Green Fire Times November 2012 Edition by Sun Publishing

News & Views

from the

S u s t ai n ab l e S o u t h w e s t

C learing the A ir A round C lean E nergy C oncerns A bout O ur W ater â&#x20AC;˘ T he L and Q uilt C onverting Y our H ome to S olar November 2012

New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fifth Largest Circulation Newspaper

Vol. 4, No. 11

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Vol. 4, No. 11 • November 2012 Issue No. 43 Publisher Green Fire Publishing, LLC

Skip Whitson

Managing Editor Seth Roffman Art Director Anna C. Hansen Dakini Design Copy Editor Stephen Klinger Contributing Writers

Faren Dancer, Sean Dehan, Anthony Dorame Jr., Victoria Gonzales, Robert G. Hockaday, Earl James, Jack Loeffler, Craig O’Hare, Allan Oliver, Vicki Pozzebon, Ernesto Prada, Seth Roffman, Miguel Santistévan, Staci Stevens, Laurie Trevizo, Drew Tulchin, Raphael Weisman, Courtney White

Contributing Photographers

Tony Anella, Michael Aune, Nicolas Bañales, Alyshia Bustos Margaret Garcia, Anna C. Hansen, Robert F. Hockaday, Earl James, Bob Martinka, Cara McCullouch, Robert Reck, Seth Roffman, Courtney White

Webmaster: Karen Shepherd PUBLISHER’S ASSISTANTs Barbara E. Brown, John Black, Karen Shepherd

Office Assistants

Claire Ayraud, Camille Franchette

Advertising Sales

Skip Whitson 505.471.5177 John Black 505.920.0359 Cynthia Canyon 505.470.6442

Winner of The 2010 Sustainable Santa Fe Award for Outstanding Educational Project

Contents Clearing the Air Around Clean Energy. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 5 Op-Ed: Concerns About Our Water . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 6 Santa Fe’s Water Use . . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..7 Slow the Flow, Spread the Nutrients . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 8 The Land Quilt . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 10 Feeding Nine Billion People without Destroying Nature . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 12 Southwest Women in Conservation . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 13 Fresh AIRE—The Energy of Agriculture: Calories and Community . . .. . .. . .. 15 New Solar Technology in New Mexico Rural Water Pumping . . .. . .. . .. . .. . 17 Santa Fe Indian School Programs Promote Native Sustainability . . .. . .. . .. . 20 Battling Youth Nature Deficit Disorder . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 22 Converting Your Home to Solar . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 25 The Local Voice: Social Enterprise Gets Real . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 27 Book Profile: Scaling Your Social Venture . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 29 Faren Dancer’s Unicopia Green: Future Memory…Revival of the Common Sense. 33 Newsbites . . .. . .. . .. . .. . ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 37 What’s Going On. . .. . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 38

Distribution

Barbara Brown, Co-op Dist. Sves., Nick García, Andy Otterstrom (Creative Couriers), Tony Rapatz, Wuilmer Rivera, Skip Whitson, John Woodie

Circulation 22,000 copies

Printed locally with 100% soy ink on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper

c/o The Sun Companies PO Box 5588 Santa Fe, NM 87502-5588 Ph: 505.471.5177 Fax: 505.473.4458 info@sunbooks.com www.GreenFireTimes.com © 2012 Green Fire Publishing, LLC Green Fire Times provides useful information for anyone—community members, business people, students, visitors—interested in discovering the wealth of opportunities and resources available in our region. Knowledgeable writers provide articles on subjects ranging from green businesses, products, services, entrepreneurship, jobs, design, building, energy and investing—to sustainable agriculture, arts & culture, ecotourism, education, regional food, water, the healing arts, local heroes, native perspectives, natural resources, recycling and more. Sun Companies publications seek to provide our readers with informative articles that support a more sustainable planet. To our publisher this means maximizing personal as well as environmental health by minimizing consumption of meat and alcohol. GFT is widely distributed throughout northcentral NM. Feedback, announcements, event listings, advertising and article submissions to be considered for publication are welcome.

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Green Fire Times

New Mexico chile ristras for sale on Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe

COVER: Approaching Winter • Photo © Elliott McDowell

www.ElliottMcDowell.com • Represented by Andrew Smith Gallery – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Green Fire Times is not to be confused with the Green Fire Report, an in-house quarterly publication of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. The NMELC can be accessed online at: www.nmelc.org.

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

GRID TIED SOLAR KITS $3.14 PER WATT

COMPLETE FINANCING AVAILABLE

Green Fire Times • November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Renewable Energy Allan Oliver

the

Air Around Clean Energy

robably the best laugh line in the third and final presidential debate came when President Obama joked about “way too many commercials.” What’s less humorous is that this daily saturation of attack ads has left objectivity as its first casualty, especially in the area of energy. So it’s time to clear the air around clean energy in New Mexico.

Myth: The closure of Schott spells the end of the solar sector in New Mexico Not even close. While intense competition for module sales and resulting low prices contributed to Schott’s decision to exit the soar market, other NM manufacturers are thriving as a result of consumer demand for solar. DPW, Array Technologies, UNIRAC and Sacred Power are each experiencing significant revenue and job growth, despite NM’s overall economic downturn. More- McCune Works CEO Chuck McCune (r) at the over McCune Solar Works has New Mexico Capitol on October 3, 2012 already announced plans to resume production at the former Schott facility.

Myth: Clean energy is no longer popular with the public

Not true. According to a 2012 bi-partisan “State of the Rockies” poll, New Mexicans support increasing the amount of energy we get from renewable sources by a wide margin. Seventy-one percent of New Mexican voters support the goal of getting 20 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2020. Sixty-six percent think the highest priority for meeting America’s energy needs should be reducing our need for more coal, oil and gas by expanding our use of clean, renewable energy that can be generated in the US.

research. NM also has more than 27,000 MW of developable solar, wind and geothermal energy potential—the highest of any state in the West.

Myth: Clean Energy is heavily subsidized

Subsidies are available for clean energy sources like wind and solar, but much less than traditional fossil fuels. A recent study by DBL investors’ Nancy Pfund looked at the history of US federal energy subsidies and found that the annual federal support for oil, gas and nuclear has averaged 22 times the amount of subsidies available to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

Clearing

Allan Oliver

Myth: The US Market for solar and wind is weak, and at risk

False. The Solar US market has grown 78 percent since 2006 and has roughly 4000 MW of cumulative power installed. In August, wind energy reached the landmark of 50 gigawatts (GW) of electricity in America—enough to power 13 million homes and the equivalent of 44 coal-fired power plants. And True. However, continued growth is at risk because the US Congress has not renewed the Wind Production Tax Credit, which expires this year, despite bipartisan support. According to the American Wind Energy Association, renewal of the Production Tax Credit is estimated to preserve 37,000 jobs nationally. Moreover, the continued reduction of renewable energy credit payments for solar electric generation slows the growth of rooftop solar in NM. continued on page 35

Myth: Clean Energy has not led to job creation in New Mexico

According to a 2011 NMSU study there are approximately 35,800 clean-economy jobs in NM (5.9 percent of the workforce)—52 percent in energy efficiency, 12 percent in clean manufacturing, 15 percent in renewable energy and 21 percent in research and development. By contrast, the Energy Information Administration estimates 1,263 direct jobs in the coal sector. Clean economy jobs also tend to pay better, at approximately $22 per hour, versus the state average of $19 per hour. Moreover, future development of renewable energy transmission offers significant new job creation potential. According to an Albuquerque Journal story, “The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado estimates that NM has enough wind energy potential to generate about 75 times more electricity than the state needs. A recent analysis by Los Alamos National Laboratory also projects that investments in 5,200 megawatts of new transmission capacity could create nearly 25,000 temporary and permanent jobs in NM over 20 years as construction and operation of new transmission projects and wind and solar plants move forward.”

Myth: New Mexico is far behind other states on Clean Energy

The CleanEdge State Clean Energy Index ranks NM eighth in the nation. NM now has over 750MW of installed wind energy generation and over 122MW of installed solar energy generation and is ranked fourth in the nation for its solar energy production. With the research and development from Sandia and Los Alamos National labs and state universities in the area of photovoltaics, geothermal, biofuels and smart grid technologies, NM is a leader in clean energy

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Op-Ed: Concerns About Our Water

Raphael Weisman

Heron Lake, Oct. 11, 2012 – The lake is a reservoir in Río Arriba County that is part of the San Juan-Chama Project

o you realize that the hamburger we buy from a fast food joint required 600 gallons of water to produce? Our morning cup of coffee requires 74. On average, in the USA and Canada, we each use about 150 gallons a day per person. The average Kenyan uses only three gallons.1 Every so often I catch myself (and notice others) running unused water from the faucet while multitasking in the kitchen! It is crucial to re-evaluate and change our water use habits. Robert Redford writes in the foreword to Blue Planet Run: “Many people in the developed world still assume the global water crisis has nothing to do with them—that it’s a crisis for those poor people, ‘over there.’ The painful truth is the water crisis is now on every continent and in cities large and small.”2

We receive our fresh water from the skies above, the ground below and the rivers and lakes. All are scarcer now, under heavier demand, and are also subject to greater and greater threats of pollution. Here in New Mexico we are in a period of extended drought. Below us, the Ogallala Aquifer that provides most of the underground water for a number of states is being depleted 14 times faster than it can replenish. Some water tables have dropped more than 150 feet. Ten of the world’s major rivers run dry before reaching the sea, our Río Grande being one of them. Populations are growing. Cities in NM are expanding as people are drawn here. The crisis is no longer on our doorstep; it has come to live with us. Michael Aune (pronounced “on knee”) has traversed the mountaintops and valleys of many of the country’s waterways. He has walked most of the rivers and arroyos that feed the Río Chama, the Río Grande and the Colorado River. He has been to the reservoirs and headwaters that supply Santa Feans with drinking water. He has seen miles of drought-stressed trees. He has seen Heron Lake at 35 percent capacity, noted the lack of snow, and knows that there’s trouble ahead— that there is not enough water to sustain our current level of consumption, and soon we will be running pretty low.

water going into the reservoir. How long can that last? Photos on September 29th show that Lake Heron is at about 34 percent capacity. This past June, there was no snow in the mountains, hence low flows in the Río Blanco and Navajo Rivers. Continued drought and reduced winter snowpack means reduced flows through the San Juan-Chama Project. It also means increased risk of forest fire danger in those watersheds as climate change results in more dead trees. Then ash and mud flows to block the diversions and fill the tunnels. This area may end up looking like Santa Clara Canyon. Who is thinking ahead to these possibilities?” The Río Chama joins the Río Grande north of Española. At the Buckman Direct Diversion site, raw water is pumped towards Santa Fe. A thirsty golf course and the luxury community of Las Campanas receive a share on its way. Eight million gallons a day comes from the Buckman Diversion. All these sources of supply depend on rain and snowfall. Santa Fe’s year-to-date average rainfall is 11-1/2 inches. It is now only at five-and-a-half inches. Aune states: “I examined the headwaters of the Río Grande above Creede, Colorado. Flows are extremely low there as well, and I spoke with residents who were very concerned.” He also told me that the Río Grande is currently quite low, and most of the volume reaching the Buckman area is coming from the Red River, which joins the Río Grande in the Questa area.

Santa Fe gets its water from three main sources:

• The Nichols and McClure reservoirs above Upper Canyon Road provide 1.6 million gallons a day. There is not adequate replacement water coming down the river to sustain this usage. According to the statistics published in The New Mexican on Oct. 10, 2012, the Santa Fe Canyon Reservoir is at 28.5 percent capacity.

• The Río Grande provides Santa Fe with water it receives from the San JuanChama Project. Through this compact, 5,605 acre feet of water a year gets diverted from the west side of the Great Continental Divide through the Azotea Tunnel into the Chama River via Heron Lake. The Oso Diversion Dam collects water from the Río Blanco, Little Navajo and Navajo rivers on the west of the Great Divide from where it goes through the tunnel. Michael Aune visited the Oso Diversion Dam four times since June 2012 and has been there and to Heron Lake as recently as Sept. 16 and 29. He took photos of the lake, which is 45 feet below “normal” and has accumulated 18 feet of silt over one year! Says Aune, “The diversion through a tunnel under the Continental Divide hasn’t been working from at least June to the present. The photos I took on September 16th prove it. Water may go out of Heron Lake into the Chama, but there is no

Green Fire Times • November 2012

• Thirteen wells in the Buckman well fields and a few other wells in Santa Fe supply the rest of the city’s municipal water. The Buckman Field wells have not been used recently.

Raphael Weisman at the Oso Diversion Dam, Oct. 22, 2012. Right: silt at the bottom of the dam’s intake

Before the Río Grande reaches the Buckman intake, it passes a few canyons that drain from Los Alamos, the site of Los Alamos National Lab (LANL). There are hundreds of unlined pits, trenches and shafts on LANL land, many

www.GreenFireTimes.com

of which date back to the Second World War. There are 2,100 sites that LANL self-identified after the Cold War as locations that could release toxic wastes. A shipment of 13 tons of weapon-grade plutonium is soon scheduled to travel on NM roads headed to LANL for the production of MOX Fuel.3

Santa Fe Water Use Among Lowest of Western Cities Laurie Trevizo

Drought conditions in NM have promoted the recent spate of severe wildfires. The Cerro Grande fire in 2000 burned over 7,000 acres of LANL property. One-hundred-fifty-thousand trees were consumed in the Las Conchas fire, releasing PCBs, radionuclides and metals into the environment. During the summer thunderstorm season, fondly known as the ”monsoons,” toxic ash residue The southern shore of Heron Lake, Oct. 22, from the fires gets washed down the 2012 – San Juan River water impounded in arroyos and canyons, as there is no the lake goes into the Río Chama and ultilonger any vegetation barrier to slow mately into the Río Grande. it down. This slurry enters the Río Grande about three miles above the Buckman intake site. An Early Notification System near the mouth of Los Alamos Canyon is designed to measure high runoff and relay a message to shut down intake during these heavy storm incidents. In a number of reported cases, these warnings were ignored or did not work. The monitoring of contaminants entering the Santa Fe municipal water system is far too infrequent, and years can pass before testing results are released. The most recent report available from the Environmental Working Group, for instance, was issued in 2009, presenting data from 2004-2006. It lists 32 contaminants in Santa Fe’s municipal water.4 Often, data of toxic presence in the water will be later denied as “mistaken!” Mark Sardella, an engineer who has been monitoring contaminants in the waters for a long time, says that the actual data that last March showed quantities of tritium in the Buckman well field, has yet to be released. Sardella has made numerous attempts to obtain Michael Aune at the Oso Diversion on Oct. 22, 2012 the original data from LANL.

The National Weather Service recently confirmed that the 24 months between August 2010 and August 2012 were the hottest and driest since recordkeeping started in the 1890s. Despite two years of persistent and severe drought conditions pushing peak daily demands to all-time highs, Santa Feans used an average of 107 gallons per-person per-day in 2011, well below the national average of 150, and lower than the amounts used in most other similar western cities. The gallonper-capita-per-day, or GPCD, calculation includes not only residential, but also commercial, industrial, institutional and irrigation water use. Santa Fe residential indoor use accounts for 58 gallons per-day per-person, while the remaining 49 gallons is commercial, industrial, multi-family (such as apartment complexes) and public use. “In the face of these climatic and seasonal challenges, our community should be commended for their progressive and on-going water conservation efforts,” said Peter Ives, city councilor and chair of the Water Conservation Committee. “While our water use statistics are among the best in the Southwest and the United States, we must continue to work together to save water and reduce demand.” Brian K. Snyder, Public Utilities Department and Water Utility Division director, added, “Through good conservation practices and drought management programs, the city is able to ensure a reliable water supply for domestic use and fire protection.” Customers can continue to save water by taking advantage of rebates and incentives to help lower monthly water bills. The city has several rebates on high-efficiency toilets, clothes washers and rainwater harvesting systems. For more information about water conservation in Santa Fe, including outdoor/indoor water use requirements, visit www.santafenm.gov/waterconservation

Comparative graph of gallons-per-capita-per-day amounts for western cities. The figures are from the years 2009 to 2011, with the exception of Colorado Springs, which is from 2006.

Says Aune, “No one wants to admit that we have an urgent situation on our hands, and we had better do something about it.” It has become clear to me that a major shift in our consciousness is required, and that there needs to be a critical mass of people who are doing something about the water crisis; people who practice personal responsibility where water is concerned. It is also clear that the solutions will have to come from the people themselves, for the leaders we have elected have so far proved not only inadequate at dealing with this crisis but are the ones mostly responsible for its existence in the first place. The issues belong to us here in Santa Fe and also around the world, for in reality, we are interconnected and therefore interdependent. How might we be able to fulfill the vision of a world of clean, healthy and safe water for all life? To start, education about water issues is crucial. i Raphael Weisman is a retired luthier and harpmaker. He founded the Santa Fe Water Awareness Group (www.WaterAwarenessGroup.wordpress.com), is establishing a water resources center, and is planning the first Santa Fe Global Water Festival, to be held on World Water Day, on March 22, 2014. continued on page 35

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Slow the Flow, Spread the Nutrients

Santa Fe Watershed Riparian Restoration Earl James

Over-grazing. Flooding. Erosion. Fire suppression.

Words that conjure up the thrice-told tales of woe in New Mexico and the greater Southwest, with our rivers and creeks morphing from life-giving, nurturing streams of clear, nutrient-rich water to eroding, muddy flashes that throw riparian ecology out of whack and destroy small-scale local economies that depend upon a healthy river. It’s not that no one has been paying attention, or that no one cares. In fact, even though it rarely makes for news headlines, protecting, managing and restoring our precious waterways is a major industry, and for years environmental advocacy groups have been fighting watershed degradation from cattle grazing in our national forests to toxic mine pollution of our drinking waters. But actually restoring our many dozens of flowing waterways in NM is a separate challenge, especially in an era of disappearing government funding at every level. Cost is one major hurdle, but creating long-term effectiveness of restoration has been even more challenging, with some planners hauling concrete and steel across the countryside to install industrial-era solutions to such problems as vertical-bank stability, floodplain connection, inundation frequency and riparian-area soil integrity. But the city of Santa Fe has done something different, again. This time it’s not a festival or an arts project of the kind the city is so famous for but a bold step toward re-creating a sustain-

McClure Reservoir, Santa Fe

able watershed without any heavy-handed industrial engineering. And it seems to be working. On a recent Friday afternoon, I spent several hours in the Santa Fe watershed with Dale Lyons, watershed manager, and Dr. Peter Stacey, research professor and conservation biologist at UNM and formerly with the Alamosa Land Institute. They are engaged in restoring the Santa Fe River within the watershed. What I found looks like good news for all of NM’s watershed managers and the budget masters responsible for funding them. First, some baseline facts about the condition of the watershed:

The Watershed and its Protection Plan

• Santa Fe’s 17,384-acre city-managed portion of the upper river basin watershed provides water for 30,000 households and businesses • Its two reservoirs hold 4,000 acre-feet of water, or 1/3 of the water used annually in Santa Fe • The upper 10,000 acres located within the Pecos Wilderness Area are primarily mixed conifer and spruce fir • The lower 7,384 acres are dominated by ponderosa pine and piñon pine-juniper woodlands • 5,285 acres of the lower area have been treated with mechanical thinning and pile burns to prevent a major fire like the fire in the Jémez Mountains

Once the majority of the thinning was completed in 2006, the task of restoring the three miles of riparian ecology of the watershed between the two reservoirs became a high priority, and a 20-year protection plan was developed collaboratively by the city’s Water Division, the Nature

Santa Fe watershed after thinning. Summer 2012

Green Fire Times • November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Conservancy, the city’s Fire Department, the Española Ranger District–Santa Fe National Forest, and the Santa Fe Watershed Association. The full plan is available at http://www.santafenm.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/4354, and an interesting overview history of the river can be found on the website of the Santa Fe Watershed Association: www.santafewatershed.org/ To evaluate the functional condition of the watershed, Dr. Stacey conducted two years of surveys using the Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment protocol, a quantitative evaluation of two-to-seven indicator variables in five different ecological categories: water quality, fluvial geomorphology, aquatic and fish habitat, vegetation composition and structure, and terrestrial wildlife habitat (detailed protocol information at http://wildutahproject.org/files/images/RSRA_ug_2010V3_wcov.pdf ).

The Restoration Project

We started our tour of the central section of the project area at a recently abandoned beaver dam and pond, so I asked about the value of nature’s own engineers to the watershed, which triggered a discussion about the value of complexity in the system, the very quality beavers create by spreading water out from the channel of the river, supporting native riparian vegetation. As Dr. Stacey described it, a healthy ecosystem, with healthy grass on the slopes, will absorb rain and snow and then release it slowly. With beaver dams, healthy floodplains and grass in the uplands, the soil comes back, and a sponge is created that will hold water and prevent loss to evaporation. So the goal of restoring a healthy ecosystem in the watershed is to better utilize what water does fall on the watershed, and as Dale Lyons pointed out, it means the city doesn’t need to build new dams, as the ecosystem itself is a better storage device. Dammed water evaporates, and the annual loss is 15 percent.

Restoring our many dozens of flowing waterways in NM is a challenge, especially in an era of disappearing government funding at every level. What Dr. Stacey had found in his survey was that the riparian corridor above the upper dam was in good shape, but problems existed between the dams due to the regulated stream flow creating uniform channels with no underbank cover for fish, and sediments being washed downstream into the lower reservoir rather than being deposited along the river. As regulated flows don’t allow water to migrate out of the river’s banks to serve the streamside ecology, there had been an invasion of large numbers of pine trees close to the bank, closing out possibilities of recruitment of native cottonwood and aspen. To address these and other issues, a design philosophy was employed that uses the simplest method possible to re-initiate natural processes, without constructing large concrete and steel structures and lots of pushing the earth around. Dr. Stacey described his approach as “…using current ecological theory to develop restoration methods that promote natural recovery processes with the minimal amount of artificial structures and human intervention. Currently, we are working to restore the natural hydrographic in watersheds, using logjams and other wooden structure that slow down peak flows, continued on page

www.GreenFireTimes.com

A beaver dam below McClure Reservoir

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

The Land Quilt

Jack Loeffler

What is that below, that patch of color flashing from the barren wasteland of what was once a golf course, now an enormous sand trap?

On closer examination, each of the 50 patches is lashed to a metal framework, and each patch is a funnel that opens over a square foot of Earth. Cara and Tony have taken a major cue from Aldo Leopold, the great 20thcentury ecologist who initiated the practice of restoration ecology on the depleted 80-acre Leopold family farm in Sand County, Wisconsin. Tony tells us about the Land Quilt: “The idea of a quilt as something of a nurturing relationship with whatever it covers, and the idea of a quilting bee, something that involves community

Slowly you descend to get a better look. Gradually, you perceive an irregularly shaped multi-hued patchwork

color. They are Tony Anella and Cara McCulloch, two architects who are devoted to homeland and celebrate their devotion in many ways, including the creation of this beautiful rendering of art that they call the Land Quilt. However, this is more than art. It is creative expression of restoration ecology.

Top: (l-r) Balloon at quilt site, Cara McCullough, Tony Anella and germinated plant

that seems to have sprouted from the land like a giant flower to which you are attracted as if you were a great bumblebee. You continue to descend until you actually land near this strange quilt. Standing a few yards away from this patchwork are a man and a woman garbed in work clothes who obviously tend this garden of

spirit, community engagement, is the inspiration behind the Land Quilt, that and the inspiration of the Leopold family restoring an abused farm in Wisconsin. We considered how to make that into an art form and how to engage other people in doing the same thing in face of all the discouraging news and evidence about climate

Green Fire Times • November 2012

magine that you are aloft, gently drifting in an early autumnal breeze a half mile above the Earth, the jagged scarp of the watermelon mountain to the east, the dark finger of the Southern Rockies pointing from the north, the great super volcano of the Valles Caldera profiled to the northwest, another volcano known to the Navajo as Tsoodzil rising from the west, the broad stretches of high-desert flatland that cradle these ranges extending endlessly to the south, this flatland bisected by a long ribbon of riparian lushness nurtured by the muddy waters of the Río Grande. You stand in a basket suspended from a hot air balloon.

Tony Anella (lower right) walks by installation in this aerial photo

change. One understandable response would be to throw your hands up in the air and say, ‘I can’t do anything about it.’ Another less reasonable one is to stick your head in the sand and pretend that it doesn’t exist. But what we tried to do with the Land Quilt is to inspire hopeful engagement in doing our small part in taking care of our planet. “Just the idea of the Leopold family coming together, making their shack into a weekend retreat, and making their project into restoring what had been an abused piece of land is a total inspiration to me. Just Cara and me walking around this golf course, this abandoned UNM golf course where they’d stopped irrigating after they had scraped the land, these were barren fairways. This place is special for Albuquerque. Twenty years ago they built berms that created water-catchment basins where plants had colonized. Cara and I thought if we could maybe concentrate with these fabric funnels that make up the individual patches of the Land Quilt—if we could concentrate eight square feet of water on one square foot of land, that maybe that would give these native seeds that we planted a toehold. It remains to be seen if this is going to work. This has been an extremely low-monsoon season.”

Tony and Cara started this project in the spring of 2011. They met with and convinced University of New Mexico administrators that this formerly irrigated, now abandoned golf course was the perfect site for an artful expression of restoration ecology. Tony Anella and Cara McCulloch, daughter of Patsy and Frank McCulloch, himself a well-known artist and folk musician, designed the Land Quilt. Cara designed the pattern of colors. “We responded to the temporary public Art Program sponsored by Albuquerque,” said Cara. “[The Land Quilt is comprised of 50] four-sided 3’ by 3’ steel wire frames that have stakes that go into the ground with additional re-enforcing rebar to keep them firm during winds. Then onto that frame is lashed a fabric funnel that funnels down to a 12” square opening just above the ground. On the ground we’ve placed a seed ball made of native seeds, clay and compost. Two days after installation we had a nice rain and those seed balls started to decompose. “It’s worked in one sense in that of the native seeds that we planted in seed balls, four or five different plant types have taken hold. But the stress of so little water for such a long time is showing.” continued on page

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ GreenFireTimes

Feeding Nine Billion People Without Destroying Nature

Courtney White

ccording to the United Nations, there will be nine billion people on the planet by 2050, which raises a serious question: How are we going to feed them without destroying what’s left of the natural world, especially under the stress of climate change? Australian farmer Colin Seis has an answer: intensify food production by managing land in nature’s image. That might sound like a mouthful, but consider the heart of this issue. If humans can’t find enough food, fuel, fiber and fresh water to sustain themselves, they’ll raid the environment to secure them, pushing all other values that we place on nature, such as wilderness and endangered species production, down the priority list. Perhaps way down. It’s not about poor people and starvation either. The food well-fed Ameri-

cans eat comes from a global production system that is already struggling to find enough arable land, adequate supplies of water and drought-tolerant plants and animals to feed seven billion people. Add two billion more— of all income levels—and you have a recipe for a devastating raid on the natural world. Where is all this extra food and water going to come from, especially if the climate gets hotter and drier in many places as predicted? Industry has an answer: more of the same. More chemicals, fertilizers, GMOs, monocropping, heavy fossil fuel use and land ownership consolidation. A second “Green Revolution” is required, they say, even though the consequences of the first one have been decidedly mixed, especially for the environment. Of course, Industry is more than happy to continue profiting from these “solutions”—which is why it insists on keeping its hand on the steering wheel.

Fortunately, there is another way, as I was reminded while visiting Colin Seis’ farm in New South Wales last fall. Colin pioneered a regenerative agricultural practice called pasture cropping, and I went exploring to learn his story.

Colin Seis at a ram sale

In 1979, after a wildfire burned nearly all of Colin Seis’ farm and sent him to the hospital with burns, Colin decided to rethink the way he had been practicing agriculture. His new goal was to rebuild the

soil’s fertility after decades of practices had unwittingly depleted it. Colin and his family raise Merino sheep (for wool) on their farm, so Colin decided first to take up holistic management, which is a way of managing animals on pasture that mimics the graze-and-go behavior of wild herbivores. It’s perfectly suited for central New South Wales, whose rolling grasslands, decent rainfall and lack of native predators make it ideal for raising sheep—lots of sheep. But it is what Colin did next that really caught people’s attention. After a late night of beer drinking at the local pub with a friend, an idea struck Colin: what if he no-till drilled an annual crop into his perennial grass pastures? Meaning, could he raise two products from one piece of land—a grain crop and an animal product? This was a heretical idea. Crops and grazing animals were supposed to be kept separate, right? But that’s because the traditional practice on cropland is plowing, which eliminates the grasses. But what if you no-till (no-plow) drilled oat or wheat or corn seed directly into the pasture when the grasses were dormant? Would they grow?

Pasture cropping on Colin Seis’ farm

Colin decided to find out. Fast-forward to the present—and the answer is a resounding “yes!” Pasture cropping, as Colin dubbed it, works well and has spread across Australia to some 2,000 farms. Today Colin produces grain and wool—and, if he wanted, a harvest of native grass seed, which was an original food source for the Aboriginals of the area. It’s all carefully integrated and managed under Colin’s stewardship. Pasture cropping is just one example of regenerative practices that build topsoil, increase yields, and conserve the environment. There are many others, involving soil, seeds, water, plants, livestock, trees, organics—and people, as the stewards. Building topsoil, for instance, stores more water, grows healthier plants that feed more people while sequestering carbon, which is good for nature too! Is this pie-in-the-sky stuff? Perhaps, but consider the alternative: more of what got us into trouble in the first place. With two billion people to feed, clothe, house, warm and slake thirsts, contemplating alternatives is crucial if we’re going to have our natural world and eat it too. Fortunately, answers exist, if we’re willing to go exploring. i Cour tne y W hite is executive director of the Santa Fe, NM-based Quivira Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building economic and ecological resilience in western working landscapes. . Quivira’s 11th annual conference, which relates to the topic of this article, takes place in Albuquerque from Nov. 14-16. For info, see ad on page 4, call 505.820.2544 or visit www.quiviracoalition.org.

Green Fire Times • November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Southwest Women

Conservation

Event honors new mexican activist Nadine Padilla on 50th anniversary of Silent Spring Staci Stevens n a sunny September morning at the Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Santa Fe, more than 100 people gathered for the annual Southwest Women in Conservation conference, hosted by Audubon New Mexico. The crowd was composed mostly of women from varying backgrounds, all brought together by a common purpose—to celebrate the accomplishments of women in the conservation movement. Now in its third year, Audubon’s Southwest Women in Conservation event was established as a platform to recognize and honor the diversity of work being done by women in the field of conservation locally and be-

to the same damage as the rest of the ecosystem. Testifying before Congress in 1963, she called for new policies to protect human health and the environment. Rachel Carson died in 1964 after a long battle against breast cancer. Her witness for the beauty and integrity of life continues to inspire new generations to protect the living world and all its creatures. Acknowledging the role of women in conservation is nothing new to the Audubon Society, as women have long played a leading role in the environmental movement and were instrumental in the organization’s beginnings. In fact, Audubon’s roots can be traced back to the late 1800s when Boston society women gathered over afternoon tea to save birds from being slaughtered for the hat trade. “Our annual Southwest Women in Conservation event is a way for us to honor our roots and celebrate the work of some amazing women, while hopefully inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders,” said Karyn Stockdale, executive director of Audubon New Mexico.

Biologist Rachel Carson urged the US Congress to curb the sale of chemical pesticides. She was pilloried as a woman “scared to death of a few little bugs.”

Guest speakers at this year’s gathering were Nadine Padilla and author Elizabeth Grossman. Padilla, of Navajo and Pueblo descent, began working with the Sacred Alliance for Grassroots Equality (SAGE) Council as a community organizer in 2006, focusing on Native American healthcare

yond. This year’s event brought together educators, conservation advocates, policy makers, scientists, writers and students, among others. The forum honored well-known writer, scientist and ecologist Rachel Carson on the 50th anniversary of her 1962 book Silent Spring, in which she challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the government and called for a change in the way humankind viewed the natural world. Carson was attacked by the chemical industry and some in government as an alarmist, but courageously spoke out to remind the public that they are a vulnerable part of the natural world, subject

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Nadine Padilla, after receiving the Southwest Women in Conservation Fellowship from Audubon New Mexico

Courtesy of Audubon NM (2)

Women in Conservation speakers at the Randall Davey Center (l-r) Martha Desmond, Elizabeth Grossman, Susan McGreevy, Nadine Padilla, Karyn Stockdale

and environmental issues. She currently serves as the coordinator for the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment, a coalition of grassroots organizations working to address the uranium legacy that still plagues many communities.

Women are vital to the success of conservation in the Southwest. “The devastating legacy of leaving hundreds of abandoned mines and radioactive waste after companies left town and refused to clean up their mess continues to haunt our communities, resulting in sky-high rates of various cancers, kidney disease, birth defects and miscarriages,” said Padilla. Grossman has been described as an “eloquent scientific muckraker” and is the author of several books including Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health and the Promise of Green Chemistry; High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics and Human Health; and Watershed: The Undamming of America. Grossman, whose work has appeared in numerous scholarly publications, writes extensively about the widespread use of synthetic chemicals in our everyday products and the harmful consequences of these chemicals to our

bodies and our environment. Additionally, she’s been a Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and, like Carson, a fellow at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory. During the forum, Audubon surprised Padilla by awarding her the first Fellowship for Southwest Women in Conservation. Established to encourage more women to become involved in conservation and remain committed, the fellowship was created last year in honor of long-time Southwest native and conservationist Eleanor Wootten, who lives on the Gila River. The award is a cash gift to help a woman in the Southwest pursue her ambitions in the field of conservation. While the many environmental challenges facing today’s society may be overwhelming when added together, Audubon’s gathering demonstrated the positive change that individuals can make within a movement. “My hope is that people left our event feeling inspired and optimistic,” said Stockdale. “There are many people on the ground like Nadine doing important work and Audubon New Mexico wants to help reinforce their commitment to working for a better tomorrow.” i Staci Stevens is the Communications and Policy Manager with Audubon New Mexico. 202.294.3101, sstevens@audubon.org, http:// nmaudubon.org

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Fresh AIRE: AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTATION, RESEARCH & EDUCATION

The Energy of Agriculture: Calories and Community Miguel Santistévan

he growing interest in renewable energy often overshadows the most basic relationship we have with energy: the energy that comes from our food. This is the energy that ultimately provides the wherewithal for us to even think about renewable energy, develop its infrastructure and advocate its application. Our current national food system provides the “low hanging fruit” for understanding and addressing our energy consumption patterns. As all of us have to eat, through the food choices we make we can lower our “ecological footprint,” or the impact our food choices have on the Earth’s resources.

measures of energy expenditures in animal metabolism, but can also be used to measure energy dynamics in terms of a truly sustainable energy economy that can be made affordable through the use of renewable resources. If one evaluates contemporary agricultural practices based on energy expenditures as measured in calories, we find that for every calorie produced by the industrial food system, An interesting aspect of agriculture is approximately 10 were that energy can be harvested and reexpended through the Dixon, Summer 2012. Corn, beans, squash, chile, apples and more grow in northern New Mexico. fined for use in future food production underlying costs of and for other purposes. Understandmining, refining, processing, refrigeraarea of land will receive so much sunbe self-perpetuating and can move ing the dynamics of energy in agrition and transport, among others. This light. This sunlight is converted into the landscape into a more perennial culture requires creating a “budget” inherently unsustainable equation is biomass: roots, stems, leaves and seed. character that over the long-term just of all of the sources of energy, its exmade possible by government subsiEnergy will be embodied in all of needs to be maintained and harvested. penditures and relative impacts. This dies in the Farm Bill (our tax dollars) these plant parts, some of which are exercise demonstrates that agriculture As the process of working with diverthat are supporting the large indusparticularly useful to us as consumers. brings us closest to the purest transsity and the landscape continues on trial farms. A traditional agricultural We eat the seeds, the fruits, vegetative formation of energy: the conversion of for season upon season, many aspects system, in contrast, creates 10 calories parts and roots for sustenance. When solar energy into life. of the energy embodied within the for every calorie expended. This stems we feed the biomass to animals, as harvest can be utilized for multiple from judicious and innovative uses of in grass or alfalfa, we can expect that Looking at calories spent to calories purposes. For example, ears of maize the land and water, animals, local maroughly 10 percent of what they eat gained is a useful exercise in measurcan be harvested for food, while the terials, local seed, local markets and will become biomass in their bodies, ing sustainability. Calories are usually cobs and stalks can feed animals or manual labor. However, given many while the other 90 percent is lost to even be inoculated with edible mushconstraints, such metabolic processes that generate heat room spawn and turned into more as land availability, and waste, such as manure and urine. food while also becoming substrate labor potential and However, the metabolic processes of for compost. Almost any crop can be the availability of animals can be directed to create work thought of as having multiple purpostime (not to mensuch as tillage or to just maintain grass es that serve different functions that tion our attitudes), levels while providing us with meat, can increase and support diversity, we are not geared dairy products and eggs. The animal which ultimately results in biological toward actualizing waste can be combined with other orcharacter and food sources. these traditional ganic materials such as fresh and dry agricultural dyWith all the sunlight and caloric enweeds, wood chips, bark and fallen namics. ergy embodied in a diverse and susleaves to create compost. The compost tainable agricultural landscape, there The field of ecolcan then amend soils to increase soil have to be biological components ogy provides some fertility and yields. Diversity can be that can be intercepted to generate tools to measure incorporated into the long-term biopower while still being able to proand understand the logical character and development of vide food. The first priority has to be energetic dynamthe landscape in the form of trees, to have energy in the form of work to bushes and other native plants as well Toribio García harvesting and bundling garlic in Taos. The ics of agriculture as maintain and enhance the landscape as animals (especially beneficial in“scape,” the stem from which the seedhead is formed, is ed- a potential source to perpetuate the process of diversity. ible and delicious when young. Growers often cut them off to for the renewal of sects), thereby enhancing ecological encourage the plant’s resources to go to the bulb. resources. A given processes. Many of these plants can continued on page 16

Green Fire Times • November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Is Our Food System Secure?

Carbon Economy Series Workshops – Nov. 10-11

Destruction of soil and hubris (excessive self-confidence and arrogance in being too clever for our own good) are the two biggest problems with our current food industry, according to Joel Salatin, one of America’s most influential proponents of sustainable agriculture. Salatin’s Polyface family farm in Swoope, Va. feeds over 5,000 families with organic food, and is said to produce the most pounds of protein per acre with the least amount of inputs. That means no pesticides, fertilizers, tilling, less water, and only 30 percent of the fuel needed on a conventional farm. This translates to better quality food, increased public health, fewer costs, more jobs and a more secure food production system. Salatin will be in Santa Fe as part of a weekend workshop on Securing Our Food System. He will speak Friday, Nov. 9, 7-9 pm and will teach on Nov. 10, 9:30 am4:30 pm, at Santa Fe Community College. Tom Delehanty of Pollo Real will follow on Nov. 11 with a workshop on pasture-based food production in New Mexico. For more information on the Carbon Economy Series of lectures and workshops, call 505.819.3828, 818.913.2877 or visit www.carboneconomyseries.com

We need an ad salesperson! Please call Skip Whitson 505.471.5177 or Anna Hansen at 505.982.0155

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Energy of Agriculture continued from page 14 of ranchers and farmers would be a great social component to managing vast areas of the landscape. But a small farmer thinking of energy security has many options. The first is to look for waste streams in the agricultural operation that can be converted into useable energy. This is where animals (including humans) can be beneficial.

As stated earlier, animals will only incorporate about 10 percent of what they eat into their own biomass. So by utilizing their work, we can intercept some of the 90 percent of their consumed biomass that is lost as heat to do work. And later, we can manage the other waste products to generate other forms of energy.

Española, NM Farmers’ Market, Summer 2012

The most efficient way of maintaining the landscape is by the management of grazing animals. The landscape evolved over millennia with grazing animals, and their return can mean great benefits, including tillage (herding), planting (stomping), fertilization (manure), irrigation (urine), water harvesting (hoof divots) and seed dispersal. Seed dispersal can be a problem, however, if the plant seed being dispersed is an invasive species. Invasive species can also have their purpose in this type of agricultural system where “the problem is the solution,” however, where the mass of invasive species is a substrate for energy production, be it for biomass, ethanol production or even feed for goats. The use of animals for this kind of work is efficient in that if the animals have a food and water source nearby and no other infrastructure except fencing, their natural activity can convert solar energy into animal power that manages the landscape. This approach just directs the natural behavior (and desires) of the animals to accomplish tasks. But not everyone has the land base or wherewithal to manage animals. This is where mutually beneficial networks

Green Fire Times • November 2012

Where waste, a.k.a. “bio-solids,” is often a problem in cities and largescale dairies, it is actually a solution to many of our energy challenges. An anaerobic digestion process will produce methane, which can be burned in almost any propane-burning application. Bio-solids can be isolated from oxygen in some kind of tank or barrel, heated up, and the gas that is produced (methane) can be collected in something like a tractor tire tube. This gas can then be burned in anything that burns propane (with a simple conversion), including stoves and other appliances. Even a tractor can be converted to run on propane and, thus, methane. What is left in the tank or barrel from the process can still be composted in an aerobic process to augment soil fertility. Another great opportunity for fuel sufficiency is to grow a crop that produces vegetable oil such as canola or sunflower. A diesel engine can run on vegetable oil if it is heated to a certain temperature. Many diesel engines run on vegetable oil today, but actual diesel gasoline is needed to start the engine and heat up the oil so it continued on page

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Solar Energy

NEW SOLAR TECHNOLOGY in NEW MEXICO RURAL WATER PUMPING

What if we could create a local photovoltaic industry in rural communities?

ur engineering company, Energy Related Devices, has developed and patented inventions to be incorporated into the home: solar water pumping, solar skylights, attic vents and insect repellants. In December 2011, because of an invitation from the city, we moved from Los Alamos to Tucumcari, New Mexico to get closer to our customers: ranchers and farmers.

What if solar energy could be produced from local recycled materials? Ranching and farming in NM, because of the 13-plus-year drought, has been devastating. Our community needs to adapt and diversify. This may seem like an economic development dream, but we need to establish an industry that can utilize our plentiful local resources, use little water for product production and support our community. For our company to make an impact we thought we should get out of the ivory tower and live and work with our customers and products. So we purchased a rural house with a deep water well and three acres of land to test and demonstrate our products. Our first of these inventions, installed in the field at the end of September, is a photovoltaic (PV) power system for water-well pumping. A critical need in a drought is to provide a steady source of water for livestock. Ranchers have had fine windmill-powered pumps from as early as 1854, but the problem is that the leather (or urethane) pump valves in these systems wear out due to the abrasion of sliding with sand in the well tubes. They need to be replaced periodically, which means pulling up the steel sucker rods, replacing the “leathers,” and sliding them back into the wells. This chore can be as frequent as every six months, so it is

www.GreenFireTimes.com

a pesky and expensive problem. Even with regular maintenance, windpowered pumps can still fall behind demand if there is little wind in the summer.

averaged over 3 percent better performance than a conventional PV panel by keeping them on average 10°F cooler.

Solar PV well-water pumping is a new, alternative way to pump wells that could alleviate these problems. The electric submersible pumps can run without servicing for over 10 years. Solar-powered pumping systems tend to follow the water demand by producing more water on sunny days. The current PV systems on the market typically use aluminum racking and concrete footers. These are nice systems and have worked well for some, but there are things we can do locally to make solar water pumping an even a better fit for the ranchers. Particular complaints that we have heard: solar pumping systems are not capable of deep well pumping, are too expensive, can run dry and damage themselves, need monitoring to see if they are running, and they need to be moveable by a single rancher.

Tire Mounts—We use discarded truck tires for ground-mounts. Discarded truck tires are plentiful at many local repair shops due to the heavy transportation flow across our state. These tires have sufficient mass and area to make an effective ground-mount for NM wind conditions, even without filling the tires. They can be rolled in and out of a pickup truck by a single person on-site. If the tires are filled with dirt, the system can even withstand hurricanes. The soft, wide base of a truck tire enables us to be “brownfield ready,” meaning we can place solar panel systems on the ground with little to no ground penetration. They can be placed on landfills or available vacant land with minimal disturbance. This new use for discarded rubber tires makes up by weight (without dirt) 70 to 80 percent of the total mass of the system. Their biggest benefit is in saving the time and energy required to prepare the site with concrete footers or ground penetrations, which are required for conventional mounts.

Our company is customizing the PV panels for local conditions with four new technologies: Reinforcing—We are reinforcing the back of the PV panels and replacing the frames with galvanized steel beams. Galvanized steel is roughly three times the strength of, and many times less expensive than, aluminum. Ranchers need tough panels if they are going to be moving the water pumping system with the herd. This reinforcing also permits the option of bolting panels directly to existing windmill towers. Our reinforcement of the PV panels is enough to withstand even hurricanes. Cooling—We are building in cooling fins, which we call BlackTip™, on the back of the PV panels to keep them cool, strengthen them to withstand wind and hail and cool the panels for better performance and longevity in the hot NM sun. Our first prototype

Smart Pumps—The fourth technology we have added is the new pumping systems that use electronics to sense whether or not there is water to pump. They can also optimize the pumping speed to match what the PV panels can deliver. These submersible pumps can pump wells as deep as 820 feet at flow rates of 4.5 gallons per minute. For a deep well this translates to wa-

Robert G. Hockaday

ter service for 57 cow-calf pairs. These new water-pumping systems come with a radio transmitter to allow the rancher to remotely monitor the performance of the well pump. The Bottom Line—We can produce a solar water pumping system for ranchers modified with local materials to be more robust and portable, for about 30 percent less than conventional systems. Robert G. Hockaday is president of Energy Related Devices, Inc., based in Tucumcari, NM. www.energyrelateddevices.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

continued from page 9

capture sediments, and promote vegetative re-growth, that are self-repairing and reinforcing, and that are designed to function in ways similar to those of natural beaver dams.” This means that the limited intervention is just enough to start the natural recovery process so nature can do the rest. So what does that look like on the ground, or rather, in the streambed? This method uses “digger logs” to mimic what happens naturally when a tree falls across the river at certain angle, creating a pool of backup water that eventually fills with sediment, which in turn creates a shallow water ripple area. Then, water falling over the logs digs out a pool on the downflow side of the digger logs.

The sediment dug up on the downflow side of the logjam is then deposited a few feet downstream, creating a sort of sandbar that bends the stream flow slightly, which in turn slows the flow and—importantly—directs the flow toward the other stream bank. This pressure carves out an underbank shelter for fish and contributes to underground flooding, which means more water is absorbed into the soil and migrates outward. where it can support native riparian species such as narrow-leaf cottonwood, willow and aspen. A key design element of this logjam is that the logs are laid across the riverbed at a slight angle, with the downstream end of the logs slightly lower than the upstream. If the logs were laid straight across the riverbed, they would be blown out when stream flow is rapid. Dr. Stacey’s design (l-r) Dave Kite of the Santa Fe Watershed Association, Peter Stacey and Christian LeJuene of Wetwater Environmental allows rapid flow to escape over the Services with digger log installation lower end of the logjam. With this design, you are not really trying to stop a bunch of water as a dam does, just trying to slow it down. In a healthy stream, about 50 percent of the stream is made up of an alternating ripple and pool sequence. To mimic that with logjams, the frequency of placement depends on the grade of the stream. If you put them too close together you will create only a sequence of pools, without the crucial ripple patterns in between, where sediment drops out and invertebrates thrive. As the bottom of the stream channel behind a set of logjams built up through sedimentation, the upstream pool is deepened, which is very attractive for fish habitat. As years progress, there is a chance that the rise of the sediment stream bottom will lift the stream flow back up to where the top edges of the banks are now, allowing for more overbank flooding, supporting a healthy vegetation corridor.

Green Fire Times • November 2012

Phase One Structures and Present Outcomes:

Three systems were installed in the river between the two dams about 18 months ago, with each system having between four and seven digger logs. The logjams are being monitored and evaluated for improvements in water quality and the structure of streambed itself, in terms of its ability to filter water, and to create instream aquatic habitat for fish and invertebrates. The productivity of the riparian area with regard to vegetation that provides food for wildlife is also a measure of the interaction between the vegetation and the stream. Each structure is labeled and photographed periodically, and modified SRSA surveys are conducted to document how each logjam works over time. Both Dale Lyons and Dr. Stacey seemed pleased with the outcomes of this restoration work so far, and the improved diversity of stream flow, sedimentation buildup and healthy ripple and pool sequences were very easy to observe. What had been a uniform, narrow channel was now moving rapidly toward once again becoming the kind of healthy stream that you can find in protected wilderness areas. As we quietly watched the area around one digger-log installation, a small, gray American Dipper bird appeared, perching briefly on a rock in the stream and then disappearing underwater, searching for invertebrate prey. As it fed on aquatic insects and their larvae, including dragonfly nymphs and tiny fish or tadpoles, the bird’s appearance confirmed in a beautiful way that this river was indeed coming back to life.

Slow the Flow

An American Dipper

In answer to my question, “Could I do this myself, without your expertise in knowing where to place the logjams, which themselves are quite simple to install?”, Dale Lyons said, “The placement here was quite obvious, where long sections of channel were relatively straight, without a lot of turns or twists or woody debris, and fairly uniform bed material and uniform depth across the channel. Dr. Stacey added, “We try to take advantage of existing vegetation to anchor the logs instead of bringing in a cement truck to pour pylons, taking advantage of the existing biological structure to provide strength. It’s not rocket science, but it’s helpful to know how to take advantage of what you’ve got to work with, including logs from deadfall if available.” Then I inquired about the cost of installing and monitoring, and Dr. Stacey said, “If you take advantage of natural materials, don’t bring anything into the forest, the bottom-up approach, you can count on no more than $5,000 per installation of 4-6 individual digger-log placements in series.” This sounded so incredibly reasonable to me that I asked if anyone else in NM is using this technique. He replied that he and a former student who now runs his own firm, Christian LeJuene of Wetwater Environmental Services in Albuquerque, are proposing a big digger-log project in the Jémez National Forest, but that’s the only other one he is aware of at this time. I then asked if there were an opportunity to run a boot-camp training project to teach people to do this and Peter’s eyes lit up. He said “Hey, if we could do this as a WPA-style project…” and then he looked off in the middle distance, dreaming. You can follow the progress of this project by contacting Dr. Peter Stacey at pstacey@unm.edu, and Dale Lyons at dwlyons@ ci.santa-fe.nm.us • 505.955.4204. Earl James is a nonprofit fundraising consultant and the author of the award-winning eco-novel Bella Coola: The Rainforest Brought Them Home. Read excerpts at www.earldjames.com and contact him at earldjames@gmail.com

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ GreenFireTimes

Santa Fe Indian S Promote Native

School Wins Fruit Orchard C

Story by Anthony Dorame Jr., • Photos by Seth R

n modern society, the concept of sustainability and ideas about being “green” have become buzzwords used by people to suggest a “new” way of thinking about the ways we interact with the world around us. For Pueblo Indians, principles of sustainability have always informed the way in which we live our daily lives. Pueblo ways of understanding make it clear that we are only a small part of a complex system of relationships. The foundation for this understanding is sustainability on all levels.

ingful learning to occur that requires students to integrate many different subject areas to make informed decisions for their communities.

SFIS Orchard Project

This philosophy is being used at the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) to teach students important concepts about environmental and agricultural sustainability and Pueblo Indian core values. These values, combined with modern technological and scientific advances, give students a unique perspective as they prepare for their futures as leaders within their respective Pueblo communities. Under the direction of instructors Mark Ericson, Tony Dorame (Tesuque Pueblo) and Matt Pecos (Cochiti Pueblo),students are given a rare opportunity for learning through the Community Based Education Program (CBE) at SFIS. Within this program students engage with local pueblos to assist tribal environmental and agriculture programs to complete sustainability projects. The CBE curriculum allows students to actively participate in projects that have been initiated by their respective pueblos. This allows for handson learning that models the way students are taught important lessons within their pueblos. Upon graduating, many CBE students return to their pueblos to work within the programs they assisted as students. This community-driven learning process allows students to explore unique ideas that will advance their pueblo communities. The CBE Program is a prime example of how student learning can be enhanced when they are given the opportunity to conduct hands-on projects that are rooted in their core values. These types of experiences create opportunities that allow for mean-

Green Fire Times • November 2012

Top (l-r): Arborist Gordon Tooley demonstrates p Everett Chavez (r) helps plant the ceremonial app with planting crew; the orchard inauguration dre

In the spring of 2011, SFIS entered into a national contest held by the Dreyer’s Fruit Bar Company’s Communities Take Root Program to win funding and technical support to plant a fruit orchard. Contestants were required to submit ideas on-line that showed how an orchard would be used to promote healthy eating and sustainability among students and the local community. The general public across the nation was then given the opportunity to vote for projects that accomplished those goals. Students, teachers, family members, staff, friends and entire pueblo com-

www.GreenFireTimes.com

School Programs Sustainability

Contest

Roffman. munities voted to support the CBE program. Months after voting came the news that SFIS’s program had been selected as one of the winners.

proper planting techniques; Director of Instruction Felisa Gulibert celebrates with volunteers after a job well done; SFIS Superintendent ple tree; solar installation provides power for greenhouse and other facilities; tree planters take a fruit bar break; Tony Dorame (in hat) ew a large crowd.

On October 10, 2012, the school held an orchard-planting event. Over 150 students, staff, parents and community members came out to help plant. Forty heirloom varieties of apple, plum, cherry and pear were obtained from master arborist Gordon Tooley of Tooley’s Trees in Truchas, NM. Tooley gave a presentation on orchard care and maintenance. Rico Montenegro of the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation gave an overview of the plan for the orchard and demonstrated the best technique for planting trees. The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is an

www.GreenFireTimes.com

international organization dedicated to planting fruit trees and food plants in places that benefit communities throughout the world. Dreyer’s Fruit Bars, in partnership with the foundation, has facilitated the planting of 62 orchards across the US. The CBE operates a state-of-the-art greenhouse equipped with solar panels and automatic watering system. The fruit tree orchard will be part of the SFIS’s community garden/greenhouse/ outdoor classroom project, where students will learn about the importance of

a balanced, locally sourced food system. The school’s agriscience program, greenhouse and developing farmers’ market have become increasingly important in establishing agriculture in the curriculum. The orchard will also provide fresh fruit for the Healthy Living Culinary Arts classes, which work with the school’s cafeteria food program, and allow students to learn methods of fruit preparation and preservation. i Anthony Dorame Jr. is the Agriscience instructor at Santa Fe Indian School and a councilman at Tesuque Pueblo. Email tdorame@sfis.k12.nm.us

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Battling Youth Nature Deficit Disorder

ature deficit disorder (NDD) isn’t something you can be diagnosed with or take medicine for. Although it is linked to rising rates of childhood obesity, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and type 2 diabetes, it’s not a medical condition. NDD is linked to the lack of spending time in the natural world and especially to a sedentary lifestyle. Eighty percent of youth under 21 spend an average of 6-8 hours in front of a screen, mostly indoors—be it a TV, cellphone, computer or iPod. Many teens who have heard about NDD say that they don’t watch any TV at all, so how could they be susceptible to NDD? What about Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr? We teenagers are constantly online, whether we like to admit it or not. I know because I’m one of them. Often we are multitasking with three or four electronic devices, our attention and consciousness scattered and diffuse, encouraging or aggravating ADD symptoms. Many children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD are often serious video gamers or television watchers who have spent an average of 3-6 hours gaming everyday since they were small. Avid video gaming can create

overproduction of adrenaline, which can induce cycles of hyperactivity and then a crash of fatigue, which can lead to insomnia or depression. Then, in turn, many teens turn to chemical reliance on energy drinks, drugs and even prescribed medication. The idea that we as a generation spend more time sitting or lying around indoors rather than outside enjoying the autumn weather is, honestly, very scary. Add to this behavior a terrible diet of junk food with huge amounts of salt and sugar, and you get an unhealthy, even dangerously lethal cocktail of early-onset physical and mental problems. Being a teenager is already challenging, and when you put depression or diabetes into the equation, things can get incredibly rocky.

As a teen, I don’t want to be another victim of technology, do you? According to howstuffworks.com, walking outside daily can be incredibly beneficial in helping prevent depression and obesity. Simply taking walks can help ensure self-mastery, power and control. Connecting with nature, fresh air and sunlight can feed you physically, emotionally and even spiritually. You might say that these are the ultimate highs—natural highs, that is. We all know that these things are true, LOOK AROUND YOU but is knowing without by Victoria Gonzales, SFHS Student acting on that knowledge Look around this Home. enough? When you beThis Wonderland we’ve never known. come detached from nature and accustomed to This emptying picture that’s become unknown. being indoors under artiLook around you now or you’ll never know. ficial light, as we unnatuSmell the fire, the burning flame, rally do in school from an early age and in our See the singeing, the bark aflame. homes, it becomes a habit Feel the pain that’s become today and realize that is hard to break. that it’s come to be because… When you think of the The question is a mocker, the answer’s what I consequences, short- and refuse to see; yet it still is a reality. long-term, you begin to But for why it had to be. see how important nature is. Last month, the AcadThe wind is angry, the trees are screaming, emy for Sustainability at the animals scurrying, Santa Fe High School The birds retreating. took a group of students The war reveals how it all came to be, from the Forestry and Wildlife class, the AP a war between Nature Environmental Science And our destructive humanity. class, Botany and Docu-

Green Fire Times • November 2012

mentary Video classes, into the mountains to learn about coniferous forests, watersheds, fire and forest management, climate change and nature deficit disorder. As we sat under the golden quaking aspen and beautiful ponderosa, douglas firs, blue spruce and other towering trees, Aaron, a scientist and forestry expert, told us about the evolution of fire management and the link between climate changes and the pine and aspen die-off occurring all over the planet. It was scary to think that greenhouse gas increases, much of which is human-induced, combined with ecosystem shifts, are threatening our very existence. In our own lifetime, even by 2050, scientists think we may not have coniferous forests and aspen in the Santa Fe National Forest. We may have to show pictures to our children or grandchildren. We talked about what we could do and how education could be transformed to help counter the oncoming situation. Dominique García said, “I love the natural world. It helps me relieve stress and helps me realize how big and beautiful our world is. I always grew up around nature, went camping and hiking, and I learned to appreciate it. I think kids need to have more education about nature, how to appreciate it and take care of it. Not a lot of us have that kind of education. Schools need to realize how important this is.” Sophie Richards agreed and added, “The youth of today are constantly surrounded by electronics and advertisements. Buying into it is almost completely unavoidable. They don’t always have a higher influence from parents, and therefore they don’t learn that being in nature is, in fact, better for your physical and mental health. The youth must be informed by others who spend time in nature to follow in their path.” I hope we can put some of our ideas into action in the near future. After

By Ernesto Prada and the Santa Fe High School Advocacy Journalism Class

all, we the youth are inheriting these problems and need to learn more about what to do. We need to care about our natural world, as it is the only one we have. One of the most impactful things we can do is to spend more time outdoors creating a relationship with the natural world and also helping ourselves prevent or remedy nature deficit disorder.

Victoria Gonzales and Ernesto Prada Ernesto Prada, a senior, has written for the school paper, the Demon Tattler. He is passionate about youth activism and community organizing for human rights. He will be proudly graduating in May 2013, one of the first in his family to do so. Victoria Gonzales, a junior, is considering becoming a journalist and wants to travel to Africa. She also is a dancer and plays violin and piano.

www.GreenFireTimes.com

The Land Quilt

Conservation

continued from page 10

The Land Quilt is not a permanent piece of art. It is to be disassembled at the end of each growing season and reinstalled elsewhere the following year. What is intended to be permanent is the patch of native vegetation that is nurtured into existence when the seeds in the seed balls sprout, and the seasonal rains pass through the funnel catchments and drain onto the seed balls—a jump-start to re-invigorate native plants in their proper habitat. In a word, the Land Quilt is a temporary work of art intended to result in permanent restoration ecology, a work of art that can be re-cycled time and again, involving a growing level of community involvement and recognition that, as the keystone species, we have a responsibility to our homeland. Cara and Tony selected colors that complement the landscape, complement the existing vegetation, comple-

tor how much rainfall you get, what the temperatures are, the germination rate. It could become a science project that reconnects those kids to the land. It could work for neighborhood associations. The fundamental idea of this is that when you take care of a piece of land, your relationship to that land changes.” Tony and Cara hope that the Land Quilt can be rented and thus installed on patches of barren but beloved land throughout Albuquerque. The overall cost of the Land Quilt was $12,377.50 and included the costs of the metal frame, fabric funnels, rope for lashing, structural engineering, website design, aerial photography, postcards and incidentals. Cara and Tony received no fiscal recompense for their many hours of labor. Rader Awning in Albuquerque produced the fabric funnels, and Joe Doyle of Iron and Stone down in the South Valley constructed the metal jigs for the wire frames. Funding was provided by the McCune Charitable Trust, and the FUNd from the Albuquerque Community Foundation. Audubon New Mexico served as their fiscal agent.

sense and intuition attuned to the needs of homeland, and then responds in creative fashion, whether by replanting native seeds, restoring endangered species to habitat, writing poetry, conversing with ravens, listening to the dawn chorus of birds, inhaling the wind, learning the bio-geographical characteristics of homeland, turning children loose out-of-doors, absorbing the Spirit of Place, opening one’s mind to the night sky—re-sacralyzing the landscape, understanding one’s true place therein, and acting accordingly with humility and gratitude for one’s life and consciousness,

the greatest gifts Nature can bestow. That is true restoration ecology. There is no higher calling. i Jack Loeffler is the author of numerous books, including Healing the West: Voices of Culture and Habitat. Jack Loeffler and Celestia Loeffler are contributors and co-editors of Thinking Like a Watershed, an anthology of essays published by the University of New Mexico Press. For more info, visit www.loreoftheland.org

Appointments in the comfort of your own home. Dr. Audrey Shannon, DVM, has training in both Western veterinary medicine and in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. Her integrated holistic approach focuses on acupuncture and acupressure, with nutritional and herbal therapy to ensure your animal’s optimal health and well-being. Treatment is available for dogs, cats, and horses.

www.animalacupuncturevet.com

505.820.2617

The Land Quilt was first put in place in July 2012 and was disassembled in late October—a time period that spans the traditional monsoon season. Where before was barren land, there are now clusters Quilting with Frank, Patsy and Cara McCulloch of plants, a quilt of vegetation. ment the Spirit of Place. In its first iteration on the abandoned UNM golf course, the positioning of the Quilt made “reference to the cardinal directions, the hotter colors tending toward the south and west, and colors reflecting the mountains situated on the north and east sides as they were placed in the context of the site.”

“Cara and I, as a matter of principle, have not supplemented the water. We’ve seen these plants distressed, and we keep looking up at the sky hoping that we’ll get some rain. But just the experience of doing this Land Quilt, two urban dwellers, has put us in a different relationship with the vagaries of weather and the mercy of climate change.”

Tony Anella goes on to say: “It’s 450 square feet, and our hope is that this installation will be the first of many. School groups or neighborhood organizations might adopt this for local projects. It’s a good way to get school-kids and neighbors involved. In this case, we met with the UNM landscape architect and the people at Native Plants of the Southwest, who advised us which seeds would have the greatest chance of succeeding. Then pick a piece of land, pick the seeds that would work on that piece of land, make the seedballs, plant them, moni-

Art is frequently intended to inspire fellow humans but rarely used as a temporary means to nurture vegetation to burst into life. To me, the Land Quilt, a creation of the minds of Tony Anella and Cara McCulloch, is a call to everyone to respond to the flow of Nature in this time of bio-jeopardy—the grim by-product of our species’ incessant demand on our planetary homeland.

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Restoration ecology is itself an artform where the artist dives, jumps or slithers into the flow of Nature with every

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Jim Kentch, Lawyer 215 W. San Francisco Street # 202-C Santa Fe, NM 87501-2164

“A Divine Experience above the rest”

505-660-9160 jimkentchlawyer@gmail.com www.JimKentchLawyer.com

“Thank you for seeing me immediately. I appreciate your staff, professionalism, and caring attitude. Looking forward to my next visit.” —Robert Young

“I loved that they can make the crowns in the office in one visit. It was as pleasant of an experience as going to the dentist can be.” —Corey Taylor

Outstanding Cosmetic Dentistry in Santa Fe Your Confidence starts with a Beautiful Smile…… ECO-Friendly Office

www.divinedentalofsantafe.com 550-B St. Michaels Dr. Suite 2 Santa Fe, NM 87505

505-471-7000 Hablamos Español • Interest free financing available 24

Green Fire Times • November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Solar Energy

Converting Your Home to Solar

Craig O’Hare

ired of dirty, climate-disrupting coal-fired electricity coming into your home every day? Go solar! Solar is a lot less expensive and a lot more cost-effective than most people realize. Today there is a “perfect storm” of solar systems costing as much as 50 percent less than they did just five years ago, combined with the continued presence of substantial financial incentives. A 30-percent federal and 10-percent state income-tax credit (both good through 2016), sales tax exemption, and a PNM solar production incentive are all in effect. Just a few years ago, rooftop solar panels were primarily the domain of the relatively affluent homeowner. But with rising electric rates, high propane bills, and steady declines in the cost of solar systems, solar has moved beyond those “early adopters” and become quite financially viable for the middle class. According to The Appraisal Journal, the scholarly journal of real estate valuation, a solar system can substantially increase the resale value of your home. This year Santa Fe Community College has been hosting green appraising workshops around the state to educate appraisers, lenders and realtors on the true value solar and other green building attributes (e.g. energy efficiency) add to a home. There are two types of solar energy systems: 1) a solar photovoltaic (“PV”) system that converts the sun’s light (not heat) into electricity, 2) a solar thermal system that utilizes the sun’s heat for water heating or space heating. This article focuses on solar electric PV, but realize that solar thermal systems are also extremely cost-effective, particularly if you’re using electricity or propane to heat your water or living space.

www.GreenFireTimes.com

What Size Solar System Should You Have?

There’s no right (or wrong) answer. Choosing the size of a solar PV system depends on the percent of your electricity use you want to generate from solar and/or your ability or desire to pay for the system outright or finance it via a loan. For a single-story home, the area of your roof is likely large enough to satisfy 100 percent of your electricity usage.

Is Your House Good for Solar?

Absolutely! Our solar resource is “world class” throughout Santa Fe County. Solar systems work best on south-facing roofs, though east or west-oriented roofs may be suitable as well. There should be little or no shading from trees, buildings, or chimneys on or close to your home. PV systems are ideal on our area’s many flat roofs. Also, systems can be ground-mounted away from the house.

Financing Your Solar System

If you can afford to simply pay for your solar system, that is likely your best financial option. If you need to finance your system, there are a number of loan options available with good interest rates and long terms. The longer the loan term, the lower your monthly payments. If your household income is less than $104,000 per year, look no further than Homewise, (505.983.9473, www.Homewise.org). Homewise offers 4 percent loans for up to 30 years for solar- and energyefficiency improvements. With those

terms, the monthly reduction to your PNM electric bill will be about the same amount as your loan payment. If you don’t qualify for a Homewise loan, consider an FHA-backed “PowerSaver Loan” with terms as long as 20 years (http://www.egia. org/swmc/). If you’re refinancing Take a solar shower using thermal panels! your existing mortgage or buying tional monthly outlay: just $9! Howan existing home (not a new home), ever, in this example, you’ll receive consider a HUD/FHA “203K” morta $6,000 refund when you do your gage that allows you to make a variety taxes. At no cost, Homewise will alof home improvements (re-roofing, low you to pay down your loan with kitchen and bath remodels, adding the $6,000, reducing the payments to insulation, new energy efficient win$43, for a net monthly cash-positive dows, solar systems) and roll the costs benefit of $20! into the 30-year mortgage. Only certain lenders do 203K loans, so be sure Keep in mind that since your monthto shop around for one that does. ly loan payments are fixed, your net monthly financial benefit increases Also, be aware that some solar enas electricity costs increase over time. ergy companies are currently offering PNM’s electric rates have increased a separate one-year interest-free loan about 40 percent in the past 5 years. for the amount of the 40 percent inPV systems can be expected to genercome tax credits. You just pay it off ate electricity for 25 years or more. once you receive your refunds.

Two Financing Examples

A 3-kilowatt PV system will cost about $15,000 and generate about 450 kilowatt-hours per month, enough to meet 100 percent of the electricity needs for many Santa Fe homes. $6,000 anticipated tax credit amount covered by a 1-year, interest-free loan offer (no monthly payments), $9,000 financed at 6.5 percent for 20 years via a PowerSaver loan. Monthly loan payment: $67. Estimated initial monthly PNM utility bill reduction (including PNM’s 4 ¢/kwh “REC” incentive): $63. Your additional net monthly outlay is just $4! Furthermore, PowerSaver loans act as 2nd mortgages, making the interest payments tax-deductible. Finance the entire $15,000 amount using a 30-year, 4 percent Homewise loan. Monthly loan payment: $72. Net addi-

How Does Solar Help the Environment and Our Local Economy?

Most of the electricity we use in New Mexico is generated by power plants that burn fossil fuels, mainly coal, a significant source of human-caused greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide). The emissions from these power plants contribute to air pollution, public health problems, and global climate disruption. The sun is a clean renewable source of energy that can help us protect our local and global environment and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Rooftop solar generation also creates a dual benefit for our local economy: 1) directly creating local jobs using local solar energy companies, 2) keeping our energy dollars in the community, further stimulating our economy via the “multiplier effect.” i Craig O’Hare is Energy Programs Specialist at Santa Fe County. For more information contact Craig at 505.992.3044, cohare@ santafecountynm.gov or visit www. santafecountynm.gov

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Dumpster Warriors II—Trash Bash at IAIA: Nov. 16 On November 16, the second annual Trash Bash: Recycled Art and Fashion Show, featuring art and clothing created with recycled materials, will take place at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Contemporary hunter-gatherers will utilize resources and supplies from waste or secondhand items. The event’s keynote speaker is Stacy Neff, director of the NM Experimental Glass Workshop. Neff will talk about creative ways to use recycled glass in functional and artistic design.

IAIA’s Student Sustainability Leadership (SSL) group, organizer of Trash Bash, has worked to raise awareness among the student body and the larger community about sustainability issues, including waste reduction and recycling. SSL will conduct a trash audit, where a week’s worth of IAIA’s trash will be displayed in the campus’s center circle. SSL’s Sasha LaPointe says, “It represents visibility. It is important that as a community based in creativity, we reach out to our peers and fellow artists in order to inspire them to open their minds to the possibility of using alternative materials, and to think twice before chucking a bit of clay or canvas to waste. The art show will take place from 5-9 pm. The fashion show will be at 7 pm. Both are in the LSC Auditorium on the IAIA campus. There is a suggested donation of $3. SSL will also screen a documentary related to these themes on November 15th at 7 pm, and has invited the community to participate a post-film discussion.

Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival: Nov. 2-4

The Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival will take place at the SF Community Convention Center on November 2-4. In addition to the Art Market, the event includes a Trash Fashion and Costume Contest, adult and youth juried art displays, and make & take art activities for kids of all ages. The eco-conscious gift market will showcase art and crafts from more than 40 artists. Collages, picture frames, clocks furniture, rugs and jewelry, made from at least 75 percent recycled materials, are some of the items that will be available. Friday’s fashion/costume contest is at 7 pm. Advance tickets ($15-$20), which include art market admission, are available through the Lensic box office: 988.1234 or www.ticketssantafe.org. Admission to the art market on Friday (5-9 pm) is $5 at the door. Kids under 12 are free. Admission is free to all on Saturday (9am-5 pm) and Sunday (10 am-5 pm). For more information, visit www.recyclesantafe.org

Santa Fe Volkshouse Wins 2012 EcoHome Design Award

Mojarrab Stanford Architects was honored last month at the Builder’s Choice Awards in Washington, D.C. by EcoHome, a magazine of the American Institute of Architects. The Santa Fe firm’s VOLKsHouse, the first certified Passive House offered and sold in New Mexico, was awarded a Grand Design Award in the national green-building magazine’s annual design competition. The award highlighted VOLKsHouse for its energy and cost savings and praised it as “a viable example of how production housing might move affordable into the realm of net-zero energy.” The home is one of only about 15 Passive Houses in the US. “The award adds to the growing public understanding of the need for energy-saving homes and their affordability,” said Jonah Stanford, principal of Mojarrab Stanford Architects. Based on the Passive House approach to minimize energy loss and maximize energy gain, VOLKsHouse uses one-tenth the energy required to power a typical single-family home—and that’s before its active technologies, such as thermal hot-water and solar electricity, are factored in to make the home site energy-neutral. VOLKsHouse relies on extra insulation, airtight construction, high-performance windows and doors and a heat recovery/ventilation system that retains the home’s generated energy while constantly exchanging indoor and outdoor air for increased air quality. For more information, visit www.Mo-S-A.com

Green Fire Times • November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

The Local Voice

Entrepreneurship

Social Enterprise Gets Real

Vicki Pozzebon

Social Venture Institute (SVI), produced by Renewal Partners from Vancouver, British Columbia is an annual gathering (now in its 17th year) of all of the above—people who make things a little better in the world through social enterprises, nonprofit work or putting their money where their values in social change are. It is the very intersection of where business and social change lives. Having been in this world and work of social change for many years and being a general do-gooder, it was natural to find myself on a tiny 24-seat plane and then a water taxi to arrive on Cortés Island and be instantly greeted by dozens of my tribe. Put a bunch of these people (144 of them to be exact) into a room and ask them to go deep in discussing their biggest challenges in their work and you get some deep stories that are connected to nearly every single person in the room. No matter how big or small your business is or how green or social it is, there are some common themes that likely connect you to people you didn’t expect. The social entrepreneur’s story is pretty simple, really. It starts with passion, it builds with learning new skills to make things happen (“I’ll sort it out later!” became a mantra for many of us), and it ends with passion. At our core, social entrepreneurs have a deep passion for their work and cause: creating meaningful employment for society’s unemployable populations; sourcing from fair trade co-ops in developing countries to help a local economy; educating people on the value of going green; saving the planet through the installation of solar

www.GreenFireTimes.com

panels on massive buildings in urban centers. Those are passions we cannot deny. My passion is community. And food. I live in a great community that cares deeply about food. I feel “in my place” in New Mexico, and at home in communities with similar passions. What we all share is a deep desire to “figure things out” in order to get things done. I admit it: I don’t have an economic development background. GASP. Instead I have a background in theatre directing and producing where I experimented with social justice issues on stage. Hmm. Maybe that’s how I got here? And some of us come from finance backgrounds but have no marketing skills, but guess what? Some of us become successful marketers because our passions make us great storytellers. And it turns out telling your true story of success and challenges can be your biggest success story to tell! I discovered all of this within me on the open night of SVI, sitting in the audience listening to an entrepreneur’s story that felt like my own. I was struck by all of this, and we were all instantly connected. The next day, sitting in a marketing workshop, it was all confirmed for me with the presentation of the core values of social entrepreneurs: • courage (to tell my story) • passion • commitment • transparency • learning for life And the great brand of successful businesses includes all of the above, too: • authenticity • value • the Story • inspiration • distinction Does being a social entrepreneur intrinsically make you a social enterprise? If your personal passion is deeply infused in your business, it could be your biggest failure or your biggest success. But what the biggest and most successful social business own-

A start-up company giving a 90-second business plan pitch at Social Venture Inst.

ers have done is surround themselves with people who know the things they don’t, after falling down, stumbling over mistakes and figuring things out on their own for years. It seems that getting to the great breakthrough of “I am a passionate and capable person with a great idea I know will change the world but I need help NOW” is a turning point for great success. Here’s what it boils down to: until you get real with yourself about what you know and don’t know, where you’ve failed and where you’ve had success, and what you need to make the big shift, you will stay small, stay stuck, stay stressed. Think about how many people you know who are there right now. Now think about how many of those people could be so much more, do so much more, if only they told their story of what drives them, why they do what they do and what kind of help they need. Social entrepreneurs are working on the hardest of problems from the deepest of their hearts, and traditional business schools of thought often don’t fit for us. When I returned from SVI I found this quote in a Fast Company magazine online article: “Entrepreneurship is all about vulnerability. When you meet the ones who are very successful, their mantra is often fail often and fail fast. Clean up your mess, gather up your learnings, and move forward.” That was immediate validation that what I was thinking and felt in my

hat do you get when you bring together some earthy dogooders, some social entrepreneurs, a group of investors, and some amazing locally grown food in a setting deep in the British Columbia woods on a remote island that requires four forms of transportation to get to? A Social Venture Institute experience like nothing you’ve ever seen.

Tad Hargrave does some sleight-of-hand at the Marketplace of Ideas.

heart was for real. Some of the biggest and best companies are the most transparent, giving employees full access to the inner workings of the business, getting real, getting vulnerable in order to ensure deep social impact. It is these social entrepreneurs hanging out at the intersection of business and social change that I want to hang out with. How about you? For information on Social Venture Institute: http://www.renewalpartners.com/collaborations/conferences/ social-venture-institute To read the full Fast Company Article: http://www.fastcompany.com/3001319/ why-doing-awesome-work-meansmaking-yourself-vulnerable i Vicki Pozzebon is the owner/ principal of Prospera Partners, a consulting group practicing bold localism. Visit www. prosperapartners. org.

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Please consider placing an ad in this publication and supporting our work for a greener world. Call Skip Whitson at 505.471.5177 or Anna Hansen at 505.982.0155 28

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

“But This One Goes to 11” Scaling Your Social Venture

by Author Paul N. Bloom

Book Profile by Drew Tulchin and Sean Dehan WESST, ACCION-NM, MoGro (the mobile grocery) and many others.

“Just like an athlete must have his or her body fit and healthy to attempt a new challenge, a social entrepreneur must have a sound and healthy program or idea that is poised to be rolled out, not something that is shaky or untested.”1 Chances are you know, are a customer of, or have a friend who works for a social enterprise in New Mexico, but had never (until now) considered this term. “Social Enterprise” denotes the use of market or commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environment well-being rather than maximizing profits for external shareholders. Perhaps most importantly, these organizations truly integrate themselves with their clients and the community, as their service or product is much more than just a transaction. Social enterprises take all types of forms— for-profits to charity organizations. They make impact important and generate revenue outside of the traditional nonprofit revenue model, donations or grants. New Mexico, which often has a downtrodden self-image (i.e. “Thank goodness for Mississippi” in terms of rankings) has leading social enterprises. They are integral parts of our community in economics, environmentalism and humanitarianism. We have national examples like Goodwill, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity. We also have local efforts, including Southwest Creations Collaborative,

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Most social entrepreneurs are in the business to make a difference and create change. They are “provocative.” But just setting out to “do good” isn’t always enough to change the world, or even ensure measurable impact. Some organizations appear destined, like in the movie This is Spinal Tap, where the rocker Nigel’s Marshall amplifier “goes to 11.” Most entities, however, don’t grow overnight like Tom’s Shoes or Habitat for Humanity. 2 Instead they must determine whether their organization is capable of “pumping up the volume” to scale impact. In the book Scaling Your Social Venture, author Paul N. Bloom addresses key points of what figures into such pivotal decision making. The book includes valuable examples of models scaling success and a general blueprint for social entrepreneurs, nonprofit executives, program managers, and all people interested in narrowing the socioeconomic gap.

In this book, Bloom goes to great lengths to reiterate that scaling is extremely difficult, no matter how “buzzy” a word it is. He outlines a rigorous, although general, methodology to assess an organization’s capacity for scaling. In true professorial fashion, he details an acronym—SCALERS, which stands for: Staffing, Communicating, Alliance-building, Lobbying, Earnings-generation, Replicating and Simulating Market Forces. These seven terms are the internal levers that make an organization tick. These comprehensive levers constitute how your organization accomplishes its theory of change. For example, Teach for America is an organization that relies on staffing as a major lever for effective scaling. Bloom notes that no single lever is sufficient to cross the proverbial finish line. Rather, he says that an organization will more likely resemble the soundboard at a rock concert. Concentrating on a specific lever results in producing a different “sound.” An internal and external

organizational “sound check,” driven by data, market analysis and other empirical evidence coupled with Bloom’s proposed assessment, is the recommended first and most important step in determining organizational capability to “go to 11.” Scaling Your Social Venture is a book all social entrepreneurs—aspiring, active, and the like—should read and utilize, particularly for growing institutions. And, it is valuable for anyone in the impact field: program manager, nonprofit executive, board member or educator. Bloom’s book becomes a journey of organizational selfassessment beneficial for most. i Drew Tulchin is Managing Partner of Social Enterprise Associates, a boutique consulting firm helping businesses, NGOs, government and foundations achieve financial performance, social impact and environmental sustainability. Sean Dehan is an analyst with Social Enterprise Associates. (www. socialenterprise.net) Scaling Your Social Venture, pgs. 1, 61, 76, 92, 130, 145-146, 165.

The author has quality credentials on this topic. He is an adjunct professor with the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where he previously served as faculty director. Dr. Bloom is an accomplished author of more than 100 books, papers and articles. He has served as a board member for several social enterprises and nonprofit organizations. He holds a Ph.D. in marketing from Kellogg School at Northwestern University and an MBA from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

COMMERCIAL APPRAISALS in 7 DAYS!

If we do your appraisal and environmental report on the same property, you will receive a 30% discount on your phase 1 environmental fee!

YES! We have Gardenburgers and vegetarian items!

Bbar inc. 800-379-8048 ext 101 www.benboothe.com

2885 Trades West Road (off Siler) Santa Fe, NM 87505

910

Consider placing an ad in this award-winning publication. Call Skip Whitson (505.471.5177) or Anna Hansen (505.982.0155) 30

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

can combust in the engine. I have often thought that passive solar energy could be used to heat up the vegetable oil for combustion in a diesel engine. There is a 13-horsepower tiller at Red Willow Farms at Taos Pueblo that runs on vegetable oil or biodiesel, so there is at least one place this model is already somewhat in operation. I have heard that an acre of sunflowers can yield 100 gallons of sunflower oil. All that is needed is some kind of oil press that is something like a small corn grinder with a candle under it. The nice thing about using sunflower or other oils for fuel is that they could be used for cooking first, then saved and filtered for use as a fuel. If we were to look at other uses for the biomass of sunflower, such as growing mushrooms from it, then we can have pearl oyster mushrooms sautéed in sunflower oil, for example, while we save the remaining oil for fuel needs. The question then is how much oil is needed to till how much land, and how much tillage is even necessary. Another potential source of “free” oil is to press the oil out of the garlic

www.GreenFireTimes.com

seed in the mature scape. In this way we can have both garlic and garlic oil, while only minimally affecting our ability to harvest garlic or her scapes. With thoughts of optimization of diversity and its potential uses, we find many opportunities in agriculture that could support an innovative energy economy. This economy could be decentralized in a way that allows farmers and collaborators to innovate and work together to take care of our basic energy needs. This kind of economy will necessarily be defined by conservation, as there will likely not be enough energy to habitually leave on lights and appliances that are not in

use. As we are currently being challenged to understand the limits of our activities that require energy, the good news is that there are vast incidental sources of energy in a diverse agricultural landscape. Since one of the tenets of Permaculture states “the yield of a system is infinite,” we need to get started in managing the diversity of our landscapes towards maximum optimization. If we start thinking of all the potential uses of living things under our care besides just the yields, we will find that our imagination and concept of priorities are the main limiting factors to our success in developing a sustainable energy economy. i

Sustainable Agriculture

Energy of Agriculture continued from page 16

Miguel Santistévan is executive director of the nonprof it Agriculture Implementation Research & Education. Email: solfelizfarm@ gmail.com, www.solfelizfarm.org

yvonne bond transcription services experienced – literate – reliable – affordable specializing in interviews, documentaries, oral history Recommended by Jack Loeffler and William deBuys

505-454-8831

ybond@desertgate.com

960-C Highway 550 Bernalillo, NM 87004

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Elektrik. Eccentric. Eclectic. An eclectic mix of informative and entertaining programs await you on KUNM – your passport to the worlds of news, music, community and culture. Publicly supported. Publicly responsive. KUNM is an essential part of New Mexico’s day. KUNM 89.9FM | STREAMING LIVE 24/7 AT KUNM.ORG

Green Fire Times • November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Perspectives

Future Memory… Revival of the Common Sense

n taking the liberty to stargaze into a future that currently poses more question marks than knowable answers regarding the well-being of Planet Earth and its countless inhabitants, a satisfying sensation is aroused when aligning with the potential that doomsday, as a prediction of our demise, is merely a fear-based program easily replaced with an uplifting picture of human and planetary evolution. Given exploding population, the thrust of countless undeveloped countries longing to acquire the materialistic benchmarks of Western society, the maddening pace of resource exploitation and the accompanying greed at the cost of the environment, the future does appear incapable of sustaining such runaway demand. So rather than perpetuating thoughts of uncertainty, or accepting the sensation that time may be running out for an expanding, unsustainable human lifestyle, let’s shift toward a more uplifting perspective. Humanity possesses the ability to rise above, and with a growing capacity to evolve a grander philosophy of unity awareness, which encompasses a true understanding of our interconnectedness with all of life, a shift toward cooperation, peace and harmony may very well define our future.

mans and the environment, has been replaced with the triple bottom line. Having gained the understanding that we must consider any and all repercussions of our actions… corporations, governments and individuals now live by the mantra that all actions are considerate of its impact on people and the Earth, as well as the obvious need to generate financial gain. This is the only approach that really makes sense. The runaway money grab of the previous decades, whereby the extraction of fossil fuels at maximum profit—and driven by exploitation of everything other than the single bottom line— has been replaced by clean, renewable technologies that produce unlimited sources of energy that adhere to the accepted understanding of our ultimate goal… the well-being and benefit of all. Proper food production, water conservation and shelter are now considered based on the long haul, instead of merely the immediate, shortterm needs. War and exploitation have been exposed as the inhuman and primitive blunders that they are, while peace, harmony and cooperation are now the dominant themes. These accomplishments have been achieved as a result of the resiliency of the human spirit, the expanded perception that

power does reside in the hands of the people, and the acquired knowledge that we are each other’s, as well as the planet’s, keeper. By maintaining the awareness that this envisioned future is not merely a fantasy, glorified projections of the unobtainable or an ill-advised exercise in futility, we see the actual outcomes as a direct result of our deepest knowing. This conscious perspective connects with our capacity to hold the vision, while we fashion the corresponding beliefs that align with that future we intend to manifest. A quote that often comes to mind when the challenges of life tip the scales of that inner knowing, prompting the need for an energetic shift to a positive flowing of thoughts and feelings… “Attitude isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” Meaning that our capacity to generate solutions and desirable outcomes is in direct correlation to our ability to flow an upbeat perspective and demonstrate our ability to believe in and hold a positive vision for our world. In this regard the power of numbers is not to be underestimated. As more of humanity gains the insight and knowledge that each individual pos-

sesses the power and ability to generate reality based on conscious and focused participation, the fear-based, lower vibrational tone of current mass thinking will be transmuted into an amplified force field that generates the desired future we wish to create. So, let’s parlay this remembrance of our latent capacity to join in unity, bringing forth our collective might in a focused mission for the Earth and its inhabitants. How about we join in the knowingness of our individual and collective capacity for positive change? We can then look back as the future unfolds and remember how the revival of the common sense came to pass. i Faren Dancer is an award-winning designer, builder, educator and activist. His UNICOPIA GREEN RADIO show, each Saturday on KTRC (1260AM), is simulcast at santafe. com. The archived shows are available at www.unicopia. org. Email: Faren@ unicopia.org

With humankind’s God-given capacity to create reality in direct correlation to our thoughts and accompanying feelings, let’s take this opportunity to visualize a future that fulfills the need for sustainability while also describing the fulfillment of our human potential. This future somehow avoids the predicted pitfalls and consequences of our current unsustainable pattern and highlights the possibilities based on a grander awakening. What a relief to be living in a world where consciousnesses of our rightful place as caretaker of the Earth and its ecology now dominates the thinking and actions of people everywhere. The bottom-line approach to most human motivation, previously defined by the unrelenting quest for profits at the expense of hu-

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Clean Energy continued from page 5 Myth: The clean energy sector is to blame for the shutdown of coal plants

False. More than any other factor, cheap natural gas is to blame for the significant reduction in the demand for coal. Moreover, utilities across the US are recognizing that construction of large new coal-fired power plants is a high-risk and expensive investment. A recent study by former Colorado Public Utility Commissioner Ron Binz and CERES ranked every energy source in terms of various risk factors (construction cost, fuel and operation cost, new regulation, water constraints, carbon price, capital shock and planning risk), and coal ranks as the second most risky new investment after nuclear. Once the silly season passes, I hope our state can get back to serious discussions about how best to rebuild our economy. With the only shrinking economy in the West, we need to recognize that we can create new jobs by aggressively pursuing clean technologies like smart grid and biofuels by building our solar and wind generation and by exporting our renewable energy resources across America. i Allan Oliver is CEO of the NM Green Chamber of Commerce. He served as the NM Economic Development Department’s Secretary, overseeing the Office of International Trade, the Office of Science and Technology, and was also Gov. Richardson’s deputy communications director and policy advisor. www.nmgreenchamber.com

Concerns About our Water continued from page 7 Notes:

1 Water Consciousness, ed. Tara Lohan, AlterNet Books, 2008. 2 Blue Planet Run, The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World, Earth Aware Editions/Against All Odds Productions, 2007. A book of resources, solutions and inspiration with amazing photography. 3 http://nnsa.energy.gov/aboutus/ouroperations/generalcounsel/nepaoverview/nepa/ spdsupplementaleis 4 Buckman wells and Direct Diversion Project provide drinking water for 80,000 people. See also: Costs, conflicts hinder Buckman water delivery: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/091412buckman. Included in this list are Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Cadmium, Uranium, Radium and Nitrates. Household chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs and birth control pills etc are also present. Also see Environmental Working Group report: http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/whatsinyourwater/NM/City-of-SantaFE-Water-System/3505126/

Resources and Recommended Reading:

Water Awareness, ed. Tara Lohan, AlterNet Books, 2008. This compilation of 15 articles by leading authors, including Miguel Santistévan and Paula García of New Mexico, with foreword by Bill McKibben, is a veritable treasure trove of resources on water issues and suggested solutions and includes a water footprint calculator. Many of the facts cited in this article are derived from this book. Blue Planet Run, The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World, Earth Aware Editions/Against All Odds Productions, 2007. Another book of resources, solutions and inspiration with amazing photography. What’s the big Deal About Water, Tonita d’Raye, (revised) 2001, Awieca Publishing Inc. A Quick Read Health Book with lots of good information that covers a lot in 24 pages National Geographic, “Water, Our Thirsty World.” A special issue, April 2010 A very comprehensive treatment on water issues with excellent photography. Be The Change, How To Get What You Want In Your Community, Thomas Linzey with Anneke Campbell, Gibbs Smith, 2009. Resources on Democracy School and water activism. Light of New Mexico newspaper“Who Controls Your Water?,” Vol. 1, no.1, Sept. 15-Oct 14, 2011, http://www.TheLightofNewMexico.com

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

JAIN STUDY CIRCULAR THE JAIN STUDY CIRCULAR HAS BEEN POSTED AT WWW.JAINSTUDY.ORG.

Please go our website and study the articles presented in the new issue. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ November 2012

www.GreenFireTimes.com

NEWSBITEs Map Monitors Emissions Down to the Building Level

Policymakers have a new useful environmental engineering tool to help reduce carbon emissions. High-resolution software developed by Arizona State University allows researchers to map carbon emissions at a by-the-building level. The US is the largest producer of carbon emissions in the world. According to the World Bank, in 2008 the US produced almost 5.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, nearly one-quarter of the global total. Since 2008, however, carbon emissions in the US have fallen to the lowest point in 20 years. This may be attributed to the economic slump following the financial crisis but may also be because of the increasing emphasis on reducing the country’s environmental impact. Although the country has made progress, it remains a major polluter. The research team at ASU believes the problem can be attributed to an inability to pinpoint the biggest sources of emissions in a clear and understandable manner. To address this, they developed a program that incorporates huge amounts of emissions data from local air pollution reports and businesses around a city and combines this with projections of emissions from buildings and daily road traffic. So far, scientists have applied this new tool to the city of Indianapolis, and work is ongoing for Los Angeles and Phoenix. They hope to ultimately map the CO2 emissions in all major cities across the US. The project is part of a larger effort that combines information about emissions with ground- and satellite-based measurements of atmospheric CO2. In December, NASA will launch the Orbital Carbon Observatory satellite. Independently verified emissions mapping may provide more direct cost-effective data for legislators to act upon and could help overcome current barriers to the US joining the Kyoto Protocols, an international climate-change treaty.

City of Santa Fe Selected to Join Western Adaptation Alliance

Officials Attend National Academy on Climate Change Adaptation

Last month at the Urban Sustainability Directors Network annual meeting, Santa Fe became the newest inducted member of the Western Adaptation Alliance (WAA), a network of cities in the Front Range, Intermountain and Desert Southwest developed to collaborate on climate adaptation strategies. Shortly after the induction, a team of Santa Fe city and county representatives attended the Climate Leadership Academy on Adaptation and Resilience in Portland, Ore. The academy was hosted by the Institute for Sustainable Communities, an organization that arranges issue-specific training for community leaders. The team consisted of Mayor David Coss, City Councilor Carmichael Dominguez, County Commissioner Kathy Holian, Environmental Services Director Cindy Padilla and Sustainable Santa Fe Programs Manager Katherine Mortimer. “The heat, fires and drought Santa Feans have been experiencing this decade help us all focus on the need for communities and individuals to make sure we are responsive to climate change,” said Mayor Coss. Santa Fe, one of 12 cities selected to attend the conference, was the only city to have elected officials among its representation. Mayor Coss, Councilor Dominguez and Commissioner Holian participated in a panel discussion on how to approach officials with a diverse set of priorities about the effects of climate change. Conference participants also discussed creating a resiliency plan. Because climate change affects the type, severity and frequency of natural events, it can be addressed in a similar manner to emergency-preparedness planning, using projections of those future events. The Santa Fe team returned with several commitments to action. These include developing a city-county preparation strategy guided by projections of likely area climate changes, working with the WAA to coordinate and leverage the resources of the larger region to be better prepared for the effects of climate change and to develop an outreach plan to keep citizens informed of climate-change mitigation and preparation strategies.

“Lucky Corridor” Project Approved

After five years of work towards approval, a planned $350-million 93-mile, 1,100-megawatt transmission line in northern New Mexico has received the goahead from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to start negotiating with customers, including wind farms, solar farms and gas-fired electrical plants. The “Lucky Corridor” intends to connect to PNM’s major transmission line in Española, and will charge a service fee for carrying the power.

www.GreenFireTimes.com

A consortium of farmers and ranchers in northern NM provided the startup financing for the project. Some of the ranchers will allow the line to pass through their land; others expect to build their own solar or wind farms. Contractors are currently working out a number of legal and permitting issues. Construction could start in late 2014.

Federal Solar Plan for the West Approved

Last month Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced approval of a plan that sets aside 285,000 acres of public land for the development of utility-scale solar power plants in six western states, including New Mexico. The government’s 17 “solar energy zones” are intended to discourage land speculation, reduce permitting costs and speed up the approval process for renewable energy development. Most of the zones are in Southern California, are close to transmission lines, and have “relatively low conflict with biological, cultural and historic resources.” The plan excludes 79 million acres of federal land as inappropriate for development and another 19 million acres as “variance” areas to be decided on a case-by-case basis. The Obama administration has authorized 18 large-scale solar projects on federal land, as well as seven wind farms and eight geothermal plants. They are projected to provide power for more than 3.5 million homes.

Senior Cohousing Community Launches Plan for Solar Powered Electric Car Sharing Sand River Cohousing, a 28-unit, low-to-moderate income, 55+ community off Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, is intent on reducing its carbon footprint. As the community is green-built, its home energy use is very low. Some residents have installed gridtied solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on their roofs to further reduce and offset their carbon output. But, they wondered, what more could they do?

After heating and cooling of buildings, the next highest carbon output is from transportation. For the Sand River residents, that means cars. So, Sand River (formerly called ElderGrace) developed a plan to eventually reduce its community’s driving footprint. On October 18, with Sen. Jeff Bingaman in attendance, Sand River held a ribboncutting to celebrate the completion of the first stage of its innovative plan to drive electric vehicles (EVs) offset by solar electricity generated on-site. With the help of solar proponent Dan Baker and a third-party investor group who will receive tax breaks and renewable energy credits from PNM, Sand River installed a 5.52 kW gridtied PV system from Positive Energy. The electricity produced will power the community’s Common House and provide enough electricity to power three or four EVs. The second step of this plan includes putting in place organizational structures involved in group ownership of cars and developing the practice of car sharing. Sand River registered an LLC so that a small fleet will be jointly owned by a group of residents. Some of the cars will be gas-powered (including hybrids) for longer trips; some will be all-electric for trips around town. How can people get over their dependence on “my personal car?” The idea of car sharing is a definite challenge for older individuals, but the community is experimenting with ‘virtual’ car sharing and working out projected schedules of use. The third step will be to acquire the cars. As a group of individuals, many with fixed incomes, they cannot simply buy three or four EVs. However, they are working on the idea that someone (an EV manufacturer or dealer, a foundation interested in showing how carbon footprints can be reduced without disrupting lives, or even some individual with money to spare) will help them out. When the plan is fully implemented, the community expects to be able to provide a powerful teaching tool for other communities that wish to move towards a more sustainable way of life. For more information, contact: Pauline Sargent: 505.467.8274 or paulinesargent3@gmail.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

What's Going On! Events / Announcements

Jones. RSVP and info: 505.277.0111, http:// iseslab.unm.edu/bert_presentation.html

Nov. 14, 5-7 pm Southwest Grassfed Alliance Embassy Suites Hotel

ALBUQUERQUE

Through Feb. 2013 100 Years of State & Federal Policy: Its Impact on Pueblo Nations Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 2401 12th St. NW

Exhibition reflects on the human experience behind enacted policies and laws, adding to a well-documented history of Pueblo resilience since the time of Emergence. Indianpueblo.org/100years

Nov. and Dec. Retrofitting for Energy Efficiency Classes UNM Continuing Ed. Div. 1615 University Blvd. NE

Daytime and evening courses cover building analysis, resources, measuring costs, savings and how to write a retrofit plan. $99-$149. Some scholarships available. For schedule, email jkare@unm.edu or 505.842.1462.

Nov. 4, 1-4 pm Citizens Climate Lobby Training The Source Albuquerque 3538 Anderson Ave. SE

With CCL Exec. Dir. Mark Reynolds. RSVP: 505.570.7586, maria@myearthprints.com, www.CitizensClimateLobby.org

Nov. 4, 2-6 pm Muertos y Marigold Parade Bernalillo Sheriff’s Sub Station, Centro Familiar and Isleta SW South Valley community Día de los Muertos commemoration. 505.363.1326, muertosmarigolds.org

Nov. 7 11:30 am-1 pm USGBC Luncheon: New Urbanism Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 2401 12th St. NW

Presenter Rob Dickson, with a visual comparison, will show why urbanism is more important than architecture to the green building movement. Open to the public. $18-$35. Info: 505.821.6259. Registration: www.usgbcnm.org

Nov. 8, 6-9 pm Treehugger’s Bash Grove Café & Market, 600 Central Ave.

6th annual fundraiser for WildEarth Guardians. Gourmet food, silent auction. Learn what Guardians and partners are doing to put an end to trapping on public lands. $35. Info: aespinoza@wildearthguardians.org or 505.988.9126, ext. 0.

Nov. 9, 8 am-10 am How to Achieve Building Efficiency UNM Mechanical Engineering Bldg., Rm. 218

Presentations by Kevin Yearout of Yearout Mechanical, Assoc. UNM Professor Andrea Mammoli, Assoc. Dir. for Engineering & Energy Services Bob Notary, P.E., and UNM Mechanical Engineering Research Asst. Birk

Annual meeting, dinner and auction. Guest speaker: Holistic Management pioneer Allan Savory. Registration required. $25. Info: 970.390.5597, info@grassfedlivestock.org

Nov. 14-16 11th Annual Quivira Coalition Conference Embassy Suites Hotel

“How to Feed 9 Billion People from the Ground Up: Soil, Seeds, Water, Plants, Livestock, Forests, Organics and People.” This conference will explore innovative practices that are successfully intensifying food production while preserving, maintaining and restoring the natural world. Register online at www.quiviracoalition.org or call 505.820.2544.

Nov. 15, 6:30-8 pm New Agrarian Career Connection Embassy Suites Hotel – Sierra Room

Interested in a career in sustainable agriculture? This informal gathering will connect aspiring agrarians with established ranchers, farmers and land management professional to discuss internship or apprenticeship opportunities, explore potential partnerships, learn about land transfer programs, network and more. Bring your résumé. Free. For info, call 505.820.2544, ext. 5. www.quiviracoalition.org

Nov. 30, 9:30 am-3:30 pm Health Care Reform Convening Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 2401 12th St. NW

Open to nonprofits, govt. agencies and businesses. An opportunity to learn about the current status of healthcare reform and a forum for networking, info sharing and discussion on needs and gaps in healthcare reform implementation in NM. Free. Hosted by Con Alma Health Foundation: www.conalma.org

Dec. 5, 5:30-8 pm Green Tie Party Location: TBD

US Green Building Council-NM annual event brings together chapter members and others for socializing, networking and recognition of the year’s accomplishments. $15$20. Open to the public. 505.277.0474

Dec. 8, 9 am-4 pm NM Pueblo Fiber Arts Guild Show & Sale Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 2401 12th St. NW

Celebrate the revival of Pueblo textiles. Meet Louie Garcia, his students and other Pueblo fiber artists. Demonstrations of weaving, embroidery, spinning, basketry and more. Info: 505.363.1294 or 4akatl@gmail.com

Dec. 9, noon NMSEA 40th Anniversary Celebration So. B’way Cultural Center 1025 B’way Blvd. SE

The NM Solar Energy Association’s new television series Renewable NM will be premiered. Reservations: info@nmsea.org or 505.246.0400, www.nmsea.org

Green Fire Times • November 2012

Daily Degrees of Change: NM’s Climate Forecast NM Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Rd. NW

With a focus on NM and the SW, this exhibit reveals current and predicted impacts on humans, landscapes and ecosystems. Tickets: $7, $6, $4. Info: 505.841.2800, www.nmnaturalhistory.org

Southwest Barter Club

Healthcare using Barter Bucks instead of cash or insurance. Access to acupuncture, chiropractic, eye care, fitness and more. 505.715.2889, www.southwestbarterclub.com

Beneficial Farms CSA

Weekly distribution at La Montañita Co-op Warehouse, 3361 Columbia Dr. NE. This CSA works with up to 40 regional farms each year, and offers abundant, affordable shares of fresh fruit and vegetables and other local and regionally produced foods year round. All produce is grown with sustainable chemical-free methods.

SANTA FE

Nov. 2, 5-10 pm Day of the Dead Lucky Bean, Sanbusco Center

Nov. 5, 6 pm Native Americans & Forests Hotel Santa Fe

Dr. Richard I. Ford, ethnobotanist, archeologist, professor emeritus Ford will lecture on Indigenous Management of Trees in northern NM. $12. Presented by SW Seminars. 505.466.2777, southwestseminars@ aol.com,SouthwestSeminars.org

Nov. 7, 4-6 pm; Nov. 30, 8:3010:30 am Steps to Starting a Small Business SF Community College

Overview of necessary steps to take in planning your business. $15. 505.428.1343, julianne.gutierrezor@sfcc.edu

Nov. 7, 5-7 pm Santa Fe Water Awareness Group Lucky Bean Café, Sanbusco Center

Meeting to discuss manifesting a vision of clean water for all. Info: 575.770.1228, www. WaterAwarenessGroup.wordpress.com

Nov. 7 David Suzuki with Clayton Thomas-Muller Lensic Performing Arts Center

Procession, gathering (5 pm), shrine to women, music, vendors and more until 10 pm. 505.988.9244

Lannan Literary Event. Scientist Suzuki speaks on climate change with indigenous rights activist Thomas-Muller. $3., $6. Tickets: 505.988.1234, www.ticketssantafe.org

Nov. 2-4 Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival SF Community Convention Center 201 W. Marcy

Nov. 8-10 Wordharvest: 2012 Tony Hillerman Writers Conference Hotel Santa Fe

Nov. 3 TEDx AcequiaMadre The Screen, SFUAD

Nov. 9, 7-9 pm How to Create a Local Food System SF Comm. College Jemez Room

14th annual event includes Trash Fashion & Costume Contest (Fri., 7 pm – tickets $15$20: 505.988.1234, ticketssantafe.org), juried adult & kids, art exhibit, kids make & take recycled art activities, and art market for eco-gifts (Fri. 5 pm-9 pm - $5.), Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-5: free). www.recyclesantafe.org

Highlighting innovation in technology, entertainment and design, featuring local speakers. Intended to engage northern New Mexicans in a dynamic dialogue to serve as a catalyst for community mobilizing around ideas worth sharing and building upon. This event is soldout! www.tedxacequiamadre.com

Nov. 3, 2 pm Thomas E. Chavez Booksigning History Museum Auditorium

Historian Chavez signs copies of his new book A Moment in Time: The Odyssey of NM’s Segesser Hide Paintings, an anthology that includes 14 articles by prominent scholars. Free with museum admission. 505.476.5200

Nov. 4, 1 pm, 3:30 pm; Nov. 7, 11 am Canes of Power Museum of Indian Arts & Culture

Film narrated by Wes Studi tells the story of President Lincoln’s gift of engraved canes to each of NM’s Pueblos, symbolizing the recognition of tribal sovereignty. 11/4 1 pm screening followed by panel discussion. Free. Info: 505.476.1250

Annual event. Faculty members include historian Thomas E. Chavez, Western Writers of America award-winner John D. Boggs, NM author Steve Brewer, film director Chris Eyre. For schedule and registration, visit www.wordharvest.com

Lecture by renowned farmer/author Joel Salatin and Tom Delehanty of Pollo Real. $10. Info: 505.819.3828, www.carboneconomyseries.com

Nov. 10, 9 am-3 pm Needlework Art Market El Museo Cultural

Colcha, embroidery, quilting, crochet, knitting, rug hooking, cross stitch and needlepoint. 505.471.0575

Nov. 10, 9:30 am-4:30 pm Joel Salatin Workshop SF Comm. College Jemez Room

“Ballet in the Pasture” Salatin will explain how his family is regenerating soil with natural system-based agriculture, feeding 5,000 families while generating over $2 million of revenue. Registration $200: 505.819.3828, www.carboneconomyseries.com

Nov. 11, 9:30 am-4:30 pm Pasture Poultry Workshop SF Comm. College Jemez Room

Tom Delehanty of Pollo Real will discuss raising pasture-fed animals in the SW, and how to create aggregate value and become more resilient as a small business. $100. 505.819.3828, www.carboneconomyseries.com

www.GreenFireTimes.com

Nov. 11, 11 am The Future of Occupy Collected Works Bookstore

A panel of 5 from OccupySantaFe talks with KSFR radio host David Bacon. www.journeysantafe.com

Nov. 13 Evening of Exploration Academy for the Love of Learning Seton Village

Inviting new insight with Patty Lee and Lisa Faithorn. What can we discover anew when we remember the teachers who enlivened us? RSVP: programs@aloveoflearning.org or 505.995.1860, www.aloveoflearning.org

Nov. 14, 5-7 PM Business Recycling Recognition Celebration Location: TBA

Presented by the SF Green Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the NM Recycling Coalition and the Partnership for Responsible Business. http://nmgreenchamber.com

Nov. 15, 9 am-3 pm America Recycles Day Resource Fair Santa Fe Community College

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Environmentallyand socially-minded organizations will be on hand. 505.428.1884

Nov. 15, 6-8 pm Future SF November MIX SF Community Foundation Hub 501 Halona St.

Future Santa Fe networking event. Info: 505.988.9715, ext. 7005

Nov. 15, 6:30 pm Embracing Autumn: A SF Harvest Celebration Il Piatto, 95 W. Marcy

Dinner and Holiday Auction. $35. Benefits Slow Food Santa Fe. 505.984.1091, Reservations: http://embracingautumn.eventbrite. com/

Nov. 16, 5-9 pm Dumpster Warriors Trash Bash and Fashion Show IAIA Campus, LSC Auditorium

“Redefining Hunter Gatherers” 5 pm: Recycled Art Show, 7 pm: Recycled Fashion Show; $3 suggested donation. See story, page 26

Nov. 19, 6 pm Ancient Astronomy of the Southwest Hotel Santa Fe

Southwest Seminars lecture by archeoastronomer Dr. John L. Ninneman. $12. 505.466.2777, southwestseminars@aol.com, SouthwestSeminars.org

Nov. 23-25 Circus Luminous Lensic Performing Arts Center

Circus-arts troupe Wise Fool NM’s 10th annual Thanksgiving show. 7 pm Fri., 2 and 7 pm Sat., 4 pm Sun. $10.-$30. Discounts available. 505.988.1234, ticketssantafe.org

Nov. 25, 11 am A Conversation with Faren Dancer Collected Works Bookstore

Unicopia Radio host Dancer is Chair of the Santa Fe Green Building Council and past president of the SF Area Home Builders Assn. www.journeysantafe.com

Nov. 26, 6 pm Grand Canyon: How Glen Canyon Dam Changed Habitat Hotel Santa Fe

Southwest Seminars lecture by researcher, river guide Dr. Bryan Brown. $12, 505.466.2777, southwestseminars@aol.com, SouthwestSeminars.org

Dec. 1, 10 am- 2 pm St. Nicholas Bazaar Parish hall of Holy Faith Episcopal Church, 311 E. Palace Handmade gift items, ornaments, kitchen décor, homemade food. Free. (Sale preview 11/30, 4:30-6:30 pm. $10.) Faithway St. entrance. Info: 914.471.2297

Dec. 3, 6 pm Fire in the Jemez Province Hotel Santa Fe

Southwest Seminars lecture by Mike Bremer, forest archeologist. $12. 505.466.2777, southwestseminars@aol.com, SouthwestSeminars.org

Dec. 6-7, 8 am-4:30 pm Neighborhood Law & Policy Conference SF Community Convention Center

Featured presenters: Sen. Peter Wirth and SFPC Superintendent Joel Boyd. Tuition: $300 by 11/16, $325 after. Breakfast and lunch included. Co-sponsored by the city of SF and the SF Neighborhood Law Center. www.santafenn.com/law-center-home

Dec. 10, 6 pm Evolution of Life and Land in 365 Days: A Geologic Year

SW Seminars lecture by vulcanologist, field geologist, expedition leader Dr. Kirt Kempter. $12. 505.466.2777, southwestseminars@ aol.com, SouthwestSeminars.org

Dec. 15, 7 pm Sacred Music, Sacred Dance James A. Little Theater NM School for the Deaf

Performance by the Drepung Loseling Monks of Tibet. $20. Adv. tickets: Ark Books (133 Romero St., 988.3699), Project Tibet (403 Canyon Rd., 982.3002) and at the door.

Sundays, 10 am-4 pm Railyard Artisan Market Farmers’ Market Pavilion 1607 Paseo de Peralta

Live music, food and over 30 artists. www. artmarketsantafe.com

Saturdays, Approx. 2 pm Meet Your Farmer Joe’s Dining, Rodeo & Zia

A lunch experience. An opportunity to ask questions about farming, enjoy a local meal and meet farmers who grow NM foods. Vendors from the farmers’ market have an aftermarket lunch and meet the community. Info: Sheila@joesdining.com

Saturdays, 4 pm Unicopia Green Radio KTRC - 1260 am

A weekly show with Faren Dancer. Our culture is requiring a major shift in how we relate to the Earth. Our fossil fuel-based economy is poised for transition to a renewable future. Each show explores the issues, politics, science, and the evolution of consciousness impacting the balancing of life on our planet.

Santa Fe Creative Tourism Workshops, Classes and Experiences

Designing Your Well-Lived Future Workshops

Are you a single, working parent or retiring Boomer looking for community and a simpler, walkable lifestyle? Join a series of planning/ design sessions aimed at developing floor plans, shared amenities and cluster possibilities where residents get more from sustainable designs. Tour a cohousing community and develop ideas of alternatives to current suburban choices. For more info, contact Brian Skeele: 505.310.1797, brianvida@nm.net or visit www. sustainablesantafe.com

7th Edition of “Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area”

Features 56 destinations, new reconfigured hikes with maps and photos, safety tips, resource guide. Available in local bookstores.

Save A Ton Recycling Campaign

The city of Santa Fe and the SF New Mexican have launched a campaign to double recycling in Santa Fe in one year. Santa Feans score way below state and national averages. For a city with its own recycling facility that envisions becoming a Zero Waste community, we can do better! Find info on the Save A Ton campaign at www.sfnewmexican.com and click on Green Line or on Facebook. 505.955.2209

HERE & THERE

Nov. 16 Application Deadline No. Río Grande National Heritage Area Grant Funding

Eligibility: Tribal and local governments and other local and private entities working to conserve cultural, historical, archeological and natural resources in Río Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos counties. Info or application package: riograndeoffice@windstream.net, 505.753.0937, www.riograndenha.org

Nov. 3-4, 9 am-5pm Dixon Studio Tour

Art & Craft. Meet the artists and see examples of their work at the Collected Works Show: Nov. 2, 5:30-7:30 pm at the Toolshed (1/2 mile from the hwy. 68/75 intersection). 505.579.4671, www.dixonarts.org

Nov. 9-11 Move to Amend Southwest Denver, Colorado

End corporate rule. Legalize democracy. Regional gathering of activists and supporters. Carpools available. 707.269.0984, alanna@ movetoamend.org, https://movetoamend. org/events/denver-co-move-amend-southwest-regional-convergence

Nov. 10, 2 pm Rooted Lands-Tierras Arraigadas Screening Mora County Commission, Mora, NM

Documentary screening as part of the oil & gas work session by the Mora County Commissioners. Preview: http://vimeo. com/47455957, www.drillingmoracounty. blogspot.com

Nov. 10 Deadline NM Agritourism Survey

Help establish agritourism opportunities in our region to help grow agriculture, increase opportunities for local food entrepreneurs and keep traditions alive. http://www. surveymonkey.com/s/NMAgritourism. MidRegion Council of Governments Agriculture Collaborative: 505.724.3619, localfoodnm@ mrcog-nm.gov, http://wwlocalfoodnm.org

Nov. 14, 6-8 pm Business Recycling Recognition Celebration GreenWorks Building 125 N. Main St., Las Cruces

Presented by the LC Green Chamber of Commerce. RSVP: carrie@nmgreenchamber.com

Nov. 15, 5:30-7 pm Business Recycling Recognition Celebration Silco Theatre, 311 N. Bullard St. Silver City

Presented by the SW Green Chamber of Commerce. http://nmgreenchamber.com

Nov. 30, 6-9 pm Silent Auction & Fundraising Dinner Anthony’s at the Delta, Española

Proceeds benefit Tewa Women United doula program. Speakers: pioneering birth educator Penny Simkin and aboriginal midwife Katsi Cook. Music by Indigifemme. Tickets $125. www.TewaWomenUnited.org

Dec. 1-2 Northern NM Birth Summit Northern NM College, Española

This summit will recognize and elevate the sacredness of birth by listening and integrating childbirth experiences from doulas, midwives, mothers and fathers. Explore ancient and modern wisdom from diverse northern NM traditions. Panel discussions, talking circles, music, vendors. Info: www. yvksummit@gmail.com; Presented by Tewa Women United: www.Tewa WomenUnited.org

Dec. 7 Taos Feeds Taos Benefit Concert Location: TBA, Taos

Hosted by Taos band Last To Know and KTAOS. Free admission with 5 or more cans of food donation. Info: 575.751.7999, email: tft@taosfeedstaos.org, taosfeedstaos.org

The Home Farming Revolution for Drylands

New book by Zoe Wilcox and Melanie Rubin is now available. A step-by-step guide to help you convert any plot of land into a micro-farm. Email info@homefarmingrevolution.com or visit www.homefarmingrevolution.com to download the book’s introduction for free. Available at Bookworks in Albq. and online.

Incubating NM Rural Food Producers

Free one-year project aimed at helping small food producers looking to expand. USDA and South Valley Economic Development Center have partnered to help small food producers in NM gain access to larger markets, receive business training and assistance. Benefits of the program include: Access to SVEDC partners in areas such as marketing, distribution, micro-lending and business assistance; access to SVEDC retail buyers such as Whole Foods, John Brooks and more. For info, contact Brandom@ svedc.org, 505.301.3689. www.svedc.org

Río Grande Return Gifts from the River

Locally produced salsas, jams, honey, chocolates, soaps, lotions, incense and more. Supports local farmers, producers and the conservation of the Río Grande. 505.466.1767, toll free: 866.466.1767, www.riograndereturn.com

http://santafecreativetourism.org/

www.GreenFireTimes.com

November 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ November 2012