand signals, and always use lights at night. Take to the streets. I spend about 98% of my bike time on streets as compared with sidewalks. On the street, a bike is visible; on the sidewalk it’s not. Fences, walls, shrubs, trees, parked cars and signage all make sidewalk biking more dangerous than street biking. Choose quiet residential streets when possible and take up an entire lane when you can’t give cars at least five feet with which to safely (and legally) pass you. Avoid

Know where you stand. At some intersections, in order to get a red light to turn green, your bike has to be in the right place. If there happens to be an icon of a bicycle painted at an intersection, standing at that spot will usually make the light change. If, at a red light, you see a pair of large rectangular pads embedded in the asphalt, put your weight and your front tire on the forward-most portion of the rectangles (right on the “X” where they intersect). This should also trigger a green light, so that you can easily go on your way. At the potluck of life, there are choices. For those who understand it, biking toward sustainability is not a choice anymore. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to the natural desire for a better world. It’s almost as if planet Earth needs us to enjoy life to the fullest. Fortunately, doing this is tons of fun! .............................................................................. Nate Downey is president of Santa Fe Permaculture, Inc. (www.sfpermaculture.com), an ecological landscape-consultation, -design, and -installation firm he started in 1992. He is the author of the newly released Harvest the Rain, available at www.harvesttherain.com and from local booksellers.

Whatever your motivation, here are three important cycling tips:

super-busy streets when sharrows (share-the-road arrows), bike lanes or smooth shoulders are lacking.

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prising inspirational energy that you get from two-wheel travel. Sometimes it comes from within, and other times it’s generated by the smiles, waves, thumbs up, and hefty measure of respect that large numbers of drivers have for cyclists. Merely coasting downhill can instill an uplifting power in the soul, but an in-your-face wind in the middle of a long, steep incline can do even more for the human spirit. Here, life becomes more meaningful as you realize you can conquer the impossible. During those magical “I did it!” moments, you feel free from your addiction to oil, and that’s a pretty heavenly feeling these days.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

FOR THE LOVE OF BIKING Modern culture’s much-needed paradigm shift will come when enough people recognize sustainability’s overflowing smorgasbord of incentives. Greener lifestyles must be fun, and they should make or save you money. If our sustainable choices don’t turn us into gold-medal athletes, they should at least make us happy, healthy and strong. With the possible exception of edible gardening, there’s no more positive example of sustainability than bicycling. I’m no Olympian, but I am 20 pounds lighter than I was when I started bike commuting five years ago. I bike everywhere: to my landscaping projects, kids’ schools, errands, and to

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BY NATE DOWNEY

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

many social and cultural events. Thanks to the cool bike straps on the Rail Runner, several times I’ve cycled to Albuquerque for a morning meeting or an afternoon consultation. Although many of my clients love it when I show up on a bike, I don’t know that I’ve made money as a cyclist. But over the years

I’ve surely saved lots of cash in terms of gas, car maintenance, speeding tickets, and parking fees. Biking almost every day also gave me five wonderful years not paying for a gym membership. I’ll refrain from claiming to have found religion, but my spirit has certainly been elevated ever since getting

into purposeful (as opposed to recreational) cycling. Like a morning rain in the desert, there is a sur-

Lesson Five - Design Matters A properly designed solar system can generate significantly more power than one designed by a novice. One of the main things to look out for is shading. Shade from a tree, parapet, mountain range or TV antenna on just one module can shut down the output from as many as 11 modules. The angle (tilt) and direction (azimuth) will impact your output. Additionally, the inverter is a key component of every grid-tied solar system. Complex mathematical calculations determine which inverter should be used with which modules, and how many modules it can support. The wrong inverter can lead to significant output loss or could even shut your system down at various times of the year. Make sure your installer explains his/her design considerations. Lesson Six - Ask a Lot of Questions Installing a photovoltaic system is a big investment. Moreover, it is a major addition to your home and lifestyle. You’ll want to

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ufactured, designed and installed. Try to look beyond the sticker price. The cheapest up-front investment will likely not be the best return on investment. If you want to get the biggest solar bang for your buck, look at how the system will perform over time or kW-h (kilowatt hour) per year—not the STC rating. Ask how your installer came up with the annual kW-h projection, and if he or she can back up the claim.

learn as much as possible about the installers as well as the systems and components they use. Ask about quality and efficiency ratings, reliability and warranties offered, and how long the equipment manufacturers have been in the industry. Some products are from start-up companies that have only been around for a couple of years. It would be important to know if a product with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty was made by a manufacturer who has only been around a few years! Who’s to say they will still be in business if your component needs to

be replaced? In the end, after having your questions answered, trust your gut feeling to find an installer who is the best fit for you. With the world-wide repercussions of climate change reverberating through our daily lives, there has never been a better time or place to take the technology plunge and make the decision to go solar! With a 40 percent tax credit for the total cost of the system, no gross receipts tax on solar products or installation, free energy from your system (with Net metering), and Renewable Energy Certificates paid by PNM for all the energy

produced by your solar system for 12 years, the return on investment for solar systems has never been better. And, it is the right thing to do for our planet. ...................................................... Taylor Selby works as an Account Executive and Partial Owner of Positive Energy Solar and is Board Member/Co-Founder of Earth Care. Taylor@PositiveEnergySolar.com Renee Frank works as a New Mexico Realtor in Las Cruces with certifications in energy efficient and environmentally responsible features of real estate. Renee@reneefrank.com

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

GOING SOLAR SOLUTIONS RISING

BY TAYLOR SELBY AND RENEE FRANK

My family is on a long-term quest to manifest sustainability values through our lifestyle and the functioning of our home. One exciting development over the past year has been our investment in solar energy. After four years of making our landscape edible and implementing energy efficiency, we “bit the bullet” and installed a photovoltaic, grid-tied solar system. The Selby Solar Power Plant became operational in September 2009 and just one year later, we decided to double our system. Since the initial installation, we have been getting checks from PNM every month like clockwork. Our son has a solar powered trust fund. With our system expansion, we are now “banking” energy with PNM to use, once we purchase an electric vehicle. In order to make the best investment, we did our homework on solar manufacturers and local installers, evaluated various options, and crunched the numbers. Now, I’m eager to share the things I’ve learned about photovoltaic solar systems and the companies that install them. Lesson One Maximize Energy Efficiency First Save money by doing an energy audit on your home before sizing your solar system. An audit will tell you where you can realize energy conservation and reduce the amount of energy you need from a system. Taking measures to reduce your energy consumption includes replacing incandescent light bulbs with more efficient CFLs or LEDs, reducing your phantom electrical load from en-

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

tertainment centers and computers by using power strips, or replacing an old inefficient refrigerator with a new Energy Star model. The installer can then design a smaller system that will accomplish your goal at a much lower cost. For every $1 spent on energy efficiency, you can save between $3 and $20 on the upfront cost of your solar system! Lesson Two - Get a System Tailored to Your Needs Select an installer who will pay attention to your true goals. You don’t want a cookie-cutter solution. The better installers will ask what you want to achieve with your solar system and help you to meet those goals in the most cost-efficient way. For example, if you have a large lot or some acreage, a good installer

will let you know about ground-mounted options such as: fixed array, dual axis tracker, or a polemounted, static array. Make sure the installer does a site visit before you sign anything. You don’t want to be hit with any surprise change orders. Lesson Three - Experience and Professional Credentials Count Let’s face it: Now that tax credits and renewable energy certificates have made solar energy an affordable solution for homeowners, many new solar installers have appeared on the scene. As the number of installers grows, it is more important than ever to be an informed consumer. Ask how long and how many solar systems the installer has designed and installed. Ask for references and check them out. You want a quality job by someone who has the experience and expertise to make your system efficient, reliable, safe and aesthetically pleasing. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) offers certification that requires passing difficult

written tests and lead field experience. While there are competent installers out there who are not certified, there is a lot to be said for the installer who takes the extra time to become certified and demonstrates professional competence. Find out how many licensed journeymen electricians work for the company, and verify that the people working on your system are employees and not subcontractors. Lesson Four - Output Determines Payback Shopping by price alone can be a big mistake. A solar system rated at the same kW (kilowatt) size can produce significantly different output over the course of a year. Solar modules come with an STC (Standard Testing Conditions) rating. STC is a standard way to measure the output of a solar panel under a standard testing environment, such as a constant temperature of 77 degrees. How often is it a steady 77 degrees in Santa Fe? If you don’t like the weather here, wait five minutes. The output over time depends on how the solar panels are engineered, man-

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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above: Canale Rain Chains direct roof water into underground cisterns

above: Appropriate overhangs shade south facing windows from the summer sun

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tricity supplied to our grid comes from burning coal. So unless you are generating electricity through solar or wind, choosing natural gas or propane over standard electricity will reduce emissions, even though at current prices it may cost more each month. The relative costs will fluctuate over time as the cost of electricity, natural gas and propane change. But saving on costs to our environment for future generations will be the ultimate pay-off in the long run.

Katherine Mortimer has a Master’s in Environmental Planning and over 25 years of experience. She currently leads the sustainability efforts for the City of Santa Fe, including development of the green building program.

Sustainable Santa Fe Plan The Residential Green Building code, passed in 2009, applies to all new single-family residential construction, including affordable housing. It has saved immediate out-of-pocket expenses. Homewise has provided $750,000 in low-cost loans to income-qualified persons to increase weatherization and other key factors.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

BY KATHERINE MORTIMER

According to Santa Fe’s Architecture 2030 group, buildings are the major source of global demand for energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gases. To address this problem, the City of Santa Fe began implementing its residential green building code, which requires a minimum energy savings of 30% over a standard code built home. As of February 24, 2010, 112 homes have been permitted under the new code, resulting in a cost savings on energy bills and an avoidance of about 420 tons of CO2 emissions, the same as taking 150 cars permanently off the road. Implementation of the code has not occurred without some controversy. The 34-page checklist seemed daunting and some builders didn’t realize that there were minimum point requirements in each category. They also found it difficult to go beyond code minimum requirements for insulation to achieve the HERS Index rating, a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network. (Thus, a home with a HERS Index of 70 is 30% more energy efficient than a home built to minimum building code requirements). The feedback from the building community has helped us

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

to streamline the code while maintaining the same or greater CO2 emission reductions going forward. In addition to the current single-family residential code, codes are being written for remodels and additions to residential buildings, commercial buildings and historic buildings. This family of codes will ultimately address all buildings in the City of Santa Fe. Thanks to our experience administering the residential code, the new codes will be coordinated so that moving from one building type to another should be fairly seamless. Santa Fe has long been

One lesson we’ve learned is that the first priority should be to consider the building envelope—the energy performance and structural integrity of a building. If the building itself is well built with good insulation, quality windows and mass used strategically, the energy savings will last the lifetime of the building. Next is the selection of energy-efficient equipment, including lighting, heating and cooling, water heater, water fixtures and appliances. Finally, adding energy generation—solar collectors (either to heat water for domestic use or radiant heat, to heat air, or to generate electricity), wind turbines, or groundsource heat pumps that are paired with clean electricity generation—will greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Santa Fe, the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity are about three times that of either natural gas or propane for the same unit of energy. This is because most of the elec-

known for its historical architectural style, which includes time-tested green building methods. Adobe, for example, is an efficient, nontoxic, natural material that is readily available and does not require the destruction of an ecosystem for its production. Also, straw-bale, rammed earth and other ecological construction methods have been popularized in our area. As a result, some of the most respected experts in a range of aspects of green building live and work in Santa Fe, and many have been very generous with lending their expertise to these code-writing efforts.

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SANTA FE’S GREEN BUILDING CODE: STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGE TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS

left: Roof Mounted Photovoltaic Arrays

not record and the TV remote won’t work if they are unplugged). Always turn off the power strip when you go on vacation. Yearly, our nation wastes about 43 billion kilowatt-hours of energy on phantom loads. That is roughly $3.33 billion we could keep in our own pocket books, while saving the atmosphere over 25 million tons of CO2 emissions. With such minor changes to every household and business’s energy consumption, and by attending the Housing Trust’s Saving Energy First! class, you can make a difference—both by saving money and mitigating climate change.

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...................................................... Spencer Haynsworth is the Development Program Manager at The Housing Trust, a nonprofit affordable housing organization, in Santa Fe, NM. She manages the design and construction of a range of projects and programs with a commitment to sustainability in low to moderate income communities.

resources that provide charts with average phantom loads for appliances. And with some basic math, you can determine how much your phantom loads are costing you. Remember: 1 kilowatt equals 1,000 watts and the average household is charged around $0.09 per kilowatthour by PNM. For example, a computer uses 7.5 watts when it is turned off, which is 0.0075 kilowatts or $0.000675 per kilowatthour. In a year, that computer uses $5.91 just by being plugged in. If you have 25 of these energy leaks in your home, you are unnecessarily spending $147.75 a year! The best way to eliminate these phantom loads is to connect devices to power strips that can be turned off at one switch. Centralize all your chargers into a charging station on one power strip. When you recharge a cell phone, flip the power on and then flip it off when you’re done. Plug all seldom used office appliances, like fax, printer, scanner, etc., into a common power strip and only turn it on when needed. Create a power strip for your entertainment center that you turn off when not in use. (Note: TIVO will

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

BY SPENCER HAYNSWORTH

In determining the affordability of a home, the focus is often on the monthly mortgage or lease payments. But the expense of monthly utility bills is a critical factor to long-term housing affordability. Because some households spend over 15% of their income on energy to heat, cool, illuminate and power their homes, it is important to find ways to free up finances that can help pay for food, clothing, and other essentials. There are two distinct paths toward achieving energy efficiency in the home. One is associated with the building’s construction or making energy-saving home improvements, and the other is addressing the

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

household members’ energy use. Since many households lack the finances to invest in remodeling or retrofitting their existing homes, changing our behavior is the most attainable, no-cost step to-

The Plugheads by Bobbe Besold

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WITH SIMPLE ENERGY LITERACY, EVERYONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

wards energy efficiency. Everyone understands the importance of developing alternative energy like solar, wind and geothermal, but the decisions we make concerning our personal energy consumption are arguably more critical to reducing our dependence on fossils fuels. Behavioral psychologists have shown that by influencing how people interact with technology, we can reduce our energy consumption nationally by 20 percent in 20 weeks. What is missing is a concerted effort to provide the necessary education and literacy that not only answers the question of why we should set goals to reduce our energy consumption, but how. In 2010, the PNM Fund awarded nearly $250,000 in grants to nonprofits like The Housing Trust to reduce their organization’s energy use, enabling them to invest more money into mission-based programs. The Housing Trust has chosen to parlay its energy savings into a new Saving Energy First! Program. This free energy literacy class gives individuals the essential tools to become

energy efficient at home. The class presents easy, cost effective solutions to achieve household energy efficiency, such as how to analyze utility bill usage figures; upgrade old appliances; service home systems to keep them running efficiently; and deal with phantom loads. In the case of phantom loads, when a person understands that an appliance that is switched off but still plugged in continues to consume energy, he or she can make an informed decision to conserve that energy. These phantom loads are relatively small, but because of the sheer number of appliances we keep continuously plugged in, their energy usage can equal nearly 10% of our total residential consumption. Devices and appliances like cell phone chargers, VCRs, DVD players, TVs, microwave ovens, and computers all have phantom loads. If you are interested to know how much electricity your appliances are using at any given time, you could invest in an appliance watt meter for around $25. Or you can use online

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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subsistence systems (farming, grazing, hunting) are likely to be severely impacted by climate change and local extinctions of plants and animals integral to the cultural and spiritual life of Native American and traditional communities.1 Currently, coal-fired power plants produce the majority of our energy. Coal releases more carbon per unit of energy than any other source. Once we are in control of our energy infrastructure, we can transition from dependence on fossil fuels and create a new energy paradigm. New Mexico is an opportune place for renewable energy projects. Our state is ranked second in the nation for solar energy potential, and twelfth in wind energy.2 Unfortunately, however, we have not capitalized on these renewable sources under the current system run by privately owned utilities. Further, by investing in renewable energy and decentralizing our power system, we could improve efficiency in our homes and businesses and reduce the price we pay, our consumption, and the cost to our environment. Presently, our nation’s electric infrastructure is composed mostly of centralized power systems that produce energy at distant power plants that are then distributed through high voltage transmission lines. This system is highly inefficient and is in dire need of change. By the time we re-

ceive energy from power plants, over 65% of the energy stored in the fuel has been lost.3 By transitioning to a decentralized power system, people could produce energy on their rooftops or at nearby energy parks, requiring shorter distances for transmission. Toxic greenhouse emissions would be reduced, land would be saved, energy would be conserved, and the negative health impacts would be averted. A public utility owned and operated under a nonprofit structure would serve only Santa Fe County and would be directly accountable to us— not to out of state shareholders. Professor John Kwoka Jr., author of Power Structure: Ownership, Integration and Competition in the U.S. Electric Utility Industry, explains the benefits of local utilities. Distribution may be performed better by enterprises rooted to the customer community…. Such proximity may yield greater knowledge of local customer needs and a greater sense of responsibility for addressing those needs. The people in charge of operating our utility would be members of our community and would be more likely to act in our best interest. Other public utilities often have boards, trusts, or other advisory groups

comprised of citizens to insure that the utility acts in the community’s best interest. If Santa Fe had its own public utility, the board and elected officials would also be responsible for using our utility as an engine of economic development. In 2009, Santa Fe accounted for approximately $12.4 million of PNM’s revenue.4 About 80% of that $12.4 million ($9.92million) immediately leaves our community sending money to distant shareholders. If that money were to stay in our community and our city government, it would easily compensate for the $5 million budget deficit in the public school system in 2009 or address some other struggling public service. The publicly owned utility in San Antonio, for example, provides as much as 25% of the city’s annual operating budget. Santa Fe could create countless new green jobs within the city, and also stimulate production of other jobs within the local private sector of sustainable energy through local contracting, purchasing, and distribution of renewable energy products. With such environmental disasters as the BP oil spill and the threat of climate change, it is clear that we must make the transition to clean, renewable energy. We have the potential to change the status quo. The establishment of a publicly owned energy utility in

Santa Fe would create jobs, ensure a healthier environment, and strengthen our local economy. ...................................................... Sergio Gonzales is a freshman in the BA/MD Program at UNM and looks forward to becoming a doctor, writer and advocate for future generations. Jorge Martinez is a senior at Santa Fe Preparatory and hopes to pursue history and the performing arts.

Sustainable Santa Fe is distributed by bicycle and bike trailers 80% of the time, and by car 20% of the time. Creative Couriers LLC is striving to deliver this guide 100% carbon-free by late 2011.

HTTP://WWW.NMENV.STATE.NM.US/AQB/CC/POTENTIAL_EFFECTS_CLIMATE_CHANGE_NM.PDF

HTTP://WWW.NMSITESEARCH.COM/EE/EE_1_7_1.HTM

HTTP://WWW.CENTERWEST.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/PDF/ENERGY.PDF

HTTP://FILES.SHAREHOLDER.COM/DOWNLOADS/PNM/970605422X0X363800/5BE7107C-2E06-4088-BD30-D7580E6F5A63/2009_ANNUAL_REPORT.PDF

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING

THE POWER TO CHANGE: BENEFITS OF ESTABLISHING A MUNICIPAL ENERGY UTILITY BY SERGIO GONZALES AND JORGE MARTINEZ

The City of Santa Fe is a budding culture of sustainability and renewable energy. With progressive green building codes and a successful farmers market, it is clear that we are establishing a cleaner and healthier economy and environment. If we had more control of our energy supply, however, we could truly become a leader in sustainable community development. A publicly owned energy utility that prioritizes conservation of clean and efficient energy could address our most significant source of carbon emissions. We would be able to cultivate and maxi-

mize our renewable energy potential. In addition, one of the most substantial, quantifiable, and immediate benefits of a nonprofit and publicly owned energy utility would be the economic stimulus that would result from locally spent and circulated dollars. Such a utility could be accountable to both our citizens and our environment.

Research indicates that the effects of climate change in New Mexico have already taken hold. Projected climate change impacts include: average air temperature increases of 6-12Â°F; intense storm events and flash floods; snow falling more often as rain; riparian ecosystems experiencing decline, with a reduction in

species diversity; and forests likely to experience more catastrophic wildfires. Climate change impacts communities of color and low-income communities disproportionately. When natural resources are disrupted, access to clean water, air, food and health care is diminished, raising issues of environmental justice. Traditional

ÂŠ Marcin Wichary

By the time we receive energy from power plants, over 65% of the energy stored in the fuel has been lost.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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price is not high enough. As an example, a price of $10 per ton of carbon dioxide in the US using 2007 emissions would be worth $73 billion. For the consumer at that carbon tax price, it would mean about 8.4 cents higher gasoline prices. What is done with this money is another matter. Possible options would be to refund the money to taxpayers or use it to fund energy research and development. Dr. Hansen proposes imposing a rising carbon tax because countries and special interests haven’t been able to agree on emission targets. Each country has reached a different level of economic development and fossil fuel efficiencies, making a universal carbon cap difficult to negotiate. Dr. Hansen and Lester Brown direct carbon reduction efforts squarely by recommending we stop all new coal-fired power plant construction and close all of them by 2030.

ergy use through energy efficiency measures like highefficiency fluorescent bulbs or power strips to cut off phantom loads. Buying green tags—also known as Renewable Energy Certificates—is another way to offset your carbon. More expensive measures include replacing appliances and investing in clean renewable energy. As we begin to realize we are dancing with the carbon bomb and we race down the path to policies and actions, let’s focus on the ultimate goal for the human race—making a complete transition from fossil fuel energy use to energy conservation and renewable resources. Organizations active in climate change work in New Mexico include the NM Environmental Department Environmental Improvement Board (EIB), New Energy Economy and 1 Sky. ......................................................

What Should We Do? Support immediate action toward climate policies at the national, state and local level and take individual action to reduce our carbon footprint. The average New Mexican household generates over eight tons of carbon dioxide a year just for home energy. Simple, inexpensive measures go a long way, such as reducing home en1

Randy Sadewic is a Co-owner of Positive Energy, a solar electric integrator, and a Board member of New Mexico Solar Energy Association. He and his wife Nao have tracked and offset their household carbon footprint since 2000.

ZACHOS, JAMES, MARK PAGANI, LISA SLOAN, ELLEN THOMAS, AND KATHARINA BILLUPS, “TRENDS, RHYTHMS, AND ABERRATIONS IN GLOBAL CLIMATE 65 MA TO PRESENT”,SCIENCE 292 (APRIL 27, 2001): 686-93 2 CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE AND POLICY, EDITED BY STEPHEN H. SCHNEIDER, ARMIN ROSENCRANZ, MICHAEL D. MASTRANDREA, AND KRISTIN KUNTZ-DURISETI 3 STORMS OF MY GRANDCHILDREN, THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COMING CLIMATE CATASTROPHE AND OUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE HUMANITY, JAMES HANSEN 4 PLAN B 4.0 MOBILIZATION TO SAVE CIVILIZATION, LESTER BROWN.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

FIGURE 22

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dicted, indicating a very close correlation between ice melt and global temperatures; mountain glaciers are disappearing, eventually leading to rivers running dry in the summer and devastating vast agricultural regions that depend on year-round water; a fast shift of warming from the subtropical regions poleward bound that is too fast for species to migrate; and ocean acidification and warming that are killing our coral reefs, which hold a substantial portion of the marine species.

FIGURE 23

PETM event. [Evolution of Man Cartoon] What the Experts Have Learned By studying the Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history, modeling the climate, and observing climate changes, scientists have now found compelling evidence that the current 64

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

warming is caused by humans.2 Recently, Dr. James Hansen, the former director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space, established that the carbon dioxide level goal should be no higher than 350 parts per million (ppm) which is below the current level of 387 ppm.3 [Figure 23] He

insists this is the safe point at which we can avoid the potential triggers for glacial meltdown and warming oceans that leads to an explosive release of carbon. He identifies several important points in addition to the PETM research: the Arctic sea ice has melted faster than models pre-

What Are the Solutions? Shift the entrenched tax incentives away from fossil fuels to renewables; transition taxes on income to those activities that are environmentally destructive; and target an 80% carbon reduction by 2020.4 Two policy options being considered specific to climate change are Cap-and-Trade and a Carbon Tax. Capand-Trade would require governments to set a limit, The advantage of this approach would be to minimize the costs of meeting an emissions target, since each company decides how to comply at the lowest possible cost. The disadvantage is that prices fluctuate due to uncertainty in supply and demand, resulting in a disincentive for businesses to make long-term investments. The Carbon Tax sets a price for carbon. The disadvantage is that carbon emissions might not be reduced to the desired levels if the

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING

DANCING WITH THE CARBON BOMB BY RANDY SADEWIC

I was sitting in the middle of the White Sands National Monument and there was an unmistakable silence—a peaceful one. This natural wonderland took 250 million years to form over Earth’s five billion-year history. This is just one of many works of natural beauty we can enjoy. Then there are the unseen stories of our planet’s incredible history buried in ice or at the bottom of the ocean that are equally impressive. These events reveal important lessons and warnings about our climate. Mass extinctions of living systems, melting of ice caps and release of large amounts of carbon into our atmosphere have been the unpleasant outcomes. voirs—about 3,000 billion metric tons (gigatons). This carbon bomb was a result of decayed organic matter stored in the ocean floor and frozen tundra. During the PETM period, there was no polar ice, so sea level was 75 meters above today’s level with average global temperatures soaring 10˚f higher. This global warming jolt took about 100,000 years to reabsorb back into the carbon reservoirs. Just to put this into perspective, the magnitude of this carbon release was almost four times more

than is present in our atmosphere today. Or it is equal to all of the carbon in oil, gas and coal if we choose to burn it. Today there is an estimated 5,000 gigatons of carbon stored due to a long period of stable climate conditions. This event warns us that carbon dioxide is the leading cause of significant climate change. If our planet reaches the tipping point and another carbon bomb is released, we could face runaway global warming conditions.

The Carbon Bomb: A Look Back in History One of these big events occurred 50 million years ago and is called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum or PETM.1 During this period, there was a dramatic increase in carbon. The trigger for this is speculated to have started with the collision between the Indian continent and Asia. This caused a slow release of carbon that accumulated and reached a tipping point, generating an explosive release of carbon from Earth’s reser-

Evolution of Man

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

The Human Factor Human history, which spans only 200,000 years, is even more remarkable. As a species, our population has swelled and our activity dumps over 8 gigatons of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere every year. This represents about one percent of the total 800 gigatons contained in our atmosphere. Over the past 100 years alone since we began burning fossil fuels, we have generated over 300 gigatons. [Figure 22] About half of this carbon has been absorbed into the ocean and land biosphere, but as these carbon sinks become saturated, this rate of absorption is decreasing. The other half accumulates in our atmosphere for centuries. If we pursue the current course and burn every last drop of oil, coal and gas, we will create the carbon equivalent of the PETM event, that in turn could trigger the carbon bomb releasing the 5,000 gigatons of stored carbon. All of this could happen within a hundred years, which is more than 10,000 times faster than the

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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It has been a personal revolution to turn my home into a place of production rather than pure consumption.

Select choice produce—in season. I no longer buy the prebagged five-pound sacks of potatoes, apples or onions, and skip the styrofoam tubs of mushrooms. Berries—frozen or in plastic clamshells—have been crossed off our shopping list, and we count the days until they come into season locally. And the cotton bags double for storage, requiring only a misting of water to keep leafy vegetables fresh. Make it from scratch. Despite the lofty environmental reasons to re60

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

duce plastic waste, my real motivation was much more personal. I wanted to learn to live like my great-grandmother had—to leave modernity behind and delve into these “lost kitchen arts.” Unwilling to buy the plastic packaged foods we previously relied upon, I embarked on learning to make more from scratch: bread, crackers, pasta, tortillas, cheeses, sour cream and yogurt. It has been a personal revolution to turn my home into a place of production rather than pure consumption.

Just Say No. The Plastic Pollution Coalition has a pledge folks can take to reduce their plastic waste. The first step is refuse. I’ve found that there are almost always alternatives, if only we seek them out. You can find toilet paper wrapped in paper, sponges made from natural cellulose (or old wash cloths), corn chips in a paper bag from the burrito stand, and bring home cheese and lunchmeats from the grocery deli in your reusable containers. Try a plastic-free day or week, and see how the lessons learned translate into

lasting changes. In the meantime, don’t be afraid to Just Say No. And see how “no” becomes a great big “yes” to a life unpackaged and reoriented to a sustainable rhythm. ................................................... A. Kyce Bello lives in Santa Fe with her husband and daughter. Her blog, Old Recipe for a New World, is in turn a practical, philosophical, poetic and personal log of her family’s journey to living with less waste and more joy. http://oldrecipe.wordpress.com

HOW TO: Make Your Own Bulk and Veggie Bags

• Fold the yardage lengthwise in half and tear down the fold. • Repeat. This should give you 4 long, even strips, roughly 11 in. wide. • Fold and rip or cut in half each strip across the width. • Fold each rectangle in half and press. Each should be 18 in. long. • Sew both edges along the length, creating a sack. Press the seams flat.

• Reserving a 1/2 in. opening where the fold meets the vertical seam on one side, sew the top border 1/16 in. along the base of the fold, creating a drawstring tunnel. Be sure to tie off the threads on either end, or backstitch 1/8 in. to lock the stitching.

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For 8 washable bags, purchase or recycle 2 yards of lightweight cotton.

• With the bag inside out, fold out 1/2 in. of the top edge onto itself twice. Press flat.

• Attach a medium safety pin to the end of a 30-in. ribbon or cord. Feed it through the tunnel of the upper edge. Remove the pin, turn your bag outside right, and draw it closed. Voilà! For bulk grains, legumes, coffee, flour and sugar, the bag’s opening will need to be secured with a twist-tie or rubber band. —SSFRG staff

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

A PLASTIC-FREE PRIMER SOLUTIONS RISING

BY A. KYCE BELLO

“Once our personal connection to what is wrong becomes clear, then we have to choose: we can go on as before, recognizing our dishonesty and living with it the best we can, or we can begin the effort to change the way we live and think.” – Wendell Berry (l - r) Autumn Billie and Yesenia Diaz sew cloth bags as part of Youth Allies’ Seam Rippers project.

Last fall, my husband and I decided to take a four-month “plastic fast” in which we wouldn’t acquire anything made of or packaged in plastic. This was born out of our desire to walk our talk more fully and to discover our capacity to live simply. We wanted to lessen our waste as a symbolic act of solidarity with the oceans, which are increasingly being destroyed by plastic garbage (the UN estimates that there is the equivalent of 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in every square mile of ocean) and reduce our exposure to toxic ph-

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

thalates, PCBs and Bisphenol-A found in products from toys to canned food. But most of all, learning to live without plastic seemed like the most accessible way to reduce our participation in the “disposable culture” that threatens to dispose of the planet. We wanted to learn to live in a way that causes less harm to the Earth. At first, it seemed daunting. A quick survey of our kitchen revealed that close to 90% of our (organic) food came in some form of packaging. Even bulk food and produce came home in plastic bags. I assure you, I am far from being the ecowarrior you might expect of someone who quits plastic. But with a willingness to make what I couldn’t find available commercially, I gathered almost everything we needed. After all, until about sixty years ago, our ancestors did just fine without it. I began to discover the unexpected abundance of going without. To stop buying plastic cold-turkey would have been stressful. Instead, we

prepared by weaning ourselves slowly over a threemonth period. Despite the inevitable challenges, I was delighted to find that well before our official start date, I’d managed almost effortlessly to cut our plastic waste significantly. The most important step was developing the awareness that I wanted to find a new way to live, and a conviction that the old way was no longer acceptable. The disposable way of life I’d thought an indisputable fact of modern living had proved to be a ruse—one I was more than happy to dispose of. Here are some ways I’ve found to cut back on plastic: Befriend the bulk aisle. I’d always bought rice and beans from the bulk section, but when I forced myself to concentrate my list on that little section of the store, I discovered its almost limitless bounty. Why did the rest of the store exist if I could get everything from noodles to baking soda to earl grey tea to shampoo without a sin-

gle scrap of personal waste? I lay awake several nights trying to figure out how to get the bulk items home without plastic bags before thinking of drawstring cloth bags. Some health food stores sell them, but in little time and for less than $10 (and with no notable sewing skills), I made a couple dozen bags in sizes ranging from enormous-bunch-of-kale to poppyseed. Reuse your plastic bottles and jars for liquid items. Look for alternative packaging. After becoming enchanted with the bulk aisle, it occurred to me that many of the things I needed—milk, ketchup, juice and even yogurt— were also available in glass jars. While we could argue about the pros and cons of glass or paper vs. plastic packaging, ditching petrochemically derived plastic is still an important first step. Slowly though, trips to the grocery store became an adventure in zero waste shopping.

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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Sparkling Clean Doesn’t Have To Be Environmentally Mean Many consumer products contain powerful perfumes and chemicals that can exacerbate asthma and other health conditions. These chemicals compromise our immune systems and pollute our water. The antibacterial Triclosan, for example, is an ingredient found in many commonly used liquid soaps, toothpaste, deodorant and cleaning products. It has been scientifically shown to form carcinogenic dioxins in water and is also an endocrine disruptor—a substance that mimics hormones and disrupts the hormonal processes—altering reproductive development in both humans and animals. Once it enters our water source, we are all downstream. Here are some inexpensive and safe ingredients for cleaning: • Biodegradable Dish Soap: Most any surface can be safely disinfected with a squirt of dish soap and water. • Baking Soda: Use it to de-grime ovens, polish bathroom tile and fixtures, and deodorize just about anything, from the refrigerator to your mouth. • Vinegar: Use it to shine floors, remove underarm odor from shirts, and disinfect toilet bowls. Contrary to what advertisers tell us, tiny organisms play a vital role of in the health of ecosystems. The human body, an ecosystem in itself, hosts at least ten times as many bacteria as human cells, mostly doing important work like digesting nutrients, converting sugars, synthesizing vitamins and inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria. And without these friends, our immune systems would be struggling. —SSFRG staff

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

According to the EPA, 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable. Yet only 32.5% of discarded materials are recycled. The average American throws away 4.6 lbs. of garbage per day. New Mexico’s recycling rate in 2008 was 12%. Converted into CO2 reductions, that’s like taking roughly 116 thousand passenger cars per year off our roads. Recycling creates five times as many jobs as landfilling. Where can I get a recycling bin? Is it free? City of Santa Fe residents can pick up recycling bins at 1142 Siler Road and they are free. How do I recycle if I live in the County? The County accepts recycling at their transfer stations. The Buckman Road Recycling & Transfer Station accepts the widest range of material for recycling. How much does it cost per month for a business to recycle? Businesses in the City of Santa Fe can recycle by calling 955-2200. Price varies depending on the type and amount of service, starting as low as $32 per month. Recycling costs ap-

Regina Wheeler, the City of Santa Fe’s Solid Waste Director, answered these questions for Sustainable Santa Fe:

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

proximately half as much as similar trash services, so often companies can realize a savings. Can my child’s school or my school recycle for free? Schools can receive recycling services at no cost. The City can provide presentations and other assistance to set up the program. What is “Pay as You Throw”? Pay as You Throw (PAYT) means that everyone pays for the amount of trash that they throw away. This type of program encourages reduction and recycling. The City implemented PAYT in January 2010 by charging a monthly fee for an extra trash cart and requiring bag

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FIRST PRECYCLE (DON’T GENERATE TRASH), THEN RECYCLE

tags, which cost $1.50 per bag for extra bags to be picked up.

querque recycles, then Santa Fe may be able to bring glass there.

Why is cardboard especially important to recycle? There is a plant in Grants, NM that exists solely to recycle cardboard into more cardboard. It’s local and saves trees—very important for our planet right now.

What other things do the City and County recycling stations accept? The Buckman Road Recycling & Transfer Station accepts the widest range of materials including fluorescent light bulbs, green waste, batteries, scrap metal, books, carpet padding and electronics. The County’s seven Transfer Stations, with a few exceptions, take: Freon-free appliances, scrap metal, aluminum and steel cans, aluminum foil, motor oil (5 gal. maximum per trip), batteries, corrugated cardboard, newspaper, mixed paper, phone books, plastic (1 & 2 bottles), glass (bottles and jars), tires (8 per month with permit) and yard waste.

What happens to recycled glass? We are challenged to find end uses for glass; right now it is stockpiled. Glass is ground into a sand-like product and another coarser product. They compete with materials like dirt and sand, which are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. The City of Albuquerque is working with a Santa Fe company, Earthstone International, to set up a plant in Albuquerque to use their recycled glass in a nontoxic product called White Foam Glass, which replaces the need to mine pumice. The project started a couple years ago and costs Albuquerque around $1,000,000, but it is not yet operational. If this plant ever needs more glass than Albu-

Sustainable Santa Fe Plan All Santa Fe Public Schools have FREE recycling pick up. For businesses, recycling costs $28.28 per month plus $4.97 per month for each 90 gal bin. When a business recycles, they can decrease the frequency of their trash pick-up, resulting in meaningful savings on garbage disposal costs.

ÂŠ Pablo Navrot

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HOW TO: Make a Home for Bees BY PABLO NAVROT

Bees that don't produce honey can function as effective pollinators. We can foster native bee species in the Santa Fe area by simply constructing a home for their young. Drill a series of holes in a block of preservative-free wood using a 5/16-inch drill bit. These should be deep holesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;between 3 to 4 inches into the block. Using water as a lubricant will make this task easier. A piece of masking tape wrapped around the drill bit can signal when to stop drilling any deeper. Do not drill completely through the block. The front of the block where the holes have been drilled must be mounted in a vertical position and oriented to the east or south. Chose a location protected from rain at least three feet above the ground. Bees use mud, leaf or grass to seal a cell containing an egg and pollen. One drilled hole can contain numerous cells. The bee larvae can hatch, pupate, and emerge in as little as three weeks. In the Santa Fe region, most bees remain in their cells until the following year. ................................................................................................................ Pablo Navrot is a landscape designer who participates in several community gardening and urban agriculture efforts.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING

According to a scientific study, only six percent is actually sold. The remaining 94% is wasted. We could double the US GDP and improve our quality of life if we implemented more energy efficiency and repurposed another 6% of our materials, rather than making them into throwaway products like excessive and single-use packaging. Waste-As-Value Links (WAV-Links) is the project I’ve started to link producers of waste and consumers of waste with business ideas and solutions. We’re developing an Idea Bank, a think tank of solutions, and a community map of linked businesses. Our vision is to catalyze economic development toward infinity, energized by zero-waste design. After all, nature does it. So can we!

We’re looking for volunteers: Students, retirees or anyone who’d like to improve our local economy by freely sharing creativity and ideas. Would you like to help a zero-waste entrepreneur solve a technical problem? Contact me if you’d like to collaborate: margo@covingtonconsulting.com or 505-982-0044. ...................................................... Margo Covington is an internationally recognized 25-year pioneer in thriving systems design and sustainable entrepreneurship.

IN THE UNITED STATES…”TONS OF ACTIVE MASS RAW MATERIALS (NOT INCLUDING U.S. TERRITORY BY THE ECONOMY. ROUGHLY 75% IS MINERAL AND NON-RENEWABLE WHILE 25% IS, IN PRINCIPLE, FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES. 6% OF THE TOTAL IS EMBODIED IN DURABLE PRODUCTS. THE OTHER 94% IS CONVERTED INTO WASTE RESIDUALS AS FAST AS IT IS EXTRACTED. . . . "THE TONNAGES OF WASTE RESIDUALS ARE ACTUALLY GREATER THAN THE TONNAGES OF CROPS, TIMBER, FUELS AND MINERALS (BECAUSE AIR AND WATER CONTRIBUTE MASS TO THE RESIDUALS)" "THE ANNUAL ACCUMULATION OF ACTIVE MATERIALS EMBODIED IN DURABLES...IS PROBABLY NOT ABOVE ... 6% OF THE TOTAL." AYRES, R.U., KNEESE, A.V. 1989 "EXTERNALITIES, ECONOMICS, & THERMODYNAMICS," IN ARCHIBUGI & NIJKAMP, EDS, ECONOMY AND ECOLOGY: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. PP 109-117. KLUWERACADEMIE PUBS, NETHERLANDS CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS) PER PERSON IS EXTRACTED FROM

To advertise in the next Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide call 983-6896

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

BY MARGO COVINGTON

The groundswell of sustainable activities—like the community gardens that the youth of Earth Care have helped catalyze—connect us to this place, to foods of the ancestors of this place, food security, composting and re-using, microbes, water, soil and each other. People are coming together to see how we can value what we’ve been wasting. Like good gardeners who compost the garden wastes into fertilizer for next year’s crop, there are those who are resourceful enough to make products out of what we’re throwing into the landfill. It may sound a bit odd to recycle everything, but many cities like Albuquerque and Los Angeles are planning to do just that—to close their landfills entirely by 2030. In addition to the longterm successful re-use organizations like Goodwill, our local Habitat for Humanity store resells used construction materials. Construction and demoli-

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

tion wastes can add up to as much as 50% of what goes into our landfills in New Mexico. Santa Fe Community College has successfully completed the first year of one of the nation’s first Biofuels Certificate Program at Santa Fe Community College. The program enables students to explore the economic practicality of converting various carbonbased wastes to valuable liquid fuel and other valueadded co-products such as nutraceuticals, plastics and animal feed. Among other things, students collect oil from our local restaurants to make biodiesel that runs one of the instructors’ cars. SFCC’s biofuels instructor, Charles Bensinger, also

sentatives from overseas are visiting this unique operation to see about modeling this composting method in their countries. http://www.composter.com/ Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival hosts an annual art fair of work by locals who have made beautiful things out of materials that might have otherwise gone into the landfill. Each November, in time for Christmas gift shopping, they hold a fun fair at El Museo Cultural. Imagine the entire US Gross Domestic Product, defined by Wikipedia as “a measure of a country's overall official economic output. It is the market value of all final goods and services officially made within the borders of a country in a year.” Think about all the materials and energy that go into making up the market value of all that stuff we sell that makes up the GDP. What percentage goes into stuff that is sold, and what percentage of materials and energy is waste or “unintended product”?

manages the nation’s first triple-biofuels dispensers in Santa Fe currently available to motorists. The blue pumps are easy to spot—at the corner of Cerrillos Rd. and Baca St. Green Production Recourse, a small, womanowned business collects recyclables from movie sets and donates them to the Buckman Recycling Center or others who can use the materials for other things. “Sets for Pets” makes doghouses out of the lumber from sets that have been torn down. In Sandoval County, a commercial composting site has been running for five years that is making compost by the train-car-sized container at a time. Repre-

Image courtesy of Katie Macaulay (www.katiemacaulay.com)

SOLUTIONS RISING

FROM THROWAWAYS TO TAKEAWAYS

left: Trash Fashion Contest Winners, November 2009.

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING above: Watercolor rendering of Trenza in the Galisteo Basin by Elizabeth Day of Austin, TX

The concept of Community Planning Organizations has been established so that communities can come together to plan for their own unique vision

shorter commutes) and closer to services and existing infrastructure. The Plan calls for mechanisms to provide financial incentives to people owning land in rural areas to keep it from being subdivided, i.e. fragmented. For example, we can give landowners the means to sell Transfers of Development Rights to developers so that they can provide for higher densities in the growth areas. Also, affordable housing will be established in areas where the costs of everyday life— above and beyond the house payment—are not so high.The Plan also places important emphasis on the sustainability of social capital, whereby we aim to encourage real communities,

rather than just places for people to sleep at night. The concept of Community Planning Organizations has been established so that communities can come together to plan for their own unique vision, with each locale being able to apply zoning in unique ways. In addition, the Plan encourages communities to establish amenities, such as local stores, commercial enterprises where local people can work, and livework spaces for home businesses. In a sense, our vision is to “go back to the future” — self-contained villages in the open space and agricultural lands that surround the larger capital city of Santa Fe.

......................................................... Kathy Holian began her fouryear term as Santa Fe County Commissioner for District 4 on January 1, 2009.

Ten Gallons a Day Santa Fe resident Louise Pape uses on average ten gallons of water per day—just one-tenth of the average American. Her reason given to National Geographic in the April, 2010 issue is, “I conserve water because I feel the planet is dying, and I don't want to be part of the problem.” www.tengallonsaday.org

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SOLUTIONS RISING 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

BY KATHY HOLIAN

Santa Fe is prized for its beautiful skies and its wide-open spaces. Many people who have come here want to live in these expansive spaces that once seemed so limitless. Well, of course, nothing on Earth is limitless. Our beautiful vistas are gradually disappearing under the relentless development of one subdivision after another. Most popular in the rural areas have been subdivisions with 2.5 to 10-acre lots, which also is the surest path to maximal fragmentation of the landscape. I moved here nearly 30 years ago. In that time, a multitude of new roofs have popped up, dotting the once nearly pristine landscapes from the Galisteo Basin to Las Campanas. People say you can’t stop growth. However, even now, it is possible to manage growth in a way that protects the beauty of our landscape, as well as the integrity of its ecological health. Sprawling developments are expensive and inefficient. All subdivisions require roads, electric lines, water and disposal systems of some sort for solid and

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

liquid waste. The more spread out the development, the greater the sheer quantity of infrastructure needed, and the fewer the opportunities for efficiency. For example, installing the pipes for community watertreatment systems is too expensive for all but the most upscale (or compact) subdivisions, making water reuse impractical. Most important of all, developments in the rural areas almost always use groundwater from wells. It is expensive to hook them up to the County water system unless they happen to be near a main water line.

implies becoming more efficient and more self-reliant. A great deal of thought has been put into basics like water conservation, agricultural revitalization and energy efficiency, with chapters in the plan specifically devoted to these topics. But sustainability also means being able to answer how we will pay for the basic services and infrastructure that the people in the County need. If there is development, we need to encourage the type that makes sense, namely, in areas that are generally close to town (for

Moreover, aquifers are now already being overused in most areas of the County. The new Santa Fe County Sustainable Land Development Plan (SLDP) will help us plan for a future that will necessarily be different than the way that we have been developing for the last 40 or 50 years. It was initially called the Growth Management Plan, but we soon realized that “managing growth” is quite distinct in emphasis and goals from “sustainability.” Sustainability can mean many things, but in the SLDP it

Photo Courtesy of Santa Fe County

SOLUTIONS RISING

IT TAKES A SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE

The more spread out the development, the greater the sheer quantity of infrastructure needed, and the fewer the opportunities for efficiency.

SOLUTIONS RISING © Bianca Sopoci-Belknap

nutrients that they need to live. Our intestines snake back and forth to ten times the length of our bodies so that they can absorb all of the richness in our food and water. The same is true for water in a watershed or money in a community. It is the speed of movement through the system that matters. In a desertified watershed, the rain that falls runs off quickly, carrying away the topsoil that could feed plants to catch and hold the water. Like the sick child, as soon as the water comes in, it runs right through without doing any good. Similarly, in our simplified local economies, no matter how much money comes in, if we are sourcing our food, clothing, energy, building materials, entertainment and other needs from afar it flows through and away just as quickly as it came in, without enriching our local economy. 44

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Why is one dollar spent at a local business worth three dollars in the local economy? Because it is exchanged several times locally before it leaves. Engineering and Newtonian physics have taught us that there are concrete amounts of resources to be divided up. The reality is that those amounts, when cycled through webs of exchange, are in effect unlimited in wealth generation. This is how banks can lend out five times the amount of money that they have on deposit and generate interest; it is increased continually through cycling. So the key to health and wealth is to reweave the fabric of the landscape or community through recreating local exchanges of resources— whether water, food, money or information. In Hawaii there is a saying: Hahai No Ka Ua I Ka Ulula’au. The trees bring the rain. As a child, I was taught that the water cycle

consisted of water evaporated off of the ocean falling on the land and running off into the sea to be evaporated again. But in a healthy system, the rain falls upon plants that absorb the kinetic energy of the falling rain, protecting the open soil below from compaction. The plants direct the flow down their bodies, some of the rain gently falling upon the cushion of leaves, needles, or other live or decomposing plant material, only then penetrating the soil, where fungal roots called mycelium soak it up. Rain also fills the pores between the soil particles and is drunk-up by plant roots. The plants breathe it out only to be re-condensed on the surfaces of leaves to fall again to the Earth. Also, the trees and other plants breathe out cool moisture that easily re-condenses to fall again as rain. It is the web of exchange from which we live.

We see this almost daily in summer: A storm comes in from the Gulf of Mexico and blesses us with rain. The next day dawns clear, with perhaps some small clouds on the peaks. As the day progresses the clouds build, fed by the moist breath of the trees until late in the day when it rains again. This continues day after day. Each storm is increasingly the rain that fell before. ...................................................... Joel Glanzberg is a teacher and designer of living environments with a focus on the ecological impact of human endeavors and activities. He is cofounder of Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute www.floweringtreepermaculture.com and is a partner in Regenesis. His new book is entitled Changing Our Minds: How We See the World Determines How We Live in It.

unanticipated advantages also occur. My favorite example is from Tree People, a nonprofit in Los Angeles. When they started planting trees with school children, they found that attendance increased, as did test scores and graduation rates. Unplanned teen pregnancy went down. Why? Kids wanted to come to school to see the tree they had planted. They soon found that they could accomplish small but miraculous things, and started to take care not only of their trees, but themselves. “Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected to everything else in the universe.” Although John Muir told us this a century ago, we are still only beginning to realize its implications. The health of my land is intimately connected to the entire watershed it lies within. Our health cannot come from any single therapy, but is based on everything we eat, drink, breath, see, think and remember.

In fact, it cannot be separated from the health of our family (genetically or experientially), human community or ecological community. A friend recently compared a “sustainable home” in an unsustainable community to a non-smoking table in the smoking section. We can only address problems on the community scale. This is true of economic, ecological, social, hydrological, educational issues—in fact everything, as John Muir said. This may seem overwhelming, but as with the garden or planting trees, well directed, small changes can have multiple benefits, and the same patterns are true for all of these issues. The number one killer of children in the world is dysentery. It is not an absolute lack of water or food that kills them, but the speed at which it moves through their little bodies, with the help of aggressive pathogens. Their bodies can’t absorb the water and

ket compact fluorescent bulbs that use less energy, only to find that they contain mercury; we have no system to alert consumers to this fact or an appropriate recycling strategy. So we’ve traded an energy problem for a heavy metals pollution problem. Though they use just a fraction of the energy of incandescent bulbs, we have approached this problem in isolation of the entire system and have not broken out of a pattern of abuse. This approach is everywhere, from the cancer-causing smoke from incinerated medical waste, to the miscarriages caused by agricultural and landscaping fertilizers. They are all collateral damage. The third approach to problem solving is to develop solutions that solve multiple problems at once, which Berry coined “solving for pattern.” His example is the home garden: It provides exercise, nutrition, an opportunity to work with others, connect to the land, save money, learn and teach, save energy in food transport. In this approach many

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No matter how we cut it up, every part of the Earth is connected to all of the land around it, just as every part of our body is connected to every other part. Though we commonly isolate things in order to study them, they can only function, or live really, in relation to other things. Whether in our bodies, the landscape or our communities, we need to look at the workings of entire systems. In his book The Gift of Good Land, Wendell Berry tells us that we solve problems in one of three ways. The first approach makes the problem bigger: the soil is compacted, so we get a bigger tractor to plow deeper; in turn, the greater weight further compacts the soil, so we get a bigger tractor. We can see this misguided approach in everything from foreign policy to childrearing. The second problemsolving approach is to define the problem so narrowly that we solve it, but create other problems outside of the defined area. We have an energy shortage so we develop and mar-

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

REWEAVING

SOLUTIONS RISING 46 It Takes a Sustainable Village 50 From Throwaways to Takeaways 54 First Precycle (Don't Generate Trash), Then Recycle 58 A Plastic-Free Primer 62 Dancing with the Carbon Bomb 68 The Power to Change: The Benefits of Establishing a Municiple Energy Utility 72 With Simple Energy Literacy, Everyone Can Make a Difference 74 Santa Fe’s Green Building Code 78 Going Solar 80 For the Love of Biking 82 The Copenhagen 2010 Climate Conference 86 Car Idling Gets You Nowhere 88 Annual Bike Cruise Showcases City’s Newest Trails and Connections 90 Ripples in Still Water

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

THE FABRIC OF LIFE BY JOEL GLANZBERG

For many years, following torrential summer rains, homeowners would call asking to have structures built to address flooding and erosion problems on their property. I would try to help them, only to find that the water that was causing the problems came from neighboring upslope land or from erosion eating its way uphill to them from below. Trying to address these issues within legal property boundaries was like asking a doctor to cure a patient’s heart disease, but limiting their treatment area to a small patch on the left forearm.

Whether in our bodies, the landscape or our communities, we need to look at the workings of entire systems.

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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NOTHING NEW HERE BY VICKI POZZEBON

Everything old is new again, so the saying goes. In a recent conversation with a friend, the subject of purchasing some rather useful but not entirely necessary items came up. “It just costs less at Big Box Mart,” she said. My retort? “What else did you spontaneously buy while you were there?” They suck us in with end-cap aisle items, loss-leaders and “great deal” prices. But the truth is, big box stores hurt our community in the long term. With more than 85 cents of your hard-earned dollar going out of state for their accounting services, HR outsourcing, marketing, and corporate headquarters—not to mention that the national chains are publicly traded—wouldn’t you rather think community first, before you buy? In northern New Mexico over 60 cents of a dollar you spend at locally owned, independent businesses stays right here, giving back over and over again in our community. Makes economic sense to me. To my friend, it’s still a matter of price and convenience. I suggested that she recycle some old cardboard boxes, cover them in pretty fabric and use them as storage containers. “Oh, my grandmother used to do that!” She was delighted at this reminder that generations before us have been smarter and more conservative with their money. Back then, a $45,000 house was paid off with one income. Vegetable gardens

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

were plentiful in yards all over town. Most likely, your neighbor was a local business owner from whom you purchased hardware or other supplies. Credit cards were used in emergency situations, not to finance furniture, or to pay off yet another credit card. We’ve moved so far away from conscious decision-making at the register that we prefer to open the local newspaper not to read the news but to see what deals and coupons are being offered. But what I’m witnessing is that with the disconnect comes a reconnect—a replugging into our community. Look around Santa Fe while you walk your dog, ride your bike, drive your car. Neighborhood community gardens are popping up at parks all across our City of Faith. The Santa Fe Farmers Market now has four markets a week in season. Local businesses are opening up every day. More restaurants have opened in the past year

than in the past five years, many with the commitment to buy from New Mexico farms, creating a regional food flavor. Solar panels are being installed on homes all over town. As I walked out my front door one Sunday afternoon, my neighbors were gathered in the street chatting about how to deal with water run-off on our neighbors’ property. “Time to collect it! We all need it, we should share it,” one neighbor declared as a chicken strayed from his backyard coop to join the crowd. I don’t live in a rural neighborhood; I live down the street from Santa Fe High School. To me, this is not only community, but community in action, thinking community first. And it’s nothing new—it’s a return to what we knew in the past and what worked. It’s what we define as a local living economy—ensuring that economic power resides locally to the greatest extent possible, sustaining vibrant, livable communities and healthy ecosystems in the process. Reaching deeper into our community economy; educating consumers on the power of local purchasing; supporting initiatives for local ownership; greening our businesses; supporting

climate change initiatives and health care reform; localizing our food purchasing; and creating energy independence—these are the ways we create a stronger local economy. Every time we buy vegetables directly from a farmer; order a NM beef burger in a restaurant; turn off a light; conserve water; and put up a solar panel, we are making our Santa Fe community even stronger. That’s a local living economy—putting your money where your house is. Santa Fe has weathered the recent economic storm with relative calm, digging into its community resources rather than looking for outside stopgaps to survive. What has always intrigued me about Santa Fe is its strength of character, its richness in making things uniquely local, its ability to see that relationships between neighbors and co-workers are what makes a community, that thinking community first is thinking local first. Our community holds the key to sustainability, and community alone is sustainable. ...................................................... Vicki Pozzebon is the Executive Director of the Santa Fe Alliance, a nonprofit organization working toward building a local living economy through community, local ownership and advocacy. Visit www.santafealliance.com for more information.

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

LOCALS VALUE MORE THAN TECH-KNOW-HOW BY BRIAN ORTIZ

As teens like me climb aboard the job and responsibility train, I often notice how seldom people interact with one another. Frequently, I walk up to a business, but rarely see an “apply within” sign anymore. All I see is an “apply online” poster with a little cartoon picture of a computer mouse plastered to the window, turning all applicants back to their homes to spend more time in front of a screen.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

that thing I sent ya?” I imagine the person charged with hiring sitting at a desk with hundreds of applications, just glancing at them all and taking down phone numbers. I imagine calling that person to see if he or she has reviewed my application. But when sitting at home trying to put my personality and character into a little para-

I often wonder how I am supposed to demonstrate my interpersonal skills when all I can do to apply is put my information in an email form and send it off, never being sure if my information will ever even be read. How am I supposed to call a business and ask them if they received my online application? Do I simply say, “Did you get

graph, as though I were setting up a profile on a dating site, I can’t. I, for one, would feel more comfortable with the experience of handing my information to an actual person, rather than sending it over the internet where it could possibly be accessed by thousands, together with a mess of applications from thousands of others. A pattern emerges with this internet craze. Domino’s, Starbucks, Albertsons—they’ve all got those translucent vinyl posters on their windows stating they’re looking for help. I realized that this problem is just another facet of the dehumanization that corporations give off without even thinking twice. At a local business on the other hand, there’s usually a sign telling me that I’d better be ready to sit there and fill something out with a pen. I would feel more confident (and thus statistically be more likely to succeed) if I had the opportunity to interact with actual people instead of a computer screen. I would very much like to find a local job that is locally owned, rather than work for a faceless company. I would like to

I realized that this problem is just another facet of the dehumanization that corporations give off without even thinking twice. see my boss every day, doing his or her part onthe-ground, as much as every other person in the organization. My few friends that got jobs have found them with local businesses. They all filled in paper applications on the spot and gave phone numbers of references to call. They were able to give a glimpse of who they were to a person, not a machine. I would like that for myself and everyone else in my generation. I recently applied at two local businesses. Their interactions with me confirmed that people truly value a dedicated applicant, rather than someone trying to sum up himself and sending it off by email in hopes of receiving a position. ...................................................... Brian Ortiz is an SSFRG staff member. Please see "About the Staff and Artists," page 10.

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

Photo courtesy of the Tower Gallery, www.roxanneswentzell.net

below: “Sharing” by Roxanne Swentzell

and recognize that all of us have something to offer that is valuable to the community in different ways.” McCurrach agrees: “This is key and the component that has the power to make huge, attainable, practical change in our local communities and thus in our global community. We get to know our neighbors. We reduce the need to earn [money] and we match unmet needs with untapped resources.” Bob Keeton, a Santa Fean with an interest in community building, had always come away from conversations about alternative currencies feeling a bit cold, precisely because they focus on “another piece of paper in [his] wallet.” Keeton, whose main interest is to build the kind of relationships that can sustain a society through difficult times, sees the Time Bank as meeting that critical need. It “‘backdoors’ the community component,” he says, “because in order for the time bank to be successful, we have to get to know each other.” Margaret Kuhlen has recently returned to Santa Fe after nine years in Portland, Maine, where the Hours Exchange program 36

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

has over 600 members. For her too, the community building that emerges from a Time Bank is its main draw. In a world where we tend to live isolated lives and feel uncomfortable asking for help, even from our neighbors, she explains, “The virtual neighborhood actually seeds the community.” Kuhlen is referring to the Community Weaver software that is key to the time bank’s success. According to the Time Bank website, the movement uses the internet—“that touchstone of modern life”—to reintroduce neighbors to each other and the joys of doing things for each other in reciprocal relationships.” With CW, members create simple online profiles, browse services offered by other participants, and post their own needs and availability. Time bank hours are also logged and spent online. Interested Santa Feans can explore the work of founder Edgar Cahn at www.timebanks.org, or join the Time Bank by logging on to http://community.timebanks.org/ and clicking on the link to the Santa Fe Time Bank. ...................................................... Jennifer Guerin teaches a research and presentation class to twelfth graders at the Santa Fe Indian School, where she has worked for the last 10 years. She tries to live light and dream big with her family on the south side of town.

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

MORE THAN A FAIR EXCHANGE: SANTA FE’S TIME BANK BY JENNIFER GUERIN

It’s a familiar scenario in Santa Fe: You are moving and need help. You thought you could do it alone, but there are more boxes than you anticipated, and the back of your never-say-die Subaru is less roomy than you thought. Your best friends are willing to lend you an afternoon or evening, or even two. You need them, but you don’t want to put them out. You’d offer to pay them for their help, but that seems insulting. What’s a good citizen to do? Enter the Santa Fe Time Bank, the City Different’s best-kept secret, and the one you’ll be telling your friends about before they can say, “I need someone to clean my arroyo.” In short, the Time Bank is comprised of a group of people—connected in person by monthly planning meetings and online by Community Weaver software—who offer their time and services to each other in exchange for “time dollars.” This currency of hours earned can be “spent” with other TB members on any number of services offered on the time bank exchange. Finally: a visionary, alternative, local economy— with teeth.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

After attempting a similar initiative in early 2009, Stella Osorojos, a local Doctor of Oriental Medicine, teamed up with digital artist Deborah Fort and Adrianne McCurrach, an independent film and web designer who had discovered the Time Bank movement while working in Los Angeles. The team did their research and launched the current chapter in January 2010 with about 20 participants. Their ranks have grown quickly to a bank with over 60 actively trading members and more joining each month. “It’s not just a bunch of hippies trading chickens,” says Joa Dattilo, a Santa Fean who did, in fact, use time bank hours to clean

up an illegal dumpsite in the arroyo by her house last winter. Santa Fe’s time bank has met scores of similarly practical needs for members, such as weeding and planning gardens, consulting for businesses, and preparing food for those temporarily laid-up by illness or injury. It has also helped small business owners grow their own clientele by trading hours for an introduction to their services. Currently, McCurrach and the leadership team are preparing to invite local businesses to join the time bank as well. “Think of it,” she says, “someone gets a teeth cleaning and the dental office has their website worked on. A plumber uses

time dollars for painting and help with developing an advertising strategy. A mechanic has someone help them organize or decorate their office, or get acupuncture.” Many alternative local currencies (like the now-famous Ithaca Dollars in New York) resemble a more traditional monetary system in that services offered on the exchange are priced based on their “market value” and must be traded accordingly—one hour of web site design, in other words, may be “worth” four hours cleaning a sick neighbor’s house. In contrast, the time bank concept holds that every person’s time is of equal value, no matter what service they are providing. Edgar Cahn, time bank inventor and cofounder of the National Legal Services Program, refers to this as “co-production” and notes that it is what makes time banks tools of real social change. Members of a time bank, says Deborah Fort, “share a common goal: to honor the parts of us that aren’t honored by the market economy. . . .We respect

¿Y en Arizona? Pedro: Igualmente malo. En general, la gente no respeta a los inmigrantes y siempre existe la sospecha. Pero hay gente mala y buena en cada país. Es importante poder usar bien la mente para contribuír a la sociedad, pero es también importante tener capacidad con las manos. El problema es que desde NAFTA, perdimos la posibilidad de ganar para sobrevivir en México. ¿Qué tipo de trabajo hace? Pedro: Trabajo general y azulejo. ¿Y porqué vino a Santa Fé? Pedro: Para evitar de la nueva ley en Arizona. ¿Y como le está yendo acá? Pedro: Me gusta más aquí. Cuando llegué y fuí a la plaza, había música y muchas personas bailando. Era como llegar a un lugar donde florecen culturas y diferentes nacionalidades. Es como un pueblito pequeño. En mi pueblo Oaxaca, si vas a la plaza, también hay música y la gente es muy simpática. Si no tienes una cama donde dormir, le puedes preguntar a cualquier persona y te ofrece, “Hay una cama donde vivo, ahí se puede quedar hasta que encuentre un hogar.”

CULTURAL COMMONS

de que el inmigrante paga impuestos cada vez que hace una compra, nos dijeron que no pagamos impuestos. Entonces no conseguimos el derecho a recibir servicios públicos.

¿Qué porcentaje de personas consiguen trabajo en un día típico aquí? Pedro: Como un diez porciento. ¿Y si una persona no consigue trabajo en muchos días? Alguien lo nota? Pedro: Sí, cuando notamos que esto le está pasando a alguien, nos ayudamos los unos a los otros y a esa persona le ofrecemos a dinero o comida para ayudarlo. ¿Usted compra a veces comida rápida porque es más barata? Pedro: No, casi nunca. Solo si es una emergencia. Pero normalmente comemos frutas, vegetales, arroz, y carne que preparamos a casa. ¿Prefiere la vida aquí o en Oaxaca? Pedro: En Oaxaca. Si tuviera un pedacito de tierra en mi país, donde pudiera cultivar un poco de maíz, podría vivir muy bien. Hay también lindas montañas y ríos. La gente es muy amable. Para mí, eso es ser rico. Solo se necesita una familia, amigos, un techo, maíz y agua limpia.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

UNA CONVERSACIÓN EN EL PARQUE BY MARITA PRANDONI • Muchas gracias a Jade Leyva por su ayuda con la traducción.

Fuí un día al parque de DeVargas para hablar con los trabajadores que aparecen cada día buscando la oportunidad de trabajar. Ahí conocí a Gerardo, de El Salvador y también a Pedro, de Oaxaca, México.

¿Y cómo llegó acá? Gerardo: Llegué por mis propios medios, de El Salvador a Guatemala, después a México, y luego a los Estados Unidos. Me vine en autobús, camión, pidiendo aventón a extraños y a pié. ¿Y cómo entró a los EEUU? Gerardo: A pié. Simplemente caminando crucé la frontera.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

¿Porqué salió de su país? Gerardo: Es muy dificil ganar dinero en mi país. Soy campesino y si hay oportunidades en la ciudad, no le quieren dar trabajo a los campesinos. ¿Es también difícil encontrar trabajo aquí? Gerardo: Si tengo suerte, puedo ganar $400 por semana trabajando en construcción, haciendo enjarre o pintura. Ahora es muy dificil y si me va bien, gano $200 por semana.

¿Es posible pagar la renta así? Gerardo: No, no tengo apartamento ahora. Duermo en el shelter. ¿Há sido discriminado alguna vez aquí? Gerardo: Sí, muchas veces. En el departamento de motores y vehículos una persona me dijo que no debo manejar si no hablo inglés.

Pedro, ¿Cuánto tiempo lleva viviendo en Santa Fé? Pedro: En los EEUU llevo 21 años. En Santa Fé solo tres meses. Estuve 17 años en California y cuatro años en Arizona. ¿Cómo era la vida para usted en California? Pedro: Cuando estuve allá, el gobernador pasó la Proposición 187 que niega a los inmigrantes ilegales la educación, acceso a servicios de salud y otros servicios públicos. Entonces esa era una situación muy mala. A pesar

¿Cuánto tiempo lleva viviendo en Santa Fé? Gerardo: Ocho años.

What percentage of the workers would you say actually get work in any given day? Pedro: About ten percent.

And Arizona? Pedro: Equally bad. In general, people don’t respect immigrants and are suspicious of us. But there are good and bad people in every society. It’s important to be able to use your head to contribute to society, but also to have abilities with your hands. Ever since the passage of NAFTA, we have been losing the opportunity to earn wages and survive in Mexico.

And if someone doesn’t get work day after day, does anyone else notice? Pedro: Yes, we look out for each other. If we see that, we offer that person money for food or bring him food.

What type of work do you do? Pedro: Handyman work or tile work. And why did you come to Santa Fe? Pedro: To avoid the new Arizona law. How’s it going? Pedro: I like it better here. After I arrived, I went to the plaza. There was music and people were dancing. It was like arriving somewhere where the culture flourishes with different nationalities. It’s like a little village here. In my village in Oaxaca, if you go to the plaza, you also find music and friendly people. If you don’t have a place to sleep, you can ask someone and they’ll say, “Sure, I can find a bed for you until you have a home.”

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grant workers pay tax every time they buy something, the reason given was that we didn’t pay taxes and so we weren’t entitled to receive public services.

Do you sometimes buy cheap fast food to get by? Pedro: No, almost never— maybe if it’s an emergency. Usually we eat fruit, vegetables, rice and meat prepared at home. Would you prefer to live here or in Oaxaca? Pedro: In Oaxaca. In my country, if I had a little plot of land where I could grow some corn, I would live well off the land. There are mountains and rivers too. And the people are kind. This is what it means to me to be rich. You need only family, friends, a roof, some corn and clean water.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

A CONVERSATION IN THE PARK BY MARITA PRANDONI

How long have you been in Santa Fe? Gerardo: Eight years. And how did you get here? Gerardo: I arrived under my own steam, from El Salvador to Guatemala, then to Mexico and then the US. I came by bus, truck, hitchhiking and by foot. How did you enter the US? Gerardo: Simply by foot. I just walked across.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Why did you leave your country? Gerardo: It’s difficult to earn money in my country. I’m a campesino, and in the city where the jobs are, they don’t want to give work to campesinos. Isn’t it difficult to get work here too? Gerardo: If I’m lucky, I can earn $400 a week in construction, as a plasterer or painter. It’s tough now and at best I earn $200 per week.

Is it possible to pay your rent? Gerardo: No, I don’t have an apartment at the moment. I sleep in the shelter. Have you experienced discrimination here? Gerardo: Yes, many times. At the MVD, a person told me I shouldn’t be driving if I couldn’t speak English.

©DaBinsi

I went one afternoon to DeVargas Park to visit with the workers who appear every day—looking for the chance to work. There I met up with Gerardo, from El Salvador and Pedro, from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Pedro, how long have you been in Santa Fe? Pedro: In the US 21 years. In Santa Fe just three months. I spent 17 years in California and four years in Arizona. How was life in California? Pedro: At the time I was there, the governor passed Proposition 187, which denied immigrants education, access to health care, and other public services. So it was bad. Even though mi-

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Who dwell in this place that houses our spirit Respectfully, I pray, for past, present and future souls to be at peace someday For clean earth, air and water So my children can play Splashing and laughing as we tend to our gardens Beneath the loving gaze of our sacred mountains Free of fear from invisible poison Free to hear, undisturbed and clear, the birds sing in the morning As we continue to question And speak our points of view Let us share the stories anew that have never been told And release the pain not even a century old No longer shamed by accusations of ignorance Let our diverse voices be our deliverance No breath here is unimportant We are free to pray Each in our way For justice, strong leaders, and supportive institutions A foundation for our expectations As we welcome in this time of healing For the good Of all future generations .................................................................................................................. Beata Tsosie-Pe単a is from Santa Clara Pueblo and works for environmental health and justice with Tewa Women United, one of seven NGOs in Northern New Mexico that comprise Las Mujeres Hablan. Her poem was published in a report for the Los Alamos Historic Document Retrieval and Assessment Project, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (LAHDRA Project, CDC).

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

GROWING UP I WAS DISCONNECTED BY BEATA TSOSIE-PEÑA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER ESPERANZA “FOUND FEATHER”

Dedicated to the women of Las Mujeres Hablan, and those working for justice in their communities, with special thanks to Tina Cordova

Growing up I was disconnected Some things were not discussed Among people who valued hard work and employment One-sided silence through years of schooling I learned about the nuclear age From movies and propaganda and Bradbury field trips The glorified versions of a history that happened in my own backyard In our state of Enchantment Pristine open spaces and a population Not respected by a higher nation Still living off the land as the industrial age passed them by Only to get thrust into nuclear realization Beneath a mission Urgent and thick with intensity Beneath a shroud of secrecy I was not yet born The day scientists feared for our sky Thoughts of atmospheric ignition And that everyone would die I was not yet born when the Jemez was taken Homesteaders relocated, not of their volition Uranium miners on the road to perdition Beloved mountains, occupied before I could praise them Disconnected from ancestral knowledge In three generations Clan animals vanished Even as the jobs began to appear Unprotected hired hands from the valley A job was nothing to fear It was a welcome exchange in hard times I wasn’t yet born The day silver ash rained down for days And a plume of poison drifted over state lines Radioactive fallout, on cisterns of drinking water On crops and livestock, who all miscarried that year The people were lied to And went about life as usual While the truth fled With bread over their mouths

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

To keep from breathing air they knew was foul And the world was changed forever A month later, 80,000 people were killed instantly Justified atrocity named enemy And the book was closed on Trinity Even though it was our own citizens who were bombed Children born into an experimental population With a cancer rate way higher than the average nation Entire families still sick and dying Still crying, for the elders they lost too soon I – was born into military healthcare, mixed blood and desert beauty Free from the shame of colonized blame My grandfather employed by Sandia My down-winder grandmothers who birthed babies and taught me songs While washing tainted laundry and making pots from local clay I wonder now, can Earth decay? Eating the elk my uncles brought down Breathing fire smoke from trees that drank From discarded waste placed…anyplace Today – my daughters are born Into single driver car twice daily parades Dependence on industrial weapon economic charades The sound of bombs exploding As we pray to the sun in mornings Will my cornmeal prayers Protect them as they play in ditches Carrying water from a source three miles away from tritium releases? What did my oldest get exposed to? As I breathed in smoke from a tech area burned 3 times over What kind of poison Can penetrate the walls of my womb? What stories were silenced, and why, and from whom? The truth must be told From the people who lived it

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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REMEMBERING OUR ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS BY CHARLEEN TOUCHETTE

member to improve their lives and ensure survival. As a child, I took comfort in the natural world. Though my people were forced to assimilate and convert, the rituals of the Church never inspired me as much as the power of a thunderstorm, the colors of dawn or the blessing of a rainbow. The forest with its towering trees, dappled light and burbling streams sodden with the heavy scent of wet Earth was far more like home than my mother’s spotless suburban manufactured house. Remember, our true mother is Mother Earth and our father is Father Sky. In many indigenous ceremonies worldwide,

“Illuminated Ancestors with Beehives” by Charleen Touchette

While mystics meditate, fast and pray to experience this intelligence—and scientists observe and measure it with instruments—indigenous people understand it through daily life across the seasons in an intimate relationship with air, water and Earth. Western scientists wonder how indigenous people across the globe knew about microcosmic and macrocosmic structures long ago without using microscopes and telescopes. This does not surprise those who know that people living close to the Earth are natural scientists who use all their senses to observe, adapt, invent and re-

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

prayers are offered to Earth, our mother who gives us food, clothing, shelter and all we need. These are not empty words. They are an accurate description of our fundamental relationship with the Earth that provides everything. North American Indian teachers tell us to remember our original instructions. These were handed down through oral tradition and recorded in indigenous art to teach us to live in balance with the Earth and all our relations, which include not only us two-legged, but also the four-legged, winged, swimming, crawling, insect, plant and stone people. Living in balance requires respect, love and sharing. It calls for the discipline and wisdom to refrain from taking more than we need and being responsible for the waste we produce. Our original instructions are based on common sense and the deep realization that our actions can upset the balance of the world— and that we are responsible to restore harmony so all life can thrive. These in-

The Earth is always sending messages. All we have to do is to look and listen to understand what she says. The most important message is that love is the intelligence connecting all life. Light energy vibrates throughout the universe. It is a tangible reality experienced by mystics and seers, and described by quantum physicists. It is seen in all systems from the microcosm of subatomic particles to the macrocosm of planetary systems and galaxies. structions are for everyone everywhere, not just for Indians. The Earth is sending messages with Earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanic explosions. After too many years of neglect, now is the time to see and hear her—and to bring our words and actions back into harmony with the Earth and all our relations. This essay first appeared on EcoHearth.com, a wind-powered ecology website providing international, independent views on all things environmental.

...................................................... Charleen Touchette is Quebecois, Acadian and Metis of mixed blood French and Canadian First Nation ancestry and grew up bilingual in French and English. An artist, author, activist and mother of four, she lives in the mountains near Santa Fe, where she is the New Mexico Coordinator of Martin Luther King III’s Realizing the Dream Initiative.

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

THE BOY DREAMS BY NOLAN ESKEETS SFIS SPOKEN WORD TEAM

Since time immemorial, the Navajo people have blessed their path with a holy substance, corn pollen. It is finely ground and carried in medicine pouches to be sprinkled as prayer offerings. Father mines every day for four years, unaware of the parasitic poison housed in his organs. He will die of stomach cancer. And the government will discount his death—and thousands more—as incidental.

During World War II, the Navajo Nation was found to have the largest concentration of uranium deposits in the US. Navajo men were employed to extract and refine uranium for nuclear weapons production. The residual product of this process is known as yellowcake, a fine yellow dust that is highly radioactive.

In his dreams, the Boy sees the truth.

Placed side by side, corn pollen and yellowcake look almost identical.

Rain pours into dynamite-blasted fissures in the land, mixing with yellowcake to become lethal community reservoirs. Livestock from nearby farms bathe in that same water and families fill their buckets to sustain themselves. The contagion spreads.

There is a story that says in the beginning, The People were given a choice about which to carry through life. Corn pollen, with the power to bless, or yellowcake, with the power to poison. The People chose corn pollen, the People chose beauty, the People chose life.

Elders stagger from behind hills, gasp for air through thick, industrial smoke, clutch at their skin as it tears—revealing dying vital organs— shriek at Father to remember the original choice. Mangled fetal fingers reach from beneath the soil, drumming the song of the seventh generation, crying for a return to the way of balance.

There is another story, one of a boy who dreamed of his father. The father carves through mountainsides, excavating uranium. Radioactivity permeates his body. His medicine pouch hangs at his side, empty. He has betrayed the choice of the ancient ones.

Father’s pick connects with the rock again and again and again, as yellowcake cascades down the mountainside. The Boy offers trembling handfuls of sacred yellow corn pollen to the boiling air. He whispers his prayers to the sky, pleading for a cleansing rain, one that will reveal the footsteps of ancestors who walked in beauty.

At home, Mother works on a traditional rug, Sister plays outside, And the Boy meticulously stitches his own medicine pouch.

With contaminated arms, he embraces Sister. She swings from Father’s venomous hands before sitting to dinner. Her kidneys will fail. 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Father returns from the mines, tainted. With lips poisoned by sheets of radiation breathed over them, he kisses Mother. She inhales the yellowcake rising from his clothing. She will develop lung cancer.

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quivering to reveal your jaguar jaws clamped around a yellow rubber duckâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tribal infant, you raise your arms to the sky, standing up against the couch testing your stance, your balance shaky, your small rose-leaf hands release from the couch clap a thankfulness prayer, your eyes dart at me and I smile at you, now changed into a tawny fawn alert ears twitching for danger before you incline your sleek neck and sip water from the river of life running between us. Later in the morning, In the bathtub, about to cry, choking breath back, almost-tears transform into a cough then change to a whine And ended up as laughterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; . .................................................................................................................. Born in Santa Fe in 1952, Jimmy Santiago emerged from a childhood and youth affected by abandonment, an eventual drug conviction and prison time, to become a multiple award-winning author and poet. Baca has devoted his post-prison life to writing and teaching others who are overcoming hardship. These are included in the collection Breaking Bread with the Darkness: Book 1 The Esai Poems, published by Sherman Asher Publishing, Santa Fe, in Spring 2011.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

THREE POEMS FOR ESAI BY JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA

Esai collects dreams in the nest of his palm farm sweet blackberry juice stains his hands and lips.

in life’s inherent goodness Not to harm your open heart and lovely soul, You smile on each person you meet, Laugh as if laughter pollinated Plants to unfurl, And all around us flowers blossom.

Were he able to speak about the blackberries, Esai would simply say God.

As if laughter were a way of making you Any animal you wanted, when you smiled You the horse galloped through a meadow, When you smiled you the sparrow Balanced on the branch outside When you smile You your soul Flies Like a sunrise over the landscape Touching all things equally with light.

He wakes from his afternoon siesta, flapping legs and hands, a bluebird perched on the birch branch of mother’s arm ready to raid cornfields in his father’s heart.

* * *

You stand up now Holding onto the cupboard handle or my hand. Coming out of the burrow of blankets Sitting on your haunches back straight as a squirrel, You scan the bedroom, Left right down up then dive into me, embracing my face, small arms and hands feel so good on me, Then you robustly hug your mother With the same bearish delight— There is so much delight in you So early, So much relish for life radiates from your gestures, So much faithfulness and confidence 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Esai, celebrate your mixed-blood— Ibericos, Phoenicians, Celts, Visigoths, Romans, Moors, Olmecs, Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs and Incas, Seeds buried in your bone marrow flourish a forest in your blood— in the rainforest of your black hair sacred quetzal birds caw, and ancient origins of Indio/Arab/Jewish rivers mix as they rush through you, mimicking tears of one tribe, laughter of another, in you a thousand lives celebrate and mourn, your heart the size of a pomegranate seed, quenched both to rise up in rioting blossoms and fiercely bow before the dawn’s splendor: On hands and knees You scuttle around the house, Growl like a jaguar, your brown-hazel eyes peek around the kitchen archway, flash behind the bedroom French doors, you scamper on all fours like a young prong-deer as I chase you, nonsense words giggle out from your throat a flock of egrets Exploding across the living room, Swoop into the dormant fireplace, vanish up the chimney toward the sky. In the sunroom, sunlight pierces the shadows

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS

ABUNDANCE BY DIONYCIO PADILLA

Rich Black Earth My heart Is a treasure chest Of composted leafy memories And moldy dreams They have built up Year after year Into rich black soil To grow poems Bouquets of flowers To set on your bedside table On cold winter nights. *** Corn Dance Delicately etched On the cliff's red face A corn plant If you listen You can still hear Ancient drum beats Echoing Keeping time Today With the dancing green corn In the fields below.

Photo of field at El Rancho de las Golondrinas ÂŠ Tammy Maitland

***

On The Way To The Fields You blushed and pretended That you didn't see me This morning Now I know That it really was you Who knocked On the door of my dreams Last night Looking Over your shoulder Before you entered Making sure No one was watching. ....................................................................... Dionycio Padilla is a teacher at EJ Martinez Elementary and began cultivating its educational garden more than two decades ago. He is also a writer, artist and beekeeper in Villanueva, NM.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

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Part of the farmer's obligation was to lend a hand toward the support of all creatures.

Photos courtesy of NM State Archives.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

chant expresses a bundle of values, and the point of Max’s story was that these values are important—no, essential—to people’s capacity to live with each other and the land. The reason the crop was sown and the cycle of growth initiated was, yes, for “us,” the farmers of the field, the family, the kin and close friends. But it was also for “you”—all those who more remotely partook in the life of the harvest—the rest of the people of the village, the people of other villages where chile and melons were grown, all those who dwelled in the circle of nourishment and sustenance to which the field and its crop contributed.

But most telling was that the circle included more than just people. The pajaritos de Dios also shared in the life of the field, and they deserved a portion of its bounty. What they consumed was not waste; it was their due. Part of the farmer’s obligation was to lend a hand toward the support of all creatures. Here is where the story gets really interesting. Max’s point was not about nailing one more duty to the long list of things we expect from farmers. In the day and place of the story, virtually all people were farmers. The chant and its requirements belonged to every person, without distinction, and everyone sowed one kind of field or another.

Para nos Para vos…. (Irrespective of your line of work, you are growing something) Para los pajaritos de Dios. ...................................................... William deBuys is a writer and conservationist based in Northern New Mexico. His books include Enchantment and Exploitation, River of Traps, and The Walk, and range from memoir and biography to environmental history and studies of place.

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Sowing those broad fields of wheat, oats and rye required a lot of labor in pre-mechanized days. It was hand work, and everyone—men and women, children of all ages, abuelas y abuelos— took part. Everybody carried a bag of seed. They spaced themselves more or less evenly and walked the fields, scattering the grain. The point Max was getting to with his story was that they recited a chant as they did their work, one

phrase with each step, and with each step and each phrase they made one swing of the arm to broadcast the seed. It went like this: Para nos Para vos Para los pajaritos De Dios. Para nos: for us, says the sower of seed, who steps and swings his arm, and the grain lands on the dark plowed earth; Para vos: for you, he (or

she) steps and swings the arm again; Para los pajaritos de Dios: for the little birds of God, and another step and a swing of the arm, as the magpies and finches dart in behind. And then start over with a step and a swing, Para nos… Of course in English the chant doesn’t rhyme and in more modern-sounding Spanish, without nos and vos, it loses a good deal of its charm. But quaintness is not its message. The

It was hand work, and everyone—men and women, children of all ages, abuelas y abuelos—took part.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTURAL COMMONS 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 38 40

Abundance Three Poems for Esai The Boy Dreams Remembering Our Original Instructions Growing Up I Was Diconnected A Conversation in the Park Una Conversaci贸n en el Parque More Than a Fair Exchange: Santa Fe's Time Bank Locals Value More Than Tech-Know-How Nothing New Here

SCATTERING The Seed BY WILLIAM DEBUYS

Max Cordova told me this story about the old days in Truchas, when people used to grow a lot of wheat. Flour and bran were among the goods that Truche帽os would trade to their cousins in Chimay贸 and Santa Cruz for chile, melons, and other crops. Up at 8,000 feet where Truchas perched on the west slope of the Sangres, growing chile and other warm-weather foods was a poor gamble, but grains flourished on the llanos that spread around the village.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Sustainable Santa Fe Plan In 2008, the City Council unanimously passed the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan. It outlines goals in the areas of waste, water, transportation, greenhouse-gas emissions, education, food and more. Many achievements in sustainable practices are described throughout this guide. You can read about the full plan at www.santafenm.gov. An employee orientation program informs city workers on conserving energy in their daily operations wherever possible. Examples are turning off computers, not idling vehicles, and reducing unnecessary printing. The City of Santa Fe has received a grant for $500,000 and another for $781,600 to implement energy efficiency retrofits. Twenty-three of 52 City buildings will get lighting retrofits; some of the 52 are newer buildings, so they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need retrofits. For more information contact Nick Schiavo at 955-6693. The City has entered into nine contracts to purchase renewable energy sources. A one-megawatt photovoltaic project covering six acres will break ground at the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Fall 2010. See specific achievements highlighted throughout this magazine.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

C O M M U N I T Y T R I U M P H S | BY: SSFRG STAFF

2010 Sustainable Santa Fe Award Winners On April 24, 2010, after a day of service at The Community Farm, the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission’s Youth Advisory Board presented their 2010 awards. The Youth Advisory Board, members of the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission, Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, Mayor David Coss and City Councilor Chris Calvert all expressed their support of the work of the Commission, Youth Advisory Board and the winners of this year's awards. Education Program Development: The esteemed and recently deceased Lou Schreiber for his constant dedication to the Sustainable Technologies Center at the SF Community College. Sustainable Education Project: Green Fire Times, a monthly publication covering “News and Views from the Sustainable Southwest”. Youth-led Project: Victoria Atencio and Santa Fe Indian School for the “Honoring Mother Earth” yearlong project. Green Building: Faren Dancer for the Emerald Home, which produces all its own electricity and achieved an unprecedented HERS (Home Energy Rating System) index of minus 2.

Affordable Green Housing: ¡YouthWorks!, the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association, and Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity for the Oshara Habitat House. Renewable Energy Project: the ¡EnergyWorks! project, which was a collaboration between ¡YouthWorks!, The Housing Trust, and Randy Grissom of Santa Fe Community College. Eight youth completed over 225 energy efficiency installations/audits for working class families, while studying to get their GEDs. Water Conservation Project: Ten Thousand Waves for cleaning and recycling the water in their tubs and for their laundry facility. Solid Waste Reduction Project: Mexica Calderón for Santa Fe Food Not Bombs. Alternative Transportation Project: Chainbreaker Collective for their Bicycle Restoration Center, which trains individuals to repair and maintain bicycles as a transportation source that is economically feasible and environmentally friendly. Food Systems: The Santa Fe Alliance for their Regional Food and Fuels Project, which focuses on development of local sustainable food and energy economies by linking local producers and consumers. A Perpetual Spark of Inspiration: The late Rose Simmons for her work while a teenager to organize her peers on behalf of animal rights and the environment. The Sustainable Santa Fe Commission and its Youth Advisory Board present the annual Sustainable Santa Fe Awards on Earth Day.

above left: Javier Gonzales weatherizes windows as part of the ¡EnergyWorks! project, winner of the Renewable Energy Project Award above right: (l-r) Jan Atencio, Victoria Atencio, and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan pose with the Youth-led Project Award for Victoria's Senior Honors Project, Earth Appreciation Week, at the Santa Fe Indian School.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

F R O M T H E E D I T O R | BY MARITA PRANDONI

NATURE AND CULTURE: The Two Are Inseparable I would like to thank Earth Care for the opportunity to fashion this guide, and more importantly, for including me in their lively, youth-powered organization. In German there is an expression that often follows a chilly handshake: cold hands, warm heart. At Earth Care, it should be “calloused hands, warm heart.” Earth Care’s presence in the community demonstrates that working to secure a just and sustainable future is not just a fringe idea. Daily, in classrooms, businesses, on service-learning projects, and as youth advisors on the City’s Sustainable Santa Fe Commission, Earth Care’s Youth Allies launch little revolutions, fearlessly busting up tired conventions while weighing in on important decisions about their future. It was not my vision that created this edition of Sustainable Santa Fe, but each contributor’s distinct walk of life and their willingness to share their perspectives and ideas. These stories, poems and articles weave just a swatch of the vast and textured tapestry of our evolving cultural landscape. I hope you will find them informative and captivating, and know that you are part of a remarkable community. ....................................................................................................................................................... Marita Prandoni is an SSFRG staff member. Please see “About the Staff and Artists,” page 10.

Watercolor by Don Rehorn “Necessary Reflection”

The array of stories, poems and articles gathered in this guide represent some of the diverse voices of our community, our pueblito pequeño, as one of our contributors calls Santa Fe. They are widely known and little known neighbors, and they speak for children and youth, forebears and elders, farmers and teachers, wolves and goats. They also speak for the landscape— the neighborhoods, watersheds and wilderness—and how our relationship to our place determines our physical, cultural and spiritual nourishment.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe Publisher: Angela Harris Editor: Marita Prandoni Art Director: Todd Yocham Youth Intern: Brian Ortiz Photographers:

Jennifer Esperanza Tammy Maitland All photography courtesy of Earth Care unless otherwise noted.

Advertising Angela Harris Salespeople: Mike Rohner Ashley Sarracino Taylor Selby Zach Taylor Earth Care Staff: Angela Harris – Outreach & Development Coordinator, SSF Guide Project Manager. Eden Radfarr – Youth Allies Program Coordinator Ashley Sarracino – Co-Executive Director Christina Selby – Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director Lora Sheldon – Business Manager Bianca Sopoci-Belknap – Associate Director, Youth Programs Earth Care Board Todd Lopez of Trustees: Colin Keegan Steve Dilg Mercedes Downing Nolan Eskeets Jason Espinoza Joe Garcia Shawn Katz Nicole Rassmuson Taylor Selby Christina Selby Tom Wolinski Earth Care Beaver Toyota Sponsors: Heard Robins Cloud & Black, LLP Los Alamos National Bank Special thanks

Don Rehorn, Michael Cochran, Brian Rivera, Willem Malten, Karen Rencountre, Tristan Farzan, Miranda Gray, Erin O’Neill, Pablo Navrot, Bianca SopociBelknap, Lynn Walters, Sam Hitt and Katie Macaulay for additional fine artwork and photography. ....................................................................................... Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide is owned by Earth Care, a nonprofit organization. All proceeds support the education and empowerment of youth and teachers in our community. We appreciate all the work that volunteers, contractors and staff members have put into this and prior publications. We hope you enjoy the changes in the Guide as we continue to upgrade it in quality each year. Our sincere thanks goes out to the community of Santa Fe and to all community members and businesses who have participated in the Guide through the submission of articles and advertisements.

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2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

A B O U T T H E S TA F F A N D A R T I S T S

ANGELA HARRIS

JADE LEYVA

PUBLISHER

COVER ARTIST

Angela is Earth Care’s Outreach & Development Coordina-

Jade’s experience as a painter has taken her on an ex-

tor and the Sustainable Santa Fe Resource Guide Publisher.

ploration of the beauty of the world around us and

She was born and raised in Santa Fe and received her BA

within us. A painter, photographer, potter and more, she

in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University

is rapidly making a name for herself as one of the

of California at Santa Cruz. Angela was one of the first

Southwest’s most original artists. Hailing from Mexico

teens to participate in Earth Care’s programs in 2003.

City, Jade now calls New Mexico her home. At times whimsical, celebratory and reflective, her work reflects

MARITA PRANDONI

influences from Pre-Colombian to postmodern. Her

EDITOR

newly published book, A Little Bird Told Me / Me lo dijo

Marita grew up in Montana and New Mexico and has

un pajarito, is not simply a retrospective of her paintings

lived in Santa Fe since 1982. Formerly the managing ed-

up to 2010, but a treatise on the central themes of her

itor at EcoHearth.com, she authors the Small Earth blog

work: love, unity, and our fragile relationship to Mother

at EcoHearth. She is passionate about exploring differ-

Earth. Jade is available for commissioned work and her

ent cultures and worldviews, especially through the win-

artwork is available for gallery showings and art shows.

dow of language. Fluent in German, Spanish and French,

www.jadeleyva.com.

she is now learning Italian.

JENNIFER ESPERANZA TODD YOCHAM

PHOTOGRAPHER

ART DIRECTOR

Jennifer is a fine art, portrait, editorial and social justice

Born in southern New Mexico and raised in south

photographer. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is

Florida, Todd grew up “under his mother’s drafting

the mother of Emily & Gabriel, two very artistic kids.

table.” He returned to New Mexico with his dog, Clyde

Her work has been published in SHOTS, The Sun Maga-

(lovingly referred to as “Tuff Dog”) and has been in-

zine, Light of Consciousness, National Geographic Ad-

volved with print design for the last 21 years. He and his

venture Magazine, The New York Times and many other

family currently reside in Cerrillos, NM, where a wooden

publications. www.jenniferesperanza.com,

Santa Fe Southern boxcar serves as an office. Todd’s

www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferesperanza

work can be seen at www.tuffdogstudio.com.

TAMMY MAITLAND BRIAN ORTIZ

PHOTOGRAPHER

YOUTH INTERN

Tammy’s passion for photography is rivaled by her love

Brian is a senior at the Academy for Technology and the

of travel, music, children, volunteering and sunny days

Classics. He was born in Albuquerque, grew up in Santa

spent outdoors. She is employed as a teacher and gar-

Fe, and plans to major in Sustainability in college. Brian

dener. www.flickr.com/photos/tammymaitland/

has interned at Earth Care with the Sustainable Santa Fe Resource Guide project since June 2010.

PRINTING THIS MAGAZINE The paper in this magazine was made primarily from residual wood fiber (used wood). More than 70 percent of it comes from suppliers who have achieved sustainable forest management certification and and is Elemental Chlorine Free. It has been printed with vegetable-based inks.

Contents COPYRIGHT ©2010 Earth Care, a nonprofit educational organization. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. 1235 Siler Rd., Suite D, Santa Fe, NM 87507. Phone: 505-983-6896 Fax: 505-983-2622; info@earthcare.org; www.earthcare.org

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

E A R T H C A R E U P D AT E | BY: CHRISTINA SELBY

Letter from Our Co-Founder Welcome to the newly refreshed 2011 issue of Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide brought to you by Earth Care. It connects you to practical ideas, cultural traditions, and emerging innovations—showcasing some of Santa Fe’s best homegrown approaches to our ever-evolving, global quest for sustainability. Earth Care views sustainability broadly, by considering the economic, cultural and environmental development of communities. For us, this involves tapping into the wellspring of creativity in a highly under-utilized and under-valued resource—our young people. At Earth Care, we’ve witnessed time and again young people’s natural capacity for creativity, problem solving and innovation. In fact, research has shown that we are all born with these skills, but in about 98% of us, our capacity to come up with lots of possible solutions to a problem is deteriorated by the time we reach the age of 25. Yet this divergent thinking is the driving force of sustainable development. Without the creative genius of our youth, we could not get there from here. In 2009 Earth Care charted a dynamic strategic plan to ensure young people have a place to use their creative energy to mobilize the community. We are focusing on four areas of development that we believe can leverage the most change towards sustainability, while offering the greatest opportunity for youth to propel their own lives forward: food and health, education, civic participation and social entrepreneurship. I am pleased to say that we have strengthened our community-wide partnerships in support of this

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

work. This year we are launching the Youth Food Cadre AmeriCorps program to engage young professionals in building a sustainable and just local food system—one that addresses the needs of our environment and of our community’s most vulnerable populations. This program—in collaboration with the Santa Fe Alliance, Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute, Cooking with Kids, City and County of Santa Fe, Santa Fe Food Policy Council and the Santa Fe Public Schools—will engage youth ages 5 to 25, through service-learning, internships and job training and opportunities. More than learning how to grow healthy food, these young people will learn the skills to grow vibrant community, advancing the City and County’s sustainable development plans. Our flagship program, Youth Allies for Sustainability, continues to help young people ages 13 to 19 to find their voices and hone their skills as social entrepreneurs. By their own design, youth are developing original sustainable development projects. Our Sustainable Schools program also continues to work with students, teachers and schools in pushing the boundaries of what a healthy school community looks like, and how schools can lessen the burden they place on our natural resources while expanding the community’s vision for a sustainable future. At Earth Care we are continuing to deepen the positive impact young leaders have on our community. In the words of a wise elder, Michael Meade, “We are in a culture that idealizes youthfulness and rejects actual youth.” But here again, Santa Fe is truly the City Different. These young people have found numerous allies among you. This work cannot be done without YOU: our community partners, teachers, mentors, elders, volunteers, businesses and friends who believe young people are the leaders of today and can make a valuable contribution in our community. When you read Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide, you are not only learning about the ideals of living a life in balance with our environment, but you are also supporting the hands-on work of young people who are making that ideal a reality. Thank you, Santa Fe, for reading and believing! ....................................................................................................................................................... Christina Selby is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Earth Care. For more information visit www.earthcare.org or call 505-983-6896.

[SECTIONS] 8 From the Co-Founder 12 From the Editor 14 2010 Sustainable Santa Fe Award Winners 15 Sustainable Santa Fe Plan 140 Advertisers Index

CULTURAL COMMONS 20 Abundance By Dionycio Padilla

22 Three Poems for Esai By Jimmy Santiago Baca

24 The Boy Dreams By Nolan Eskeets

26 Remembering Our Original Instructions By Charleen Touchette

28 Growing Up I Was Diconnected By Beata Tsosie-Peña

30 A Conversation in the Park By Marita Prandoni

32 Una Conversación en el Parque By Marita Prandoni

34 More Than a Fair Exchange: Santa Fe's Time Bank By Jennifer Guerin

56 Sparkling Clean Doesn't Have To Be Environmentally Mean

102 Nutritious Food: Everyone's Birthright

58 A Plastic-Free Primer

106 Earth Care's Locavore Guide

59 How to Make Your Own Bulk and Veggie Bags

EDUCATION

62 Dancing with the Carbon Bomb

112 Youth: Forging the Social Transition Using Their Own Ingenuity

68 The Power to Change: The Benefits of Establishing a Municiple Energy Utility

113 Amy Biehl Community School: Designed with the Future in Mind

By SSFRG Staff

By A. Kyce Bello

By SSFRG Staff

By Randy Sadewic

By Sergio Gonzales and Jorge Martinez

72 With Simple Energy Literacy, Everyone Can Make a Difference By Spencer Haynsworth

74 Santa Fe’s Green Building Code: Stepping up to the Challenge to Reduce CO2 Emissions By Katherine Mortimer

78 Going Solar

By Taylor Selby and Renee Frank

80 For the Love of Biking By Nate Downey

82 Viewpoint from the Inside: The Copenhagen 2010 Climate Conference By Ken Hughes

By Brian Ortiz

40 Nothing New Here By Vicki Pozzebon

SOLUTIONS RISING 46 It Takes a Sustainable Village By Kathy Holian

By Margo Covington

53 How to Make a Home for Bees By Pablo Navrot

54 First Precycle (Don't Generate Trash), Then Recycle By Regina Wheeler

By Bianca Sopoci-Belknap

By SSFRG Staff

114 Colegio Sin Fronteras: A Place for Community Learning and Social Development By Shelley Cohen

115 Sustainability Programs in Higher Education: Surging by Popular Demand By Jessica Rowland

116 Colegio Sin Fronteras: Un Lugar para Aprendizaje en Comunidad y el Desarollo Social By Celia Medina

118 Educational Success for All Students: Youth Speak Out! By Kristen Krell

120 School Gardens: Nourishing Lives, Nurturing Life By Erin O’Neill

122 SF School Gardens Guide

88 Annual Bike Cruise Showcases City’s Newest Trails and Connections

124 Cooking With Kids: Empowering Children in the Kitchen

By SSFRG Staff

90 Ripples in Still Water By Zane Fischer

LOCAL FOOD 94 Holding Quart: The First Funky Butte Ranch Zero Carbon-Mile Dairy Product Manifests as a Microbiology Experiment in My Stomach By Doug Fine

50 From Throwaways to Takeaways

By SSFRG Staff

86 Car Idling Gets You Nowhere

By Tim Rogers

38 Locals Value More Than Tech-Know-How

By Sherry Hooper

96 Redefining Organic By Willem Malten

98 A Climate-Change Survival Strategy: Growing Food Year-Round By Roque Marquez

By SSFRG Staff

By Lynn Walters

126 Green and White Fettuccine with Tomato Basil Sauce Recipe from Cooking with Kids

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE 132 New Mexico’s Headwaters: Our Lifeblood By Bryan Bird

136 The Pecos Wilderness: Where a Force of Nature Inspires a Force for Nature By Cinny Green

138 Gardens Gone Wild: Santa Fe Botanical Garden Remembers Its Roots While It Grows Its Future By Erin Sindewald

100 Closing the Food Gap through Food Policy Councils By Rubina Cohen

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe [FEATURES] THE 42 REWEAVING FABRIC OF LIFE

110

FRUIT: 92 AMERICAN Looking for the Sublime by Deborah Madison

A piece of fruit that is “utterly enough” shouldn’t have traveled far. You must be patient for the season, or might have to climb to the treetop to pick it. This is what an esteemed chef and the author of Seasonal Fruit Desserts lies awake pondering, along with our world’s weightier dilemmas, like global warming and cultural collapse. Interestingly, the solution to all these issues depends in large part on the same thing: returning to a local food system.

by Will Barnes

What is it about playing in the dirt that makes the deepest, lifelong impressions? An ecologist and middle school science teacher observes the power of nature’s classroom to transform the lives of his students and wonders, “Who’s teaching whom?”

by Joel Glanzberg

How can we approach problems without our solutions creating more problems? How does nature regenerate and create wealth? A designer of living environments reminds us that our greatest resources lie not outside of our everyday orbits, but right here at home. It just takes envisioning our watersheds, community and local economy as our lifeboat.

BREATHING ROOM

128

A Rare Second Chance: Can the Mexican Gray Wolf Help Us Learn to Live in Balance? by Michael Robinson

Reintroduction of this slight desert lobo to our southern bioregion has been met with both panic and thrill. The panic may bubble up from a mythology deep within our psyche, or it may be that we see this predator as a competitor for game or livestock. But as protected wolves in the northern Rockies have demonstrated, they play an important role in restoring ecosystems—to the benefit of both humans and wildlife.

SCATTERING THE SEED by William deBuys

Photo by Willem Malten

A norteño relates a story told to him by a neighbor about the old days in Truchas. The tale is deceptively simple, however, because at its root is humanity’s responsibility to one another and to all creatures. In fact, our very survival depends on cultivating this generosity.

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Santa Fe 2011

A RESOURCE GUIDE BALANCING CULTURES, ECONOMICS & ECOLOGY

and spend some time with people we don’t know. It will be intimidating. We will make mistakes. It will take time. But I believe this is the first step in moving our complex, deeplylayered, and diverse city toward fellowship, understanding, and reconciliation. Si se puede. Valerie Martínez, Santa Fe’s Poet Laureate, was born and raised in SF. She is Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at the College of Santa Fe and a member of the Littleglobe artistic team (www.littleglobe.org). She has two published books of poetry and has co-edited an anthology. Contact: vmartinez@csf.edu

The viceroy penned his reply and sent it along with three Royal Orders, one of which originated from the King. The viceroy sent the royal packet to Martínez de Montoya, not Oñate. So Martínez de Montoya was the first to learn that Oñate’s resignation had been accepted and that the governor was ordered to remain in NM until replaced or instructed otherwise. The biggest surprise was that the viceroy named Martínez de Montoya the interim governor of NM.

of Fray Lázaro Ximínez and Fray Isidro Ordóñez, who carried some letters for the viceroy. One of those letters mentioned that plans were underway to establish a

Historians have surmised that the cabildo or colony’s council, heavily influenced by Oñate, met and refused the viceroy’s choice. They then named the governor’s son, Cristóbal, the interim governor. The Martínez de Montoya documents hint at the acquiescence of Martínez de Montoya himself, for he remained on good terms with Oñate and was preparing, maybe desired, to leave NM. Soon thereafter Cristóbal de Oñate, in his capacity as the new acting governor, witnesses and certified a second testimonial given by Martínez de Montoya. Signed on 8 August 1608, Oñate’s son verified the almost two years of the captain’s activities since his earlier testimony. Along with the aforementioned activities, Martínez de Montoya noted that he “populated” and “made a plaza in Santa Fe.” Within a few months Cristóbal de Oñate granted Martínez de Montoya permission to leave NM. He traveled as an officer in a small escort

Martinez de Montoya manuscript – Courtesy Fray Angelico Chavez History Library

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

new town and capitol. The unnamed town can only be a reference to the new plaza of Santa Fe established by Martínez de Montoya. No doubt the captain’s presence in Mexico City was an additional source about NM for the viceroy. The viceroy quickly decided upon Pedro de Peralta to replace Oñate and in the fall of 1609 Peralta began the trip north. The new governor carried instructions to “found and populate… la villa que se pretende,” which refers to a town already started. Again, this could only refer to Santa Fe, for no other new towns had been established and that was indeed the town where Peralta made his capital. Maybe someday a historian will discover a report that Martínez de Montoya made for the viceroy. Then we will have a clearer understanding of the founding of Santa Fe. Martínez de Montoya did not stay long in Mexico City or even New Spain, for he returned to his native village of Navalagamella with his proof of service. He and subsequent generations of his descendents presented these documents as well as proof of their ancestry to the Heraldry Courts. The courts dutifully copied the documents and subsequent testimony into the record and it is this court record that has survived as the Juan Martínez de Montoya documents. I learned that France Scholes, New Mexico’s preeminent historian discovered and copied the documents in the 1930s. He found them in a London rare book and antiquities shop. Scholes used the documents to publish an article in 1944 in The New Mexico Historical Review. The article focused on Martínez de Montoya. His role in establishing the village of Santa Fe led Scholes to conclude that “it would appear…that the beginnings of settlement there [Santa Fe] occurred as early as 1608 and that at such time the site was already known as Santa Fe.” David Snow, an ethnohistorian who worked with me at the Palace of the Governors brought the article to my attention and suggested that this might be worthy of pursuing. I read it with interest but what caught both

Don Pedro de Peralta, “The Founding of Santa Fe” by Dave McGary, 1992

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

of our attention was Scholes’s footnote in which he cited the Martínez de Montoya documents. They were “owned by Maggs Bros. of London when I saw them.” Scholes followed this with their long title. No one but Scholes had seen these documents and he was using them to refute the timehonored 1610 founding date of Santa Fe. He was also using them to establish that Martínez de Montoya, not Pedro de Peralta, deserved credit for starting the town. We wondered whether the documents still existed and I took it upon myself to find out. I picked up the telephone, figured out how to call information in London, and asked for a listing for Maggs Brothers. Sure enough the operator gave me a number. The company, if it was the same one, still existed. So I telephoned and asked the man who answered if this was the Maggs Brothers that sold rare books. “Why yes, we do. How can I help?” I told him about the footnote and documents and wondered if anyone would know anything about them. The reply surprised me, for he said that he thought that they still had the documents. Hardly able to control my excitement, I asked him if he could locate them because we would be interested in purchasing them. I then explained my position as a museum employee in New Mexico. Our conversation ended with his assurances that he would get back to me. I waited over a month before I telephoned Maggs Bros. again. The same voice answered and he remembered our previous conversation. Unfortunately, he had not located the documents but he had not finished search-

Flavor Graphics

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

Conquistador Procession, 2008 Santa Fe Fiesta Historical/Hysterical Parade

ing. Once again, he assured me that he would call. Time passed again. The man at Maggs Bros. did not telephone. So, once again, I picked up the telephone and initiated the conversation. This time the same person gave a less favorable reply. “We sold the documents.” “When?” “I do not have the record in front of me.” “Did you sell them recently?” “Oh no, this was done some time ago.” I then asked him if he had records of the sale and who he sold them to. And, if so, would he mind contacting the person to ask permission to share with me his contact information? The documents, I explained again, were of significant historical importance to New Mexico and, if nothing else, I would like to get copies for their information. I received a positive answer to what I considered a long shot. However, I was warned that the inquiry would take some time. With no other choice, I politely thanked the man for his willingness to help and hung up. This time, three months passed before my patience ran out and I telephoned Maggs Bros. once again. Not surprising, the same man answered. The time the conversation was short. They could not locate the sale record for the Martínez de Montoya documents. We had reached a dead end. The chase was over. Some time later, Homer Milford, a friend and historian who worked for the State in the Mining and Mineral Division telephoned me with the news that he was going to London to do some research. Milford wanted to know if there was anything he could do while in London. I asked him if he could go to Maggs Bros. and inquire

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

about the Martínez de Montoya documents. In particular, I recalled hearing something about their miscellaneous closet. They thought that the documents might be there but found nothing. Maybe Milford could take a look himself. I gave him the address and he said that he would try. “Try” was an understatement, for not only did Milford convince the people at Maggs Bros. to give him free reign in their miscellaneous closet but he found the documents! Almost a year to the day since my first contact with the people in London, Milford had found the documents. In a telephone call from London he told me that they were bound in what looked like an 18th century cover that was tied shut with ribbons. The documents consisted of sixty-two pages. While feigning calm, the staff at Maggs Bros. was embarrassed. With Milford’s information, I again telephoned Maggs Bros. The same man answered. Now we could talk turkey. I knew that he had the documents. What I wanted to know was if he was interested in selling them. Yes he was. “Good! Well then, what do you want for them?” “I cannot tell you. I need our Professor of Hispanic Antiquities to come in and give us an appraisal.” “When can he give you an appraisal?” “Not soon, I am afraid. He is on holiday.” So we left it at that. When the appraisal was done I would be notified and we could come to an agreement. Obviously, I needed a price if the Palace of the Governors was going to purchase them. My telephone conversant made clear that a donation of the documents was not a consideration. I was after something that would cost money while I had none in hand. Nonethe-

“The Journey’s End” by Renaldo Rivera, Museum Hill, Santa Fe

Children of Conquest

Sustaining Community Relations in a Mixed Cultural Society Tomás Romero

August 19, 1846: La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís.

t was to be another beautiful warm summer day. The sun rose crisply over the mountain, shedding its warming glow over the Villa and the outlying fields. There was nothing that would suggest anything other than a peace and quiet, permitting the townspeople to toil in their fields or at their tasks in the shops and offices that were to open in the Plaza. But there was something in the air. Most had been up before dawn and many were congregating around the Plaza in small groups, huddled over intense discussion, individuals fleeting from group to group, groups coming together then drifting apart as the intensity of discussion quelled or new subjects surged in other areas around the public square. There was only one topic. In the last few days word had come from the outlying community of San Miguel del Vado that a military contingency of the Estados Unidos had taken the village of Las Vegas four days before. Today, under the command of Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny, the army units would descend on Santa Fe.

It was almost unthinkable that such a situation would occur. Over the last twenty-five years, since this territory had come under governance of the Mexican Republic, Santa Fe had become a key center of trade traffic, as much with the Estados Unidos from the east, as with the center of Mexico to the south. Some from Santa Fe had established trade routes to the east, some had even learned English, but the majority of the population retained the language, customs, and living traditions that had prevailed in this area for the last 237 years. They were Spanish, integrally tied to Mexico, and deeply Catholic. Today, they were the enemy, about to be conquered. The territorial governor, Manuel Armijo, had already fled to the south. He had made the decision that our local militia was not armed enough to hold off the advancing troops. There was to be no battle, but there was to be a defeat! An American staff officer described the reaction of the Mexican population to the army’s entrance into the capital city: “Our march into the city… was extremely warlike, with drawn sabers... From around corners, men with surly countenances and downcast looks regarded us with watchfulness, if not terror... As the American flag was raised, and the cannon boomed its glorious national salute from the hill, the pent-up emotions of many of the women could be suppressed no longer… the wail of grief arose above the din of our horses’ tread, and SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

reached our ears from the depth of the gloomy-looking buildings on every hand.” It is now late afternoon. On the Plaza all of the townspeople gathered earlier to listen to the words of Colonel Kearny, and to hear the response from Acting Governor Juan Bautista Vigil y Alarid. Kearny had said, “…We come among you to take possession in the name of the United States. We mean not to murder you or rob you of your property…your families shall be free from molestation…your women secure from violence. …You are no longer Mexican subjects but now Amer-

our ways were not regarded as equal to the Americans and their ways. In the end, Mexico did not win the war, but the presumption from the start was that the United States had a God-given right to this land. New Mexico became a territory of the United States, and along with the Arizona territory, provided the path to California that was so urgently desired. The development of New Mexico in the last half of the nineteenth century took a decidedly American turn. Wave after wave of newcomers entered the city, bringing with them their external biases and prescribed solutions, many of which would fail. Lew Wallace, Territorial Governor from 1878 to 1881, stated, “Every calculation based on experience elsewhere, fails in New Mexico.”

General William T. Sherman in an address on October 28, 1880 stated unequivocally: “You (New Mexicans) must improve your land and develop the vast resources of your country, or the new race will come in here and displace you. …I hope and pray that the next time I come here I shall surely find the old race of Mexicans that we found here …improved – brought to a higher degree Palace of the Governors, Museum of New Mexico historical re-creation, 2007 of improvement and cultivation. Without that they will be displaced, not by force, ican citizens subject only to the laws of the United injustice and violence, but by a better, stronger, higher States...” race that will develop the resources of the country. …I In his response, Acting Governor Vigil y Alarid accepthave no feeling against the people. The people sit here ed the takeover. In part he had said, “The address you and growl and eat garlic. …You must …get rid of your have just given us gives us some idea of the wonderful burros and goats. I hope ten years hence there won’t future that awaits us...” All were left wondering, what be an adobe house in the Territory. I want to see you would that future be? learn to make them of brick, with slanting roofs. Yankees don’t like flat roofs, nor roofs of dirt.” Many questions would arise over the next few days and weeks as the townspeople now dwelled on the meanToday, the descendents of those early Spanish/Mexiing of being “American citizens.” Would we have to can residents of this land continue to think about the change our names? Would we all have to learn English? “wonderful future.” Have we achieved and maintained Would the new laws protect our rights and property in parity with the waves of newcomers? Has our commuthe same way as these were treated under Spanish law? nity retained its vibrancy? In many respects, the descenWho would tell us what these laws were? What if the dents of those early settlers continue to fight for incluAmericanos didn’t like us? Would we be deported? sion. And, lest it be forgotten, we were at war. Could we freely visit our relatives in parts of the territory not yet conThe first losses were in rights to land – common lands quered? What if Mexico won? Would we be traitors to were not recognized; they had to be owned by someMexico? one or by the government. In the first part of the 20th century, language was the next loss, as the speaking of Spanish in schools and in public was prohibited and demeaned. For many, the next loss was in education, as In the years that passed, it became clear that we and

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

inability to comprehend an acquired language was defined as lack of intelligence. Finally, there has been an erosion of economic participation, as loss of education has led many to fail to attain employment growth, and an outward migration of families, as gentrification of the homes and neighborhoods has forced many to seek housing in lower-cost communities and employment elsewhere. The sustaining of community arises from embracing of the existing cultures, ways, and traditions. The building of homes and buildings aligned with the earth is now desirable. Organic farming and water conservation now seem to make sense. Much of this was lost in the rush of the past century to modernize and develop. It is with renewed hope that we ponder what a wonderful future there might yet be as cultures and people of conscience

Tomas Romero (l) and friends at Spanish Market 2008

come together for a new beginning.

For the past ten years Tomás Romero has been President of El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the arts, culture, and traditions of Hispanic New Mexico (www.elmuseocultural.org). He is also Associate Vice President at Santa Fe Community College. Tomás encourages readers to explore the history of NM, and recommends the following books, from which some of the quotations have been taken: An Illustrated History of New Mexico by Thomas E. Chavez, The Myth of Santa Fe by Chris Wilson, New Mexico, a Brief Multi-History by Rubén Sálaz Márquez, and A People’s History of the United States, chapter 8, by Howard Zinn.

Advertise in the next Sustainable Santa Fe Resource Guide... call 505-983-6896 34

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

out by mass media and the schooling process which occurred simultaneously. Indeed, it was not long before we were all searching for jobs, just as a few years before we had looked for stands of wild asparagus and patches of wild spinach or pinon trees, which were particularly loaded with nuts. Together, those forces unleashed by mainstream society were highly effective, and helped turn generally happy, hardworking land-based people into the generation of restless, highly pressured institutional workers and consumers that we have become.

In Search of Right Livelihood Alejandro Lopez , story & photos

Boys learning native agriculture at El Portal

any religious traditions, among them Buddhism, emphasize right livelihood in which one provides for oneself and oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family by performing the greatest amount of good for other living beings, the Earth included, and does the least amount of harm to all. When I was growing up in Santa Cruz in northern Santa Fe County that was fairly easy. My family and I spent our summers growing corn, squash, chili, melons, cucumbers, apples, peaches and pears. These we consumed when in season, put away for the winter, or made available to the nearby Pueblo Indian people by going house to house and offering a dozen ears of corn for sixty cents and a bushel of apples for three dollars. While some might think that our prices were unreasonably low, our efforts were generously rewarded when on feast day we were invited into every home and fed without reservation. Forty-some years after the fact, these families and I remain intertwined in an ongoing relationship of friendship, mutuality, and caring. It is hard to pinpoint exactly the causes for the disappearance of small-scale agriculture in northern Santa Fe County, beginning in the 1950s, but mostly it had to do with the material carrot that mainstream culture dangled in front of our faces in the form of energy-saving devices, creature comforts, modern dwellings and automobiles. This process was much aided by the active devaluing of self-sufficient traditions and rural life carried Low-income youth in Santa Cruz, NM clear debris for garden plot

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Certainly, by the 1980s this many hundred-year way of life was nearly defunct. Both psychologically in the individual, and in community, its sudden disappearance left a vacuum of such magnitude, that drugs, alcohol, medications, gambling, and the cult of the automobile, ATVs, cell phones, television, guns, and a myriad other technological toys have been used to fill. These are hardly sustainable alternatives to the once highly productive and integrated way of life common to this region. Those replacements have themselves become the agents of yet further levels of disintegration within communities, which had no hand in their development. As a result of the destruction of a historical right livelihood and the vain attempt to compensate for it by extreme measures of desperation, a deep sense of alienation from self, from the land and from cultural, spiritual and economic roots has occurred in northern Santa Fe County and adjoining Rio Arriba that is all together difficult to address. While the wealthy are off in Africa big game hunting thanks to the high salaries paid by the our neighbor, the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratories, the poor are sleeping under bridges or looking for their next fix, and middle income people, stretched and strained in every department of their lives perform endless economic juggling acts just to â&#x20AC;&#x153;keep it together for one more day.â&#x20AC;? As a kind of insurance for finding work, I was talked into spending eight years at various colleges on the East coast, where I earned an advanced degree in education and racked up several thousand dollars of debt. Even so, upon my return to Santa Fe, it was nearly impossible to find work as a result of endless bureaucratic barriers and requirements that rendered people such as myself

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Conversing in front of bread bakers’ mural created by El Portal, Espanola, NM, 2008

either overqualified or underqualified for nearly every job. It was grueling to find myself, a highly educated native person willing to go the route of forced assimilation into mainstream society and economy, unemployed for many years while doing every sort of odd job to halfway pay the bills. After a teaching/curatorial stint at one of the museums, I retreated to the edge of the Navajo Reservation in Gallup where I found my calling in the implementation of community service-learning projects involving youth. Not surprisingly, the creation of community gardens in fourteen elementary schools on the reservation was one of my most cherished projects. In time, my parents’ steadily declining health persuaded me to return to the Rio Grande corridor of Northern New Mexico. I resorted to teaching Spanish at a local college where later, I became the campus director. Pressured by the administration to become a small-minded bureaucrat whose principal concern should be making money and attracting the rich to Northern New Mexico rather than serving the community at large, brought to a definitive end whatever loyalty I might have felt toward the institutional culture of this country. When I protested this mindlessness, I was unceremoniously asked out. Just as the Chinese character for the word crisis also spells-out the word opportunity, my newly orphaned

status happily presented me with the opportunity to pursue right livelihood once again. Having always believed in and nourished the interconnected “social security” network of friendship, it was not long before a friend pointed me in the direction of a possible book contract that involved the study of the evolution of Santa Fe. After preparing a brief proposal, the contract was mine. I now spend my mornings seated on my porch that overlooks the majestic Chacoma peak of the Jemez Mountains, writing what I hope will be a valuable history of the city founded in 1610 by my ancestors. The four acres that once supplied food for my family and the nearby Tewa Pueblos have returned to productivity through the efforts of a friend. Not surprisingly, his devotion to the land attracted the intense interest of the male youth of the adjoining low-income housing development. They were soon pulling up weeds from the field in exchange for a few dollars and credit in the produce department of El Portal (Place of Renewal, Transformation and Learning), an experiential learning center that I am in the process of founding. This mutually beneficial relationship has spawned other life-serving projects such as a campaign to reduce litter in the neighborhood and the building of functional adobe structures for yet other neighbors who are willing to employ us as a group. The chronic lack of employment opportunities in this neck of the woods has compelled me to create a Spanish language school as part of the emerg-

Making adobes in Santa Cruz, Summer 2008

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Highlights In Sustainability Education Camilla Bustamante

(l-r) Rose Simmons, Santana Lujan and Mercedes Downing of Youth Allies discuss sustainability on the SF Youth Radio Project

magine there is a shared understanding that schools have a responsibility to contribute to our individual and collective potential, and to that of the living systems upon which all life depends. And, also imagine the potential of having all our children in school with their teachers and mentors during the most favorable time for learning, and imagine that we honor our children through a paradigm shift in education that provides them with transformative learning experiences that prepare them to lead the shift toward a sustainable future. Schools are learning organizations where foundations are set for knowledge, skills and habits of mind, and we have to begin to focus our educational initiatives toward sustainability education and teach children how to live well in our places and to sustain the use over time for future generations. – Bobby Gutierrez, Superintendent Santa Fe Public Schools Education for sustainability must be a comprehensive effort. Formal and informal, public and private, as well as adult and youth educational efforts are well underway in assuring resources for learning are available in Santa Fe. As the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan calls for a comprehensive effort for sustainability education, the following are brief highlights of initiatives that are working toward achieving sustainability goals:

SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOLS by Bobby Gutierrez Currently, in Santa Fe Public Schools, our new school

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under construction in the Rancho Viejo area has been designed with sustainability in mind. The school is being built to LEED Silver II and includes a geothermal heat pump system for heating and cooling the building, recycling of gray water for such purposes as flushing the toilets, a special roof system to help support energy conservation, and a water catchment system. There will be a vast amount of day lighting, and the school is being built on an east/west plane – another import key feature in sustainable buildings. Additionally, the district has worked with the Santa Fe Children’s Museum to design the outdoor spaces into learning spaces, which will focus on environmental science. Two of our elementary schools, Alvord and Larragoite, are currently working on becoming magnet schools with a strong emphasis on the sciences and sustainability. As the Superintendent of the Santa Fe Public Schools, I believe it is important to provide teachers with the professional development and training they need to teach sustainability education, and I believe this would be a key element to add to our New Mexico Content Standards as revisions occur over the years. As an educator, I believe sustainability education is a common sense notion, as economic growth and prosperity, ecological health and a vibrant society depend on one another. When we are able to build our economy, environment and community all together, it is then we will achieve the quality of life all people deserve, and educators play a key role in making this happen. http://www. sfps.k12.nm.us

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Earth Care and Santa Fe Mountain Center working with seniors at Santa Fe Indian School

THE PERMACULTURE INSTITUTE The Permaculture Institute is a non-profit educational organization based in Jacona, NM at the home and farm of Scott and Arina Pittman. The Institute offers a variety of classes and workshops around NM and nationwide, directed towards people interested in various aspects of sustainable living. Courses include a Natural Building Practicum, Topbar Beekeeping, Four Seasons Practical Permaculture, Permaculture Design Certificate courses, Watershed Restoration and Practical Permaculture for Sustainable Farming and Gardening. These programs attract people of all ages and walks of life from different locales and professional backgrounds. Permaculture has truly transformed the lives and enhanced the careers of thousands of participants around the world. Most students find the course life-changing, and form strong personal bonds with each other. Some students have made permaculture a career, while others choose to incorporate the principles in their own discipline and lifestyle. www.permaculture.org

SANTA FE PREPARATORY SCHOOL In 2006 Santa Fe Prep finished building their new Library - the first Gold LEED Certified building in NM. Since then they have installed a solar array in partnership with Santa Fe Community College sustainable technology classes and have hosted a faculty in-service on sustainability. For the 2008-2009 school year, the school has enlisted three faculty members as sustainability fellows to help with purchasing policies, creating a green chemistry lab, and planning an organic vegetable garden and greenhouse. In addition, they hosted a Sustainability Symposium, which was open to schools across northern NM. This effort to learn more and implement sustainable solutions will continue. www.sfprep.org

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MONTE DEL SOL PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL Monte del Sol public charter school is a cutting-edge green technology campus that features a 50,000-gallon water harvesting system, photo-voltaic (PV) grid-tied solar, solar hot water heating, and an organic edible schoolyard. There is a part-time gardener on staff who works with the students and teachers. The organic harvest goes to the kitchen, where the kids learn how to cook “slow food.” Monte del Sol has been working with Earth Care for five years, integrating sustainability into their classrooms. Economics, Government and many other classes are taught from a sustainability perspective. Teachers meet regularly to move their school and students towards sustainability. www.montedelsol.org

NORTHERN NEW MEXICO COLLEGE Northern New Mexico College highlights certificate programs in Renewable Energy and Adobe Construction, Environmental Science (AAS, and BS), and features the Solar Energy Research Park and Academy (SERPA), as well as the ¡Sostnega! Center for Sustainable Food Agriculture and Environment. The ¡Sostnega! Center was established by the 2007 state legislature in the interest of preserving the predominantly healthy food heritage of northern NM, pre-industrial revolution. ¡Sostnega! provides a platform for community-based, cutting edge preand post-harvest science for agroindustrial development and cultural preservation. (http://www.sostengalavida. com) SERPA will serve to expedite the implementation of clean renewable energy generation and distribution at a significant scale, and to accelerate the development of non-carbon emitting safe energy sources and technologies. In addition to technical research and training, SERPA will also provide research and education in energy policy and regulation.

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Sustainability training at Santa Fe Indian School

Internationally recognized, the NNMC Adobe Program in El Rito, available as an online class, allows students to take advantage of a history of adobe craftsmanship to build structures that store passive solar energy in the tradition of sustainability in Northern New Mexico. The NNMC baccalaureate program in Environmental Science provides students with options in Forestry, Environment, or Sustainable Agriculture, all in the spirit of Healthy Environment, Healthy Culture, Healthy People (Greg Cajete, 1999). www.nnmc.edu

SANTA FE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Santa Fe Community College is taking a leadership role in the greening of post-secondary education in NM, and in developing the green workforce of tomorrow. SFCC offers a certificate and an associate degree in Environmental Technologies, which provides students with both practical experience and an in-depth understanding of the issues related to sustainability, renewable energy, water conservation and global warming. SFCC’s president, Sheila Ortego, is among 276 college presidents across the country who have signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a pledge to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on campus and accelerate research and educational efforts to restabilize the Earth’s climate. SFCC is creating a sustainable campus and community by becoming an environmental model in energy generation and conservation, maintenance, purchasing, recycling and educational programs. In 2009 the college is breaking ground on the Advanced Trades and Technologies Center, which will house the Sustainable Technologies Center and other workforce development programs. (See article, pg 52.) www.sfccnm.edu

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AMPERSAND SUSTAINABLE LEARNING CENTER Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center’s off-grid site in Cerrillos, demonstrates sustainable systems including permaculture, land restoration, organic gardening, passive solar design, and wise water techniques. Ampersand hosts workshops, on-site and at other locations, as well as offering internships and volunteer opportunities for everyday folks wanting to live in harmony with our bioregion. Learn to build with natural and salvaged materials, cook with solar ovens, and rely on rain catchment. Ampersand is a place that inspires sustainable projects and acts as a support for their evolution. The organization’s Sustainable Habitat Consulting services assist people with their own properties. Email ampersandproject@yahoo.com, call 505-780-0535 or visit the website www.ampersandproject.org.

CONCLUSION These are some of the initiatives that are critical in the advancement of sustainable living. Please visit the website of the program that is right for you for more information on educational programs geared toward sustainability. Camilla Bustamante, Ph.D., is director of Environmental Science at Northern New Mexico College. She also is Chair of the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission.

The Earth Care Sustainability Education Institute for Teachers From the staff of Earth Care International

n the summer of 2008, Earth Care International held its first ever Sustainability Education Institute for Teachers here in Santa Fe. Over the course of seven days we considered – when measured against the massive environmental and social challenges of our time – “What is education for; what is education called to do?” An overarching theme that emerged was that of releasing authority in favor of authenticity.

Authority. noun. The power to determine, adjudicate, or

education for sustainability when they return to school. As we went around the circle, many spoke about their desire to create a kinder, more authentic and empowering relationship with their students and to make education more authentic by learning from and creating a relationship to place – the social and ecological place we call Santa Fe. In the teachers’ words:

otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine. “Authority” refers to a claim of legitimacy, justification and right to exercise that power.

“[I’ve realized] how much power a teacher really has. I guess I have to really take that potential to heart and take responsibility for it.”

Authentic. adj. Not false or copied; genuine; real. Entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy. Synonyms: genuine, real, veritable.

“Most of my ideas are ideas that are imposed by me on the school/students. But I really want to shift that to capitalizing on student energy and studentgenerated ideas.”

A philosophy of authenticity is a particular way of dealing with the external world, being faithful to internal rather than external ideas. It refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions.

“[I intend to] continue to encourage and support my students to be their most authentic self both in and out of the classroom.”

At the Institute’s closing ceremony, the teachers shared their intentions of how they would work to implement

“Grounding curriculum and school-in-place in a radical way could really drive lessons; create energy in a new way.”

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Listening to the teachers share their thoughts, it became apparent how this very act – of being authentic – is not commonplace in our modern educational system. These teachers work in a system that many times encourages authority over authenticity; knowledge over wisdom; memorization over application; learning in a classroom rather than learning from and in the community. In this environment, creating a more authentic relationship between teachers and students, and, between education and the community, is no small task. Relating to students in a way that empowers them to participate authentically in their education, and contribute to the sustainability of their community is truly a radical act. These teachers are now set on a course to practice radical acts of kindness. But, as one teacher pointed out, “our sustainable efforts cannot be personality based, but must become part of the system.” The authenticity these teachers will now bring to their relationships is just the beginning. This is the ground on which they will stand to create a sustainable society by manifesting a sustainable system of education. Over the next three years this group of teachers will explore how to do just that in SF. Young people spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 10 months of the year in classrooms. More of their young lives are spent in schools rather than in any other

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endeavor. Thus schools substantially influence the beliefs, values, attitudes and behavior of young people. Yet, most education today teaches students to think and see the world from an unsustainable paradigm. Transforming the paradigm of the educational system is vitally important to achieving sustainability. Earth Care is committed to evolving a process for educating that involves an authentic connection between teachers and the youth they work with as well as between the classroom and the greater reality and experience of community, including nature. Thirty teachers applied for the 20 slots in the intensive 7-day Institute, which was facilitated by Earth Care staff Rachel Balkcom and Tammy Harkins in conjunction with Dana Richards of Earth Works Institute, Ashley Nielsen of Living Education Group, Ted Fish of Philos Institute, and Paige Prescott, former teacher at Monte del Sol Charter School. Visit Earth Care’s website: www.earthcare.org for more information about these Summer Teacher Institutes, teacher trainings offered throughout the year, and EC’s work to create a system of sustainable education. For information about EC’s school-based programs, contact Tammy Harkins or Jason Espinoza at 983-6896.

SFCC students work with electricians to install a photovoltaic solar system at Santa Fe Prep School

The Center for Community Sustainability also continues to offer non-credit classes focused on issues of sustainability and hands-on training. Spring 2009 offerings include:

• • • • •

Green building Sustainable communities Climate change Food security and local self reliance Photovoltaic solar energy installation

In June 2007, SFCC President Dr. Sheila Ortego signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). ACUPCC is a national movement engaging higher education institutions in a historic carbon emissions reduction program. In compliance with ACUPCC guidelines, SFCC, with the assistance of faculty, staff and students, has completed a carbon calculation process and has established a baseline for CO2 emissions. After submitting a year-one report on the findings, the college will spend year two developing a short and long-range carbon reduction plan that will guide SFCC toward zero carbon emissions. In addition to the Carbon Calculator and ACUPCC reporting, SFCC is engaged in the development of a sustainability plan as part of a master planning process. This exciting project will help infuse concepts and sustainability practices into all aspects of campus life. Nowhere is it more appropriate or necessary than in the curriculum. A group of “green thinking” instructors have formed a Sustainability in the Curriculum group, which meets regularly to explore ways to engender

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sustainable thinking in a wide range of academic subjects. Instructors teaching math, economics, accounting and other subjects, have found ways to stimulate thinking and initiate action regarding living a more sustainable lifestyle in a more sustainable environment. In August 2008, as part of Convocation, members of the Green Task Force held a “Big Green Brainstorm,” an event designed to involve the entire campus community in ways that each person can think and act sustainably. Additionally, SFCC participates annually in Sustainability Day each October. This national event on campuses across the country, spreads the word about sustainable thinking and living with the theme: “Small steps taken by huge numbers of people make for big change.” Lou Schreiber is Director of Sustainability and Workforce Development at SF Community College. For information about classes and programs, and how you can participate in “Going Green @ SFCC,” call Lou at 428-1617, e-mail: lschreiber@sfccnm.edu or visit the website: www.sfcc.edu.

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Alvord Community Magnet School Update Dreaming Sustainability John Goekler

n the last issue of this Guide, Brian Skeele of the 2010 Turnaround Challenge expressed his vision of Alvord Community School becoming a center for lifelong learning and sustainability. At the time, it seemed a distant dream. Because of declining enrollment and continuing financial struggles, Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS) intended to close Alvord and sell or lease the valuable property adjacent to the Railyard. Today, however, because of the efforts of Alvord parents, teachers and neighbors; the leadership of SFPS; community groups and activists; and the 2010 crew, Alvord is opening in the fall of 2009 as Santa Fe’s first “magnet” school and its first public school with a theme of environmental science and sustainability.

Why Alvord? Alvord is an historic, neighborhood school with a 75year presence in the community. We believe that schools can and should be centers of community, and that losing a school seriously damages a neighborhood’s cohesion and capacity to renew itself. The Alvord community was solidly behind this effort. In our experience, structures imposed from on high rarely work, while self-organizing, “distributed” efforts can truly change the world. This was an opportunity to work in that way. And we wanted to support a “living laboratory” in which to collectively learn how to bring forward a just, sustainable future. If the solutions to the crises we confront are rooted in community and education, what better place can there be to address these than in a community school? 56

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Why a Magnet School? We focused on creating a magnet school for several reasons. First, as a magnet, it could draw students from the entire District, rather than just its local “walk zone,” in which fewer and fewer children live due to rising property values and shifting demographics. Second, unlike charter schools, magnets are revenue neutral. They remain under District supervision and part of their state per-student funding is available to support District administration and infrastructure. Third, magnets structure learning around core themes that are inviting to students. We also wanted to help SFPS address enrollment issues by expanding school choice. It’s no secret that there is tremendous attrition in our student population, especially in middle school. Because schools are funded by the state on a per-student basis, loss of enrollment equates to loss of revenue, which leads to program cuts, which leads to loss of enrollment. It’s a vicious circle, and we think magnets can help break it by attracting and retaining kids and families through great content. (Since the Alvord effort began, two more SFPS schools, Larragoite and Alameda, have embarked on the process to become magnets!)

What Kinds of Programs Will Alvord Offer? Neuroscience tells us that emotion drives attention and attention drives learning. For students to truly learn, they have to care about what they study. And one thing young people all over the world say they care about is the environment.

Based on this, a volunteer curriculum committee has been working with SFPS to develop content that is engaging to students, supportive of a sustainable future and academically rigorous. Its core values are to help students:

• ®Understand sustainability as a concept and why it is critical to our future; • ®Recognize the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things; • ®Believe in and exercise their own ability to make a difference in their school, their community and the world. The curriculum is organized around systems and cycles, such as our food systems and hydrologic cycles. Each of these may also be approached through themes such as resources and needs, soil and food, water and health. Specific issues such as forests, biodiversity or climate change will also serve as entry points. All content will be standards-compatible and supported by field trips, community mentors, and class and schoolwide projects. Instruction will focus heavily on “expeditionary” or “immersion” models that allow students the opportunity to learn and apply key skills through deeply studying issues they care about. As much as possible, learning will be hands-on. For example, students might study energy issues, then audit the school’s energy use and recommend ways to reduce it, including a cost/ benefit analysis. They might also offer those skills and services to local businesses and homeowners. They could then apply the same model to water, waste and materials flows. The kids learn, and they, the school and the community benefit. Or imagine Alvord builds a greenhouse (efforts are underway) and students develop a business raising herb starts to sell at the Farmers’ Market. They learn basic horticulture and biology, develop math skills in projecting costs and profits, and hone communication skills to promote and market their products. Alvord will also use the “community as a classroom” through partnerships with organizations such as the Farmers’ Market, El Museo, NM Game and Fish, the Railyard and Warehouse 21. Student success is closely tied to physical and emotional health. In addition to indoor air quality, lighting and “child friendly” spaces, we’re looking at healthy lifestyle components, including a continuing partnership with Cooking With Kids and, hopefully, a new one with Yoga in Schools. Alvord’s new principal, Karen Snieders, is also a licensed school counselor and will work closely with SFPS Student Wellness to ensure all students receive needed services.

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Studies tell us most young people today suffer “nature deficits” – a lack of access to, and empathy for, the natural world. Kids who do have access to nature tend to be more focused, more peaceful and higher achievers. To address this, plans are underway to incorporate a natural area on school grounds, as well as the greenhouse and gardens. We’re talking with the Trust for Public Lands about students gardening in the wonderful new “pueblo garden” in Railyard Park. And we want to get kids outside for experiences that build skills, confidence and esteem, such as rock climbing, ropes courses, hiking and snowshoeing.

How Does Enrollment Work? As a K-6 “neighborhood magnet school,” Alvord will first offer enrollment to students living within its walk zone. Because the school’s program capacity is 154 students and only about 120 live in the zone, the remaining spaces will be offered to current transfer students, siblings of current students and then to other applicants from the District through a lottery. 2010 is working with SFPS and SF Trails to develop a district-wide transportation plan to get out-of-zone students to Alvord, and with SFPS to create a district-wide outreach plan.

Whole Child, Whole Community, Whole Planet John Goekler

hile many sustainability discussions focus on technologies – thin film solar, hybrid autos, fuel cells, biodiesel – sustainability is ultimately not about technology. Rather, it is about the needs and abilities of people and their communities. In fact, in creating a cultural shift of the magnitude now required, the highest leverage intervention is not the adoption of new products; it is the adoption of new perspectives and paradigms. If we want to act differently, we need to learn to think differently. But it’s hard to “think different,” as the Apple ad urges. Paradigms (worldviews or mental models) are to people as water is to fish – a context we swim around in without ever realizing how it so thoroughly shapes our lives. So let me use a biological metaphor and try to “infect” the system with a paradigm that holds the potential to accelerate and focus sustainability work, and attract a large number of new partners and allies. It’s a strategic vision, a template for program design and delivery, and an assessment tool, all rolled into one. This paradigm supports the well-being and transformation of individuals, communities and the planet. It’s incredibly powerful, yet delightfully simple – raise healthy children!

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This is critical because, at present, there is a large disconnect between advocates for sustainability and advocates for children and social justice. In general, neither group recognizes the urgency or relevance of the other’s work. But it’s all the same work. There is no possibility of saving the planet if our children are unable to honor, foster and defend it in their turn. Nor can we raise healthy children and bring forth social justice in a world of environmental scarcity and disasters. Just as our children stand to benefit most from social and environmental remediation, it is they who, given the opportunity, will make the greatest contribution to a just, joyous and sustainable future. There is a movement growing in SF and across the industrialized world, around this paradigm. While the language varies, it is increasingly framed as a “Whole Child” model, and it meshes perfectly with sustainability work. Whole Child is an effort to ensure the health, well-being, and academic and life success of every child and young person through addressing the social, emotional and economic factors that largely determine their life chances. It applies systemic interventions to address not only the needs and well-being of young people, but also of their families and community. The goal of a Whole Child effort is ambitious – to ensure

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every child and young person is safe, healthy, loved, affirmed and fulfilled. Its loyalty is to kids, families, communities and the planet, rather than to administration, curriculum, funding streams or political correctness. It begins with making sure every child is welcome and wanted. This is the first synergy with sustainability because our cumulative ecological footprint is the product of population times per capita consumption. Just as lowering consumption reduces our footprint, so does lowering our numbers. Simply making family planning materials available to families who already want them would reduce world population growth by nearly one-fifth. Other necessary pieces are prenatal, and child and maternal health care, along with education and mentoring to instill and expand parental skills. Nutrition programs, environmental health programs, and affordable, accessible day care and preschool for every child are also vital components, and are highly cost effective. (Enrolling low-income children in early childhood programs saves schools about $11,000 per child in avoided intervention and remediation costs.) Prior to the commencement of formal schooling, Whole Child focuses on helping children develop social skills and learn to love learning. Just as anti-social behaviors are associated with learning and life difficulties, acquisition of “pro-social” skills is closely associated with later success.

dental screening and services, substance abuse counseling, workforce readiness training, childcare, mental health services, housing assistance, food security, GED programs, sports, recreation and fitness, community policing, parent education and literacy, cultural programs, nutrition counseling and crisis intervention. Our schools have the capacity to do this. They have extensive skills and infrastructure, but are generally under-utilized. Opening them to kids, families and community 24/7 – rather than only to kids from 8:00 to 3:00, 180 days a year – can dramatically increase neighborhood social capital without the expense of adding facilities. One other area schools and jurisdictions need to emphasize for young people’s wellbeing is access to nature. Most kids today suffer “nature deficits” – a lack of access to, and empathy for, the natural world. In building and refurbishing schools, parks and other public areas, we can incorporate natural areas and habitat, gardens and greenhouses. Studies show that kids who have regular access to nature are calmer, more focused and less susceptible to the effects of ADD and ADHD. Natural areas also stimulate play, which in turn stimulates neurological development. And they offer areas for deep inquiry and student-directed studies, which are highly effective learning models.

For all this to come forward, we will need to re-envision and redesign our neighborhoods. (l-r) Miguela, Esteban and Manuel Segura at the For, as the African proverb 4th annual San Ysidro Santa Fe River blessing states, it take a village to raise a child. Imagine an “urban village” dedicated to the well-being of children, families, community and the planet, and its impact on quality of life In addition to making sure kids are ready to learn and sustainability. It could provide greater affordabilwhen they enter school, we want to make sure that our ity, make delivery of services easier, increase the city’s schools are green and healthy. That means VOC/toxtax base and end sprawl through higher densities and in free, well lighted, with good indoor air quality and efficient use of land. It could be walkable, provide acchild-friendly spaces. Because of high levels of poverty cess to necessary products and services through mixedin SF, schools also need to provide nutrition, wellness use, and connect with other village “clusters” through services and before and after school programs. clean community transit. In fact, Whole Child models are often applied in It might collectively own its “commons” of energy, conjunction with “Community” or “Full Service” water, communications and food production, using schools that serve as neighborhood centers and service appropriate technologies for generation, catchment/ delivery points. Services offered vary with the needs of re-use, continuous production edible landscapes, and the particular community, but might include health and

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delivery of voice, data and media services. It could apply “best practices” in all arenas and operate on principles of equity, justice, respect and democratic engagement. It might share tools and infrastructure, offer public spaces for gathering and connection, and provide diverse and supportive livelihoods. If it held tightly to the vision of healthy children, healthy communities and a healthy planet, it could offer quadruple bottom line returns – economic, environmental, social and spiritual. Which is another way of saying, sustainable!

John Goekler is the founder of Change Factors, a training and consulting firm in Santa Fe, and a “co-conspirator” in the 2010 Turnaround Challenge (www.2010turnaround.com). His work is applying complexity science to help individuals and organizations learn to act with greater clarity and effectiveness to create a better future for our children, our communities and the planet. Talk back to jdg@changefactors.com or visit www.changefactors.com.

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Affordable Home Ownership Daniel Werwath

here are many things that come to mind when you hear the word “sustainability.” For some the term likely conjures up images of alternative energy systems and “green buildings” like the new convention center, while for others this surely conjures up images of sustainable economies and strong socially responsible local businesses. But not many people would immediately think of affordable housing as a sustainability issue. In fact, there are many ways that affordable housing contributes to the both the environmental and the social sustainability in our community. Green building is an issue at the forefront of global sustainability and climate change. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that 48 % of US carbon emissions are the result of buildings. This issue has long been on the radar of affordable housing developers. While it is logical to focus on purchase price or monthly mortgage payment as the measurement of affordability, lifecycle costs play an important financial role in homeownership. For many low and middle-income buyers, ongoing utility bills can be a third as much as the mortgage payment, even in a home that meets basic energy requirements. Compound this with energy costs that have risen dramatically over the last eight years, and this can spell trouble for new homeowners. Because energy efficient homes cost less to operate, homeowners have a better long-term chance to sustain homeownership. Sustained homeownership contributes to a sustainable community. The Housing Trust has developed over 350 affordable homes in Santa Fe, all with a constantly evolving set of energy-saving measures that reduce overall ener-

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gy and water consumption and make homeownership more healthy, environmentally responsible, and affordable. Our most aggressively-green homes are found in a neighborhood called Arroyo Chico. With a passive solar site layout and home design, paired with superinsulated shells, these houses have utility bills that are about one third of a conventional house. This amounts to real saving month-to-month and increased economic security over the long run. The tradition of The Housing Trust’s sustainable development is embodied in the ElderGrace elder co-housing community. A model of both social and environmental sustainability, this project was planned for over two years in conjunction with the future homeowners and broke ground in July 2008. This neighborhood will emphasize community space and interaction, provide opportunity for the residents to participate in cocare, and more gracefully “age in place.” The homes are smaller than most, but in turn, the neighborhood has a generously sized community house that will host an array of regular social and community events. ElderGrace will also be a certified Enterprise Community Partners “Green Community” and a LEED Neighborhood Design pilot project. Evolving with the neighborhood in mind, focusing on the whole rather than the home, is at the core of community sustainability. But how does sustained homeownership among low and middle-income residents really contribute to the larger sustainability of a community? Imagine someone whose family has lived in Santa Fe for generations, who faces the fact that, despite a decent middle class job, there are no homes that are affordable. This situation is

ElderGrace Charts New Course for Eco-housing A discussion with Spencer Haynsworth by Dorothy Shubow Nelson Residents Could Be Stewards of The Arroyo

embers of the new ElderGrace co-housing development will have the unique opportunity to become stewards of the nearby Arroyo de los Chamisos as a result of a unique partnership with Earthworks Institute. Residents of the development will be encouraged to learn how to restore and improve the health of the arroyo and maintain the integrity of the habitats for the animals and plants that live there. They will witness the ways this system has been damaged by careless uninformed development of the surrounding areas. An active organizing group of prospective owners has been planning this cohousing community since 2006. The Eldergrace project, a certified Enterprise Community Partners “Green Community” managed by the Santa Fe Community Housing Trust, is expected to open in 2009. ElderGrace is a participant in the nationwide Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development program.

has become a unique elder co-housing community, only the fourth project of its kind in the United States. The Housing Trust already owned the land, located near Cerrillos Road and Richards Avenue. Twenty-eight single-family duplex homes and a large common building will comprise the site with room for private yards and semi-private porches.

“Our vision is to offer the vitality, authenticity, environmental sensitivity, and freedom of spirit that conscious aging generates.”

Eldergrace began when a few people came to The Housing Trust with the idea for an affordable co-housing development that would serve the needs of older adults who were interested in creating a dynamic and healthy community. A membership group of prospective residents grew and formulated their hopes for what

In addition, the site is near a large arroyo, the Arroyo de los Chamisos. Spencer Haynsworth, A Frederick P. Rose Architectural Fellow working with The Housing Trust, broached the idea of the need to restore the nearby arroyo with the ElderGrace membership group. Haynsworth encouraged a partnership between ElderGrace and Earthworks Institute. With support from the City of Santa Fe, Earthworks will be involved in this pilot neighborhood housing development that expands the idea of living space to include the preservation and restoration of the nearby natural environment.

It is natural for heads to turn when water is flowing in the acequias, arroyos and rivers in Santa Fe and throughout the varied terrain of New Mexico. The way water moves and connects to other bodies of water is often not visible to the public. Haynsworth feels that we need to see water and its configurations more regularly in order to appreciate and protect the movement of water.

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

Jose Lucero speaks at a press conference in Santa Fe for indigenous elders of the Americas

in carbon dioxide levels is truly terrifying. In 1988 the estimated level was 350 parts per million. Today it may well be over 450 parts per million and further increase seems inevitable. Despite the efforts of some developed nations to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide they put out, most seem to have little or no interest in stemming the problem. At the very least they are slow to implement substantial changes to improve the situation. Of further concern are the nations such as China, India and Russia, which, in an effort to become developed, seem destined to repeat our environmental mistakes. Just as people can continue to ignore the signs of the depletion of the Earth’s natural resources, there are those who choose to ignore the signs of global warming. In some circles it is all but a joke. In June 2008, I had the opportunity to participate in the Tallberg Forum, an international meeting on climate change, sustainability and transition. This was held in Tallberg, Sweden, by Lake Siljan. On the return trip I flew over Greenland for the second time since 1990. Just by looking out the window, I immediately noticed the massive ice flow that had moved out to the Atlantic Ocean. I also saw that mountains that had once been covered by ice and snow were all but bare. People from Sweden said that for the first time in their history, Lake Siljan did not freeze the previous winter. This is no joke. There is a saying that when Mother Earth gets tired, she will stand up and her children will fall, drown or smother. It is difficult to ignore the parallel between this and the devastating earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters that seem to occur with increasing frequency. Mother Earth is tired. What can we do when our mother, who sustains us, has been destroyed by her

own children? Certainly then there is no hope. But that time has not yet come. So what can be done? We cannot sustain Mother Earth, but we can protect her. We can see what is being done, what needs to be changed, and begin these changes, even if it only starts on an individual level. We can no longer afford to ignore the signs. The elders say we must create a deeper empathy and love for the people who keep their spiritual equilibrium with the natural world through action, ceremony, prayer and song; and like them we must maintain a spiritual connection with our planet in spite of all the obstacles that face us. We are part of the Creation, where the trees grow, we grow, and this is how we remember who we are. In closing, I would like to offer another quote from Chief Seattle. “Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the Earth is our mother.” Respect her; protect her, for she is the one who was brought about by the Creator to sustain us. So if you happen to come across an elder holding a sign, talk to him or her – learn. Then you too may be able to correctly interpret the sign of the times.

KUH DA (Thank you) Jose H. Lucero of Santa Clara Pueblo is an agriculturalist, an artist, and a teacher at Espanola Valley High School. He is also a member of the Traditional Youth and Elders Circle.

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SF Conservation Trust: Protecting the Land That Preserves Our Quality of Life Rici Peterson

he SF Conservation Trust is here is to ensure that a healthy, protected network of natural lands will forever grace the communities in which we live. Our work is keeping northern NM’s natural lands natural…which means, when it comes to our accomplishments, it’s what you don’t see that counts. At the SF Conservation Trust, we look 100 years ahead. With growth accelerating at a record pace, we’re thinking about the long-term implications of wall-to-wall development: loss of open spaces and natural lands for wildlife; no wild places for children to explore and learn about the natural world; no scenic beauty serving as backdrop for SF’s vibrant, diverse cultures. To help SF avoid such a dismal future, we provide the community with an array of conservation tools. We work with private landowners who wish to permanently protect their lands from development, using voluntary agreements called conservation easements. We work with local watershed groups to protect rivers and streams and safeguard water quality. We create trails for people to enjoy. We protect the traditional landscapes of NM’s diverse cultures and help local farmers and ranchers stay on their land. And, thanks to a new law introduced by State Representative Peter Wirth, we now help moderate and low income New Mexican landowners receive financial assistance for permanently protecting their property—a win-win for people and nature. This new tool opens the door for many New Mexicans to “do well by doing good” for the land and their communities. I used to tell people that I work for SF’s local land trust—and would get a puzzled look in response. Despite the fact that the SF Conservation Trust is celebrating its fifteenth year, has protected over 30,000 acres of local natural lands, and benefits every person in the community, we’re not all that well known. The problem, I think, is that our accomplishments are more or less invisible—because when we do our job right, nothing changes. So, tiring of the blank looks, I eventually learned to introduce my work by saying that my organization protects the land that supports quality of life in our community. Put that way, people get it. Depending on their personal interests, they’re quick to make the mental connection between land protection and the beauty of SF; or between land protection and the wildlife they love to watch; or between land protection and the farms and ranches that provide the healthy, local foods they buy. Some folks also connect our work to our local economy, recognizing that natural lands inspire the artists who supply our galleries, provide great outdoor recreation, and attract visitors from around the world. When it comes to land protection, we do what government can’t, holding the vision for our community’s future despite the ebb and flow of government interests and resources. Case in point: together with our partners at Earth Works Institute, we recently collected and provided SF County decision-makers with data identifying sensitive lands and waters within the Galisteo Basin. This gift will, we hope, inform and shape growth management policy and lead to measures to prevent oil and gas exploration from damaging fragile areas in this spectacular landscape.

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We also help create and care for trails—SF’s favorite way to use and enjoy natural lands. Trails connect people to the land as well as to each other. With local support, the SF Conservation Trust initiated the SF Rail Trail project, created the Spur Trail, and coordinated improvements on the La Tierra Trails. This year we’re organizing citizen volunteers to help us maintain and improve the Dale Ball Trail system, which carries the name of its creator, the first Executive Director of our organization. We Work Here Locally – Right in Our Own Backyard. Now that you’re in the know, you’ll never again fall into the trap of mistaking us for one of the national organizations with offices here in town: The Nature Conservancy (focusing on large-scale protection for ecosystems and species world-wide) or the Trust for Public Land (which helps protect land by bringing it into public ownership). Both are great organizations with whom we partner from time to time. Nor are we the NM Land Conservancy, which protects land statewide. What makes us different? You got it: our focus is right here in our own community. So now, when we bump into each other at the grocery store, or when you meet other Santa Fe Conservation Trust staff—Daniel, Susan, David or Becky —on your daily walk, all you have to remember is that we’re your local land trust—the people helping SF protect the land that preserves our quality of life. Hope our trails cross soon. Rici Peterson is Executive Director of the Santa Fe Conservation Trust. To learn more about the SFCT’s conservation easement and local trail programs, call: 505-989-7019, email: info@sfct.org, or visit www.santafeconservationtrust.org.

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Oil Drilling in the Galisteo Basin? Seth Roffman

Tecton Energy LLC’s proposed oil drilling in the fragile ecosystem of the Galisteo Basin, southeast of Santa Fe drew fierceoppositionfromarearesidentswhothinkthatoilfield development would damage water resources, create noise, disrupt traditional lifestyles, create visual pollution and threaten archeological finds. The NM Oil Conservation District web site indicates that as of 2005, there were some 4,500 spillage events, and nearly 800 of those “are known to have groundwater that has been contaminated from leaks, spills, and releases of oil field wastes or products.” A massive sinkhole created by a collapsed brine well used in oil drilling near Artesia instigated a state review of drilling rules last year, and sparked fears on the part of some Galisteoarea residents of oil-laced brine water leaching into the aquifer and domestic water wells. Tecton acquired rights to drill on at least 100,000 acres in the water-short Galisteo Basin. Most of the rights were acquired from private owners of subsurface mineral rights. Several wells were drilled in the basin in the 1980s but the oil in the rock did not easily yield crude. When oil prices collapsed in 1985, interest in the area evaporated. New technology uses hydrology to release oil and gas from “unconventional” oil and gas traps. An existing well that Tecton has re-entered in the Basin is reportedly now producing commercial quantities of oil. The SF County commission and Gov. Bill Richardson imposed a yearlong moratorium. Richardson said he wants to block drilling until the impact of oil develop-

ment can be more fully assessed and regulations are updated. The Oil Conservation Division currently does not have rules regarding setbacks of drilling operations from homes, other buildings, or archeological sites. The state Energy, Minerals, Natural Resource Department has recommended that rules be changed so that OCD evaluates the cumulative impacts of drilling on an area, instead of considering applications simply on a well-bywell basis. The governor’s Executive Order also directed the Department of Cultural Affairs to identify and secure financial resources to fully implement the 2004 Galisteo Basin Archeological Sites Protection Act, and the Office of the State Engineer to undertake a site-specific analysis of the fresh water supplies in the basin. The 730-square-mile Galisteo Basin watershed is a sub-basin within the Rio Grande Basin, and is part of the Rio Grande Underground Water Basin, which is administered by the State Engineer. Neighboring Rio Arriba County, which, unlike SF County, has about 11,000 active drill sites, adopted a similar moratorium in response to Approach Resource’s plan to drill within 90,000 acres in the scenic, water-rich foothills and mountains east of Tierra Amarilla. Approach responded by suing the county, challenging its authority. The suit was later dropped. Watersheds in the area feed the Rio Chama, the Rio Grande and generate much of the stream flow that courses through the state. In July 2007, state regulators revoked a controversial oil-drilling permit near the headwaters of Tierra Amarilla Creek after discovering that Approach Resource’s proposed site

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was within a wetland and approximately 40 feet from surface water sources. The NM Oil Conservation District has begun to strengthen rules that protect the environment across the state. OCD has been fighting litigation by the oil industry over rule changes in First Judicial Court and the New Mexico Supreme Court. After a draft of the new SF County oil and gas ordinance was made public in October 2008 (www.santafecounty.org/oilandgas), there were indications that Tecton might be trying to sell its lease in the area. When the planning process is over, there will be no land in the county where oil and gas drilling will be an automatic right. The NM Oil and Gas Association reportedly plans a court challenge against SF County over whether the local government has the authority to impose a moratorium on drilling. A Tecton spokesman has said that he expects the US Supreme Court to have to rule on the issue. In the wake of the proposed drilling in the Galisteo Basin, the SF City Council has directed the city attorney to write an ordinance to regulate oil and gas â&#x20AC;&#x153;exploration and exploitationâ&#x20AC;? within the city boundaries in conjunction with rules being drafted by the county. The measure also calls for staff to determine the ownership of mineral rights beneath all city-owned property.

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Conservation and Grazing: Creating Sustainable Prosperity Craig Conley

Photo courtesy Quivira Coalition You might wonder what a conservation organization is doing running a cattle ranch and selling livestock. The answer is as follows.

ounded in 1997, The Quivira Coalition is a nonprofit conservation organization based in SF, dedicated to building bridges between ranchers, environmentalists, scientists, public land managers, and others around the concept of land health. Our mission is to build resilience by fostering ecological, economic and social health on western landscapes through education, innovation, collaboration, and progressive public and private land stewardship. The core of our approach is The New Ranch, which is based on the idea that the natural processes that make land productive for livestock are the same processes that sustain habitat for wildlife, increase and protect biological diversity, and promote functioning watersheds. It’s all about healthy land. The goals of The New Ranch are to make grasslands productive and diverse, reduce erosion, reinstate the flow of streams and springs, and provide habitat for wildlife. The result is higher profitability and hopefully, sustainable, locally based agriculture. It’s a great idea but can you actually do this without a huge bank account? Let’s head back to the ranch for the answer… The Valle Grande Ranch, located 30 miles southeast of SF on Rowe Mesa, was purchased in 1997 by the Conservation Fund to serve as a grassbank for northern NM Forest Service grazing allotments. The Rowe Mesa Grassbank provided a place to graze livestock while restoration work was being conducted

on home allotments. The project was initially funded by a combination of government and foundation grants, with support from the Forest Service. The Quivira Coalition took over the project in 2004. With grant funding running out, we developed a transition plan that makes the ranch largely self-supporting over a period of five years. The business plan is based on building a herd adapted to conditions on the mesa and marketing the meat locally. We hope to sell to local consumers all of the animals we and our neighbors raise. The market is there and the production capacity is there; it is just a matter of connecting the two. While simple in concept, putting a local beef marketing program in place is perhaps the greatest challenge of all. The Quivira herd will eventually utilize approximately half of the allotment’s annual production capacity with the other half dedicated to grassbank and other conservation functions. We call it “conservation with a business plan.” Basing our program on revenue from livestock puts us squarely in the shoes of the ranchers we work with. It forces us to walk the talk and face the same issues as our ranching membership. Constant maintenance of aging infrastructure, unpredictable rainfall and the rising cost of fuel are challenges that we, and all other ranchers face every day. One response to these multiple challenges is to increase ecological and economic resilience by testing new models and approaches. We are constantly working to promote resilience by exploring new ideas for water management, breeds of cattle, monitoring techniques, energy conservation, and ways to improve land health.

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Build a Food Economy with Local Resources Camilla Bustamante

ur ability to build from our local heritage of sustainability is key to our future. Water, heritage food-crop seeds, rotation of crops and livestock to provide variety and minimize impacts of degradation, all done with spirit and gratitude, sustained the health of the environment, as well as the culture and people who make up the Indo-Hispanic community of Northern New Mexico. As early Spanish inventories evidenced, the effort to bring olives and other varieties of environmentally insupportable species to our region has been in a long pattern of sharing and learning.

Rocky Durham of the SF School of Cooking serves local produce

It has always been the wisdom of the indigenous people that has sustained community health through the toughest of times. I’ve been told there were no food lines along the northern Rio Grande and the acequia system in northern NM during the Great Depression. The Works Progress Administration brought bridges and outhouses, but there were no bread lines. After the passing of my maternal grandmother in 1990, shelves of beans and fruit that she had put away in anticipation of the dreaded Depression were finally tossed from the storage shelves in the basement. Big box grocery chains, believed to be affordable solutions for families, only rob us of our local food

heritage and our opportunity to build our local economy. In our communities with statistically staggering food-related disease such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, our growing dependence on the shelves of high fructose (sugar) and simple carbohydrates is literally killing us. Even the trendiest natural food stores, when they don’t provide locally grown food, transport it from as far as 1,100 miles away, requiring produce to ripen in transport and measurably lose valuable nutrients along the way. As fuel costs continue to rise, so to will the cost of food. The only real choice is to support the traditional communities and acequia systems that ensure that fresh local food continues to be available locally. The food heritage of northern NM is the justification for the $4.6 million Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. A student in a class I taught at the University of New Mexico in 2004 asked if I would assist in the effort to re-adjudicate water rights from the upper Rio Grande to Rio Rancho because “that is where the real economic development was.” My answer required serious consideration of what economic development really means. Is economic development based on building one’s life on the resources of others, or is it the ability to build from one’s own assets? Our current dependency on foreign oil best illustrates the answer to this question. Possibly re-adjudication of water rights to Rio Rancho would have some short-term payoff to someone, but the potential impact to the farming community and food resources of the upper Rio Grande were too extreme to even consider such support. The more sustainable option is to keep the resources where they are and build the economy where it is – that is the definition of sustainability. It is imperative that we support our regional farmers and maintain the agricultural water rights. What will the future hold if we supplant agricultural land and water use to support tourism, only to have to rely on imported food for ourselves? Through education we have the opportunity to integrate tradition with innovation, develop value-added capabilities for food production and sustain the food-crop potential we have in our region. At best, supporting the local food system has the potential for thriving food-based economic security. At worst, it could mean a healthier environment, culture and people, which is an indigenous metaphor for sustainability.

Camila Bustamante (c.) at SW Agricultural Marketing conference SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

Closing NM’s Food Gap: Connecting Locally Grown Food to All New Mexicans Pam Roy

the Navajo Nation, Costilla and Questa in northern NM, Reserve in the southwestern part of the state, the colonias of southern NM, communities such as Lincoln in the Hondo valley and Jal in the southeastern part of the state all have something in common – their residents have to drive 35 miles or more to a grocery store. What do all of these individuals and communities have in common? Lack of access to adequate healthy, affordable, and culturally significant foods. These statistics are compounded by the fact that food prices are on the rise. Families, schools, and foodbanks alike, are spending more on food. More people are having to choose between food, gas, and rent, and 41 percent of NM’s working families are eligible for the food stamp program. Statistics have shown that individuals who have to travel more than ten miles to a grocery store are less likely to eat or have access to fresh healthy food options.

Ermita Campos farm in Embudo, New Mexico

n an ever changing world of food and fuel challenges, there are local and regional innovations that can help us strengthen our local “food system” – connecting more NM farmers and ranchers to local businesses and institutions, making healthier food options available to everyone, and linking public benefit programs more closely with those in need and farmers who can provide the products. NM is considered one of the most “food insecure” states in the nation. Close to 17 percent of New Mexicans are considered “food insecure” (not sure where their next meal will come from), and two-thirds of our schoolchildren – more than 210,000, come from homes that are considered low-income and eligible for the federal school lunch program. At the same time, close to one-third of New Mexicans live in communities beyond our metropolitan areas. Residents in communities such as Shiprock and Crownpoint on

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School lunch programs are in a similar situation. NM schools have about $1.80 to spend per child on the school lunch plate. Out of that money they have to pay for the people who prepare the meals, supplies and equipment. By the time they pay for everything, they have about one dollar to pay for the food itself, which must meet federal dietary standards. To make ends meet, they use mostly processed and canned foods. A recent Washington Post article was entitled “Food Costs Derail Push for Healthier Meals in US Schools.” USA Today’s headline: “The Real Cost of Cheap Food.” The threat to the health of our children from a poor diet has never been greater. Like other children across America, the percentage of NM’s children who are obese and overweight (24 percent of high school students) is growing. The risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is now 30 percent for boys, 40 percent for girls, and even higher for Hispanic and Native American children. Unfortunately, only a quarter of children ages 2-11 even consume three servings of vegetables a day. We are in danger of raising the first generation of American children with a lower life expectancy than their parents. We can positively affect children’s health if we can provide them with fresh healthy options. The same goes for increasing fresh fruit and vegetable options in grocery stores in rural and underserved communities and increasing low-income citizens’ access to NM’s 50 farmers’ markets. The good news in NM is that organizations and state

agencies continue to work together on “food system” solutions. These include:

• Farm to School a program of Farm to Table and the NM Dept. of Agriculture has been working to connect NM farmers with schools to increase the use of fresh fruits and vegetables in school meals. To date, six school districts that serve close to half of NM’s schoolchildren, are purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables from NM farmers (close to $500,000 in sales in 2007) when they can afford it. The state has begun to invest in the Farm to School program with an initial commitment of an annual $85,000 to provide close to 6,000 students in 12 schools in Albuquerque with fresh fruits and vegetables twice a week. The NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council along with Farm to Table, the NM School Nutrition Assn. and the Dept. of Agriculture are working with policymakers to increase the investment to more than $4 million so that every child in NM schools benefits. In addition, the organizations advocated for an increase in the federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program that will provide a portion of NM schools with additional funds for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks. • Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Over the last three years the NM Farmers’ Marketing Assn. and the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council have advocated for state and federal funding of an annual investment of $150,000 from the state and $337,000 of federal funds, to provide more than 20,000 low-income seniors with $28 in vouchers each to spend at farmers’ markets throughout NM. In an economy where low-income seniors are at risk of skipping meals because they can’t afford to eat, it’s a win-win program. • WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program similarly provides as many as 26,000 women and children who are nutritionally at-risk with vouchers to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at NM farmers’ markets. This program invests more than $300,000 back into NM’s farming economy. • Closing NM’s Food Gap A Governor-appointed Task Force, including Farm to Table, the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council, The NM Grocers Assn., and the Departments of Agriculture, Health, Human Service, Indian Affairs, and Transportation are investigating ways to improve access to healthy foods for rural and underserved urban populations. A set of recommendations and legislation were completed in November 2008. These innovative programs, NM’s strong public and private sector commitments, and financial investments

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that have been made are good examples of effective community-based programs that increase individuals’ and communities’ access to healthy food options and benefit NM farming families.

Al Lucero, owner of Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen serves his special tamales

Pam Roy is Co-Director of Farm to Table and the coordinator of the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council. For more information, call 505-4731004.

Finally, a Permanent Home for Our Farmers. Sarah Noss

s of the writing of this article, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market just concluded its first Saturday market at its new home in the Railyard! For those of you who have been aware of this 10-year odyssey, you know what a big deal this is. For those of you new to the area, let me quickly fill you in. The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market is 41-years old. It’s NM’s oldest and largest farmers market, and over the years, we’ve had to move around a lot. We started in the parking lot of St. Anne’s Church on Agua Fria Street. Then we moved to Alto Street, then to the Sanbusco parking lot, then to the south side of Outside Magazine. Then, as things started to heat up in the Railyard, and the City starting asking people what they wanted the Railyard to be like, we moved to the corner of Cerrillos and Guadalupe. We started to see a trend: downtown open space was quickly disappearing. Sure enough, after five years on that corner, the development of the Railyard commenced. Our site was to be turned into a park so we had to vacate for the 2007 season. We went to DeVargas Center. 2008 dawned. DeVargas couldn’t accommodate us anymore, and we moved to the PERA parking lot, this time to wait out the completion of our new building in the Railyard.

Moving is hard because the farmers’ sales go down 30% until customers get used to the new location. But we could handle the moving, especially in the last several years, because we knew that permanency was on the way. In 2002, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market created the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute, a closely aligned nonprofit. The Institute’s purpose is to fund, build and manage a permanent Farmers’ Market in the Railyard District, implement programs to promote agriculture in northern NM, and educate consumers about the cultural, nutritional and economic benefits of buying locally produced foods and agricultural products. In 2005, the Institute signed an 80-year lease in the Railyard – and as of the summer of 2008, we have a brand new $4.8 million facility that will give our agricultural producers a LEED-certified home for generations to come. A lot happened in the 3-plus years it took us to get the building up. For example, we raised $4.4 million toward the project’s cost. We worked with community members and politicians, lobbied the legislature, talked to civic groups and even held raffles to get us as close as possible to our goal. The legislature gave us $1.8 million for the building over several years, and just recently, the

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community overtook the legislature as our largest donor, giving more than $2 million to help us secure the farmers’ futures. So many people were involved! And for so many good reasons!

Access to fresher, more nutritious food The community stepped up because Santa Feans realized that if we are to be a healthy and thriving community, we need more food produced locally. The globalized production of our food is hurting people and the environment. Centralized processing and shipping means that store-bought food travels an average of 1400 miles to the shelf, belching out greenhouse gasses en route, is handled 30+ times in transport, and reaches the store up to two-weeks after it was harvested, depleting its taste and nutritional value. Harvested the day before market, local food at the Farmers’ Market is fresher and better for you and the environment. Preservation of Land, water and open space Over the last five years, NM has lost more than 200,000 acres of farmland and more than 500 farms – most to development. Our farmers are aging too, and for many their only equity is their land, so they often sell it or divide it for retirement. If you help a farmer to stay on the land and make a living by supporting them at a farmers’ market, you’re helping to preserve the beautiful northern NM agricultural landscape that we all love. Plus, farming replenishes the aquifers, keeps water rights on the land, and supports our agricultural traditions and acequia systems. It also creates habitat for birds and other wildlife. A future for food and kids In Santa Fe, we have a thriving farmers’ market that generates more than $2 million a year in sales, and has the grandchildren of original vendors helping at the booths. We really want to see our market continue to grow and thrive in a year-round setting so that youth can see that farming is a sustainable lifestyle that will strengthen local communities and help to create locally-based economies. The community supports the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market for all the above reasons and more! To see the community flock to our new site on opening weekend really gave all of us goosebumps. For so many years, the idea of a permanent home was just that: an idea. Over the last year, it started to take shape, and this weekend, what we had envisioned came true! The vendors were excited; the community fulfilled. But now the real work begins to ensure the infrastructure we created thrives for the next 80 years. How can we help farmers buy a piece of land and call it their own? In the face of global warming, how can we help them be as efficient as they can be in their energy use, their water use and their overhead and labor? How can we bring in a wider, more diverse constituency, so that we can truly say that everyone in our community has access to fresh, local food?

The new Santa Fe Farmers’ Market opening, September 2008

How can we find new farmers when our elder farmers start to retire? With our new building completed, we feel a sense of celebration and accomplishment, but we are also looking to the future to develop more programs that will improve our local food sustainability and our farmers’ ability to produce it for us. I invite you to join us in this important work! Sarah Noss, Executive Director of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute, was born and raised in Santa Fe. She’s worked in the nonprofit field for 15 years locally and enjoys building community through her work. For more information on Institute programs, go to www.santafefarmersmarket.com/institute/programs.

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Camino de Paz School & Farm Patricia Pantaño

and soap production, seed plantings and germination rates, harvest totals and the condition of the plants and animals. This data is recorded, graphed and reported to the whole group weekly.

“ The classroom lessons are imbued with challenges and projects that arise from an ethic of stewardship and living more lightly on the land.” One might wonder exactly how this works on a school schedule. The gong of a cast iron bell calls all students and staff to the morning circle at 8:30. After a brief check-in, the students and adults disperse in teams of two or three to begin the daily cycle of plant and animal care. Some care for pastured poultry, some feed and/ or milk sheep and goats, some focus their attention on the plants and greenhouses. In less than an hour they return to the school building and begin their daily classes: math, language arts, science, history, art, music, etc. At noon everyone breaks for a community lunch prepared by two or three students supervised by a staff member. After lunch it’s back to lessons, and the day closes with another quick round of checking up on all living things for food and water.

Chicken tractor takes care of an abundance of grasshoppers while fertilizing the field Imagine a world where young people feel empowered. Imagine a world where young people live sustainably. Imagine a world where young people produce their most basic of commodities: food, cooperatively and locally. This is the vision that guides the students, staff and board of directors at the Camino de Paz School and Farm.

amino de Paz is a non-profit Montessori middle school located on ten acres of irrigated farmland in Santa Cruz, in SF County. Its campus houses a herd of goats, a flock of sheep, innumerable chickens and twenty-five enthusiastic middle school students, all coming from within a 35 mile radius of the school. The farm enables the students to extend and apply their academic skills on a regular basis and become entrepreneurs. From their animals’ products they create and sell items weekly at the SF Farmers’ Market: soap from the goats’ milk; eggs from their chickens; felted, woven and knitted items from the sheep’s wool; and of course, produce from the fields and greenhouses. This means that on a daily basis the students keep records of feed and feed costs, milk, egg

The classroom lessons are imbued with challenges and projects that arise from an ethic of stewardship and living more lightly on the land: using water catchment and solar energy, growing one’s own food organically, constructing pens or feeders, maintaining tools and equipment, preserving food, turning fleeces into felted wool or spun yarn, participating fully in the cycle of life. The students see how animal manure and waste hay from the pens can be composted along with kitchen scraps to fertilize the plant beds. Chickens move throughout the pastures to improve the quality of the plants on which the four-leggeds graze. Vegetables from the field and meat from the animals provide the basis of the school’s lunch and nutrition program. We knew that this work was important for these developing adolescents, but we had no idea how far-reaching the results would be! Perhaps the most significant outcome of the farm-based school community is the network of relationships it engenders. Running farm-based businesses requires and develops an extraordinary level of teamwork and communication skills. Students who have gone on to other schools report that, years after leaving Camino de Paz, their best friendships are still those whose bonds were forged in the heat of challenging, thought-provoking and mutually empowering work. In addition, the students cultivate relationships SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

erment is stretching the limits of what they believe they can do. It’s really about giving them a first-hand experience of their possibilities, their responsibilities as conscientious citizens and the power to problem-solve and think for themselves.” Patricia Pantaño is the Camino de Paz Farm School’s co-founder and Education Director. She may be contacted at 505-747-9717. The school’s web site is www.caminodepaz.net.

Camino de Paz booth at the SF Farmer’s Market

in the wider community through their presence in the Farmers’ Market booth and through speaking at public events such as the local Bioneers conference, the Food and Seed Sovereignty Conference at Tesuque Pueblo, and the Southwest Agricultural Marketing Conference. Activities that center around the farm have brought the entire community squarely into issues such as seed saving, genetically modified foods, the importance of local economies, water quality, use and water rights, land stewardship and the challenges of farming in northern NM. Thus, the students have educated themselves and consequently, the public. Four to six times a year the farm school hosts tours and open houses. Students give visitors a run-down of what they see as they wander the campus: the solar panels for electricity, the greenhouses, art studio, animal pens, chicken tractors and the draft horses, Bess and Colonel. While it may not be possible for all middle schools to implement a program as in-depth as the one at Camino de Paz, its staff and students hope that their work might serve as an inspiration to other youth to become involved in gardening or agriculture and the issues that surround the local food system. “We aren’t about turning the kids into farmers,” says Greg Nussbaum, the Farm Director, “although that would be great! Empow-

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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Crop Diversity, Food Security, & Climate Change Miguel Santistevan

ews of food recalls, salmonella contamination, and diet-related health epidemics are causing the informed public to question the nature of the food system and their relationship to it. The growing popularity of organic foods, farmers’ markets, CSAs, and gardening are likely a direct result of peoples’ concern about the availability and sources of their food. As people get more informed and involved in the local food community, we find that the demand exceeds the supply and that there is growing concern about the future generation of farmers. All of these issues, ideas, and activities are creating much excitement and involvement in a “food movement” that seeks to address these challenges. Often missing from the dialogue is the importance of crop diversity. We feel good about going to farmers’ markets and supporting local land-based livelihoods, but organic farmers are often buying seed from distant sources and not necessarily contributing to the continued development of crop diversity. As we continue to experience climate change and other social, political, and economic problems that impact our lives, it will be important to revisit our longest-standing relationship to the Earth: the symbiosis between humans and plants through crop domestication and the development and maintenance of diversity.

The importance of crop diversity is the memory contained in the seeds and crops. The memory of seeds requires an ongoing relationship of the farmers to the seeds for generation upon generation through seed saving: selecting and storing seeds for use in the coming years, year after year. The memory of seeds is of climatic conditions such as periods of water-stress, late frosts, early frosts, hailstorms, and the like. The memory is also of environmental conditions such as soil type, latitude, elevation, etc., as well as the management behavior of the farmer. No pieces of land are identical, and every farmer also has her or his own style. Crops become acclimated to their environments and the management of the farmers over time, and when seeds are exchanged, it provides an opportunity for the crops, as well as the farmer, to learn how to survive in a new environment while nurturing crops with different experiences. The result is varieties of crops of all shapes, sizes, and colors, as well as all kinds of tolerances to different environmental conditions and climates. Another benefit of crop diversity is that no individual plant in the garden or the field is the same. Some will flower earlier or later, grow taller or shorter, need more or less water, and have a thicker or thinner seed shell. These variable characteristics will allow the farmer to “select” the crops that are most appropriate to her/ his environment. For example, when crops move to areas of a shorter growing season, ones that flower earlier may freeze with late frost, or ones that flower later may get damaged by late season hailstorms. The crops that survive contain the tolerances for those conditions. And year after year, it could be said that the crops get smarter and stronger.

Miguel Santistevan shares his seeds and knowledge at Land, Water, Culture conference, Northern NM College

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Another aspect of crop diversity is not only the differences between individuals of the same crop, but also the differences between crops. Some crops prefer clay soils and others prefer sandier soils. Some crops are more frost-tolerant than others. As farming in a particular region continues, the community of farmers develops a “toolbox” of crops that are acclimated to their environment. As the farmers pay attention to the yearly climatic fluctuations, they can select different crops from the “toolbox” depending on how much snow is in the mountains, when the ants emerge, and/or when wild plants flower, for example.

heritage crops have been lost through abandonment of small-scale farming while industry narrows its crop genetic base for the utility of mechanized production. This process of losing open-pollinated, heritage varieties of crops can be termed “genetic erosion.” Industrial farming can be characterized by vast fields of monoculture, in which all of the individual plants are essentially identical, and thus all equally vulnerable to climatic fluctuations, insect attacks, etc. The proliferation of industry and technology that has streamlined agricultural production can now be seen as contributing to, if not fully responsible for, most

photo: Miguel Santistevan

This was the case for thousands of years until the industrial age. The industrial age and the World Wars brought about the development of machines, chemicals, and technologies that interrupted the process of crop diversity and community-scale agriculture through the promotion and implementation of industrial agriculture, termed the “green revolution.” Focused on production rather than diversity or security, millions of tons of chemicals have been produced and applied to the land to maximize yield. As consumers “buy-in” to the convenience of mass-produced food, local and traditional farming that relied on seed saving has fallen by the wayside. Since industry is based on the streamlining and uniformity of production, many

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of our contemporary environmental problems. Climate change, dead zones in the ocean, destruction of habitat, and a “throw-away” society are but a few that are getting attention. As industry and technology fail the people in terms of safe, fair, and fresh food, corporations create “silver-bullet solutions” such as genetic engineering, cloning of animals, and irradiation of food, that are touted as the future we will all come to appreciate. Unfortunately these heavily marketed schemes are but unsubstantiated shortsighted treatments to the symptoms of a greater problem – our overall relationship to the natural world. All of these “solutions” use technology that is inaccessible to most people and communities, disenfranchise and oppress

La Estancia de Cieneguilla Family Farm

a Estancia de Cieneguilla is maintained as a traditional farm by Ed Sceery and Jesusita Larranaga. Many generations ago, Indians grew corn in the fields, which became part of the original La Cienega Land Grant. Remnants of La Cieneguilla Pueblo can still be seen. In Don Diego de Vargasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time, the land was used to feed one of the original settlements of Santa Fe. It still feeds the people of SF, as most of the produce grown there now goes to the Food Depot. Family and friends plant and pick.

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Much of the water used comes from springs. The entire garden is drip irrigated from a well. The corn gets its water from a sprinkler. The reservoir is filled by the Josephine Rael acequia. Ed and Jesusita have done much land reclamation, such as removing a lot of thirsty Russian olive trees. The couple grows many varieties of vegetables, and they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use pesticides. They mix several varieties of chile for flavor. Each year, samples of their best looking crops are shown at the county and state fairs, where they have won Harvest Basket and Best of Show awards.

Community Garden Projects Students at Monte del Sol Charter School learn gardening onsite from Erin O’Neal. Some of the garden’s produce is used in the school’s kitchen.

The Milagro Community Garden was established in 1998 on SF’s south side on Legacy Court. The Lutheran Church donated use of the land and water from its well. Growers pay $25 per season for use of each of 37 plots, about 10-by-18 feet each. Many are in it for the benefits of eating organic, locally grown vegetables.

John Stephenson has lived in SF since his birth in 1914. After working for the Soil Conservation Corps and Forest Service for 30 years, he began the Community Farm, which evolved into a cooperative program to distribute organic produce to the hungry of SF. John has been honored as a “SF Treasure” and recognized by President Clinton as a “Points of Light Foundation Award” recipient. A major soil-conditioning project has recently been undertaken to get the farm back into a productive state.

The Tessa Horan Memorial Community Garden honors a talented young woman whose concern for humankind and the planet led her to work on a Northern NM organic farm and join the Peace Corps in 2005. Tessa was just 24 when she was killed by a shark in Tonga. Produce from the garden has been donated to Kitchen Angels and the Food Depot. The garden also helps young mothers learn gardening skills and have access to healthy food. For more info, or to donate to the Tessa Horan Memorial Fund, visit the website www. Tessahoran.com. 102

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are so many of them, it does not reach the lowest ones, for the first, being higher up, keep bleeding it off with irrigation ditches, and only in a very rainy year is there enough for all.â&#x20AC;? The variable climate made the water source unpredictable, and given the number of acres in irrigation, it had reached its carrying capacity of approximately 2,000 acres. As a result, water was at a premium, and in drier years, farmers struggled to divide the resource and provide food to the villa. Interestingly enough, however, the application of trillions of gallons of water to the land over hundreds of years left the subsurface saturated and added water to the river through subsurface flow. As a result, the physical landscape of Santa Fe was wetter than it would have been under natural conditions. Many are often surprised at the idea of a moist Santa Fe, but historical evidence of wetlands, springs, seeps, and ponds abound; present-day Water Street and Cienega Street are classic examples. When New Mexico became a territory of the United States, the Kearny Code specifically mentioned that acequias were not to be disturbed. However, governing authority was passed to the counties, and in 1879, Santa Fe Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Commissioners granted the Santa Fe Water and Improvement Company the exclusive rights to impound the Santa Fe River and to withhold its water for distribution via pipe. Once upstream dams were installed, the amount of water that acequias and their communities received from the river was incrementally reduced. The first dam, Old Stone, was constructed in 1880 and was relatively small; once filled, water flowed in the river similarly as it always had. The second dam, Two-Mile, was significantly larger and could store about 7% of the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual flow. The effect on the acequias was immediate. The historic record is littered with documents and newspaper articles from acequia associations petitioning the water company for water, and insisting that their first-in-time use granted them first-in-right to its use.

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“ … a crystal clear river full of small but choice trout.”

- Señor Don Pedro Alonso O’Crouley 1774

to a 1990 lawsuit and subsequent judgment for the associations, where the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico found in favor of the acequias, calling them “our greatest pride.” Old-timers recount stories of swimming in and ice skating on the river, farming in the fields, cleaning ditches, and harvesting together as a community. The legacy of acequias also remains in the city streets, as many modern roads began as footpaths along them. Santa Fe’s layout has often been described as a plate of spaghetti, reflecting on its origin of unlined ditches winding through the valley, delivering water to fields of corn and beans. As Santa Fe manages their water resources for today and for future decades, it is important to reflect on the acequia institution, which for almost 400 years, provided not only sustenance for the City, but a sense of place for its inhabitants and a connection to the land and to each other.

Santa Fe River, Photo courtesy Museum of NM, Negative number 61587

With New Mexico’s transition into statehood, acequias pressed for river adjudication with the hopes that their rights to water would be supported. During the 1917 hydrographic survey, 38 acequias were documented, irrigating approximately 1200 acres of corn, beans, hay and orchards throughout the Santa Fe River valley. Their efforts were in vain however, and the City’s modernization progressed: water pipes were laid, infrastructure built, and additional dams were planned. Today, most of Santa Fe’s acequias are gone; destroyed by a lack of water, modern infrastructure, and development. There are four functioning acequias and communities in modern Santa Fe that irrigate approximately 100 acres of mostly hay and orchards: Acequia Madre, Acequia Cerro Gordo, Acequia del Llano, and Acequia Muralla. Two ditches receive allocations of water due

For more information about the history of Santa Fe’s water resources, reference the second edition of David Grant Noble’s Santa Fe: History of an Ancient City (School for Advanced Research Press, 2008).

Tara M. Plewa is a PhD student in Geography at the University of South Carolina, specializing in fluvial geomorphology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), watershed science, and water policy and law. She is currently finishing her dissertation entitled “A Trickle Runs Through It: An Environmental History of the Santa Fe River, NM”. Contact: 803-806-4407, plewa@sc.edu

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A Quick & Easy Recipe for a Living River David Groenfeldt

we can take right now to revitalize our Santa Fe River. Remember that maxim, “One today is worth a thousand tomorrows”? Let’s see what we can do TODAY to help our river! Then when the Buckman Diversion does come on-line, and when we start implementing all those conservation and groundwater management measures, we will not only have a living river, but a really vibrant and healthy river.

What We Can Do Now There is a simple step we can take right now to put water in our river without incurring any significant loss to the city’s vital water supplies: release a small stream of water from the reservoirs and let it flow down the river. Depending on rainfall, the flow may infiltrate entirely, or it might make it all the way down past the airport, where it will be supplemented by water from the Wastewater Treatment Plant. This would give us a small but continuous river from Nichols Reservoir all the way to Cochiti. Where would the water come from? From 2004 through 2007, the river received more than 1,000 acre-feet each year because the reservoirs were full. Over the past seven years (not including the exceptionally wet 2005, but including the exceptionally dry 2002) the average annual discharge to the river has been 699 acre-feet per year. This is 70% of what the City is proposing to allocate to the river after the Buckman Diversion comes on line. We can’t know in advance whether any particular year will turn out to be wet or dry, so we do have to be willing to incur some risk. How much risk? Let’s assume that we start a monthly release schedule that mimics Santa Fe River after a rain deluge, Summer 2008 the natural flow pattern of the river (more during the spring run-off and the summer monsoon; less during the winter) totaling 700 acre-feet over the year. flowing Santa Fe River would have tremendous benefits for our community, ranging from recHow It Could Work reation and education, to wildlife habitat to business appeal, higher property values, and Let’s say that the City decides to start river flows from not least, recharge to our City aquifers. For long-time January 1st. By the end of March, the river would have residents, however, a dry Santa Fe River is considered received 105 acre-feet of water. By that time we would the price we pay for having water in our taps. While evknow whether there is enough snowpack in the uperyone agrees that a flowing river would be nice, it is per watershed to fill the reservoirs. If there is very little seen as impractical. There just isn’t enough water, we snowpack, the reservoir managers might decide to stop are told, for us and for the river. the flow. The City’s water supply would have incurred a loss of 105 acre-feet up to that point. Replenishing the When will there be enough water for the river? After the City water with groundwater to make up for this loss Buckman Direct Diversion comes on line in 2011 is the would require only a 2.1% increase in pumping (based usual answer. The City’s long-range plan calls for 1,000 on 2007 figures1 ). acre-feet of water (about 10% of the current total use) to stay in the river, once the Buckman project is operatNow let’s assume that we do not stop the river flow afing. The long-range plan is a welcome step towards a ter March, but continue two more months to the end sustainable water supply for Santa Fe, and it’s great to of May. This period coincides with the normal spring have the promise of a flowing river, but there are steps

In 2007, the City used 5,005 acre feet of ground water pumped from wells inside the city limits (1,211 ac ft) and from the Buckman wells (3,794 ac ft) 1

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run-off. The scheduled releases (based on 700 acre-feet of annual river flow) call for 107 acrefeet in April and 167 acre-feet in May. These would be substantial flows, and would probably be enough to support the annual fishing derby without any extra releases of water. Now let’s assume that by the end of May, the snowpack is much less than normal. After five months of a flowing river, the reservoir managers decide to stop the releases. The total releases (January through May) would amount to 379 acre-feet. Replenishing this amount from our groundwater wells would require an increase in pumping of 7.6% over 2007 pumping levels (figured on an annual basis). However, let’s say that heavy rainfall in June and July suddenly fills the reservoir. Now that 379 acre-feet that was “lost” to the river is suddenly replaced by nature. If we had not released that 379 acre feet to the river, it would be “lost” anyway through reservoir spills. We can imagine many scenarios and possibilities. At the end of April, after four months of flow and without much snowpack, the reservoir managers might decide to reduce the May flow rather than stop it altogether. The scheduled releases are a guide and not a hard and fast rule. Indeed, we know so little about the flow behavior of our river that any plan would need to be closely monitored and adjusted. With careful management, the river’s flow could be reduced in response to dry conditions, and increased when conditions relax. This would minimize the risk of “losing” water from the City supply, which would then have to be made-up with groundwater. Using groundwater as the safety net for the risk of a flowing river makes sense because the aquifer is the main beneficiary of the river flow. A study commissioned by the Santa Fe Watershed Association estimates that for low volumes of flow (within the range we are suggesting, of 0.5 to 2.5 cubic feet per second), most of that water will infiltrate into the City aquifer recharge zone. Within that zone, the infiltrating water is stored in the

groundwater supply where it can accumulate and provide a buffer for the inevitable drought years. In a wet year, releasing water on a regular basis will free up reservoir space that will be filled by rain and melting snow, effectively increasing the surface storage capacity of the City without any new construction. In a dry year, releases of water into the river could be curtailed or even stopped. Our consolation would be that the water that was released and infiltrated has provided valuable services, both to the aquifer, and to the river corridor ecosystem: the trees and shrubs and the wildlife inhabiting or passing through (migrating) and using the river as a wildlife B&B. Given the arid context of the Santa Fe River, the greenery that the river supports is an invaluable lifeline for creatures trying to move between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Rio Grande, and it also provides a park-like environment for us humans to enjoy. Allowing the Santa Fe River to keep some of its water is not only a favor to the river; it is a recognition that a living river is more useful to us water-starved humans than a dry river. It takes a relatively small amount of water to bring our river back to life, and that same water that saves the river does double and triple duty by providing a park-like environment above while recharging our aquifers below. The risks are very small, and can be monitored month by month. In the worst-case scenario, we would need to increase groundwater pumping by a few percent. In a better-case scenario, we would actually harvest more water in total because we would put some water into the aquifer and then be able to collect that much more water in the reservoirs. The biggest benefit of all, however, will be the experience of a living, flowing river, and the satisfaction that we are living more responsibly and sustainably. The river, the wildlife, and the children of Santa Fe will all be the beneficiaries. David Groenfeldt, an anthropologist by training, has worked on water policies in many developing countries. He has been Executive Director of the Santa Fe Watershed Association since 2006. www.santafwatershed.org Santa Fe riverbed near San Ysidro Crossing, Spring 2008

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SSF Plan:

Water Conservation The energy required to pump water is significant. The energy used for water pumping typically results in GHG emissions, depending upon the source of energy used. The City of Santa Fe’s reduces water use through the replacement of water-hogging toilets and appliances. City water conservation programs including the use of appropriate landscaping, have resulted in a drop from 137 gallons per person per day to 103 gallons over a seven-year period. Proposed Actions • Develop a Water Conservation Strategic Plan • Expand rebates and incentive programs • Adopt new technologies to better track water use and then help customers conserve more easily. - Improve billing system to better track supply-side infrastructure and water use by customers as well as to validate the effectiveness of new conservation measures - Broaden the use of, and consider requiring, a variety of water saving appliances. - Reduce unnecessary public and private landscape watering. • Proactively Plan and Run Tests to Identify Leaks • Expand the existing residential leak investigation/survey program to include other water customer sectors • Require Irrigation Certification from the NM Irrigation Association for some irrigation installations • Improve the City website to include water conservation information for residential and commercial customers that is useful and interactive. • Create and maintain public demonstration gardens throughout the City.

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Ecological Adaptation Fundamental changes in climate create serious implications for soil, water, plants, and animals, including loss of native species, change in the timing of life events such as migration or initiation of breeding, reduced local biodiversity, increased evapotranspiration, plant diebacks due to drought stress, catastrophic forest fires, increased pest risks, reduction of mountain snow packs, and peak spring runoff from snowmelt shifting to earlier in the season. What’s the City Doing So Far ∑ Encouragement of on-site storm water management ∑ Implementation of a pilot program installing permeable pavement to reduce urban runoff and increase groundwater recharge ∑ Requirements for the protection of significant vegetation (trees) ∑ Utilization of yard wastes for mulch ∑ Restoration of the Santa Fe River The Plan’s Proposed Actions • Create systems that maximize use of rain and storm waters for plant support and groundwater recharge • Reduce “urban heat island effect” • Protect soils as the foundation of adaptation to the impacts of climate change

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The Buckman Project

Citizen Groups Still Concerned Michael Jensen

The Rio Grande near Ohkay Ohingeh Pueblo

or officials of the City and County of Santa Fe, the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) drinking water project is absolutely essential for future water supplies. For citizens and community groups who have spent years documenting the toxic legacy of Los Alamos National Laboratory, there remain serious concerns about the environmental and public health impacts of the Buckman project. The BDD project, scheduled to start operating in 2011, will deliver almost 3 billion gallons of Río Grande water annually. The BDD’s initial permitted capacity will be 8,730 acre-feet per year (afy), with 5,230afy (60%) for the City, 1,700afy (19%) for the County, and 1,800afy (21%) for Las Campanas.

Plutonium has been found in soils north of the Buckman well field and plutonium has been found in Buckman Well No. 1, the well closest to the Río Grande. The canyons running down from LANL’s site regularly fail to meet state water quality standards. Some of the contaminants found in these canyons include PCBs, radium-226 and radium-228, selenium, mercury, and gross alpha (a measure of a group of alpha emitting radionuclides that can Plutonium has been include such things as AmericiumPlutonium-236, Uranium-238, found in soils north of 241, Thorium-232, Radium-226, Radonthe Buckman well field 222, Polonium-210).

and plutonium has been found in Buckman Well No. 1, the well closest to the Río Grande.

Based on many years of sampling in White Rock Canyon, analysis of LANL data and NMED reports, and independent expert analysis, Amigos Bravos and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety (CCNS) published a report in 2007 on the impacts of LANL’s 60+ year toxic legacy on the canyons and streams running down from the lab’s site on the Pajarito Plateau to the Río Grande. We also helped found a community- and Pueblo-based group called Communities for Clean Water. Our independent hydrologist documented that LANL contaminants could have begun reaching the Río Grande within 26 years (the lab began discharges in 1944) and that LANL contaminants were entering the Buckman well field. Until our analysis, LANL management had claimed that it would take tens of thousands

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of years for any contaminants to reach the river.

Monitoring by the NMED showed some soils at LANL with PCB levels 25,000 times the level protective of human health. A new study this year showed those levels had increased to 38,000 times the human health standard. In 2007, the NMED issued its first ever “Do Not Eat” fish advisory for PCBs for waters from Abiquiu Reservoir to Cochiti Reservoir, including White Rock Canyon. LANL denied that the PCBs came from them, but an independent study proved conclusively that LANL is the source of the PCBs in the Río Grande. At a June 2008 Citizens’ Advisory Board groundwater meeting, LANL admitted that they had been incorrect in claiming that there were no radionuclides in the City water supply wells. CCNS found that the maximum levels of radionuclides associated with nuclear weapons manufacturing have increased for the following elements in the wells:

• • • • •

Cesium-137 has more than doubled Potassium-40 has almost doubled Radium-226 has increased 63% Tritium has increased 68% Uranium (measured) has increased from 0 to 18.4 pCi/L (pico-Curies per Liter)

On November 11th, 2007, the Buckman Direct Diversion Board sent a letter to LANL management requesting “commitment” and “cooperation” from the DOE, LANL, and Los Alamos National Security, LLC (headed by Bechtel Corporation). The BDD Board expressed concern about three pathways for LANL toxics:

• Buried transuranic and other radiological contaminants in Río Grande sediments deposited in the former river channel (slough) located immediately upstream of the BDD river diversion site; • Contaminants in the waters of the Río Grande that reach the river from sediments in canyons on the Pajarito Plateau that are transported to the BDD diversion location during stormwater and snowmelt events; and • Contaminants that have reached the regional aquifer that provides water to the Buckman well field. The BDD Board requested that DOE and LANL fund and implement six actions to protect public drinking water supplies:

• Stop migration of LANL contaminants to the Río Grande and to groundwater; • Monitor the transport of legacy contaminants in surface and groundwater systems; • Measure the radioactive and toxic contamination of buried sediments in the slough upstream of the BDD diversion site; • Provide an early warning system so the BDD can temporarily cease diversion when the Río Grande might contain elevated levels of LANL contaminants; • Monitor any LANL-origin contaminants diverted with BDD raw water supplies and account for that mass in water treatment plant residuals and treated drinking water; • Provide funding for the BDD Board to retain independent review regarding LANL-origin contaminants. The Environmental Protection Agency is considering two permits that have direct relevance to the BDD project. One is a permit for the BDD that would allow for the return of filtered sediment from the BDD treatment plant to the Río Grande. The other permit is a stormwater runoff permit for LANL. Given the concern of the BDD Board regarding radionuclides and other toxics in Río Grande sediments, it is important to realize that the EPA cannot regulate some nuclear pollutants because the federal government has given that responsibility to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Given

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the fact that the pathway of concern for LANL toxics is stormwater runoff into the Río Grande, it is imperative to know what the EPA is going to allow LANL to do in this regard. The BDD Board has asked for “commitment” from LANL and the DOE. In 2005, LANL and the DOE signed a Consent Order with the NMED that requires LANL to do a complete assessment of all contaminated sites at the lab and perform a fence-to-fence cleanup. Almost before the ink was dry on the Order, LANL and DOE began missing deadlines set by the Order and have repeatedly said that they do not have the resources to meet the demands of the Order, asking for delays or the re-writing of the Order. DOE lacks credibility when it comes to protecting drinking water supplies at their sites around the country. The Columbia, Snake, Clinch, and Savannah Rivers, sole source aquifers, and drinking water resources have all been severely contaminated by DOE nuclear weapons facilities. In their letter to LANL and the DOE, the BDD Board stressed that “credibility of these efforts with the public water system customers that will be served by the BDD is very important to the BDD Board.” Amigos Bravos, CCNS, Communities for Clean Water, and other concerned residents share the BDD Board’s concerns for water security and believe that by working together we can leave a legacy of sustainability for future Santa Feans. We want local officials to see the importance of having all the information disclosed. Complete and independent analysis with full participation by the public is a requisite to a well thought out and comprehensive plan. Michael Jensen is with Amigos Bravos, a 20year-old nationally recognized non-profit conservation organization dedicated to preserving and restoring the ecological and cultural integrity of New Mexico’s rivers and watersheds. Contact 575-758-3874 or visit the website: www.amigosbravos.org. Editor’s note: In October 2008, the NM Environment Department released a study, which concluded that construction on the Buckman project won’t disturb contaminated soil near LANL. The report found “legacy contaminants” in sediments near but not within construction areas. Secretary Ron Curry stated that his department will “continue to aggressively monitor the area and require LANL to reduce the flow of storm water into the diversion to ensure that Santa Fe’s drinking water is safe.”

Water Purification Technology:

What is “Green” & What is Not Stephen K. Wiman

What constitutes sustainable or “green” technology in water purification systems? For a water treatment solution to be considered green, it must meet the criteria of not adding anything to the water and not using any additional water in the process. This article covers green technologies currently available and the contaminants for which green purification technologies are, and are not, an option. In the marketplace, there is an abundance of “greenwashing” of conventional technology and often a failure to disclose all the parameters of a purification system touted as being environmentally responsible. But just as conventional water purification is (or certainly should be) based on water chemistry, so is green technology in water purification. If you don’t know what is in the water, you cannot possibly be successful in treatment.

Why should you be interested in green water purification? Santa Fe has one of the lowest per-capita water uses in the US (101 gallons per capita per day; City of SF Water Conservation Office). But why not do your part to make it even lower by using green water purification techniques if applicable? The mix of Santa Fe municipal system water at any connection point is a combination of physical location (proximity to reservoirs and

well fields) and seasonal levels of reservoir water. Water quality may vary locally and seasonally. The presence of naturally occurring contaminants makes water purification of interest to people with health-related water contaminant concerns and to those who experience infrastructure damage from contaminants (primarily hardness “scale,” iron and manganese staining) in both municipal and well (aquifer) water supplies. (See Table 1) There are some contaminants for which there is simply not a sustainable solution. Several technologies merit additional explanation.

GAC and Carbon Block Filters The most effective method of removing chlorine is by using carbon filters (often improperly identified as “charcoal”). Some carbon filters are predominantly made from coal (look for “iodine content” as an indicator of the presence of coal), but the very best carbon filtration media is GAC (or granulated activated carbon) made from coconut shells, a renewable resource. Depending on the processing and particle size, the surface area of activated carbon can range from 500 to 1,400 square meters per gram. Several companies are now manufacturing GAC with sustainable technology by capturing the greenhouse gases from the ovens used to toast the coconut shells (to create the high volume of surface area) and by using the byproduct gases for other industrial applications. (See Figure 1) Granulated activated carbon (GAC) is effective but it can provide a base for the growth of bacteria, has to be replaced (or wastefully backwashed) on a regular basis, and it becomes less effective through time because of channeling (erosion). An increasingly popular method of removing chlorine is by whole-house filtration using

Table 1 - Common contaminants in the Santa Fe area and their suitability for sustainable treatment solutions. SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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ful backwashing systems. The key is the presence of an electronic control head, which is used to time and control backwashing. Magnets and other catalytic systems are not generally accepted methods for mitigating hardness, but they do work in some cases and may offer the consumer a more cost-effective solution to lime scaling (but not contaminant removal).

Figure 1. Processing of GAC (Granular Activated Carbon) from coconut shells: traditional open pit method (A) ; barrel method (B) and “green” production using gasification systems reactor (C). Photos courtesy of Filtrex Holdings Group.

canister filters and tanks. Both methods are limited by the type of carbon used. One method uses in-line canisters (typically 4”x20”) containing carbon block filters that are changed annually. These filters are created by compressing very finely pulverized activated carbon in a binding medium and fusing it into a solid block. Carbon block filters can remove particles down to 1 micron and also remove Giardia and Cryptosoridium if present and eliminate the problems of channeling of the carbon. These filters are so dense that they minimize the potential for bacterial growth. Other whole house, chlorine-removal devices are standalone carbon tanks used in complex treatment sequences, or in tanks that may be combined with embedded electromagnetic devices. These latter systems are frequently backwashed and may waste as much water as a conventional softener. Carbon block filters are effective in removing chlorine and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), but they do not protect you from other harmful contaminants that might be present in water. GAC, the media found in most household (faucet and pitcher) filters, are also very limited in their contaminant removal capabilities. Because of the potential for bacterial growth and its inability to remove metals and radionuclides in water, carbon filtration is a poor choice for most well water except where chlorine is used for specific oxidation applications (such as for iron, manganese or arsenic III) and then removed by dedicated carbon block filters that are changed on a scheduled basis.

Anti-scalant Systems / Salt-free Systems Anti-scalant systems are designed to reduce or eliminate lime scale accumulation, but water softening, or ion exchange, is the only proven method for softening water. Salt-free systems are not a substitute for softeners and are poor choices for consumers accustomed to softened water; but they are ideal for customers who want to conserve water, avoid the hassles of salt use and the discharge of chlorides into the environment. Some systems that are touted as salt-free are actually waste118

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Dissolved Oxygen Generators By creating high levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, these oxygen-generating devices are effective in oxidizing iron and manganese minerals, thus enabling easy removal by filtration, while eliminating unpleasant iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide odors. An electrical current is passed between an anode and cathode positioned some distance apart in the water solution. The electrical current pulls the positive and negative charges of the water molecule apart, causing it to split into hydrogen and oxygen, efficiently producing extremely small oxygen micro-bubbles, which are unable to break the surface tension of the water. As a result, virtually all the released oxygen remains dissolved in solution and available for oxidizing contaminants. Test case experiments are in progress to confirm that this process will also oxidize Arsenic III, which will allow it to be removed, along with Arsenic V, by reverse osmosis. Ozonation Ozone (O3) is a relatively unstable molecular “free radical” of oxygen, which readily gives up one atom of oxygen and becomes a powerful oxidizing agent that is toxic to most waterborne organisms. Ozone oxidizes by attaching the extra oxygen atom to anything that can be oxidized. The only by-product of ozone is pure oxygen. The high oxygen content of ozonated water provides numerous benefits including disinfecting viruses, algae spores, fungus, mold, and yeast spores on contact. Ozone also oxidizes and precipitates iron, sulfur, and manganese so they can be filtered out of solution. Ozonation is commonly applied by installing an ozone generator in an atmospheric surface tank or cistern. Ultraviolet (UV) Treatment UV light works by attacking the genetic core (DNA) of bacteria and viruses, destroying their ability to function and reproduce. The process is simple but effective and destroys 99.99 percent of harmful microorganisms within microseconds without adding chemicals or changing the taste or color of the water. (See Figure 2) UV is more effective than chlorine in disinfection against organisms such as Cryptosporidium, which is resistant to chlorine.

UV energy shown attacking the DNA of a sub-microscopic organism. Photo courtesy of Trojan Technologies

The main disadvantage of the use of UV radiation is that it leaves no residual disinfectant in the water and hence is not widely used in municipal water purification. It is an ideal disinfection process, however, for residential and small commercial applications. The effectiveness of a UV system in eliminating microbiological contamination is directly dependent on the physical qualities and/or clarity of the water supply. Suspended solids or particulate matter can cause a shielding problem in which a microbe may pass through the UV filter without actually having any direct UV penetration. Untreated iron and manganese may cause staining on the quartz sleeve that houses the UV bulb and may impair its disinfection capabilities. UV filters are best used after adequate sediment, turbidity, iron, and manganese filtration.

Turnkey Solutions For both arsenic and uranium removal, turnkey solutions are available with dual tanks in a lead-lag configuration. When simple testing reveals that the removal media in the active tank is being depleted, the homeowner switches to the 2nd tank. The spent first tank is then harmlessly handled and shipped to the manufacturer, who disposes of the waste in a certified hazardous waste site and then regenerates the media for future use. Turnkey solutions are a promising trend in dealing with those contaminants that constitute both a risk to the consumer and a disposal risk to the environment. It is likely that awareness of both water supply shortages and environmental concerns will accelerate the development of new and sustainable technologies in water purification. Stephen K. Wiman, Ph.D., is a geologist and owner of Good Water Company in Santa Fe. He was recently appointed to the City of Santa Feâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Water Conservation Committee. His primary interest is in using water chemistry to determine the most sustainable methods for treating specific water purification issues. Stephen may be reached at 505-471-9036 or skwiman@goodwatercompany.com.

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Sustainability:

An Old Story for Modern Times Kathy Holian

e live in “interesting times.” The interconnected challenges to our supplies of energy, water, and food grow daily. For example, the skyrocketing cost of energy is largely behind the push to drill for oil and gas in SF County, threatening the water in our aquifers. Increasing competition from Asia spurs rising energy costs, causing the price of food to soar. Climate change affects the whole planet, but it is exacerbated in the Southwest, where precious food and water supplies have become ever more precarious as population soars. Hard times for people – including people in NM – are nothing new. Recently I read William DeBuys’ book “The Walk” and was struck by the story of the people who first settled Las Trampas, a village about 40 miles north of SF (then capital of the province of Nuevo Mexico). In 1751, the governor awarded the Trampas Land Grant to twelve heads of families who lived in the poorest barrio of SF. In those days, the Comanches carried out periodic raids on the city, harvesting animals, women, and children as though they were crops. The motivation behind the Grant was not entirely generous, in that it was intended both to help relieve population pressure in SF (too many mouths to feed) as well as to provide a defensive bulwark against Comanche raids. Very little is known about the early details of the settlement, other than the story told by the buildings they constructed. Homes were built wall-to-wall, creating a fortified plaza. The adobe church, Santo Tomas Apostol de Las Trampas, beloved by today’s tourists, is one of the finest examples of Spanish colonial mission architecture in northern NM. Since the people were

Las Trampas church

nearly all illiterate, there are no written records of their hardscrabble life, constantly threatened as they were by starvation and Indian raids. Nevertheless, we know the tenacious little community survived. In 1816, the Trampaseños built a mill outside of their compound area – a symbol of hope. Obviously, one of the most critical factors in the location of the village was its water source, a stream that flows down from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, from which flows the life of the people: their crops grow in the fields irrigated by the acequia diverted from it; their livestock graze in the pastures on either side; and the mill that ground the flour from grain they grew was powered by it. The community’s construction of the mill was the clearest sign that the people in the village had “arrived.” Comanche raids would never again defeat them. The people had prospered in a way they could never have imagined when they were living in their poor barrio in SF. They were now wealthy enough to feed themselves and sell their flour to their former neighbors in the city. Shifting to a local, self-sufficient economy is crucial to surviving the growing challenges of the future. But the story of the Trampaseños teaches us that we can actually thrive in the face of difficulties if we stand united as a community. Water is probably our most pressing problem in the high mountain desert. Fortunately, water is intrinsically a sustainable, renewable resource, unlike fossil fuels. Unfortunately, our present sources of water – wells and surface water from rivers – are not without limits, inSUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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cluding the growing energy costs for pumping. While Buckman Direct Diversion water will be coming on line soon, there are no other major new sources of sustainable fresh water in our future, apart from re-use, rainwater harvesting, and conservation. The great thing about water is that it can be re-used over and over again; hence, new developments must be required to have small-scale shared water treatment facilities that provide re-used water for landscaping. Collected rainwater can also be used for landscaping, home gardening, and with proper treatment, even drinking water. We would do well to encourage these two sources, even in outlying areas of the county that now rely on wells, in order to reduce the strain on water drawn from our aquifers. These water initiatives can be addressed through County and City land use codes, incentives (such as subsidies for retrofitting older homes and rental properties), and community education. Finally, our community must insure that enough water is available for local agriculture. With increasing energy costs and increasing degradation of our ecosystem, local agriculture becomes even more critical for our community. Protection of agricultural water rights and prevention of urban sprawl is necessary for local farmers. Moreover, local governments must enact programs that enable food-growers to make a decent living. The County can help farmers by partnering with local banks in making low-cost loans available for new equipment, helping open more local markets (e.g., schools and hospitals), and setting up a cooperative health insurance program for farmers. For our

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childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake, in addition to nutritious locally grown food, their schools should offer programs to train the next generation of farmers. Self-sufficiency in energy is the third pillar of resilience. By controlling our own community electric grid, we could encourage the use of local sources of renewable energy. Since we now get our electricity from a far-away coal-fired power plant, only 30% of the energy in the coal actually makes it to SF to do useful work. By guaranteeing generous incentive payments to small companies that produce power locally from renewable sources, a publicly owned electric utilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy source would immediately be roughly three times more efficient, and create good local jobs, too. Since a public grid is not beholden to stock shareholders, it can promote conservation without worry about loss of profits. Moving to a local, more self-sufficient economy in water, food, and energy will require a strong partnership between County and City governments, local businesses, local banks, and, most importantly, the people. People in a community have always relied on each other to survive and even prosper, as we learn from the inspiring story of the TrampaseĂąos. Kathy Holian is the SF County Commissioner, District 4. Contact: 995-9979, email: kathy.holian@comcast.net

Stimulate This Right Now! Vicki Pozzebon

ou can read the newspapers, watch the news, click on an internet site or you can do none of those things to find out that the economy is bad, the price of gas is killing us, the price of food is starving us. How do we address these issues as consumers when our pockets feel empty every time we have to pay more than $4 a gallon for gas and feed our families on shrinking paychecks? How do we address these issues as a community? What can we do, really, to stimulate our own economy? Can we remain optimistic when consumers and business owners alike are feeling the pinch at every cash register? A localized economy is what our cities and towns were founded on and it’s the answer to what we MUST get back to. It is the only sustainable community solution to global issues. “Aren’t you the “Buy Local” people, though?” We often get that question. And my answer is: Yes, and so much more, because what we do is support a localized sustainable economy and all the things that hook into that. We work on renewable energy issues to localize our energy dollars. (Did you know that over $40 million leaves the community each year for non-local heating fuel?) We are partnering with other economic develop-

ment organizations to plan for a sustainable local agricultural economy because without farmers in our local economy to support our eating habits, what do we really have left? Our local participating restaurants spend nearly $280,000 each season on local products for their menus, and our local Farmers’ Market generates over $1 million for local farmers. There is no more renewable energy than food and no more localized economy than putting 5 bucks into the hands of the farmer who has just given you your dinner salad greens. We have a Community Career Co-op program partnership that employs at-risk youth in green industry jobs so that our employers have a well-trained workforce and our youth are given meaningful employment in their own community. We support smart growth and sustainable neighbor development. We have business development programs for our members. And, of course, we have our Buy Local First Campaign because every time you shop at a locally owned independent business, 45 cents of your hard-earned dollar stays in our local tax base, getting recycled into our local economy. The Santa Fe Alliance was started in 2003 from the heart, the grassroots heart of Santa Fe, during talks about how to address global economic issues. A core group of volunteers wanted to make a difference in their own backyard, to vote with their dollars and keep the money in their community. The Alliance was born and now we are well on our way to a localized economy. In 2006 we set out on an aggressive strategic

SF International Conference on Creative Tourism reception at the new convention center, October 2008

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Sustainable Capital William Underwood Can capital be stewarded sustainably? Yes, it can, and should be. However, the following description of what that looks like will almost certainly surprise you.

he economy is the place where we collectively exchange goods and services, and if we do this well and efficiently, we create wealth, or capital. This is the place where we meet each other’s needs. An individual doesn’t open a gas station because they need to fill their own tank; they do it so we can fill ours, and hopefully, we will then provide enough in return to meet their needs. The economy is truly the most altruistic place where we come together because the fruit of our labors is actually produced for the benefit of others. We aren’t able to see it that way because we become lost in the money.

of the uncertainty of free gifts makes it difficult to plan and hard to meet the needs of those we are trying to serve. Shopping with chain stores drains a community of tax revenue and of capital. Shopping with local merchants re-circulates your dollars in the local economy, and creates more tax revenue for nonprofits. Economic activity is wealth generating, short run return. Cultural activity is wealth consuming, long run return. We all need to embrace a structural mechanism that recognizes and balances this every time a dollar changes hands. If by giving money away to nonprofits with each transaction, merchants can increase the frequency at which you visit them, and can also see an increase in how much you spend with them, they will actually become more

In today’s world, when we create excess capital in the economy, it belongs to the one who “earns” it. However, the money comes to the “one” from the “many,” and the day this ceases, the business fails. Recognizing this fact brings about an economic realization: whether we like it or not, we are all mutually dependent on each other. No business can survive without the support of customers. The second realization is, we need to hold back some of the “capital” crop, like apples or wheat, to be sown as seeds for the future. A portion of our capital needs to “die” to the economic realm, so it may be sacrificed and “planted” in the cultural realm, ultimately to bear cultural fruit.

Tom Maguire admires the art at the “Lucky Number Seven” exhibition, Site Santa Fe

Currently, in the cultural realm, nonprofits essentially have to beg for the necessary capital for their longterm investments, which are people. Nonprofits are constantly developing capacities in children and adults that are realized as a benefit to the community. These capacities are the inspiration for new economic breakthroughs and innovations (as well as other less easily monetized benefits), which create fresh new sources of capital. The arts renew the soul, so that on Monday morning we can all dive back into the economic trenches with renewed vim and vigor, and more effectively provide for the needs of others. How do cultural institutions receive their funding? By gifts, or by forced wealth redistribution, known as taxes. Ideally, taxes would not be necessary, but living off

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profitable through gaining market share. Merchants are spending marketing dollars daily to increase sales, and they will choose to spend those dollars on whatever reaches customers and is effective. Merchants need your support and if they offer donations to nonprofits with each transaction, it is then up to you to respond. Just think, intentional purchases from socially supportive businesses that reinvest in our community. We can give back daily, no matter what our income is, and when businesses are supported by committed customers, they can more easily support the nonprofit community. Nonprofits are not economic engines and should not have to raise their own funds from the economic realm. Rather, the funds should be freely apportioned from their share of economic activity, so they may receive the sustenance they need to rightly take up their essential

The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market fosters economic and cultural sustainability for folk artists worldwide and creates intercultural exchange opportunities that unite the peoples of the world. In five years, the two-day event has established itself as the largest international folk art market anywhere. The event, which takes place on Museum Hill, attracts residents and visitors. In 2008, 123 artists from 41 different countries participated, and 20,400 people attended. The Artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Training Program helps develop critical business and marketing skills. For more info: www. folkartmarket.org

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Permaculture Credit Union John McAndrew

n May 1997, thirty-five people, led by Bill Mollison, the founder of Permaculture, and Scott Pittman, Mollison’s student and the founder of the Permaculture Institute in Pojoaque, met in Santa Rosa, California to apply the principles of Permaculture to the creation of a credit union. “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” – Henry David Thoreau A steering committee was formed. Meetings and mailings followed. The Permaculture Credit Union opened in August 2000. Most new credit unions are financed with large investments from allied organizations or parent credit unions. If the term “seed money” was ever appropriately used, it was in reference to the birth of the PCU. We started with little besides an investment of volunteer labor and a determination to provide financial services that others wouldn’t. “A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is privately owned and controlled by its members, and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at reasonable rates, and providing other financial services to its members.” – Wikipedia

“ Permaculture is an ecological design system for sustainability in all aspects of human endeavor.” – The Permaculture Institute

photo: Arpad Nagy-Bagaly

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Credit unions have “fields of membership,” parameters that dictate who may and may not join. Usually, fields of membership are defined by where you live or work. In the case of the PCU, it is defined by whether you subscribe to the Ethics of Permaculture: Care of the Earth, Care of People, and Reinvestment of Surplus for the Betterment of Both. If you subscribe to these values, you may be a member of the PCU, regardless of where you live or work. The Permaculture Credit Union pools the financial resources of people who believe in the ethics of Permaculture. We apply those resources to earth-friendly and socially responsible loans and investments. – PCU Mission Statement

The community is important to farmers. It is to credit unions, as well. The credit unions in New Mexico have been enthusiastically supportive and offered tangible help as we maneuvered in uncertain regulations. While we are unique in the world of credit unions, we are anything but alone. We are proud members of NM’s community of credit unions. As an innovative, independent business, we also find value in our relationships with other members of the Santa Fe Business Alliance. Though the PCU was formed by and for the use of the Permaculture community, its purpose has also been to expand the good effects of that community’s work. To that end, we make loans that others won’t make – or didn’t used to, until we showed up. We offer better rates than most, and are able to do so because our members are willing to accept a lower return so we can charge a lower rate to those who need to borrow. We offer a discount for sustainability, understanding that our Return On Investment consists in part in the health of our planet and people. We create other new and innovative loan packages because our members want to invest in gardens, fuel-efficient cars, student loans, solar panels, water catchment systems and other improvements to their homes and land. Before the PCU, finding a lender for any of those was impossible.

We continue to innovate to serve those who care for the Earth and its people. We are looking to help landowners take advantage of government easement grants. We entered into a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute to provide low-interest loans to Market members who need to hire seasonal help, repair hail damage, and so on. So long as the needs and opportunities of our customers change, we will look for ways to meet those needs because our best hope is in doing what has never been done before. In the process, our members are greening Santa Fe, the Southwest, and nearly every state in the country. We’re proud of what we’ve done so far, but dissatisfied as only those with big goals can be. As more people join us every month, we care for more of the Earth and its people.

John McAndrew is a freelance writer and editor. He has been on the board of the PCU since 2006. Contact the Permaculture Credit Union: 505-954-3479 or toll free 866-954-3479, email: perma@pcuonline.org. For more information on Permaculture, contact The Permaculture Institute: www.permaculture.org.

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Commerce Based On Circle Wisdom

It is easy to feel depressed about our current cashto-trash model that creates spiritually impoverished wealth. I am, however, convinced we are in the process of radically changing to a new economic model.

Structures Behind Business Models

Marc Choyt

n May 2008, while receiving an award from Mayor Coss and the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce for Excellence in Business, I viewed my physical surroundings: wood on the tables, plated food, concrete, drywall, lighting and carpet, and wondered about the true cost of these commodities to the communities that produced them.

Most business are structured like a pyramid. Resources from the base; communities and the environment are focused on driving profits, as represented by the top point. If the main goal is to deliver to shareholders (which is the law with publicly traded companies), the only way that you can move forward is by rapidly pulling resources from the community and ecology in which you function. Unmitigated growth, disconnected from life systems, is called cancer.

My sensitivity to the issue of transparency is acute because I am actively working to counter the ravYet triangles, ages of commodwhich make up itization within pyramids, exist in the jewelry sector. nature and serve a I know the gold vital function. I’ve in your wedding observed from ring, unless it was tips of feathers, recycled, may well shark fins, waves, have caused three sunflower leaves tons of mercuryand even our own laden sludge to teeth, how trianbe poured into a gles focus energy river where some toward specific child bathes every goals. In nature, day. Perhaps you The collaborative Roots exhibition at Pojoaque Pueblo’s Poeh Museum is an however, this tribought a diamond extension of the Institute of American Indian Arts’ “Relations” project. angular movein the 1990s, thus ment exists withunintentionally in complex relafunding wars resulting in the death of 3.7 million Afritionships that are deeply interdependent and radically cans. equal within the whole: the circle. How can we use the circle model in business that can provide a foundation You would never support these practices. Yet in my busifor a new and just economy? First, it requires a basic unness, just as in almost every other area of commerce, derstanding how circles work in natural systems. marketing sorcerers spin illusions that disconnect the “consumer” from the consequences of his or her purRight now, I look around at the circles in my environchase. By not accounting for the true cost of the diament through my round eyes: trees, fingers, a clay pot, mond ring, or even a banquet dinner in a hotel chain, I lightbulbs, and my husky dog, Tasha, curled up by my unwittingly contribute to the ongoing destruction that feet. Everywhere around me, circles are functioning. now threatens Earth’s life-support systems. Each point that makes up a circle supports a whole. We talk about the circle of life, or our community circle, beCommoditization is that natural outcome of large-scale cause the circle innately supports interdependence. corporations’ functioning within local communities and economies as neo-colonial entities. Except in obExperience has taught me that, just as the circle is the vious cases (such as the current attempts to drill oil in fundamental blueprint to nature, it is also the definiecologically fragile areas of northern NM), the so called tive blueprint for a well-functioning community based economic benefits of companies that colonize Santa Fe on sustainability, which, of course, includes businesses. – jobs, price competition and availability of commodiBusiness is how we exchange with one another in our ties – are rarely considered in light of hidden costs. community circle.

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Circular labyrinth, Tesuque Pueblo Symposium for Sustainable Food and Seed Sovereignty, September 2008

The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market is a great example of a circle-based approach that helps the local community thrive. It involves community, interdependence and sustenance on the most basic level. Local, organically grown food only appears more expensive. In fact, it is simply reflecting the real cost of growing in a sustainable manner. By supporting sustainable-based local business, we strengthen our own circle. Wealth that stays in our local community creates an upward spiral, strengthening our relationship with each other and our bioregion, instead of a downward spiral, which concentrates wealth at the expense of economy and community. These same principles can be carried through in resources that we import from outside of our community. Commerce is based on equitable exchange, or fair trade. In the circle, all parts have a radical equality. As a businessperson, if I am to honor that basic truth that every person is a brother or sister walking on his or her own spiritual journey, this goal of fair trade needs to extend throughout the entire circle of my supply chain, from mine to market. We all have the same basic needs and depend upon clean air, healthy food and water. In deep reverence to the natural world, I call this great movement of interdependent circles building creative synergy “The Circle Manifesto.”

In Action The movement from our current state of fragmentation to a circle-based economy is a process. We have to heal thousands of years of patriarchial power systems and empires based on straight lines. Commerce based on sustainability is both a goal and a process. We also have to act within the context of sound economics. Yet no

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matter where we are or what we are doing, we can find our community, strengthen our circles and make a difference. In my circle-based company, we continually look for opportunities to create relationships based on our core values. Purchasing carbon offsets and producing jewelry in-house with fair wages and recycled precious metal was a natural step. Internationally, fabrication with recycled precious metal in a fair trade factory took us twelve years. We might be the first in the vast jewelry sector to achieve this. Our current direction includes educating the trade and public through our blog and building a set of relationships with marginalized small-scale artisan-miners based on fair trade. I am trying to build a connection, a circle, between some small producer in the developing world and my customer by telling a universal story. Right now, the movement for ethical jewelry is very small. Yet if just five percent of the public were to ask for fair trade or locally made recycled metal jewelry, it would tip an industry ignoring this wonderful emerging market. For me, the balance between how I work with money, my humanity and passion for sustainability is a testing ground. I ask myself whether my decisions are going to altruistically strengthen an interdependent circle or not, factoring in the survival of our company circle in the market. Ultimately, each time I spend, it expresses core values, my spiritual path. For better or worse, spending money is gifting back to the world. You can make a huge difference by aligning your money and your values.

I used to feel than an individual such as me could not change things very much in the vast jewelry sector. Trade shows were depressing affairs. But over the last two years, I am witnessing how a few people, a circle of passionate colleagues, are shifting the entire paradigm. Regardless of the results, supporting life-giving circles has huge benefits. Connections become profound. I live in thankfulness for the work I do, which roots my daily existence in regenerative joy. Additional writings by Marc on CircleBased business can be found at www. circlemanifesto.com. Read about the ethical jewelry space on his other blog: www.fair jewelry.org. His companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s site is: www.celticjewlery.com

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development forms, central mixeduse places, new economic development, multi-modal transportation connections, mandated open space, affordable housing, and infrastructure systems that have resulted in the popular new villages of Rancho Viejo, Oshara and La Pradera. The Rail Runner will connect Albuquerque and points south to this unique smart growth district at NM 599 and I-25. The presence of the Community College and the Institute of American Indian Arts adds their programs and student talent pools to the County’s concerted economic development effort to develop film, media and entertainment industries within the zoned Media District, one of only two in the nation. Wind, solar and green design, alternative energy and water conservation projects are all part of the future plans for the new villages within this district emanating from a specific sustainability program outlined in the 2000 plan.

The Protection of Open Space In its effort to curtail sprawl across the landscape, the County began an Open Space and Trails Program and created the County Open Land and Trails Planning and Advisory Committee (COLTPAC) in the late 90s to acquire and manage public open space projects. Over $20 million has been raised primarily through bonding initiatives to purchase public open spaces including the Santa Fe County Rail Trail, the Cerrillos Hills Park (now a state park) and Petroglyph Hill, among others. One of the biggest potential challenges to our sensitive open spaces and their wildlife habitats and wetland resources is the possibility of renewed resource and mineral extraction in these areas. Santa Fe County is concerned about this relationship and is undergoing intensive studies and scientific investigations to make correct and considered choices in these matters, understanding that the protection of open space is a major concern of its residents.

Regional Infrastructure Systems Unique and sensitive community settings require appropriate infrastructure systems. As growth demands increase the density of our settled places and threaten the landscape of our surroundings, the need for better systems becomes apparent. This is especially true when a proliferation of wells, septic tanks and new roads continue to endanger the intrinsic qualities of our lives. Santa Fe County continues to investigate and consider

the need for and potential uses of regional water and wastewater systems, particularly in the northern and central portions of the county. The Buckman Water Diversion Project, in conjunction with the City of Santa Fe, and regional wastewater projects with the City of Espanola and Pojoaque Pueblo hold promise for the future. Ten years ago, regional cooperation may have seemed unnecessary. Now it is an essential element of sustainability.

The Importance of Community Planning and Local Decision Making Perhaps the most overlooked element of sustainability is the need to sustain the local spirit. If the landscape is the soul of Santa Fe County, our people and our places of settlement are the heart. Santa Fe County initiated a formal community planning process in 1999 and to this date, seven traditional community plans and three contemporary community plans have been completed and adopted. Two highway corridor plans have been finalized. One could argue that if the voices and the intentions of the local people are the backbone of democratic sustainability, then this is one of our most “sustainable” projects. It is important to note that Santa Fe County community plans are not just about land use and zoning regulations. They are also concerned with educating residents about governance, power sharing, community problem solving and how to make individual sustainability choices. What frequently gets lost in the discussion of sustainability and its need to balance the present with the future is the need to keep one eye on the past…and to understand that our future means very little if we do not sustain the indelible and integrative abilities of those who have gone before us. Jack Kolkmeyer is the Land Use Administrator and Director of the Planning and Development Division, Growth Management Department of Santa Fe County. (www.santafecounty. org). Jack has 40 years of experience in community development, urban/ regional planning, education and media communications. He has worked and studied in the Caribbean, West Africa, Europe and the Midwest and Southwestern United States. Email: jkolkmey@ co.santa-fe.nm.us.

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SSF Plan:

SF Development & Zoning Code • The layout of cities and the distribution of land uses affects how much people need to travel. When jobs, schools, shopping, and services are nearby, vehicular travel can be shortened or replaced with alternatives. • Zoning Code dictates where different land uses are allowed, as well as the placement and height of structures. The Development Code, including the Zoning Code, needs to be reviewed for opportunities for greenhouse gas emissions reduction in such areas as transportation, solar gain and shading, food growing, and water harvesting and usage. • • Proposed Actions: • • Amend the Development and Zoning Code to: • ∑ Make access to solar exposure a property right. • ∑ Encourage Passive Solar Building design. • ∑ Encourage use of gray water and rainwater for landscape watering and other uses such as toilet flushing. • ∑ Require subdivisions be laid out to enable

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•

• • • •

maximum feasible use of solar design and equipment, and the ability to use captured stormwater. ∑ Encourage natural vegetation shading of buildings and constructed surfaces, as vegetation absorbs CO2 and keeps things cool in the summer. ∑ Amend the Development Code to encourage locally grown food to reduce costs of fuel and transport of food. ∑ Allow for a greater variety of uses within a development, which reduce the number and length of vehicle trips. ∑ Encourage Development of Affordable Energy Efficient Housing.

SSF Plan:

Green Building Code Building (construction) uses the majority of electricity produced by power plants. Building materials contain large amounts of embodied energy. The City of Santa Fe was the first city to adopt the “2030 Challenge,” which calls for reducing GHG emissions from buildings until they produce zero emissions by the year 2030. Proposed Actions • Implement performance-based Santa Fe Green Building Codes that recognize the need for phased-in mandatory minimums and offer incentives for superior performance. • Codify commitments and date benchmarks included in the “2030 Challenge”. • Develop green building codes and incentive programs for retrofitting existing buildings, commercial buildings, and new or old structures in historic districts. • There would be incentives to go beyond the minimum requirements to “gold”, “platinum” and “emerald” levels.

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Santa Fe Green Building Codes Kim Shanahan This Verde Design Group greenbuilt “kit of parts” house is located in the Santa Fe National Forest. It is designed to be fire resistant. The butterfly roof water catchment system is supported by 80% recycled steel beams. The house is sited to have full passive solar gain. The Insulated Concrete, steel and glass have a high-LEED rating.

fter a long year of slogging through highly detailed considerations, the committee developing green building codes for Santa Fe can claim success. Started in 2007, the initial working group was large and diverse and represented a broad cross-section of green thinking Santa Feans determined to mandate City green building codes. As often happens with taskforce work, the participants were gradually winnowed down to a trusted few to see the task through to its logical conclusions. Under the direction of City of SF Senior Planner, Katherine Mortimer, the final group consisted of myself, President of the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association (SFAHBA), SFAHBA 1st Vice-President and chair of the SF Green Building Council Faren Dancer, SFAHBA 2nd Vice-President Dalinda Bangert, and Harold Trujillo, an engineer recently retired from the State Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department who is under contract with the City as a code specialist. At the beginning, not surprisingly, there was a question among the larger code group as to whether having strong representation by senior SFAHBA people was a potentially risky idea. Indeed, the phrase “foxes in the hen house” was bandied about. The case was made, however, that even though the HBA at a national level may seem reluctant to embrace green codes, the NM

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HBA contingent represents the radical fringe at the national level, SF represents the radical fringe at the state HBA level, and the three participants on the code group represented the radical fringe of SFAHBA. So the challenge for Faren, Dalinda, and me will be to convince our 800 members that we tried our best to ensure the codes are fair and achievable. And though they will make homes cost more to build, those homes will cost less to operate, be healthier, conserve water, and will absolutely contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is obviously the point. The six sections of the codes are: Site Considerations, Water Conservation, Resource Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Homeowner Education. Each category has a minimum level of achievement based upon a menu of weighted choices with different points assigned. The designations start with Silver, the code minimum, and then go up through Gold, Platinum and Emerald. A home seeking higher levels must accumulate more points in each category. Energy Efficiency is the easiest section to measure, since its score is based on a third-party protocol known as HERS (Home Energy Rating Service). The City of SF actually began requiring all new homes built in 2008 to get a HERS rating, at that point, it did not stipulate a minimum score.

That will change with the adoption of the new green building code. The Silver level, will require a HERS score of 70. A typical home built to standard 2006 codes is assumed to have a HERS score of 100. The lower the index, the more energy is saved. The EPA Energy Star program and LEED for Homes, for instance, only requires a HERS index of 85 to achieve certification. SF’s minimum is twice as stringent. To get to Gold, a home must have a HERS score of 50. Platinum has to be at HERS 25, and the Emerald level is HERS zero. Another progressive, and perhaps controversial component of the SF program is the idea that the larger the home, the more stringent the requirement. Less than 3,000 square feet and Silver is minimum, over 8,000 square feet and the minimum is Emerald. Homebuilders are in for a steep learning curve starting in 2009 but it won’t end there. Since the city signed on and committed itself to meeting the goals of the 2030 Challenge, as did the SFAHBA, we are just on the first step of the goal that all new buildings constructed by 2030 be HERS zero. That is a radical challenge to the dominant paradigm of home construction that has existed for years, whereby change happens slowly in response to market-driven demand. The 2030 Challenge was conceived by local architect Ed Mazria to bring awareness to the fact that buildings – their construction and subsequent operations – are estimated to contribute up to 47% of all global greenhouse gasses. That is a number far in excess of all the vehicles driving around the world. Mazria’s idea was to get people to commit to lowering the emissions of the buildings they design and build, starting by cutting them in half immediately on your next project, and continuing lower and lower over time until we are building net zero-emission structures by the year 2030.

Ed Mazria

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Codes typically have been slowly evolving ideas that change incrementally with extensive peer and industry review. A green code that attempts to become progressively more ambitious over time as it seeks to achieve a future target is new thinking.

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Getting to zero by 2030 means the HERS scores have to drop by 10 points every three years. That is fast. The challenge is made harder because every point costs more the closer one gets to zero. SF justifiably claims progressive credentials among municipalities in our United States. The adoption of green building codes that mandate minimums that are raised over time keeps us well in the forefront. We may be a small metropolis (with still pristine air) relative to our national impact on global greenhouse gases, but we can serve as an example to many. Ed Mazria recently noted that an unexpected twist of the 2030 Challenge was to witness the emergence of communities making green programs mandatory rather than merely having market-driven voluntary programs. We members of the SFAHBA wrestled with the same choice and decided to come squarely down on the side of mandatory, even while still recognizing the power of the market to stimulate ever-superior achievement and innovation. Mandatory minimums level the playing field and take the choice out of the equation. Too often in the past, builders would suggest energy saving and resource efficient ideas only to have the client say no. Now we can say, if you want a house built in SF, it is going to be built green. Kim Shanahan, builder of the Vistas Bonitas Subdivision, is a member of the Sustainable SF Commission and is on the Green Building Code Task Force. He may be contacted at shanafe@aol.com.

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Sustainable Grassroots Faren Dancer

s an avid member of the counterculture since the mid-1960s, I’ve gained an accumulated perspective on the not so rapid evolution of environmental consciousness within our culture. When the Arab oil embargo of the early ‘70s caused us to lower the national speed limit and incentivize solar technologies, I was waiting in a gas line in my handcrafted gypsy wagon. It was a lovely icon of its day, replete with reclaimed lumber, recycled windows and a potbelly stove. The vinyl clad Winnebagos were certainly no match when it came to ingenuity, resourcefulness and Old World craftsmanship. My home base was a small Northern California town of some 1,200 residents, many of whom had discovered the Marin County coastal community when volunteering to clean up an oil spill that occurred a few miles south along a national bird sanctuary. So there we were, young pioneers of sustainable virtues, idealistic dreams and a feel for tribal spirit. We raised our young families, volunteered in the community garden, spearheaded the first county recycling program, installed early solar technologies and dealt with serious fresh water shortages. There was art, craft, poetry, dance, music and theater. Our annual Mayday Festival was a memorable event that epitomized the

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Johnnie Meier’s Classical Gas Museum on Highway 68 in Embudo

connectedness we all shared with Mother Earth. That encapsulated island of experience has now dissolved with the generational shifts, escalating California coastal real estate prices and the shifting sands of time. In 1980, Ronnie Reagan blasted us into a new era of blatant consumerism by removing Jimmy’s solar collectors from the White House as his first act as President. While Europe moved forward with earnest intent to reduce energy consumption and sustain their urban centers with care of the supporting agriculture that surrounded them, we generated urban sprawl that consumed the farmlands in favor of ticky-tack suburbia. And, our national commuter society expanded big time and has continued evolving up to the present with larger gas-guzzlers as the trophy for our endurance. China has passionately followed our lead, industrializing at an unparalleled pace, while needing to shut down half their industries, cease all new construction projects, and remove 1.5 million automobiles from the streets of Beijing in order to keep down the potential fatal health risks to athletes at the 2008 Summer Olympics. So while $4 a gallon gasoline realigns the nation’s attention in a way not seen since the ‘70s, the global climate crisis attunes us to down-home virtues of conservation

and innovation, and us normal citizens are finding cause to unite in a spirit of cooperation, love of the planet and a desire to carry forth a legacy suitable for future generations. Here in Santa Fe, NM, leaders are emerging from various sectors of our community to weigh in on what that future holds. In 2006 I helped spearhead the SF Area Home Builders Association endorsement of the 2030 Challenge. Designed by longtime Santa Fe architect, Ed Mazria, this program calls for zero emissions from the building sector by the year 2030. Given that CO2 emissions from the built environment constitutes over 40% of our greenhouse gases, we as builders are obligated to do our part in turning around the rising sea levels resultant from global warming. Of course I can’t tell builders how to build, but one major category of green building, energy, requires making peace with the fact that energy costs are only going in one direction. So, along comes the City of Santa Fe and Mayor David Coss endorsing the 2030 Challenge as part of the grander US Conference of Mayors. During the past fourteen months, three of the most progressive green builder members and officers from the builders association, Kim Shanahan, Dalinda Bangert and myself, have teamed with City Green Director, Katherine Mortimer and appointed chair, Harold Trujillo, to anchor the SF City Green Codes Committee to evolve how SF will adhere to the 2030 Challenge. The new green program will go through the needed approval process and become code sometime in 2009. My own building project, the Emerald Home, currently under construction, will be a true net-zero energy home and pilot for the City program, demonstrating the highest possible certification in six categories of green building. These categories include Site Impact, Energy Efficiency, Resource Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality and Homeowner Education. The Emerald Home is also the recipient of a US Green Building Council (USGBC) educational grant through the Santa Fe Community College, where I’ve teamed with Sustainability Director, Lou Schreiber. This funding will be used to create an accredited online course on Zero Energy Building. The home will be open to City staff and the building community at various points during construction, and will be shown to my classes at SFCC as a visual demonstration. It will then be open to the public as well, upon completion in late spring, 2009. The Emerald Home will also be LEED for Homes certified “platinum,” meaning the highest certification in the USGBC-based program as well. On November 21-23rd, 2008, the brand new SF Community Convention Center (also LEED certified) housed the SF Green Building Summit & Expo. Over sixty green exhibitors introduced the public to many new and innovative systems, products and technolo-

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gies. Realtors, appraisers, lenders, builders, architects, energy raters and inspectors could gain Continuing Education Credits for attending presentations from expert local and national presenters. Some of the topics: Valuing and Marketing Green, Understanding Certification Programs, Solar and Sustainable Building Tax Incentives and a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) overview. As the old paradigm of real estate finance continues to unravel, a sustainable approach needs to supplant what no longer works. Appraisal rule changes that give value to very quantifiable energy savings and other green attributes was also a hot topic at the conference. Unicopia, Inc. is my 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, dedicated to the evolution of sustainability within our culture. With a mission of creating educational models, research and development of modular green building systems, centralized energy, food cultivation and transportation, Unicopia looks to integrate the various aspects of sustainability and bring them into the spotlight of public awareness. With policy makers, educators and many of the related industries climbing onboard, the evolution of sustainability from the grassroots will ultimately bring about the desired change. This approach, in my estimation, is one that is truly sustainable. Faren Dancer is President of Sundancer Creations, Custom Builders; Chairman of the SF Green Building Council, 1st Vice President of the SF Area Home Builders Association and Co-chair of LEED for Homes New Mexico.

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The Railyard Park & Plaza Laurel Savino

anta Fe began to dream and debate the future of the Railyard property 23-plus years ago. It took seven years to design, fund and build the Railyard Park and Plaza. Finally, the Railyard provides common ground for cultural organizations, artists and businesses, and is a welcome green jewel in the heart of Santa Fe. It was a long wait. Sometimes the wait is worth it. Santa Fe built a very different – hopefully more efficient, sustainable – Railyard Park and Plaza than it would have had we started building in 1995, when the Trust for Public Land helped the City purchase the property from BNSF Railroad. We live in interesting times, when globally, people are turning to significant innovations in sustainability; not just in technology, but also in thought and perspective. When The Trust for Public Land (TPL) asked Santa Fe residents what they wanted in a central park, they emphasized three things. First, they wanted the cultural and educational organizations currently in the Railyard – El Museo Cultural, Santa Fe Clay, SITE Santa Fe, the Farmers Market, Warehouse 21, the galleries, etc. – to be able to afford to remain there. And they wanted compatible new development. The Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation worked with the City to create leases that protect non-profit organizations from rising property values. The Trust for

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Public Land worked with the Farmers Market to design the Railyard Plaza and ramada to accommodate market stalls. Warehouse 21 and the Farmers Market built new, permanent homes that enhance their capacity. Alvord Elementary is converting to a magnet school focused on sustainability (See article, page 56). Buying locally is a core part of living sustainably. All businesses; local, regional and national, can contribute to sustainability by offering local goods, paying living wages for good jobs with opportunities for advancement, and supporting local organizations. It’s up to us, the consumers, to reward good corporate citizenship, local or not, by spending thoughtfully. The Railyard businesses provide new opportunities to do that in Santa Fe. Second among the public’s priorities for the Railyard was a large park, specifically a “passive” park, a green place for many different social activities and solitude, reading and recreation. TPL, its advisors and design team created spaces for reflection, play and performance. The 400-plus new trees and thousands of baby plants are already bringing shade and wildlife back to downtown. Third, and a word we probably heard more than any other, was “water.” In a city guided by water restrictions that have set back the health of many parks, how do you create 12 acres of new plantings without a huge

new draw on the water supply? The design team, Ken Smith, landscape architect, Mary Miss, public artist, and Frederic Schwartz, architect, were guided by their experiences in other communities – Santa Fe is not the only thirsty city – and by New Mexico experts in high desert xeriscape. Large areas of the park, the cottonwood bosque along the Acequia Madre and the arroyo east of SITE Santa Fe, are intended to feel more like native places. They are filled with plants (and, hopefully, birds, insects and other animals) familiar to anyone who has walked a Northern New Mexico river or SF Community Foundation’s Billie Blair presides over arroyo. burial of a time capsule containing wishes for Santa

foot of water rights from the Acequia. On the park’s water day, water will flow into what TPL calls the Acequia Niña. She runs underground first to a Pueblo-style demonstration garden and then above ground to a space for a future community garden near the corner of Alarid Street and Cerrillos Road, before returning to the Acequia Madre and off towards the Village of Agua Fria.

The Railyard has long been the place that brings people and goods from near and far to Santa Fe. As an active railyard (another priority articulated by Santa Feans), it will offer relevant avenues to a more sustainable life. The Santa Fe Southern Railway will continue its living repFe’s future at the Railyard Park opening, Sept., 2008 resentation of NM’s railroad history with four-season rides There is very little turf lawn on through our beautiful surroundthe park. Where there is turf, (a ings. The Rail Runner Express will revive our historic blend of tall fescue, perennial rye and Kentucky bluedepot as the northern destination of riders to and from grass developed for northern NM parks), it is placed Albuquerque, and stops in between. where people will get the most out of it: within a few picnic areas and on a sloping lawn that faces a space for A new bikepath/walkway parallels these historic tracks a temporary stage or movie screen. and links the Rail Trail (and its connection to the Arroyo Chamisa Trail) and the future Acequia Trail (beBut more was required to provide for the park’s water hind the New Mexico School for the Deaf out to Baca “budget.” Through a feat of design, engineering, and Street) to the southwest with the Santa Fe River Trail collaboration, TPL secured access to rainwater runoff to the north. From there, you can get to the Dale Ball from new and historic buildings on the Railyard, which Trails, then the Atalaya Trail or Windsor Trail. The Raiis fed into five underground 15,000-gallon cisterns and lyard Park forms a central hub to the emerging trail netthe 35,000-gallon water tower on the Railyard Plaza. work that is becoming a real way to navigate our city Powered by the elevation of the water tower (a pump safely and actively on foot or by bike. raises some water into the tower), 110,000 gallons of rainwater can be distributed throughout the park by We often look to the past to guide us to sustainability. gravity. While water catchment is an ancient practice, irIt’s odd that we should consider it forward-thinking rigation on the Railyard Park will be an interesting modto harvest rainwater, or buy locally, or get where we ern-day test of a familiar strategy on a large scale. need to go by walking or pedaling, when people have done these things for centuries, and still do in most of Santa Feans who have tried digging a hole in the ground the world. And while it may take some effort for many are familiar with our hard-packed clay-heavy soils and Americans to live more sustainably as individuals, it the caliche layer, a hard calcium carbonite deposit a takes a lot of effort to prioritize sustainability in largefew feet below the surface, which slow absorption and scale public projects. But it’s worth it, and in Santa Fe, contribute to amazing run-off spectacles after big rains. the people demanded it. Early in the earth-moving phase of park construction, the team dug 930 1-foot by 6-foot holes, piercing the caliche. They were filled with amended soils, creating Laurel Savino works for a better sponge for any precipitation. If rain falls, the the Trust for Public Land, a park will catch it, store it and put it to use. national, non-profit land Other practices are elegant and timeless. The Acequia Madre runs along the southeast edge of the park, parallel to Cerrillos Road. The park has leased a quarter-acre

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conservation organization. Contact: 988-5922 ext. 114, email: laurel.savino@tpl.org.

Mining for Golden Business Ideas Margo Covington

magine a day in your lifetime in Northern New Mexico, where there are no more landfills; everything that we used to throw away is turned into products we buy from thriving, profitable small businesses owned by our neighbors. And now imagine that the “stuff” we used to throw away into landfills is becoming so valuable that we are now mining our old landfills to get the materials out! Businesses are now paying for what’s coming out of the landfills – the raw materials for what they are selling! Some businesses are even separating out their trash and are able to sell “raw materials” to each other. Imagine…it’s kind of like a modern alchemy where people are turning lead into gold. We’re not literally turning materials like lead into gold like the scientists of old were trying to do, but we are turning wastes into money…into profits. Not only are we a wealthier community; we have more creative, local businesses. We also have lower taxes because we don’t have to pay for landfills, and we are leaving our children and their children a cleaner environment.

pers, the mixed paper, the glass and other things we are encouraged to separate for recycling. Think of all the things we don’t recycle. Justin Stockdale, our former recycling coordinator, told a group of us while touring the landfill, that we could pay for the recycling center and the recycling program every year by just selling the recyclables that aren’t getting separated and sent to the landfill. Together, we are throwing away enough valuable materials right now, that we could reduce our taxes by millions of dollars. According to Stockdale, Santa Fe buried about $5 million of recyclables in 2003! New Mexico buried over $50 million worth that year! Santa Fe has long been recognized worldwide as an especially creative community. When I think of creativity, I think of imagining something new, something “valueadded.” In business terms, “value-added” is what businesses sell; what they make a profit on. So imagine that we can make profits on our creativity of turning wastes into a business.

And now imagine that today you have some influence or control to make that happen now, and that you could actually be one of those who make money while making a better future for us all.

Last fall, dreams began to come true for a group of Northern New Mexicans when they attended a workshop I organized, called “Mining for Golden Business Ideas.” Guided by Justin Stockdale, we toured both the Santa Fe landfill and the recycling center known as BURRT (Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station).

Think about how much we currently throw away in our communities; the aluminum soda cans, the newspa-

We also studied nature to see how we might think more creatively about what could actually be possible. When

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you stop and consider it, it makes sense. There are five kingdoms in nature: animals, plants, algae, bacteria and fungi. What is a toxin for one – is neutral or a nutrient for at least one other species in another kingdom. If we didn’t “eat” each other’s wastes, life on the planet could not thrive! So how can we apply what we learn from nature to help us think of creative new business ideas? What is waste for one business might be a “nutrient” for another? The group took notice of what we were buying during the holiday season. We researched businesses already making profits on materials diverted from the landfill, and we brainstormed new ideas. There may be a new business near you that is using materials from landfills right now. They didn’t need a government program to do it, or someone telling them what to do. They just figured it out and started making money!

Margo Covington of Covington Consulting offers sustainability and entrepreneurial training. If you’re interested in a workshop like the one she described, Margo may be contacted at 505-982-0044, email: margo@covingtonconsulting.net, or visit her website: www.covingtonconsulting.net.

Look around for business ideas that use materials that are being separated in curbside recycling. What might you make from them? What business might you start?

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Ensuring Santa Fe’s Future Ken Hughes

time to learn from inventors, climate change experts, and most importantly, the awakened American people. We now know that devoting one quarter of a home’s rooftop can power all its heat, hot water and electric needs; that just 15 square miles of concentrated solar mirrors can provide enough electricity for all of New Mexico; and that enacting Gov. Bill Richardson’s 68 climate change proposals will allow us to make the transition to an energy efficient economy that emits 80 percent fewer greenhouse gases. We now have Al Gore’s challenge to meet all our electricity needs from renewables by 2018. This seems impossible until it’s broken down to the local level. Indeed, along with continued increases in water efficiency and much smarter uses of land, putting our city on a solar-wind-geothermal energy budget is not only doable, it can literally ensure Santa Fe’s future.

Aldea de Santa Fe continues to grow.

grew up in a small town in the hills of northwest Illinois. My uncle was an aide to President Johnson, so I was steeped in national politics as much as local baseball. It was natural for me, armed with degrees from Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, to head east to Washington in the mid-1970s. That was a time when clean energy first held great promise. I had the great good fortune to serve on the staff of an energy subcommittee for Sen. Ted Kennedy. Many backyard inventors, professors and policy wonks streamed through the office with then-exotic ideas like offshore wind, concentrated solar, and passive solar buildings. Trips to places such as Colby, Kansas, to an ethanol training facility and Golden, Colorado, to the renewable energy lab, along with President Carter’s pronouncement in 1978 that the US should get 20 percent of its energy from renewables by 1990, gave me hope that the sun would play a major role in our energy future. Like Rip Van Winkle, during the 1980s and ‘90s the country fell asleep to solar’s potential. Flash forward and once again our leaders are hearing from us that it’s

Let’s start with focused redevelopment of our major corridors of Cerrillos, St. Francis, St. Michaels and Paseo de Peralta in front of DeVargas Mall. Transforming these run-of-the-mill, overly wide streets into scintillating boulevards worthy of Santa Fe means freeing acres of street and parking lot space exclusively devoted to motor vehicles. The space can be unleashed for hundreds of living units for folks of all societal levels, as well as for local- serving retail and office space for Human Services, Health, and Children, Youth and Families Departments now scattered all over the city. Public spaces from pocket parks to zocolos can create the chance encounters for conversations that can overcome stereotypes and help rebuild the social glue so sorely lacking. We must also put in place a building code that asks all new homes and businesses to be twice as energy efficient as what’s being currently built, leading to buildings that use no more energy than they produce. Then, since five times as many homes are sold as built, require buyers of existing homes to bring the home up to an energy efficient standard within one year while offering them discounted green mortgages to add energy saving appliances and rooftop solar. Let’s also put in place a revolving loan program so that every homeowner in Santa Fe can borrow funds to tighten up home energy use and replace all appliances with energy efficient models. Then, as a reward for being energy efficient, we go solar on the roof, with monthly payments equivalent to the savings in utility bills. A $100 million program that provides an average of $10,000 per household would greatly reduce the carbon and fuel bills for 10,000 homes. To expand on this great start, let’s devote the Northwest Quadrant that is on the other side of 599 along with the surrounding State Trust Lands to water efficient greenhouses to help provide food self-reliance to the city and to solar electric arrays for energy selfSUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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reliance. The electricity could be used to power the pumps for water brought up from the Rio Grande, the remaining street lights on intersections not converted to roundabouts, many of the homes still without solar on their roofs, and a fleet of electric cars, buses, trolleys, and the Rail Runner, so that – combined with an entire network of bike trails and unimpeded sidewalks – no trip in Santa Fe needs oil. Time is running out for taking meaningful steps to stave off the worst effects of climate change. This time we cannot afford to wait. Let’s adopt a package of new technologies, incentives, and standards that can get us to a clean energy Santa Fe by 2018. The time to start is now. Hughes is vice chair of the City of Santa Fe Planning Commission, conservation chair for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, and he lives in the Commons cohousing community. He is author of the 2005 essay, Flows: Blueprint for Santa Fe.

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NM Meets its 21st Century Energy Challenges Lisa Szot

ew Mexico, along with the other Western states, is entering a new era of electricity transmission expansion, largely driven by the need to incorporate increasing amounts of renewable resources into the nation’s energy mix to ensure a degree of protection from higher conventional fuel and environmental costs. The world appetite for energy is growing at a phenomenal rate. In the US, our need for electricity will increase 30% by the year 2030. These demands must be met while simultaneously addressing the greatest environmental challenge facing our world today – global climate change. These two factors are driving an explosion in the demand for green and sustainable sources of electricity. Though tremendous advances are being made in renewable solar and wind technologies, we still have an unaddressed problem in New Mexico and the nation.

The challenge facing New Mexico New Mexico, along with other Western states, faces a challenge. While there exists an abundant amount of sun and wind, there is a lack of transmission infrastructure to bring the power derived from these renewable resources, usually located in remote areas of the state, to the large cities known as load centers. Improving transmission infrastructure will enable access to more economical and less polluting resources, thereby minimizing environmental impacts on both a

local and regional basis. Therefore, transmission must be an integral component in the development and delivery of new renewable energy resources. While the amount of new transmission required needs to take into account the success of conservation and improvements in energy efficiency, the fact remains that substantial new transmission will have to be installed – not only to deliver new power supplies to customers, but to facilitate the emerging shift from fossil-based to renewablebased resources. This situation has been exacerbated by a fifteen-year hiatus in major new multi-state transmission construction, which has effectively eliminated any major excess capacity in the existing transmission grid that might otherwise be used to serve these new requirements. Requirements for new transmission are also increased by state renewable portfolio standards, which mandate that a certain percentage of electrical generation or use be from renewable sources. It is likely that some areas will “export” power from their renewable-energy-rich areas to meet these requirements, with additional transmission line capacities being needed to accomplish this transport. The planning and development of new transmission lines is a very time-consuming process which can range from five to ten years from the time of project inception to the time of commercial operation.

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How New Mexico is addressing this challenge Thanks to New Mexico’s strong leadership, which has focused on clean solutions to meet the challenges of our growing energy needs, the state is a national leader in renewable energy and is taking action to address global climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lessening dependency on foreign sources of fuel and increasing economic development opportunities for businesses and landowners.

A seven-member RETA board has been established. The Governor, with the consent of the NM Senate, has appointed three members. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate has appointed one member, and the Speaker of the House has appointed one member. Additionally, the State Treasurer or designee and State Investment Officer or designee serves as members. The Secretary of the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department serves as an advisory, non-voting member of the RETA board.

Much hard work has backed our commitment to the preservation of New Mexico’s environmental heritage, such as offering tax incentives to promote renewable energy. New Mexico is actively promoting solar, wind and biomass development, and is requiring utilities to produce more of their energy from diverse renewable resources.

RETA’s enabling legislation requires that at least 30% of a transmission project’s energy be from renewable derived electricity – other electricity may be from traditional sources.

Working together, Governor Richardson and the state legislature have enacted legislation that represents landmark clean energy initiatives for New Mexico: increases to the Renewable Portfolio Standard and establishment of the Renewable Energy Transmission Authority (RETA) Act. These initiatives position our state to competitively develop our vast renewable solar and wind energy resources and export New Mexico’s clean energy to other states.

1. Economic development in New Mexico’s rural areas 2. Existing wind projects already represent over $500 million of capital investment in the state 3. RETA will continue to stimulate renewable energy related economic development for export to out of state markets 4. Greater access to clean renewable energy 5. Improved transmission system reliability 6. Increased tax revenues for New Mexico

Renewable Portfolio Standard The Renewable Portfolio Standard complements RETA by requiring our state’s major utilities to produce more of their electricity from diverse renewable sources. Increased use of renewable energy will not only create jobs, stimulate our economy and protect our health and environment; it will also help protect New Mexico consumers from higher electrical rates caused by volatile natural gas prices.

RETA RETA is a state instrumentality and a state authority that focuses entirely on developing new transmission projects to promote renewable energy. It is the nation’s first state-level financing authority whose primary focus is on developing renewable energy-related transmission infrastructure. Another “first” is that RETA can fund energy storage projects (e.g., compressed air storage for wind power) as well as transmission facilities with focus on transmission infrastructure planning, financing, and implementation. No single entity in New Mexico currently has this responsibility. RETA will rely on revenue from the projects it initiates, not the state’s full faith and credit to issue revenue bonds to fund electrical transmission development.

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RETA’s endeavors will offer the following benefits to New Mexicans:

It is an innovative and bold move to stimulate clean energy production and create high paying jobs, capital investment, and greater economic development in rural areas.

Conclusion New Mexicans should be proud of how their leaders have worked together to set an example for the rest of the country and the world. By building on the initiatives our leaders have taken, we will make our journey to true energy independence shorter and more profitable for generations of future New Mexican families. Lisa Szot is Executive Director of the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority. 505-983-1594, email:lszot@nmreta.net

Editor’s note: At press time, RETA had been named a finalist in the Platts 2008 Global Energy Awards under the category of Sustainable Energy Initiative of the Year. There were over 200 nominees and 10 finalists.

he City and County of Santa Fe are considering a joint Resolution to conduct a feasibility study of a City/County Electric Power Utility. In times of global warming and skyrocketing prices for electricity from very toxic coal plants, it is time to take a very close look at our energy choices. The resolution’s feasibility study could ask a number of heretofore unasked questions:

Power To The People Bill Althouse

1. How do we reduce our energy’s environmental impact at the lowest cost? 2. Can locally produced energy cost less? 3. How can we increase the efficiency of energy production at our power plants? 4. How can the development of our energy resources benefit the local economy? 5. How many jobs would be created by a localized energy infrastructure? 6. Do any businesses require higher power quality than currently available? 7. Is it possible to reduce the amount of toxic coal plant energy that we buy? 8. How do we create incentives for energy resources that provide the most local benefit? 9. Which energy resources can contribute the most tax base for the City? 10. Do local energy resources triple economic impact through the multiplier effect? 11. Where are the Greenest cities in the world? How did they do it? What was the benefit? 12. How can decisions about our energy future be made democratically? In the past we have only considered a narrow range of electricity options, mostly offered up by our investorowned utility, PNM, whose executives have a fiduciary obligation to their stockholders to increase profits. PNM prices are regulated; they get back 100% of their spending plus 10%. PNM can only increase profits if they increase spending, and it’s our money, not theirs, that they are spending. It would be a breach of their fiduciary obligations to their investors if they ever did anything that would lower their spending of our money because profits would go down. I believe that if we have a fair and just forum to ask questions, and the resources to get the complete answers, we will find that we can make our electricity much cleaner and cheaper than an investor-owned utility.

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The future of electricity is very exciting if we look at what is going on around the world. Denmark is the world leader in new Power Grid Technology. Their new internet for power plants, the Active Distribution Grid is now operating and has made possible very high percentages of renewable energy at low total system costs. To understand how the Active Distribution Grid works, let’s look at how the Internet was created. Originally we only had ARPANET, which used just a few mainframe computers linked to a central control protocol. The centralized control began to destabilize as more computers tried to connect. The large corporations who controlled ARPANET spent a fortune trying to maintain the centralized controls and bring online more computers. I remember my first search on ARPANET. It was $1,400 an hour, very slow, and it was one way; you couldn’t upload. Then some very smart guys realized that the destabilization problem was caused by the centralized control itself. They devised the protocols to eliminate the centralized control, and Boom! The Internet was created and we all have computers that can download and upload. The power grid engineers in Denmark went through a similar destabilization experience when they got too many wind and solar plants trying to connect to their power grid that used centralized controls. They had passed a Feed-in Tariff (FIT), which mandated that any renewable generator has a “right” to connect to the power grid and that they be paid a very good price for any electricity they “delivered.” (This FIT policy is now the most successful renewable energy policy in the world, and all the countries that have large amounts of renewable energy did it by adopting FITs.) Because of FITs, Denmark got so much renewable energy so fast that their grid began to have serious stability problems. Then they realized, just like the Internet’s creators, that centralized power grid controls were the problem. The Danish engineers then developed their “Algorithm” that allowed a power grid to operate without the centralized controls and, Boom! They created a power internet, the Active Distribution Grid, and anyone can have a “plug and play” power generator. Now it is possible to connect any number of different generators to a grid with power flow that can go both ways, while having the highest quality electricity in the world.

stabilize the system, and then allow the utility to tack a profit on top of all this spending. With an Active Distribution Grid, localized generators eliminate the need for new transmission and distribution lines because the power is already where it is used; no shipping or spreading required. Also, interconnect protocols require the localized generators to provide stabilization, greatly reducing the need for ancillary services. This means a reduction of 75% in the capital costs of new system capacity. Our current electrical system is only 27% efficient, wasting 73% of the energy in the coal as heat at the power plant and as losses in the lines. If the localized generators were combined heat and power, delivering both the heat and electricity, efficiency would be over 80%, tripling the amount of energy delivered per fuel unit burned. Cut new construction costs by 75% and increase efficiency by 300%! Wow! Why are we even considering the status quo for the future? Asking questions and getting answers is always a good idea. Anyone who would like to know if clean energy technologies or lower rates are possible, should contact their City Councilor or County Commissioner to support the feasibility study. It is also important that the study be adequately funded. Learn more at www.santafemuni.org. Bill Althouse is president of Althouse, Inc., which provides cellulose insulation, biomass heating systems, and energy services. Bill has 33 years experience in the alternative energy industry and has been fighting for fair access to the power grid since 1978. Contact: 505-469-7480, email: info@althouse.biz www.althouse.biz

The Internet’s creation also caused a drop in costs from ARPANET’s $1,400 per hour at slow speed to today’s $20 per month, high speed. The Active Distribution Grid can do the same thing for our power costs. Currently, if we need more capacity, we have to pay to build a central power plant, pay for all the fuel it burns, pay to build the transmission system to ship the power, pay to build the distribution system to spread it around, and pay for ancillary services, centralized controls to SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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Renewable is Doable:

the twenty-first century. In addition to an abundant wealth of technological know-how, the state experiences more than 340 days of sunshine per year, and in the eastern region, sustained winds are the norm, making the Land of Enchantment an ideal location for solar and wind energy.

WildEarth Guardians’ Solar Santa Fe Program Rebecca Sobel

All of New Mexico’s energy needs could be met by covering just 7% of White Sands Missile Range with commercial grade photovoltaic (PV) panels (or 2% with satellite grade PV). Nationally, clean energy accounted for $13 billion in revenues in 2003. In the next 10 years, that figure is expected to rise to $92 billion. And clean energy creates jobs – in the case of coal mining, wind and solar energy generate 40 percent more jobs per dollar invested. We would be ill served not to take advantage of this opportunity to lead and re-energize New Mexico.

The solutions are clear. Energy efficiency and clean energy are much better options than fossil fuels for meeting our energy needs in the arid West. Energy efficiency measures such as replacing old appliances, using compact fluorescent light bulbs, and installing insulation are the best alternatives because the cleanest and cheapest kilowatt-hour of electricity is the one that is never generated. But for those kilowatt-hours that we must generate, solar and wind energy systems dramatically minimize damage to the environment and create mutually beneficial energy opportunities.

Santa Fe Fiesta Historical / Hysterical Parade 2008

ur dependence on fossil fuels is having devastating effects not only on our wallets, but also on our health and the health of our natural landscapes. The United States hit peak oil production around 1970 and the world is at or rapidly approaching peak oil production. Nothing will change the fact that oil is a fossil fuel; an un-renewable resource, and there is only so much of it in left the ground. Most people in the US know that we have to use less oil and will do so. Soon enough, energy conservation will no longer be an option but will be necessary for any project development. The time has come to turn toward profitable, clean, and environmentally friendly solutions to chart our course through the next century and beyond. Traditionally, environmental groups like WildEarth Guardians have been forced to fight threats to our natural landscape, but with risks like climate change and political policies beholden to special interests, we must start advocating aggressively for win/win environmental solutions. It’s not a novel idea that New Mexico could lead America’s renewable energy revolution. New Mexico’s combination of ideal weather and entrepreneurial spirit make it a potential epicenter for renewable energy in

New Mexicans must voice their support for clean energy. One of the major obstacles facing more widespread implementation of energy efficiency measures and wind and solar systems is the up-front cost. Once in place, these alternatives to fossil fuels save money, but the initial investment can seem significant, especially for lowincome families. To address this obstacle, WildEarth Guardians is pushing wide-scale implementation of our Solar Santa Fe campaign to help property owners jump on board the ship to sustainability. The way it works is simple. The City of Santa Fe issues municipal bonds at a very low interest rate. The City then takes the money it gets from issuing the low-interest bonds and loans it to property owners for the instalSUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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and we’re all for the adoption of renewable energy systems. There is a lot of information about “green technology” out there, and it doesn’t always make for easy comparisons. We thought the Sustainable Guide would be a good place to talk about how you might compare your options to make sure your objectives are achieved.

1. System Cost Most clients have a primary objective of saving energy dollars, and a secondary objective of being “green.” We encourage them to compare technologies based on two economic parameters: Initial Cost and Operating Cost. Initial Cost is the cost of the renewable energy component of the system. As many systems are offered as a combination of renewable and non-renewable components, it can be important to understand what part of the system will “pay for itself” and what part is simply needed for backup or represents infrastructure such as the heat distribution equipment. Tax credits, rebates, and other incentives typically impact the Initial Cost.

Evaluating Your Green Options Boaz Soifer

Joe Chase of ¡YouthWorks! helps install a solar system for Cedar Mountain Solar

s renewable energy industry professionals with decades of experience, we are sometimes shocked at what we hear and read about in the industry. Just recently, we read in the local newspaper that a 4-collector solar heating system provided up to 80% of the heating needs and 100% of the hot water needs for a 3,500 square foot house. With wildly optimistic claims, it’s remarkable that renewable energy has not already replaced fossil fuels altogether. Our customers are frequently considering a variety of renewable energy technologies. They are typically motivated by a combination of wanting to save energy costs, wanting to preserve the environment, and wanting to insulate themselves from what may be a longawaited economic reckoning that undermines our societal infrastructure. Everyone has their own reasons,

Operating Cost is the monthly or yearly cost of the system performing its task. This includes incremental maintenance and energy costs. A solar heating system that provides half of a home’s heating energy will have about half the operating cost of a non-solar heating system. As a simple example, if we compare a solar-electric system to utilizing the existing power grid: the initial system cost of using the power grid looks lower, and the operating cost of using the existing grid looks higher. Over time, it is likely that grid-provided electricity costs will increase while the solar-electric system is likely to provide electricity consistently for 30 years or more with very little maintenance. A more robust analysis of this example would look at the initial cost of coal-fired power plant construction, clean-up costs resulting from coal combustion, which emits not only huge amounts of greenhouse gases, but also mercury, uranium, and other heavy metals, and other less obvious operating costs. The former GM at Dankoff Solar Products, Paul Benson, when asked why solar electricity was so expensive, was fond of responding, “What makes you think coal-fired electricity is cheap?”

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The way that systems are rated can be confusing or misleading. A grid-tied solar-electric (PV) system can be rated in terms of DC watts, STC watts, peak inverter watts, or expected annual output. Heating systems are even more difficult to rate – and to compare. Ground source heat pumps are rated in horsepower and COP (coefficient of performance), solar heating systems in square footage of collector surface area, btu/day, or expected “solar fraction,” natural gas systems in terms of btu-hour input and output, electrical systems in terms of kilo-watt peak output, etc. The thing to remember here is that you need to compare different technologies in terms of a common denominator – a unit of energy, not an efficiency rating (like COP) or a size or a capacity. We were asked once to compare the COP of a ground source heat pump to that of a solar heating system. But once you install the solar heating system, the energy is free, so the COP is something over 100 (for every unit of energy used by the system, you get over 100 units out), and the heat pump is around 3. That’s because it takes 40 watts of pumping energy to get the same amount of heat out of a solar collector array as provided by a heat pump using a multiple horsepower compressor, at about 750 watts per horsepower. Is that a useful comparison? It doesn’t tell us much. It is much more useful to talk about actual energy savings in this case in therms of gas saved by each system per year.

2. Environmental impact. Does a system that uses electricity for heating, even at high efficiency, really provide an environmental benefit? Especially in a part of the country in which our electricity is derived from coal combustion, there is a strong argument for minimizing electrical use above all other objectives. The illustrious Ed Mazria, the Santa Fe architect who has achieved national and international recognition as both a passive solar design expert and for the 2030 Challenge, states that if we do nothing else, cessation of coal combustion will avert attainment of the CO2 threshold considered by much of the scientific community to result in irreversible climate change. Mr. Mazria says that burning all the remaining oil and natural gas will not drive us past this threshold, but burning coal at the rate we are for another few years, will.

ity (since it’s “free”) and is used with boiler-assist when available, and the heat pump is used with boiler assist when solar is not available. This minimizes both electrical and gas consumption. Remember… The technology is only as good as the company that designs and installs it. To make sure you know what you’re getting, we encourage you to carefully weigh your options and choose a provider, not just a technology, which meets your objectives. We also recommend working with a company that can design, install, and maintain the system. This can save a lot of finger pointing down the road. Can a 4-collector (100 sq. ft.) solar heating system provide 80% of the heating energy for a 3,500 square foot home? It’s possible, but unlikely. To find out, you would want to see how much heating energy the home will require and how much heating energy is annually available, deducting for system efficiency from a solar system of that capacity. When I run the calculations (see our website), I come up with year-round savings of 27.78% for a system of this size installed on a very well insulated home. Boaz Soifer is Partner and General Manager of Cedar Mountain Solar, which won the 2007 Santa Fe Small Business of the Year Award, the 2007 Fast-Tracker Award, the 2008 RPA System Showcase Award, and was featured in the 2008 Parade of Homes Grand Hacienda Award and Greenest House award-winning Miller residence. The company installs renewable energy heating and cooling systems. Call: 505-474-5445 or visit: www.cedarmountainsolar.com.

Ground-source heat pumps can make sense in “hybrid” installations. We’re working on one now in which solar heat, a ground-source heat pump, and natural gas high-efficiency boilers are all used. Solar gets top prior-

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Geothermal

Conserves Today’s Energy Jo Anne Peña

As home heating and cooling costs increase substantially, there is widespread interest in alternatives using renewable resources. Geothermal systems that directly harness heat from the ground are a viable resource to consider. The Earth is the greatest solar collector in existence. Energy can be extracted from the ground 365 days a year. “Ground loops” are a way to take advantage of this. The sealed loops, a mixture of water with a small amount of ethanol that serves as antifreeze, are safe for the environment and will not contaminate ground water. The 200-foot ground loops are installed horizontally or vertically. Depending on climate, soil type, and available area, vertical loops are installed in 4-6 inch diameter boreholes, 15 feet apart in the form of a grid or wagon wheel. Horizontal loops are placed in a trench 6-8 feet deep in lengths of 200 feet, using single pipes. The geothermal heat pump uses innovative technology to take the Earth’s free heat and boost it to usable temperatures for distribution of heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, using electricity as efficiently aspossible. The heat pump moves energy according to the temperature of the atmosphere in winter or summer. One unit of electricity is able to produce 4-5 units of heat under any condition or time of day. Think of the heat pump as a refrigerator. Refrigerants have the ability to get extremely cold while remaining flowable. That’s the key! The 410A refrigerant can harvest heat from extreme cold. It is a non-ozone depleting refrigerant that is safe for the environment.

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Photos courtesy Dahl Plumbing

Heat pumps do not create energy; they move it from the ground to your building or from the building to the ground, depending on the season. Geothermal heating and cooling systems consist of three main elements:

• The Underground Loops act as a heat exchanger. The ethanol/water solution passes through the loops and moves energy from the ground into the heat pump. • The Indoor Heat Pump Unit gives up its energy to the surrounding area, condenses it back into a liquid, and uses the energy in the form of gas to heat or cool a home. • The Radiant Heat System or Air-handling System takes the heated or cooled energy and moves it to individual rooms. A Geo exchange system can cut energy costs by 60% or more compared to conventional systems. It can pro-

Small to Medium Size Wind Power Systems & PV: A Useful Comparison Daniel Jencka

Photo: Adam Borkowski

ind power is one of the most basic sources of energy found on Earth. Like most forms of renewable energy, it is created by the Sun, in this case, a thermo-dynamic effect of solar radiation striking the atmosphere, land and bodies of water. Like solar thermal energy, wind power is easily put to use, as when harnessed for its mechanical force to push a sail or turn a windmill. The main focus today is of course, turning wind power into electricity, and most of what we read about has to do with large, utility-scale wind farms with multiple megawatt turbines sending power over high-tension transmission lines to distant urban centers. Though this scale of “big” wind power has received the most attention, there is increasing interest in medium and small turbines sized to agricultural, commercial and residential applications. Residential size turbines are what we call “small wind,” and are intended to partially or completely offset a typical household’s annual electricity usage. Like PV (photovoltaic, solar-electric) systems, the power output for a given system is directly related to the available energy to capture and convert into electricity. Wind resources vary dramatically by region, and also in the immediate area depending on topography, foliage, nearby man-made structures, etc. Generally speaking, the best wind resource in New Mexico is found up and down the eastern side of the state where the plains allow wind forces to build and develop a mostly lateral, non-turbulent flow. But there are many areas in central and north-central

NM where wind is funneled and concentrated by mountain passes and broad valleys into a very usable resource, often averaging 10 mph or more on an annual basis. With a 10 mph average wind resource, a small 1.8kw turbine mounted on a 33’ tower can generate around 230 kwh (kilowatt hours) per month, which is a little over 1/3rd of an average New Mexican household’s usage. Systems that size install for roughly $14,000 and have an output comparable to a 1.8kw PV system, which would install for perhaps $20,000. However, since wind power systems do not currently qualify for the 30% State and Federal renewable energy system tax credits, a PV system with the same annual output actually costs about the same to install after those credits are figured in. Where wind power really takes off in terms of output and payback, is with larger turbines or stronger wind resources. For example, the same turbine with a 15 mph resource will produce over 500 kwh/month, the same as a 3.9kw PV system installing for about $28,000 after Federal and State tax credits are applied. At that point, the wind power system produces the same output for about half the installed cost of PV. But even with a

Photo: Energy Concepts Corporation

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wind resource of 10 mph, a small wind turbine can be quite useful in an off-grid installation where the combination of wind and PV work together to provide more consistent power day and night, rain or shine. Another aspect of renewable energy systems where small turbines attract some buyers is their visible appeal as icons of the western experience, but with the added benefit of advanced engineering, they can be very quiet and have a service life of 25 years or more. Moving up the scale to a 10kw turbine, at an installed cost of around $60,000, we obtain close to 2,500 kwh/ month with the same 10 mph resource. A PV system with comparable output would be around a 19kw system, installing for perhaps $150,000. Even with an uncapped 30% Federal tax credit for commercial solar systems, the 10kw turbine installs for about 2/3rds the cost of PV. The lesson here is that PV doesn’t compete with wind once the turbine is large enough, which is why more money is being invested in utility-scale wind power than PV. When we move up to mid-size wind power systems, in the 50 to 100kw range, the cost per installed watt drops even further, making them very attractive for commercial and agricultural applications where the average annual wind resource is 10 mph or greater, and where rural environments make the visible impact of tall towers little or no issue. Prairie Regalia - by Don Rehorn

Photo: Energy Concepts Corporation

As can be seen from the discussion so far, knowing your available wind resource is essential to determining whether it makes sense to install a wind power system. A good start is made by looking at wind resource data available in the form of a map showing average wind speeds in meters and feet per second for our entire state. This can be downloaded by visiting the US department of Energy’s Wind Powering America section of their web site. This map gives a general idea of what the wind resource may be at your location, but one must factor in local topography, trees and human-made structures as well. For larger commercial or agricultural size projects it is best to monitor the wind resource for a year or two if there is any doubt about what is available. If it is determined that adequate wind is available, the next step is sizing and siting the tower to best capture the wind, while also remaining as close as possible to the load center to minimize the length of trenching and the size and length of wires.

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As with PV, grid-tied wind power systems typically take advantage of net metering, allowing the meter to slow or spin backwards when the turbine is producing power, off-setting power which would otherwise be purchased from the utility company. In some cases, renewable energy credits may be sold to the utility or a thirdparty buyer, improving the wind power system’s return on investment. An additional set of incentives would be available if small and medium size wind power systems were allowed the same State and Federal tax credits as PV and solar thermal systems. This would certainly increase the number of them installed. For that to happen, we need to contact our representatives and encourage this. For further information on small to medium wind power, I recommend visiting the American Wind Energy Association’s web site (www.awea.org) and their New Mexico section. From these locations you can navigate to many other on-line resources regarding wind power and renewable energy in general. Daniel Jencka is the Sales and Education Manager for Energy Concepts Corporation, which specializes in the installation of PV and wind power systems throughout New Mexico. Contact: daniel@energyconcepts.net or 505-466-4043

it’s 6%. Why then the extreme vilification of biofuels which offer the only practical, near-term alternative to petroleum fuels? Could it be that certain large national food companies may be seeking to deflect attention from their escalating profits on higher priced food? Or certain major corporate entities may be demonizing a competitor that threatens their dominance of a global fuel market? Fossil fuels are used in all aspects of food production, packaging and transportation. Recent Texas A&M and Iowa State University studies concluded, “The impact of increased ethanol production on feed and food prices is negligible. Price increases are due to increased global food demand, weather related events, and above all, increased petroleum prices.” “People should complain to OPEC, not to farmers,” the Ag experts say. Really, we should be talking about a global food AND fuel crisis, not a food VS. fuel crisis. In the US, corn ethanol is produced from field corn, not sweet corn. Field corn is a grain that is indigestible by humans in its raw form. When field corn is processed for ethanol, only the starch portion is used to make the alcohol. Alcohol is not protein. The fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients are passed along to the animal feed co-product known as distiller’s grains. The corn’s original digestible energy is preserved in the distillers’ grains that go to make more food for people in the form of animal protein. So, it’s clearly not true that making ethanol from corn deprives people of food. The alternative energy park, under the direction of inventor/engineer Alfonz Viszolay, demonstrates wind, photovoltaic, solar-thermal energy and biofuel production from algae. Call 424-9797 to arrange a tour.

A Sustainable Fuel Future for New Mexico Charles Bensinger

ood and fuel are essential life-sustaining elements. Recently, we’ve been misled into thinking we must choose food or fuel. Let’s examine the facts.

According to the USDA, a dollar’s worth of food breaks down as follows: labor and marketing (packaging, transportation, advertising and profit) costs add up to 81 cents while actual food inputs amount to only19 cents. Thus a recent USDA analysis has concluded, “Increased demand for biofuel feedstocks is responsible for only 3% of food price increases.” Only 3%? Hardly worth discussing the matter, even if

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Presently, ethanol comprises about 6% of all US gasoline supplies. Santa Fe drivers filling up at biofuels dispensers will usually find ethanol blends significantly less expensive than Regular Unleaded gasoline. Besides lowering the price of gasoline at the pump, ethanol is reducing our dependency on foreign oil and yields fewer problematic air emissions than gasoline. And contrary to popular belief, net energy gain factors for ethanol and biodiesel are far better than for gasoline and petroleum diesel, which are both net energy losers.

Some solutions If we as a nation were truly serious about reducing the crippling outflow of US dollars sent to foreign governments for payment of crude oil stocks, we ought to raise mileage standards for vehicles, undertake a massive national program to ramp up second generation biofuels, develop affordable electric cars and trucks and fund a world-class rail and public transportation network, immediately. Second generation biofuels include ethanol and biodiesel made from non-food feedstocks such as switchgrass, mesquite, castor beans, buffalo gourd, cattails, municipal solid waste, animal manures and most promising of

called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;New Deal,â&#x20AC;? which resulted from the visionary political leadership of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It could be argued that the present food and energy crises could prove as disruptive to the global economy and national well-being as a World War. Therefore, the challenge before us requires as serious a response. We certainly have a critical need for affordable food supplies and to end our dependence on oil for transportation. Our challenge as New Mexicans is to muster the leadership that is required. By addressing regional and local food and fuel production and distribution systems in innovative ways, we can chart a new course toward an affordable and healthy food supply and a renewable and sustainable transportation future. Charles Bensinger is Biofuels Program Director for Renewable Energy Partners of NM, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide non-fossil fuel alternatives. Bensinger oversees two biofuels stations in SF, and is working to produce biofuels from cellulosic and algae feedstocks. He can be contacted at: 505-466-4259, www.RenewableEnergyPartners.org.

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The Mandala of Being The choices we make each day and how we spend our time are strong indicators of how connected we are with the essence of our being.

This mandala represents the chaos that defines many of our lives. The aspects of life that bring joy and support health are relegated to time left after all the “important” things are finished. Of course, the “important” things are never definitively finished and we are left unfulfilled and unhealthy. Over time, this lifestyle hastens disease, rapid aging, and mental decline.

The greatest breakthrough emerging from the present healthcare system is the growth of integrative and complementary medicine. Three-quarters of medical schools now offer programs in complementary alternative medicine (CAM). More than 40% of Americans seek help through acupuncture, biofeedback, energy medicine, hypnotherapy and other CAM modalities. Medical practitioners are beginning to see the value of addressing patients’ needs in a holistic manner. Physicians are replacing eight-minute visits with thorough investigations into every single factor that could potentially cause poor health or disease. As a result, the best preventive, natural, and cost-effective measures can potentially be called upon to treat clients. Finally, the heart and soul of medicine can be reclaimed; healthcare can grow green in its own right. With deeper understanding of interconnectedness, and awareness that one wavelike motion of the web affects the whole, sustainable communities and 21st century healthcare models are developing worldwide. In keeping with its rich history of culture and health, Santa Fe continues to be a leader in the development of holistic-style healing centers, centers for spiritual wellbeing, spas, innovative schools, and living communities. It is thrilling for me to see my two young children learn principles of co-creation, recycling, water conservation, and unity of all life. Meeting in a circle each morning at their public school has reinforced their understanding of conscious communication. We recently participated as a family in a community event to create the school’s first garden. Although we have a long way to go, we’re beginning to live in harmony with self, community, and the natural world. This is how we stay healthy in a changing world, how we participate in the greening of medicine: by moving away from the overwhelming dependency on the pharmaceutical industry and toward living sustainably. We can accomplish this if we support our local food-growers and our local economy in general. Every chance we get; we must help to reduce, not increase, our carbon footprint. Every moment of every day holds the possibility of embracing this movement through our choices and actions, big and small.

This mandala exemplifies a balanced life. It shows six significant values that allow an individual to live a fulfilling, self-sustaining life that is rarely overwhelming.

continued

In the end, what matters most? Did you give and receive love? Did you live and nurture your divine potential? Did you learn to be at peace with what is? Did you learn to live in a harmonious relationship with Mother Earth? Optimal health and wholeness is not just a personal choice - it is how we change the world! SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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Planet Earth The Ultimate Complex System The world is not simple and never has been. We are only now beginning to understand how complex it really is.

Since its founding in 1984, the Santa Fe Institute has been committed to discovering and understanding the common fundamental principles of complex systems that underlie the most profound issues facing science and society. We are discovering the connections that have always existed in complex systems, connections that are essential to understanding problems such as climate change and sustainability. Engaging in independent research free from political and ideological bias is not easy. For 25 years individual contributors have formed the backbone of support for efforts such as our Risk and Sustainability Initiative. We hope you will join us and engage with the vibrancy of SFI research. To learn more and get involved please visit us online at www.santafe.edu/sustainability.

2009 SSF ADVERTISERS’ LISTING To be considered for inclusion or advertising in the next edition, please call Earth Care at 983-6896 (“*F2R” indicates “Farm to Restaurant”)

Advertising & Marketing Artman Productions Signs, graphics and large format printing: 1610 Lena St, SF, NM 87505: 820-2871 Artmanproductions.com; p.174 Elemental Design Ecocentric design, ID, photo and video, and large format printing: 670-7206 mwasserman.net; elemental@msn.com; p.121 FlavorGrafix Graphic, web design, marketing, advertising, fundraising, branding & product development: 1235 Siler Rd, Suite D, SF, NM 87507: Jason@flavorgrafix.com; www.flavorgrafix.com; p.27 Grace Communications A Marketing Business where profitability and sustainability are linked: 1807 Second St. Suite 22, SF, NM 87505: 438-8735 gracecom.ws; p.109 Mind over Markets Marketing / business development, helping socially responsible companies: 7 Owl Creek Rd, SF, NM 87505: 989-4004 mindovermarkets.com; p.137 Pronto Signs & Graphics Signage, graphics, and large banner printing; locally owned and operated: 1225 Parkway Rd, SF, NM 87507: 989-7396; p.196

Farming & Gardening Emerald Earth Naturally remediate harmful toxins, restore nature’s microbial balance and more: 1807 Second St. Ste. 30, SF, NM 87505: 983-4014 emearth.com; p.58 Payne’s Nurseries Native and xeric plants, water conservation, natural and organic pest control: South - 715 St. Michael’s Dr, SF, NM: 988-9626: North - 304 Camino Alire SF, NM 87505: 988-8011 paynes.com; p.69 Santa Fe Premium Compost Local compost, mulch, and red worms: 1923 San Ildefonso Rd, SF, NM 87505: 310-3971 Sfcompost@yahoo.com; p.191 Tropic of Capricorn Nursery Landscaping and green products: 86 Old Las Vegas Hwy, SF, NM 87505: 983-2700 tropicofcapricornsantafe.com; p.50

Building & Development Building Materials American Clay Beautiful earth-based interior wall plasters: 8724 Alameda Park Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113: 1-866404-1634 americanclay.com; p.185 Coronado Paint & Decorating Decorating center for new construction and remodeling projects; offering green materials: 2929 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87507: 473-5333 coronadodecorating.com; p.30

Dahl Wholesale Plumbing & Heating Renewable resources, geothermal, solar, water harvesting, water reclamation, water conditioning, plumbing, heating and cooling, Premier Kohler room, and water conservation products. 1000 Siler Park Rd, SF, NM 87507: 438-5034 dahlplumbing.com; p.15 and 176 Hal Burns Power Systems A generator sales and service company. We offer back up energy for your off-the-grid home: 14 Camino Charro SF, NM: 471-1671 halburnspowersystems.com; p.166 La Puerta Originals * Sponsor * We produce beautiful, hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind custom doors and rustic contemporary furniture and accents from architectural antiques and old wood: 4523 State Hwy 14, SF, NM 87507: 984-8164 lapuertaoriginals.com; p.122 Linson’s Custom window treatment and upholstery, natural fabrics: 1305 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 984-8700: wgdinteriors.com; p.80 Miller’s Insulation Home insulation to help reduce allergens, noise, and energy costs: 424 Kinley Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 924-2214: millerinsulation.com; p.109 Mountain Valley Lumber We produce sustainably harvested wood from New Mexico and Colorado area. Frequent deliveries to Santa Fe. We also offer dry vigas, latillas and dimensional lumber: 719-655-2400 mountainvalleylumber.com; p.159 Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity Restore We offer recycled building materials, hardware and more. We support Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity: 2414 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87507: 473-1114 santafehabitat.org; p.29

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The Firebird High efficiency clean burning renewable fuel woodstoves and fireplaces; also drip irrigation and rain water harvesting: 1808 Espinacitas St, SF, NM 87505: 983-5264 thefirebird.com; p.157 Timberwalkers, Inc. Commercial and residential timber construction: P.O. 604 Tesuque, NM 87574:699-8782: timberwalkers.com; p.92 Verde, Inc Authorized distributor of NuDura â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Insulated concrete forms: 2774 Agua Fria Suite A-1, SF, NM 875075484: 474-8686; p.151

Designers & Builders Autotroph Specialists in high performance architecture and in sustainable residential, commercial, community and development projects: 1600 Lena St Suite E-1, SF, NM 87505: 216-7555 autotrophdesign.com; p.141 Conscious Cabinets Cabinets in a wide variety of woods, including bamboo and eucalyptus, embracing sustainable, environmentally sound practices at a competitive price: P.O. Box 9946, SF, NM 87504: 670-1420; p.11 Deck and Chair New and replacement decking installations, TEAK outdoor furniture assembled, oiled, and delivered. Design services available, licensed and insured, commercial and residential projects: 1808 Second St, SF, NM 87505: 982-2588 deckandchair.com; p.193 EcoNest Vist our website to see our EcoNest design and educational offerings: P.O. box 864, Tesuque, NM 87574: 505-989-1813 econest.com; p.142

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Kreger Design/Build Creates fine custom homes; Singlefamily residences are our passion! AIA Architect and New Mexico Contractor. 2006 & 2007 Green Builder Award: PO Box 9503, SF, NM 87504: 660-9391 KregerDesignBuild.com; p.121 Mark Chalom Architect in solar design and analysis, we do handcrafted homes with a sustainable approach: 52 Calimo Circle, SF, NM 87505: 983-1885 markchalom.com; p.66

Verde Design Group Modern design using the newest generation of sustainable products for our environment: 2774 Agua Fria Suite A-1 SF, NM 87507-5484: 474-8686; p.137 Zimmer Associates International, LLC Sustainable architect, interiors, and planning: 121 Sandoval, SF, NM 87501: 986.9019 zai-us.com; p.99

Housing

Natural & Green Design Architectural design consulting, healthy interiors, sustainable planning, energy efficiency, and natural materials: 551 W. Cordova, SF, NM 87505: 970-946-8555 naturalgreendesign.com; p.87

Lena Lofts - Artisan Group Multi-use community for business and residential work, native landscaping, and renewable energy resources: 1600 Lena St, SF, NM 87505: 983-7248 lenastlofts.com; p.164

Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association We represent a wide array of professionals in addition to Builders and Developers: 411 St. Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 982-1744 sfahba.com; p.66

The Housing Trust Assists with affordable housing: P.O. Box 713, SF, NM 87504: 9893960 santafecommunityhousingtrust.com ; p.3

Santa Fe by Design Offering high-quality bathroom fittings, also accessories and decorative hardware: 1512 Pacheco St, Ste D 101, SF, NM 87505: 988-4111 santafebydesign.com; p.11 Shannahan & Associates Green building, consulting and management: 35 Winding Road, SF, NM 87505: 310-3247; p.155

Conservation, Landscaping, Restoration Commonweal Conservancy Conservation-based community development organization.117 N Guadalupe St Ste. C, SF, NM 87501: 982-0071 commonwealconservancy. org; p.122 Down to Earth Restorative landscaping, Gardens, Permaculture, Xeriscaping, and more: P.O. Box 32311, SF, NM 87594: 983-5743 getdowntoearthlandscapes.com ; p.110

Spears Architects Established in 1981 focusing on sustainable design for commercial / institutional facilities, residential design, urban design, landscape architecture, and historic preservation: Dryland Solutions 1334 Pacheco St, SF, NM 87505: Hand-built, light on the land meth983-6966 spearsarchitects.com; p.40 ods for the restoration of healthy ecological Communities: 607 Salazar St, SF, NM 87505: 577-9625 Tachyon Builders drylandsolutions.com; p.205 Residential design and build with emphasis on green construction: P.O. 604 Tesuque, NM 87574: 6998782 tachyonbuilders.com; p.30

Earth Works Institute Protects the integrity of the natural environment by developing and promoting models of natural systems to create sustainable, self sufficient communities. 1413 Second St, Ste 4, SF, NM 87505: 982.9806 earthworksinstitute.org; p.110 Native Earth Landscaping Specializing in water conscious and sustainable landscape: 316-6284: nativeearthlandscaping.com; p.171 New Mexico Stone Artistic masonry that blends with nature, boulders, flagstone, other rock: 850 W. San Mateo, SF, NM 87501: 820-7625 newmexicostone.net; p.37 Regenesis Group Partnering people and their place to regenerate ecosystems and the human spirit: 320 Aztec St Ste B, SF, NM 87501: 986-8338 regenesisgroup.com; p.33 Santa Fe Conservation Trust Preserving open natural lands; also creating and caring for trails in our community: 316 East Marcy St, SF, NM 87501: 988-7019 sfct.org; p.106 Santa Fe Permaculture Ecological landscape company offering design and installation that works with Mother Nature: 551 West Cordova Rd Ste. 458, SF, NM 87505: 424-4444 sfpermaculture.com; p.34 Truth and Heart Landscaping Landscaping and design services: 501-1431; p.51

Real Estate Adobe Corporation Specializing in sustainable real estate in Santa Fe. 690-5012 Santa-FeGreen-Real-Estate.com; p.55 Anne Ward Santa Fe Land and Homes A Santa Fe Land and Homes Healthy Home Consultant & Green Realtor: 122 West Cordova Rd, SF, NM 87505: 577-4542 annekat@ msn.com; annekward.com p.21

Clear Creek Management Corporation Three custom GOLD rated green built homes for sale: 986-0316 arroyosanantonio.com; p.166 Commonweal Conservancy Conservation-based community development organization.117 N Guadalupe St Ste. C, SF, NM 87501: 982-0071 commonwealconservancy.org; p.122 DeVito Properties Realtor, sales, sensible land use, site solutions, sustainability, experience with Co-housing, and the truth: 1000 Paseo De Peralta SF, NM 87501: 946-0436 or 9841003 DeVitoProperties.com; p.127 Permaculture Garden Compound An intimate community near the heart of Santa Fe for cultural creatives: 983-2213 gardencompound.com; p.43, 95 Tai Bixby, Realtor Experienced real-estate brokerage; sustainable residential and commercial investment: 505 Don Gaspar, SF, NM 87501: 577-3524 taibixby.com; p.34 The Sanctuary A unique luxury property with spirit overlooking all of Santa Fe: 9832213: santafetop.com; p.43 Vistas Bonitas Green affordable houses for sale. Save money, water and Energy: 421 St. Michael’s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 992-2750 vistasbonitas.com; p.115

Businesses, Products Automotive Beaver Toyota-Scion *Sponsor* Offering Toyota hybrids: Locally owned and operated 1500 St. Michael’s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 868-8452103 or 982-1901 beavertoyota. com; p.208

Hal Burns Truck and Equipment Diesel and RV mechanics, and we do Biodiesel conversions: 14 Camino Charro, SF, NM 87507: 4711671 halburns.com; p.53

Cleaning Supplies & Services New Methods Cleaners Environmentally friendly dry cleaner: 1911 St. Michael’s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 982-0271; p.61 Tiny Tots Environmentally friendly diaper service and personal laundry: HC70 Box 390, Pecos, NM 87552: 2041653/757-2281 ranee.tinytots@yahoo.com; p.191

Clothing, Fabrics Boomerang Baby New and used children’s boutique, always accepting your gently used baby, children, and maternity wear for cash or store credit: 1845 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 984-BABY; p.12 Double Take at the Ranch Consignment store, carrying elaborately embroidered vintage cowboy shirts, boots, funky old prints, and one-of-a-kind jewelry: 323 South Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 8207775; p.180 Green Tees Non-toxic, sustainably printed tshirts: tpmccarthy.com; p.180 NearSea Naturals Organic cotton & organic wool fabrics; a collaboration between several work-at-home moms, a work-athome dad in a solar-powered facility: P.O. Box 345, Rowe, NM 87562: 877-573-2913 nearseanaturals.com; p.206

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Santa Fe Hemp Sweatshop-free hemp and organic cotton clothing for men, women, children & baby; fair-trade wools and silks and more: 105 E. Water St, SF, NM 87501: 984-2599 or 9950916; p.113

Stephen’s A Consignment Gallery Consignment with antiques, furniture, art, estates, and appraisals: 2701 Cerrillos Rd SF, NM 87507: 471-0802: stephensconsignments. com; p.141

Santa Fe Quilting Quilting and sewing supplies, oriental batik and southwest fabrics cottons, silks, rayon patterns, and classes: 3018-A Cielo Ct, SF, NM 87507: 473-3747 santafequilting. com; p.137

Health Products

The Beat Goes On Cool consignment, clothes, accessories and more: 333 Montezuma at Guadalupe: 982-7877; p.125 The Pink House Fabulous design and unique women’s clothing, handbags, accessories and more: 711 Don Diego Ave SF, NM 87505: 989-3344; p.113

Furniture Casa Natura Healthy beds, bedding, clothing and more: 328 Sandoval St, SF, NM 87501: 8207634: casanaturaorganic.com; p.153 Double Take at the Ranch Consignment store carrying lots of funky and high quality recycled furniture: 323 South Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 820-7775; p.180 Lost and Found Restored, recycled, refinished, renewed, re-discovered beautiful objects of décor for your home: 1626 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 9822205 lostandfoundsf@yahoo.com; p.2 Mexico Lindo Furniture Furniture from authentic, centuries old woodcarving mastery: 1221 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 820-9898 mexicolindofurniture.com; p.59

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Milagro Spa and Herbs Handmade herbal products and natural treatments from wild native and organic plants: 1020 Canyon Rd SF, NM 87501: 820-6321 milagroherbs. com; p.66

Bicycles Frankie Flats Bike shop featuring tune-ups and repairs; custom builds; clothing and parts; repair classes: 1600 Lena St, SF, NM 87505: 473-1712 info@frankieflats.com; p.80 Green Pedal Selling many models of Electric Bike and Hybrid bicycles. 670-5285 gogreenpedal.com; p.129 New Mexico Bike and Sport The widest range of high end through entry level bikes in the state of New Mexico: 524 Cordova Rd Suite C, SF, NM 87505: 820-0809 nmbikensport.com; p.41 and 87

The One Medicine Enlightened western and evidencedbased natural treatments: 1300 Luisa St, Ste 3B, SF, NM 87505: 820Santa Fe Mountain Sports 6789 theonemedicine.com; p.1 Locally-owned and operated; Ski and Bicycle equipment: 607 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87501: 988-3337 Pet & Animal Supplies Sfmtnspts@aol.com; santafemountainsports.com; p.121 Critters and Me Suppliers of natural pet foods, supplies and information: 1403 Agua Fria, SF, NM 87501: 982-5040; p.64 Other Tulliver’s Pet Food Emporium High-Quality Natural Dog and Cat Foods; also supplements and a variety of pet supplies: 807 Cerrillos Rd SF, NM 87505: 992-3388 tulliverspetfood.com; p.58

Amanda’s Flowers Locally owned and operated, offers exquisite, custom designs, arrangements, bouquets, and gift baskets: 1606 St. Michael’s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 473-9212 amandasflowers.net; p.141

Computer & Graphics

Collected Works Bookstore Santa Fe’s oldest independentlyowned bookstore specializing in books about New Mexico, Santa Fe, Native American art and culture, as well as local maps: 208B West San Francisco, SF, NM 87501: 988-4226 collectedworksbookstore.com; p.137

Mesa Photo Arts Custom digital imaging and printing: 851 St. Michael’s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 982-9875 mesaphotoarts.com; p.92 Net Pros Computer services, offering alternative to potentially harmful WiFi: 1235 Siler Rd, Unit F, SF, NM 87507: 474-0822: sfnetpros.com; p.113

EarthStone International Innovative products for the home: 888-994-6327 earthstoneintl.com; p.67

High Desert Guitars Fine acoustic guitars, Mandolins, Banjos, Vintage instruments, and Amplifiers: 111 N. Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 9838922 highdesertguitars.com; p.183

Santa Fe Camera Center Photography products and services, owned and staffed by experienced photographers: 851 St. Michael’s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 820-0229 santafecameracenter.com; p.92

Quivira Coalition Economic, ecological and social health emphasis for public and private land stewardship: 1413 Second Street Suite 1, SF, NM 87505: 8202544 quiviracoalition.org; p.80

Horton Family Maps Your street guide for all dedicated roads of Santa Fe County, Espanola, Los Alamos and Taos proper: 4732853 or 753-8062; p.150

The Ark Santa Fe’s open secret bookstore for 26 years: 113 Romero St, SF, NM 87505: 989-3709 arkbooks.com; p.30

Lotus Salon Santa Fe’s exclusive green and organic salon: 845 Agua Fria, SF, NM 87501: 988-9965 lotusbeautyinc@yahoo.com; p.124

The Framing Company Custom archival picture framing: 2424 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 438-6000 theframingcompany.com; p.103

Santa Fe Community Foundation Connects donor interests with community needs; supporting nonprofit organizations in Santa Fe and five other northern New Mexico Communities: 516 Alto St, SF, NM 87501: 988-9715 santafecf.org; p.119

Matthews Office Supply Green office products: 1587 Pacheco, SF, NM 87505: 428-8000 mathewsofficesupply.com; p.176

Wiford Gallery Featuring the visionary wind sculptures of Lyman Whitaker. Photography, Paintings, and Sculptures. The business exercises economics of dignity. 403 Canyon Rd, SF, NM 87501: 982-2403 wifordgallery.com; p.7

Moon Rabbit Toys Real toys for unreal times: 112 W. San Francisco St, SF, NM 87501: 982-9373; p.87 On Your Feet Locally owned and operated; Complete shoe store and more. We are located in the Sanbusco Center in SF, NM: 983-3900; p.87

Community & Society

Reflective Images Ethically made and sources jewelry and wedding rings. 912 Baca St, SF, NM: 888-733-5238 celticjewelry.com; p.61

Community Organizations

Rio Grande Return Online store for conservation gift packages of locally grown products from the Rio Grande watershed: 466.1767 riograndereturn.com; p.155 Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works Your community powered mountain shop, we carry the finest equipment for all your outdoor needs: 328 Guadalupe, SF, NM 87505: 984-8221 sdcmountainworks.com; p.30

Bioneers Bioneers is inspiring a shift to live on Earth in ways that honor the web of life, each other and future generations: 6 Cerro Circle SF, NM 87540: 877-BIONEERS bioneers.org; p.64 Earth Works Institute Protects the integrity of the natural environment by developing and promoting models of natural systems to create sustainable, self sufficient communities. 1413 Second St, Ste 4, SF, NM 87505: 982.9806 earthworksinstitute.org; p.110

Santa Fe Mountain Center Provides experiential and adventurebased programs for children, youth, families and groups: P.O. Box 449 Tesuque, NM 87574: santafemc. org; p.176 Santa Fe Watershed Association Balancing human uses with natural resource protection and restoring the heart to our community: 1413 Second St Ste 3, SF, NM 87505: 8201696 santafewatershed.org; p.151 Santa Fe Animal Shelter Animal adoption, humane education, largest facility in NM: 100 Caja del Rio Road, SF, NM 87507: 9834309 sfhumanesociety.org; p.139 Southwest Learning Centers, Inc. Educational/Cultural non profits, est. 1972.Center for Indigenous Arts and Cultures that Publishes books on Native American biographical profiles, and the annual Native Roots and Rhythms Festival: P.O. Box 8627, SF, NM 87504: 989-8898 nrrfestival.com; indianartbooks. com; p.105

Youth Service Providers (also see Education) Earth Care International A local nonprofit organization educating and empowering young people to create a thriving, just and sustainable world. Offering in school and after school programs. We also SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

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Los Alamos National Bank * SPONSOR * Offers a variety of home loan options, a fast application process, and Warehouse 21 the best rates and fees: 301 Griffin Where the youth of Santa Fe enjoy St, SF, NM 87501: 954-5400 lanb. music, theater, culture, and art: 1614 com; Inside Cover Paseo de Peralta, SF, NM 87501: 989-4423 or 989-1583: New Mexico Educators warehouse21.org; p.55 Federal Credit Union Member owned; we provide a full range of financial services: 800-3472838 nmefcu.org; p.97 put out this guide. :) 1235 Siler Rd, Suite D, SF, NM 87507: 983-6896 earthcare.org; p.77, 84, 101

Economy & Finance

Financial Services Canyon Lending Group Mortgage Loan Company from start to finish: 502 W. Cordova Rd, SF, NM 87505: 629-4433; p.53 First Metropolitan Competitive rates for your home purchase or refinance: 1012 Marquez Place Ste 302, SF, NM 87505: 603-5373: rebrnr7@aol.com; rebeccaadamslive.org; p.166 First National Bank of SF Local bank serving the financial needs of New Mexicans: 62 Lincoln Ave, SF, NM 87501: 992-2043 fnb-sf.com; p.6 Guadalupe Credit Union Financial cooperative offering a broad range of financial services: 3601 Mimbres Lane, SF, NM 87507: 216-0485 guadalupecu.org; p.130 Horizons Sustainable Financial Service Formerly First Affirmative Financial Network of Santa Fe. Investment services for socially and environmentally conscious investors nationwide: 1751 Old Pecos Trail, Suite D, SF, NM 87505: 982-9661; p.78 Locals Care Helps locally owned businesses thrive, and supports nonprofit organizations: 551 West Cordova #191, SF, NM 87505: 983-2581 localscare.com; p.133 202

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2009

Santa Fe Alliance Promoting Independent local business and community: P.O. Box 23864 SF, NM 87502: 989-5362 santafealliance.com; p.206 State Employees Credit Union Open to anyone who works for or has retired from any state, city or county agency: 813 St. Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dr, SF, NM 87505: 954-3402 secunm. org; p.176

Education Academy for the Love of Learning Supporting the rebirth and renewal of learning and education in America: 1012 Marquez Place, Suite 308A, SF, NM 87505: aloveoflearning.org; p.55 Camino de Paz School A Montessori farm-based middle school on a nine acre campus located 20 miles north of Santa Fe: P.O. Box 669 Santa Cruz, NM 87567: 505-747-9717 caminodepaz.net; p.94 Dragonfly School Now enrolling K-3 science and nature based curriculum: 935 Alto St, SF, NM 87507: 995-9869 dragonflyschool.com; p.40 Dryland Permaculture Institute Permaculture courses and workshops; Sustainable living learning organization: P.O. Box 3702, Pojoaque, NM 87501: 455-0514 permaculture.org; p.74

Earth Care International A local nonprofit organization educating and empowering young people to create a thriving, sustainable world. Offering in school and after school programs. We also put out this guide. :) 1235 Siler Rd, Suite D SF, NM 87507: 983-6896 earthcare. org; p.77, 84, 101 Northern New Mexico College A 4-year public college offering environmental science and sustainability Courses: 921 Paseo De Onate, Espanola, NM 87532: 505-747-2100 nnmc.edu; p.57 Santa Fe Community College Training programs for jobs and careers in the growing green economy: 6401 Richards Ave, SF, NM 87508: 428-1617 sfccnm.edu; p.175 Santa Fe Institute The Santa Fe Institute is committed to discovering and understanding the common fundamental principles of complex systems that underlie the most profound issues facing science and society. 984-8800 santafe.edu; p.196 Santa Fe Prep Private school grades 7-12, actively engaged in learning about sustainability: 1101 Camino Cruz Blanca, SF, NM 87505: 982-1829 sfprep.org; p.99 Santa Fe Waldorf School A Pre School-12th grade independent school: 26 Puesta del Sol, SF, NM 87508: 983-9727 santafewaldorf.org; p.88 School for Advanced Research Press Publishing Santa Fe: History of an Ancient City: P.O. Box 2188 SF, NM 87504: 888-390-6070: sarpress.sarweb.org; p.25 Southwestern College We offer professional studies in counseling, art therapy, and grief counseling in the contest of a person-centered, experiential and holistic learning environment: 3960 San Felipe Rd, SF, NM 87507: 877-4715756 swc.edu; p.106

The Light Institute World renown spiritual healing center, founded by Chris Griscom, author of Evolution of God, and learn to connect with, and protect, nature: 40 Calle Nizhoni, Galisteo, NM 87540: 466-1975: thelightinstitute.com; p.12

Energy (Renewable) ADI Solar Sells solar equipment, educates, informs, and consults on all solar installations: 290 Arroyo Salado, SF, NM 87508: (575)422-3088 or (877) 789-2452 adisolar.com; p.151 Amethyst Electric, Inc. No job is too small. We specialize in wind and solar electric systems: 3212A Calle Marie, SF, NM 87507: 577-7869; p.72 Cedar Mountain Solar A full service provider of solar energy systems: 1285-J Clark Rd SF, NM 87507; 474-5445 cedarmountainsolar.com; p.46 Direct Power Corp We design, engineer, and install turn key photovoltaic systems for residential and commercial: 4000B Vassar NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107: 889-3585 directpower.com; p.39

New Mexico Energy Conservation and Management Division (ECMD) ECMD develops and implements effective clean energy programs renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation, efficient transportation, clean fuels that reduce energy use, and utility expenditures: Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department 1220 S. St. Francis Drive, SF, NM 87505: 476-3310: CleanEnergyNM.org; p.124 Positive Energy Designs, installs, upgrades and services solar electric power systems. A fully licensed and bonded electrical contractor: 3225A Richards Ln, SF, NM 87507: 424-1112 positiveenergysolar.com; p.6 Renewable Energy Partners Promotes the use of utility-scale renewable energy for electrical generation and to further the use of renewable transportation fuels:1229 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 4664259 renewableenergypartners.org; p.39 Solarwise A solar thermal company specializing in the design and installation of the best solar hot water & heating systems: 2754 Agua Fria St, Ste.1 SF, NM 87507: 471-0543 solarwiseusa. com; p.191

Food

Energy Concepts Over 20 years of experience providing grid-tied, off-grid, and wind power systems for residential and commercial customers throughout New Grocery Stores Mexico: 410 Columbia Ave, Las VeLa Montanita Co-op *F2R gas, NM 87701: 505-466-4043 A food store owned by member energyconcepts.net; p.64 shoppers. Food for people not for profit: 913 W. Alameda, SF, NM Green Energy New Mexico 87501: 984-2852 lamontanitacoop. Selling green tags to offset your carcom; Back Inside Cover bon footprint: 820-1226: greenenergynm.org; p.64 Kaune Foodtown Santa Fe’s only locally owned grocery store offering quality products and exceptional service: 511 Old Santa Fe Trl, SF, NM 87504: 9822629 kaunefoodtown.com; p.192

Whole Foods Market A food store committed to sustainable agriculture: 753 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 992-1700 wholefoods.com; p.131

Restaurants 8:15 Early Street *F2R Serving up the best gourmet breakfast and lunch takeout in town. We use as much local, organic and fair trade produce, dairy, meat and coffee as possible: 815 Early St, SF, NM 87505: 820-2253: 815early@gmail. com; p.70 Annapurna Vegetarian Restaurant Ayurvedic cuisine and chai house: 905 W. Alameda, SF, NM 87501: 988-9688;chishoppe.com p.18 Aztec Café *F2R Fait Trade and organic Coffee house serving organic foods: 317 Aztec St, SF, NM 87505: 820-0025, azteccafe.com; p.174 Bumble Bees Baja Grill Fun, Fresh, Flavorful, Friendly, Fast Casual at two locations in Santa Fe: 820-2862 Southside on Cerrillos in SF, NM: 988-3278 bumblebeesbajagrill.com; p.95 Cowgirl BBQ & Western Grill *F2R A bar and grill with reasonably priced and tasty Southwestern, TexMex, barbecue, and southern fare: 319 S Guadalupe St, SF, NM 87501: 982-2565; p.191 Il Piatto *F2R Inviting Italian restaurant: 95 West Marcy St, SF, NM 87501: 984-1091 ilpiattorestaurant.com; p.41 Joe’s Diner *F2R Restaurant focused on local and organic foods, big shopper at Farmer’s Market: 2801 Rodeo Rd, SF, NM 87507: 471-3800, joesdiner.us; p.187

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Le Zodiac Café and Bakery *F2R Simple French cuisine in Santa Fe: 311 Old SF Trail SF, NM 87501: 984-8500; p.193 Mauka Restaurant *F2R Offering Euro-Asian cuisine that show cases local and organic ingredients, Mauka adds an exciting new dimension to Santa Fe Dining: 544 Agua Fria, SF, NM 87505: 984-1969 maukarestaurant.com; p.21

Farm to Restaurant Program = *F2R Connecting local Restaurants with Local Food. Project of Santa Fe Alliance: P.O. Box 23864, SF, NM 87505: 989-5362 santafealliance. com; p.163 *F2R = Member of SF Alliance Farm-To-Restaurant program

Government

Over Easy Café *F2R Buckman Rd Recycling Center Committed to local and organic: 2801 Rodeo Rd SF, NM 87507: 474- & Transfer Station; p.161 6336: overeasycafe.net; p.53 Convention and Visitors Bureau; p.121 Plaza Café Southside Locally owned and local food: 3011 Cerrillos, SF, NM 87507: 424-0755; Economic Development Division; p.20 p.149 The Pink Adobe *F2R Popular restaurant and Dragon Room Bar: 406 Old Santa Fe Trail, SF, NM 983-7712: thepinkadobe.com; p.55

Parks, Trails and Watershed; p.21 and 180

Tune Up Café El Salvadoran, American and New Mexican cuisine: 1115 Hickox, SF, NM 87505; 983-7060 tuneupcafe.com; p.12

Water Conservation; p.45 santafenm.gov

Vanessie Continental grill and piano bar: 434 W. San Francisco St, SF, NM 87501; 982-9966 vanessiesantafe.com; p.146 Walter Burke Catering Full service catering party planning and events, offering local and organic upon request: 473-9600: walterburkecatering.com; p.139 Zia Diner *F2R An innovative diner located in a classic southwestern deco warehouse: 326 S Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 988-7008 ziadiner.com; p.17

City of Santa Fe: Public Works Santa Fe Trails; p.170

New Mexico State Land Office Managing 13 million acres statewide so our children can attend schools of excellence. 310 Old Santa Fe Trail, SF, NM 87504; 827-5760; p.125

Health & Wellness Health Services Exploring Health Lymphatic decongestive therapy: Located at The Lofts on 3600 Cerrillos Rd 501-D, SF, NM 87507: 9820044; p.181 Healthy Living Spaces Creates healthy, allergy-free homes and offices offering indoor air quality tests and mold inspections: 9929904 healthylivingspaces.com; p.82

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Lakind Dental Group- Lakind Simon and Kirkland Socially and Environmentally sensitive dentist. 400 Botulph Lane SF, NM 87505: 988-3500 santafesmiles.com; p.151 Scher Center for Wellbeing Body centered tools for Healing, Awakening, and Transformations: In SF, NM 87505: 989-9373 judyscher.com; p.135

Hotel, Spa, Misc. El Rancho de Las Golondrinas The Southwest’s premier outdoor living history museum: 15 miles south of Santa Fe: 428-2347 golondrinas.org; p.126 Los Poblanos Inn & Cultural Center Bed and Breakfast, Organic Farm, and Conference Center: 4803 Rio Grande N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87107: 505-344-9297 lospoblanos.com; p.48 Tranquility Wellness for body mind and spirit. Floatation, massage, acupuncture, life coaching: 577-8625: tranquilityfloatation.com; p.12

Legal & Business Services Heard, Robins, Cloud & Lubel LLP Environmental lawyers representing both individual and corporate clients in a wide range of disputes: 300 Paseo De Peralta Suite 200, SF, NM 87501: 9860600 heardrobins.com; p.144 Marcia Owens Associates Permanent and temporary staffing: 1411 Second St, SF, NM 87505: 983-7775 marciaowenassoc.com; p.163

New Mexico Environmental Law Center Protects New Mexico’s natural environment and communities through legal representation, policy advocacy, and public education. We are the only non-profit, environmental justice law firm in NM: 1405 Luisa St, SF, NM 87505: 989-9022 nmenvirolaw.org; p.45

Media Santa Fe New Mexican * MAJOR PARTNER * Provides news, opinions, entertainment, sports, outdoors, events, health, classifieds, guides, business and subscription: 1368 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 983-3303 freenewmexican.com; Back Cover Santa Fe Reporter Presents in-depth stories often overlooked or uninvestigated by the daily press and in-depth cultural coverage in a city with a vigorous arts scene: 132 Marcy St, SF, NM 87501: 9885541 santafereporter.com; p.177

Creative Couriers Santa Fe’s all-weather eco-friendly bike delivery service: 920-6370 creativecouriersLLC.com; p.113

The Good Water Company Earth friendly solution to improve the quality of water in your life: 2778 Agua Fria, SF, NM: 471-9036; p.206

New Mexico Rail Runner Express 809 Copper Ave. NW (505) 414-5496; p.193

The Rain Catcher, Inc. Water harvesting, rain catchment systems, waste water re-use, permaculture and sustainable landscapes, erosion control, restoration, also passive solar and green building: 2053 Camino Lado, SF, NM 87505: 501-4407 theraincatcher.com; p.33

Santa Fe Southern Railway SF to and from Lamy on BioDiesel: 410 S. Guadalupe St, SF, NM 87501: 989-8600 sfsr.com; p.63

Water

Water Lady, Inc A Zeta Core catalytic water conditioner; the Green solution to treatNatural Systems International ing hard water. No Salt, Potassium, Leaders in applied biotechnology or chemicals. Save 20-40% on irrigafor waste water, storm water, reuse tion water: P.O. Box 91604, Albuand watershed restoration solution: querque, NM 87199-1604: 660-4162 3600 Cerrillos Rd, Ste 1102, SF, NM waterlady.biz; p.125 87507 natsys-inc.com; p.109

Sun Monthly Santa Fe’s hometown independent literary publication, locally owned by optimists that believe in progressive opportunities for everyone. We publish articles about people and their ideas that make a difference: 466-4661 sunmonthly.com; p.207 Sun News Sun publishes inspirational, motivational, and leadership books: P.O. Box 5588, SF, NM 87502: 471-5177 sunbooks.com; p.172

Transportation City of Santa Fe: Public Works Santa Fe Trails Santa Fe buses are a clean, safe, excellent way to get around town: 9552001;santafenm.gov p.170

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