Green Fire Times October 2012 Edition by Sun Publishing

News & Views

T he

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

O ld I deas and M odern T echnology to S olve the E nergy C risis E xtraordinary T echnology C onference

T he S tory B ehind W ildfires IAIA: B uilding a C ommunity F ood S ystem October 2012

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

Vol. 4, No. 10

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ October 2012

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Vol. 4, No. 10 • October 2012 Issue No. 42 Publisher Green Fire Publishing, LLC

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Charles Bensinger, Peter Borgo, Don Bustos, Nicholas Chambers, Faren Dancer, Victoria Gonzales, Jack Loeffler, Maceo Martinet, Sayrah Namasté, Lisa Mednick Powell, Seth Roffman, Elizabeth Sánchez, Patrick W. Staib, Gary Vaughn

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Charles Bensinger, Don Bustos, Nicholas Chambers, Anna C. Hansen, Jack Loeffler, Seth Roffman

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Contents Back to the Future: Old Ideas and Modern Technology to Solve the Energy Crisis. 5 Los Alamos Smart Grid Powers-Up . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 8 The Extraordinary Technology Conference . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 9 Solar Newsbites . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 13 Carbon Economy Series Back in Santa Fe . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 14 Benchmarking Empowerment . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 15 Biomass Energy for a Hydrocarbon Earth . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 17 Building a Community Food System: IAIA’s Demonstration Garden . . .. . .. 19 A Visit to China Opens Doors to North Korea through Sustainable Agriculture.20 Farming for a Sustainable South Valley Community . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 21 The Story Behind the Wildfires . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 23 Wildland Fire Science at Northern New Mexico College . . .. . .. . .. . .. 23 Responding to Instability . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 27 Faren Dancer’s Unicopia Green: The Prodigious Power of Our Beliefs. . .. 33 Start Today Before Tomorrow Is Gone . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 35 Newsbites . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 37 What’s Going On . . .. . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 38

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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.

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Taos dryland red beans grow at the Institute of American Indian Arts campus demonstration garden in Santa Fe. (Story, page 19)

COVER: Aspens at Big Tesuque, Santa Fe

Photo: © Anna C. Hansen

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.

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Energy

Back To The Future Old Ideas and Modern Technology To Solve the Energy Crisis

aking a trip “back to the future” can put us on track to solve the “energy crisis” in (1) buildings (to energy-efficient construction and systems), (2) transportation (to electric cars and trains), and (3) electricity generation (to renewable resources and distributed generation). Solar power dates back to 212 B.C., when Archimedes advised Greek soldiers to use their curved bronze shields to concentrate beams of sunlight on Roman ships. Over 10,000 years ago, Native Americans used passive solar design in buildings and settled near hot springs that they used for cooking and heating. In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci described the concept of a solar concentrator that could generate heat and replace burning wood to save forests. In the early 1830s, the invention of the steam engine/electric generator turned heat into electricity. The first windmills were developed in Persia about 500-900 A.D. to automate the tasks of grinding grain and pumping water. The first large windmill used to generate electricity was built in 1888.

A Good Place to Start—Buildings

Globally, buildings account for nearly 40 percent of all energy use and contribute more to world greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation systems combined. Yearly carbon emis-

sions from US buildings are “greater than the total CO2 emissions of any country in the world except China.” 2 We need to design buildings that work with nature, transforming them from structures that consume energy into structures that produce energy; from air polluters into air purifiers; from resource hogs into resource savers. The Santa Fe architect, Ed Mazria, recognized the importance of energyefficient buildings when he issued The 2030 Challenge to the global architecture and building community. The challenge asks that new buildings and renovations of existing buildings increase energy efficiency incrementally to become carbon neutral by 2030. According to Mazria, The 2030 Challenge targets can be met by implementing innovative, and sometimes quite simple, sustainable design strategies, generating on-site renewable power and/or purchasing (20 percent maximum) renewable energy.3 The most direct, immediate way to save energy and reduce greenhouse gases is to retrofit the nation’s 4.9 million older commercial buildings. In 2004, the Green Building Council created a standard to encourage retrofitting. In 2007, Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, the largest commercial building in the world, officially became the world’s largest “green building,” using recycling, install-

Merchandise Mart, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, Illinois USA

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ing energy-use meters, reusing non-potable water and fixing leaky pipes. These simple, common-sense changes immediately dropped utility bills by 10 percent and water use by 35 percent, saving $100,000 annually. Chicago now has more Thomas Edison and an electric car in 1913 than 250 similar projects. In 2009 the Empire State during the day. Low-E, double pane Building also launched a $100-million glass windows, coated with “ceramic green retrofit that included 6,500 windots” to prevent overheating, provide dow replacements and a new air-condinatural light, and sensors track the tioning system, at an estimated energy arc of the sun throughout the day to savings of $5 million annually. automatically dim lights and turn off electrical equipment when not needSecondly, we need to build new buildings ed. The ventilation system monitors better. In 2030, according to a BrookCO2 and exhausts cleaner air than ings Institute report, about one-half of it draws in. Rooftop cisterns capture the buildings in the USA will have been rainfall on the 2-acre roof, the water is built after 2000. In 2005, WalMart, the cleaned and funneled by gravity into biggest private consumer of electricity bathrooms equipped with low-flow in the US, opened an energy-efficient fixtures, and wastewater is recaptured, store in Aurora, Colo. The store’s founfiltered and reused, saving about 7.7 dation incorporates more than 500 tons million gallons of water annually. of crushed, recycled concrete for mass. These examples demonstrate what can The store burns used vegetable oil from be done, but we need to do more. its deli and motor oil from its Tire and Lube Express for heat, generates elecA Second Huge US Energy tricity with photovoltaic panels and uses Sector—Transportation waterless toilets and efficient lighting, reAmericans consume 1.5 gallons of frigerators and air-conditioning systems. gasoline per person per day—four times that of the average European. Another example—the new Bank of Our national car fleet averages less than America tower in New York City— 23 MPG, which is about the same as is the world’s first skyscraper to win Ford’s Model-T in 1908, and about half the highest platinum rating from the the MPG of current cars in Japan and Green Building Council. The building the EU. This was not always the case. incorporates a wind turbine to generIn 1889, Thomas Edison engineered ate electricity and unique techniques an electric car with a rechargeable for cooling, lighting, air handling and battery. By 1896, American car dealwater use. For example, a hollow 14ers were selling mostly electric cars. inch chamber beneath the floors freely In the early 1900s, the U.S. automocirculates cool air through floor vents, tive industry was split among three and “ice batteries” (large, water-filled technologies—40% electric powered, steel tanks) are frozen at night, when 40% steam powered, and 20% gasoline the building’s power demands are low, powered. Detroit and the oil industry and slowly melt to cool the building continued on page 6

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Courtesy National Museum of American History

Peter Borgo

Back to the Future

continued from page 5 tries in the nation (power utilities and the automotive sector) will be able to seamlessly and efficiently use the enormous battery-power generation capacity of the US. The current US national power grid was designed for a “one-way conversation” between power plants and consumers and wastes 5-10 percent of its generated power in transmission. In the same way that computer technology moved from large mainframes to network architecture, “smart-grid” technology can efficiently support a 24-hour-aday “conference call” among millions of small power generators.

The Big Climate Change “Gorilla in the Room” Coal-fired Power Plants

It is not realistically possible to stop global warming while coal remains in the electric power generation mix. Even if the US eliminates all its coal burning, China and India are building two conventional coal power plants every week. In the last five years alone, China has built the equivalent of the entire US coal power plant fleet. By 2030, new coal-fired power plants worldwide will send 30 percent more CO2 into the atmosphere than all the coal that has been burned in human history. Electric vehicle charging station by Linograt, hosted by Positive Energy in Santa Fe

began to buy and destroy electric cars, close cable-car and bus companies and lobby against train travel. In 1996, General Motors built the EV-1, the first all-electric car produced by a major manufacturer. For the next 3 years, GM leased these cars to satisfied drivers and then recalled and crushed them. 4

Burning coal is a well-known local concern in New Mexico, given PNM’s Four Corners Power Plant and the neighboring coal-fired San Juan Generating Station. According to the EPA, the 45-year-old Four Corners plant is the largest single-source emitter of nitrous oxide in the United States. Unfortunately, PNM is challenging EPA cleanup directives and state law to include more renewable energy sources in its portfolio. PNM must be more responsive. With one small wind farm, five new solar plants, and the Prosperity Energy Storage Project (battery storage) funded by

the US Department of Energy, PNM is still out of compliance with current state renewable energy requirements.5 Most US power plants are more than 50 years old and have effectively reached the end of their life cycle. By replacing these plants with smaller, decentralized renewable-energy power plants located near demand centers, we have an opportunity both to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to jump-start the sagging American economy. For example, the Bank of America tower in New York City uses an on-site natural gas-powered 5.1-megawatt “microplant” that captures and recycles its waste heat. This “combined-cycle” system generates its own power three times more efficiently than getting it from the grid.

The Road “Back to the Future”

America’s lead in wind energy and solar systems forged in the 1980s has disappeared. Today, six of the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturers are located in Denmark, Germany, or Spain. Only one, General Electric Wind Power, is a US company. More than 90 percent of photovoltaic panels are manufactured outside of the US, mostly in China. The picture is not entirely bleak. The long-starved US energy R&D budget received a historic windfall in 2009 when Congress, under the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, committed $70 billion over the next 10 years for R&D on cleanenergy technologies, “smart-grid” upgrades, and fuel-efficient vehicles. Given NM’s huge solar potential, we must convince state and city government, the private sector and many citizens to participate in solar-energy development. Small projects are being implemented. The Kit Carson Electric Co-op in Taos encourages members to buy solar panels or shares of panels that are added to a grid-connected community solar array. At the Foothills Community Solar Array at Taos Charter School, community residents can invest $500-$600 for a share in a community solar project.6 In Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Academy is home to a one-megawatt PV solar array—most likely the largest secondary school solar project to date in the US.

We are beginning to take a step “back to the future” in the transportation sector. We are incorporating electric vehicles that use renewable sources of electricity as “fuel.” The hybrid Prius went on sale in December 1997. Today in South Korea, Japan and Detroit, the auto industry is designing hybrid gas-electric and all-electric cars including “plug-in hybrids” to transition from a gasoline to an electric transportation infrastructure. In addition, cars spend more than 90 percent of their time parked— time when they are useless for their primary function. With an electric fleet and “smart grid” technology, the two largest and dirtiest indus- Four Corners Power Plant, Shiprock, New Mexico USA

Green Fire Times • October 2012

continued on page 12

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October 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ GreenFireTimes

Los Alamos Smart Grid and Smart House ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 17

Los Alamos Smart Grid Powers-Up

n Sept. 17, a $53-million, stateof-the-art, international smart grid project powered up in Los Alamos. The New Energy and Industrial Technology and Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan, Los Alamos County and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil a photovoltaic array, a battery storage system, a smart house and an energy management system that will serve Los Alamos residents.

The project will show how to provide a high proportion of renewable energy on the electric grid to meet a community’s residential needs, while making the grid more efficient and stable. Data will be captured that describes the most successful configurations and approaches. This will contribute to establishing international standards for energy solutions and help minimize environmental impacts worldwide. The demonstration will be

The first system includes nearly 5,000 solar panels with 10 types of cells to evaluate efficiency levels. Affordable Solar of Albuquerque oversaw the array’s design and layout. It is one of the first systems nationwide ever constructed on a landfill. Other components of the project include batteries that provide 8.3 megawatt hours of energy storage with state-ofthe-art controls, a smart house equipped with

its own photovoltaic (PV) and battery system, a smart meter and smart appliances. Together they will smooth out the output of the PV, maintain voltage requirements under the feeder, and/or control the power costs faced by Los Alamos County by controlling peak usage. Electricity from the PV will provide power to a Los Alamos neighborhood of about 2,000 homes with smart meters. The Los Alamos Smart Grid and the Mesa del Sol project in Albuquerque are two NEDO-sponsored projects within the NM Green Grid Initiative, which is fostering five smart grid projects. Other partners include Sandia National Laboratories, PNM and UNM. NEDO is Japan’s largest public research and development management organization. i For more information, visit www. LosAlamosSmartGrid.info

Courtesy Los Alamos Dept. of Public Utilities

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, together with NEDO Chairman Mr. Kazuo Furukawa, Congressman Ben Ray Luján, Los Alamos County Council Chair Sharon Stover, LANL Director Dr. Charles McMillan and Toshiba CEO Mr. Norio Sasaki, along with other key executives from major participating companies were part of the event.

conducted through March 2014, after which there will be opportunities for other companies and institutions to conduct additional academic research and product testing.

1 MW photovoltaic array built by NEDO; A second 1 MW array will be built by Los Alamos County

Green Fire Times • October 2012

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Technology

The Extraordinary Technology Conference A Journey into Profound Possibilities Charles Bensinger

The conference was sponsored by TeslaTech Inc., of Queen Valley, Arizona, whose mission is to champion and nurture advanced concepts and products Nikola Tesla in science and technology. Many of the concepts they promote originated with Nikola Tesla at the turn of the 20th century. Foster Gamble kicked off the conference with an introduction to his popular and provocative film, THRIVE. The film has played to over six million people and has been translated into 20 different languages. This is an impressive feat for a non-Hollywood film— accomplished in just seven months.

Foster Gamble

“We set out to connect the dots,” said Gamble. “Our intention was to facilitate the discussion of critical information. And energy is at the core of the problem—the problem being the massive amount of largely unnecessary human exploitation and suffering in the world. Energy (or the lack of

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it) is used to control people. Nothing faster than giving everyone access to energy could transform the world.” Responding to some of the criticism of his film originating from both the right and left sides of the political spectrum, Gamble explained, “People are hungry to talk about what’s really happening in the world. This film is not about political ideologies. It’s about finding solutions based on integrity and freedom. We are dedicated to finding ways to decentralize everything.” Gamble said, “There’s never been a more dangerous moment in history. And we’ve never had such an opportunity to make change.” To help with the transition to a more peaceful world, Gamble encouraged everyone to log onto the Solutions Hub on the website: www.thrivemovement.com His last comment, “we never had such an opportunity to make change,” seemed, in retrospect, to nicely describe what I observed to be the overriding personal motivating force of the conference presenters who followed. Time after time in my individual interactions with the attendees or those on the podium, I felt the deep heartfelt expression of a personal commitment to making a better world. For the inventors it was about creating breakthrough technologies by spreading the good news about how affordable, nonfossil-based energy could be generated in homes or vehicles could be operated on easily available gases or liquid fuels, and how debilitating diseases could be cured. The excitement about potentially game-changing technologies and new ways of harnessing nature’s miracle elements was ever-present and palpable. And certainly, extraordinary change would result if and when some of the following technologies come into commercial application. The conference covered a dizzying range of unusual technologies. Some focused on providing health and wellness optimization, and others concentrated on so-called free or zero-point energy.

A sampling of conference topics: • Decrypting Rife’s Extraordinary Technology • Rejuvenation of Telomeres • The GyroKinetic Prime Mover (Noble Gas Engine) • Cavitating Electrolyzers: the Key to OverUnity • GEET: New Horizons • Tesla Waves, Biofields and Aetheric Energy • CymaScope and the Science of Sound • Practical Rodin Coil Generator Application • Inertial Propulsion Breakthrough • Qualar Physics: Wave of the Future • Top 5 Exotic Free Energy Technologies

Moreover, they’ve begun to establish a worldwide manufacturing network that could soon begin distribution of the technology. The engine design parameters are now in the public domain, and Rohner will sell the electronic control systems to licensed dealers. The engine is very energy efficient, generating 70 percent less heat than a traditional combustion engine, and its weight-to-power ratio is astounding. A 300-pound Papp Engine can generate approximately 270 horsepower. According to Rohner, the engine is not a heat engine and is thus not subject to Carnot Law limitations. Nor is it a thermodynamic engine. Rather it runs on a plasma cycle that makes use of the energy density of nuclear sources, which Rohnert states “is at least 10 million times that of chemical processes.”

The GyroKinetic Prime Mover

Robert Rohner presented his “gyrokeinetic” engine that utilizes a hermetically sealed telescoping gas charger filled with a relatively inexpensive, abundant and harmless volume of inert gases. These gases, a combination of argon, krypton, rubidium, phosphorus and helium, are subjected to controlled electronic pulse effects from an anode and cathode charged to 1,000 volts. Varying magnetic fields are induced to create a powerful expansion effect, which is used to move two opposing cylinders back and forth. Electrons are released in sufficient quantity to produce significant horsepower.

rom July 26-29, the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid hosted the annual Extraordinary Technology Conference. And indeed, extraordinary was a good word for the information sharing that occurred during the data-packed conference. Just what was extraordinary in this context? The physics, the chemistry, the math and the many individuals who participated, when taken together, created an experience beyond what one would normally expect from a traditional technical conference.

Noble Gas Engine

Often referred to as a Noble Gas Engine, the engine was invented in 1980 by Joe Papp. Rohner worked alongside Papp for many years. Although Papp died without revealing precisely the physics of the engine or the optimum combination of gases, Rohner and his team claim to have reconstructed working engines.

A non-working model of the engine was displayed at the conference. Rohner reps described how they would begin distribution of key electronic parts and engine assembly information. If they can pull this off, this could continued on page

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Technology Conference continued from page 9

The Power of Water

Clayton Nolte of the Arizona-based company Natural Action Technologies introduced the concept of structured water and described its many benefits. Structured water is really water in its natural state, akin to water moving across and over rocks, twisting and turning and becoming infused with oxygen and sunlight. Structurally, it’s different from tap water. Whereas tap water crystals when viewed under a microscope create 90-degree angles, structured water creates 60-degree angles. According to Nolte, structured water, when used in agriculture, can reduce water use by 40 percent, can reduce or eliminate water-borne toxins and contains greater life-form energy. In his words, “Structured water is hungry water, freed from limitation.” He added that, “Water’s destiny is to protect us from the dangers of our environment. Water also has memory. Water remembers what it passed through.” For more information on structured water, see www.naturalactionwater.com

The CymaScope

Erik Larson presented a scientific instrument he designed and refined, which he calls the CymaScope. Cymatics is the science of sound and wave dynamics. The CymaScope converts individual sounds or the resonant structures of multiple sounds, particulate matter, water and biological systems into highresolution two-dimensional images. For example: an individual voice can be sampled, and elaborate and elegant pictures are created. The resulting images are termed CymaGlyphs.

To learn more about how a GEET engine works, how you can build one yourself or become a dealer, consider attending a GEET workshop. See www.geetinternational. com. An abridged GEET workshop may be presented in Santa Fe in 2013. If you are interested, send an email to newworld@cybermesa.com

Larson exhibited many very impressive visuals via a large-screen video projector. One biological application of the technology is co-inventor John Reid’s recent research using the CymaScope to create dolphin “picture words”—imaging what the dolphin sees with its bio-sonar. More info on this research can be found at www. SpeakDolphin.com. Another recent application, accomplished in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, was imaging the sounds of stars.

The imaging device is designed to sense and record the phenomena of magnetic particles or sand grains reassembling themselves when spread across a taut, stretched membrane of the appropriate material and exposed to a particular sound. When the membrane is impacted by a sound, the particles create elegant and symmetric shapes, depending on the sound source— much like ripples in a pond. It’s also called “resonant geometry”— how the sounds we make resonate with nature and probably viceversa. I suspect this phenomenon may have something to do with the formation of crop circles in fields. Larson emphasized how water can serve as a powerful medium for sound expression as well. Quoting famous psychic Edgar Cayce as saying, “Sound and water will be our next medicine,” Larson noted that since our bodies contain so much water (60 percent), the best way to utilize sound to create a resonance with our bodies is through water. Thus, great potential exists for using sound and water for healing purposes. Most interestingly, he described how when we speak we create toroidal bubbles. The toroid is a donut-shaped energetic structure. Although we can’t see these bubbles, they can be imaged with the CymaScope. For some reason, dolphins are quite fond of producing toroidal bubbles, which are easily visible in water. When asked to contrast analog sound reproduction systems with digital, Larson answered that he considered analog as superior to digital. He believes analog reproduction is able to capture a wider range of multiple resonant frequencies than digital. He described digital as a kind of strippeddown sound. For more info on the CymaScope see www.cymascope.com

Green Fire Times • October 2012

Adding Dr. Pepper to power GEET engine at the TeslaTech conference

The Amazing GEET Engine

One other engine technology received lots of attention at the conference— the GEET Fuel Processor. The Global Environmental Engine Technology was invented in 1983 by Paul Pantone, who created the GEET International Institute. Pantone’s goal was to teach prospective engine builders how to utilize the plasma/vacuum process that underlies the engine technology. Over the years, hundreds of students have attended GEET workshops from the US, Europe and other countries. GEET engines are being used in city vehicles, farm equipment, as generators and in boats and jet airplanes. The GEET engine combines several scientific principles, most of which fall within the normal rules and laws of thermodynamics. But an operating engine exhibits numerous phenomena or anomalies not yet fully explained by conventional combustion physics. The GEET engine apparently operates on a plasma medium that is created by utilizing the exhaust heat of the engine transferred to the incoming fuel vapor, which must be maintained in a vacuum. The liquid is vaporized in such a way that a molecular breakdown or reaction occurs, liberating significant amounts of energy. Certified GEET technician and instructor Daniel Gonzales demonstrated a working model at the conference built by one of his students in California. He explained that the GEET

be a major game-changer. Noble gas engines could power a new generation of transportation vehicles and provide community-wide central-generation power plants, assuming the technology can successfully be scaled up. The website is: www.plasmERG.com

Operational GEET engine

engine is a miniature refinery that has the ability to transmute elements into other forms; that is, liquids into plasmatic gases. He termed it thermoinertia. “The engine runs much cooler,” he said “and the process increases energy efficiency by at least 50 percent and reduces emissions by 70 percent.” But, don’t think you can easily convert your current computerized, fuelinjection vehicle to a GEET engine. The GEET requires a carburetor-type fuel introduction system. Conversion would necessitate a bypass of the fuel injection system and computer logic control, standard in most vehicles. Daniel fired up the demo engine, a small lawnmower unit fitted with a GEET carburetor using a fuel mixture of 20 percent gasoline and 80 percent soda and coffee. Yes, you read that right. After adding a small amount of gasoline, he poured in a can of Dr. Pepper and one large cup of coffee. Much to everyone’s amazement, the continued on page

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Back to the Future continued from page 6 A private developer assumed the cost of the $5-million array that will provide the Academy with more than 2 million kilowatt hours annually, approximately one-quarter of the school’s annual electricity use, under a buy-back agreement. In Santa Fe, the Buckman Direct Diversion project water-treatment plant has a 1-megawatt PV system and is considering expansion. The Santa Fe Community Convention Center is installing PV panels for 10 percent of its electricity, albeit a bit “after the fact.” The Santa Fe Skies RV Park on South 14 runs on 55 percent solar energy, and for 11 of the last 12 months, the owner has gotten a check from PNM instead of paying the utility. More and more people are choosing to generate part of their residential electricity with PV panels. During 2011, Santa Fe County and the city of Santa Fe reported 53 and 69 building permit listings for solar installations, and more than 500 systems were installed between Las Cruces and Santa Fe. 7

Green Fire Times • October 2012

No area today has the potential to reflect “American ingenuity” more than “clean technologies”—nonpolluting energy sources and the energy-efficient buildings, transportation systems and power plants that will use them. The shift away from fossil fuels and the maximization of energy efficiency equipment and techniques in a 21st-century energy sector require support from the US government and the private sector. There is no “silverbullet” solution to the changes needed to develop an economically and environmentally sustainable 21st-century energy sector. It will be more of a “silver-buckshot” solution, where a complementary set of existing technologies, and some innovations, will dramatically improve energy efficiency in our individual and collective lives and diversify our power sources to provide clean, pollution-free energy. We can successfully move into the future in energy technology while reconnecting with the past! i

Footnotes

1 Reference: Power Trip – The Story of America’s Affair with Energy by Amanda Little, published by Harper-Perennial (www. harperperennial.com), 2009. 2 United States Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment – Product 2.2, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 2007 3 http://architecture2030.org/ 4 Documented in the film “Who Stole the Electric Car.” 5 The Santa Fe Reporter, PNM’s Solar Dilemma, June 6-12, 2012, page 17. 6 Green Fire Times, Northern NM’s Solar Energy Future: Community Solar Projects and Scenario Planning, May 2012, page 5. 7 Home Magazine, PV Solar More Popular Than Ever, March 2012, page 24.

Pe te r B o r go i s a n engineer who has worked for over 30 years in the US, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Most recently he worked for the United Nations Development Program to identify renewable-energy and energy-efficiency projects in the electricity sector in Iraq and for the US Agency for International Development on a 5-year strategy to support renewable-energy and energy-efficiency project implementation in Jordan. He can be reached at paborgo@comcast.net.

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solar NEWSBITEs Green Tech Firm to Lease Schott Solar Plant

McCune Works, Inc., an innovative green technology firm, has announced that within six months it will lease Schott Solar’s 200,000-square-foot Mesa del Sol manufacturing plant in Albuquerque for photovoltaic panel production. Because of a competitive domestic and global market, Schott closed the plant, which employed 250 people, in June. Beginning in early 2013, McCune Solar Works LLC will make solar modules under the new logo “Hott Solar PV.” McCune Works also intends to produce other environmentally conscious products at the plant and expects to employ about 130 people, many of them former Schott employees. Founded in 2005, McCune is a federal contractor that produces green materials, products and building components and specializes in solar-powered, disaster-relief shelter and housing. The company sells in domestic and international markets, as well as to developing countries, and offers consulting, research and development services. In addition, McCune is currently developing an affordable electric vehicle. “We look forward to providing affordable and non-polluting renewable energy throughout New Mexico,” said CEO Chuck McCune. “Furthermore, we intend to provide 100 megawatts of installations in 2013 through our Power New Mexico Program.” www.mccunesolarworks.com

First Solar to Build NM Projects

First Solar, Inc. has signed agreements to construct four solar power plants totaling 20 megawatts of generating capacity for PNM Resources, Inc. The company will provide engineering, procurement and construction services, using its advanced thin-film photovoltaic modules. PNM has the option to expand the agreement to 22 MW. The solar plants will generate enough energy to power about 7,000 homes and displace about 31,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. The plants could be in service by the end of 2013 if approved by the NM Public Regulation Commission (PRC) in November. Because of a worldwide glut of solar panels, the new facility will cost about 40 percent less than a similar facility PNM built in 2011, which cost $90 million. The PRC approved a rate rider in August that will cost the average customer about $16 per year to pay for that project. PNM is likely to request another rate rider in 2013 to cover the cost of more renewable energy facilities. PNM also has about 25 megawatts of solar capacity through customer-owned PV installations, plus 200 MW in wind generation on the grid.

PNM Seeks to Reduce Renewable Energy Credits

Under a proposal submitted to the state Public Regulation Commission, NM’s major utility, Public Service Company of New Mexico, would reduce its Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Program, which provides credits to customers who install solar photovoltaic systems to power their homes. The REC program has also helped PNM address the renewable energy portfolio standard set by the state, although the utility has failed to meet the standard for the last two years and has asked for a waiver from the regulators. Credits were already slashed by more than half in the last year after PNM sought to eliminate the program. Under PNM’s current proposal, credit would be further reduced along with the contract period. The utility would pay four cents a kilowatt-hour for systems of 10-kilowatt capacity or less, and cap contracts at eight years. Systems between 10 kW and 100 kW would decline by half a cent every six months for four years. Systems that generate over 100 kW would make two cents per kilowatt-hour. For the average home, solar photovoltaic systems currently cost $12,000-$16,000. RECs, as well as state and federal tax credits, have helped offset this significantly. Besides saving money on electric bills, however, self-reliance and reducing their carbon footprint by not relying on fossil fuels are other reasons people install PV systems. PNM has justified its position by citing the declining price of PV systems and the costs the company charges other customers to offset the program. PNM also says it would be more cost-effective to build and own its own large solar power plant and expand its three current PV facilities than to rely on hundreds of thousands of customer-owned rooftop systems. PNM’s net metering program, which provides about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour for the electricity a building produces, will not be changed by the proposal before the PRC..

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October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Carbon Economy Series Back in Santa Fe

Dedicated to teaching sustainable knowledge and practices, the Carbon Economy Series returns to Santa Fe Community College from October 2012 through June 2013. The monthly weekend workshops teach principles and practices for land, soil, water, waste, organic food production, and how to positively affect climate change from a local perspective. There will be opportunities to learn aboriginal living skills, regenerative agriculture, sustainable tourism, Permaculture site design, and creating edible food forests. There will also be a women’s symposium on ranching, gardening and farming. A partial list of speakers includes: Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, who, without pesticides, fertilizers, tractors or oil, has produced more pounds of protein per acre then any other farmer; international Permaculture designer phenomenon Darren Doherty; Gunter Pauli-trained zero-waste guru Gary Liss, and author/ecologist David Jacke. Organizer Iginia Boccalandro says, “The knowledge these workshops offer is vital to stabilize climate change, make our Joel Salatin at Camino de Paz School & land more resilient, increase Farm in Santa Cruz, NM, Summer 2012 public health, create jobs, reduce waste, increase productivity, revitalize property and increase revenue.” Local businesses, schools, nonprofits and community groups are sponsoring the series. They are helping make it possible to provide some discounts to deserving students. Sponsors include: Arete Consulting Group, Camino de Paz School and Farm, Ecological Living Center, Green Fire Times, Inn of the Governors, Joe’s Diner, La Montañita Food Co-op, Los Alamos National Bank, Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute and Soil Symbiotics.

Carbon Economy Series Schedule Each weekend workshop is preceded by a public talk at 7 pm on Friday evening. October 20–21: Aboriginal Living Skills with Matthew Brummett November 10–11: Local Food Systems with Joel Salatin and Tom Delehanty December 8–9: Regenerative Agriculture with Darren Doherty January 12–13 Tourism and Sustainable Development with Daniel Mirabal and Maria Boccalandro February 23–24: No More Garbage: Zero-Waste with Gary Liss March 16–17: Permaculture Boot Camp with Iginia Boccalandro April 13–14: Women’s Gardener, Farmer, Rancher and Land Owner Training May 25–26: Gardening Like the Forest with Dave Jacke

For details or to register, visit: www.carboneconomyseries.com, call 505.819.3828 or 818.913.2877.

Green Fire Times • October 2012

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Renewable Energy

Benchmarking Empowerment

Gary Vaughn

Many traditional ultra-risk-adverse utilities still cling to the belief that even a modest percentage of wind and PV power integration is too expensive, intermittent and unreliable to bank on. At the same time, the US military has committed to a major investment in Renewable Energy (RE) precisely because it wants cost-effective, reliable and completely self-sufficient power sources that are immune to fuel supply disruptions and potential utility grid failures. Fascinating, isn’t it? A state-regulated electrical utility usually fits the definition of “big business.” It has deep pockets, powerful political clout and access to teams of seasoned lawyers, sympathetic expert witnesses and cooperative financial wizards. The utility’s costs related to rate cases, regulatory hearings and

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“Grid integration” is utilityspeak for adding photovoltaic (PV) and wind power sources to the traditional fossil-fueled electrical power system. There are very real challenges to adding high levels of PV and wind power to traditional utility grids. These issues are now getting a lot of attention, not only from some of the more progressive utilities themselves, but also from university researchers, National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) staff and the US military. Solar array in the parking lot of the Albuquerque Veterans Affairs Medical Center

even pollution lawsuits are normally completely covered by customer rate increases. The issues involved are complicated, highly technical and often involve mind-numbing accounting methods using proprietary financial information. And utilities have access to powerful national utility lobbying and advocacy resources. Consumer advocates, nonprofit organizations and even state utility regulators are at a huge disadvantage in these contests. “Benchmarking” is the process of comparing a business’s policies, practices, performance and even strategy to industry “best practices.” It’s a wellrecognized business-school-approved method for encouraging “continuous

improvement.” Turns out that benchmarking is also a potent weapon for energy policy advocacy and citizen empowerment. While it’s difficult to counter an entrenched utility’s PR machine, sophisticated misrepresentation of information and hidden financial flim-flam, it’s relatively easy to point out crystal-clear examples of what other similar utilities are successfully doing in nearby states. Let’s take a look at some of these examples and contrast them with PNM’s current positions. Adapting to Renewable Sources: Wind and PV power sources have very different characteristics than standard fossil-fueled generators. Utilities that expect RE sources to

“conform” to traditional utility rules complain a lot. Utilities that adjust their operating procedures to be more compatible with their RE sources are far more successful at “integrating” RE. Not that many years ago, the Colorado division of Xcel Energy was highly resistant to integrating RE. A combination of political pressure and common sense changed Xcel’s pointof-view. Xcel has now joined a growing number of “progressive” utilities in its attitude toward renewables. PNM still complains a lot. Distributed Generation: Many researchers and several utilities have documented significant advantages continued on page 16

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Benchmarking

continued from page 12

to distributed generation, including a reduction in transmission line loss, reduced maintenance costs for transformers and other components and improved power system “robustness.” Traditional utilities like PNM are all about centralized power generation and distribution—a business model that may well be challenged in the not-too-distant future. Time of Use Rates: Utilities use relatively low-cost nuclear and coal-fired “base-load” generation to satisfy average daily power demands and relatively high-cost natural gas-fired “peaking” generators to meet afternoon peak demands. Many utilities adjust their rates hourly to compensate for this difference. This means that PV and daytime wind power sources should be credited with much higher “earning power.” But not in PNM’s territory. Energy Storage: The lack of utilityscale energy storage is often cited as a major barrier to the adoption of wind and solar power. Yet there are a growing number of utilities in the US and around the world that are already successfully managing grid integration levels that far exceed what we have here in NM—without utilityscale storage. NREL published a 2010 study, which found that in the western US, a wind/solar penetration of 24 percent was practical without requiring storage, assuming that utilities were willing to make certain operational changes. PNM is touting their involvement in the “stimulus”-funded “Prosperity Energy Storage Project.” Fair enough, but PNM’s recent PR campaign seems to be using the Prosperity Project to bolster its argument that RE isn’t practical without utility-scale storage. That’s clearly not true, and there are plenty of examples to prove it. RE Penetration: SMUD, the Sacramento city-owned electric utility, which is actually larger than PNM, achieved 24 percent RE penetration in 2011, and they are heading for 30 percent. Xcel Energy in Colorado is on track to meet the state’s 30 percent RE mandate. Utah utilities are adding wind power as fast as they can, without any state mandate at all. North Dakota, Wyoming and Minnesota already get at least 10 percent of their

Green Fire Times • October 2012

power from renewables, mostly wind. Iowa and conservative South Dakota already have the highest wind-power penetration in the country, at 20 percent, without either utility-scale storage or state mandates. After missing the 2011 target date, PNM has promised to reach 10 percent RE in 2013, but only because the NM Public Regulatory Commission (PRC) is forcing it to. Peak Shaving: Researchers and a few “engaged” utilities have confirmed that PV systems can do a good job of reducing expensive summertime afternoon peak loads, even without utility-scale storage. In the summer they orient their PV panels about 45 degrees west of due south to match the peak PV output to the afternoon peak demand. Utilities on the coast have reported that a 70/30 mix of PV and wind works well for peak shaving. The wind turbines fill the early evening demand by harnessing the dependable late-day sea-to-land breezes. PNM is claiming that it needs sophisticated utility-scale energy storage solutions to “time shift” the output of its fixed, due-south-pointing PV installations. Intermittency: PV systems temporarily turn down or even off when cloud shadows roll by. That’s just a fact, and one that certain utilities like PNM love to emphasize. But researchers working with interested utilities have confirmed that PV systems that are more than a few miles apart don’t turn off at exactly the same time. The more PV systems and the more geographical diversity, the smoother the average PV grid-tied result. This is essentially a “free” voltage-smoothing benefit, and it is quite significant. The same is true for wind turbines. PNM’s recent public presentations ignore this benefit. In addition, many utilities are starting to pay very close attention to site-specific weather forecasts and weather satellite data. The result is that they can anticipate cloud cover and wind events and thus greatly reduce their use of expensive and polluting standby generators. Xcel Energy in Colorado used to keep its backup generators operating all the time. It doesn’t do that anymore. PNM still does—which unnecessarily drives up its RE-associated costs. continued on page

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Renewable Energy

Biomass Energy

for a

Nicholas Chambers

iomass energy is like a solar battery. Through the process of photosynthesis, the earth’s hydrocarbon economy is constantly banking the sun’s energy as biomass while fixing atmospheric carbon and releasing oxygen. In contrast to other biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, biomass energy technologies are primary energy sources that can utilize the raw, solid and usually by-product forms of organic resources. Two specific technologies that can be extremely compatible to New Mexico’s abundant daytime sunshine and existing solar/ wind technologies are anaerobic digestion and wood-chip gasification.

Anaerobic digestion is a wet, biochemical process that harnesses a primeval consortium of microorganisms to yield a methane-rich biogas. This biogas can be used to generate electricity and heat directly, be scrubbed and compressed for use as bio-methane in automobiles or natural gas grid-injection, or be used for the one remaining gap in the small-scale renewable energy portfolio: instantaneous cooking and water heating. The other co-product of anaerobic digestion is an NPK-rich organic fertilizer that is actually more valuable than the gas. Therein lies one of the principal

tenets of biomass energy: the coproduct is usually more valuable than the primary product. With anaerobic digestion we are investing in our soil-building and food-producing capacity just as much as we are investing in decentralized, 24/7, and carbon-neutral energy production. On the other side of the biomass energy spectrum, wood-chip gasification is a thermochemical process where we use heat to deconstruct solid, biomass hydrocarbon molecules into the constituent gases, primarily hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Hydrogen is widely known as the hallmark of a renewable energy future, and carbon monoxide, along with being an insidious poison, is also a fuel gas. These gases are collectively called producer gas and can be used to run a spark-fired, internal combustion engine to generate electricity. The co-product of an electrical generator set is copious amounts of hot water: 4-5 times the amount of electrical energy will be available as hot water, which can also be more valuable than the electricity. With wood-chip gasification, we are running micro-heating districts as much as we are powering communities with clean electricity, independent from the sun shining or wind blowing.

This GEK, or wood gasifier at SFCC, demonstrates how rural communities can use wood-chips to easily make electricity. Lots of Third World villages purchase this equipment to power entire villages.

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The other main tenet of biomass energy technologies is that they are not static energy devices like solar panels that are made in some factory and when installed produce energy without any further community involvement or economic

LivingArtSystems.com

Hydrocarbon Earth

Biomass energy provides jobs year after year while contributing to positive stewardship of our farmlands, forests and atmosphere. rippling. Biomass energy involves many segments of a functioning economy by providing jobs year after year while contributing to positive stewardship of our farmlands, forests and atmosphere. There is always feedstock procurement (civil collection, farmers or forest product workers), transportation from source to bio-refinery, operations and maintenance (mechanics, fabricators and bio-refinery technicians), and the administrative support staff to keep it all happening. Biomass energy installations can also have a very favorable EROI (Energy Returned On Energy Invested) of 85 percent and potentially more. In the words of municipal wastewater treatment engineers who operate plants of 2-4 megawatts electrical, biogas is like “free energy,” available for the taking in the things we are already doing with organic materials we are already treating. Similarly, in the series of simultaneous and instantaneous gasification reactions, the gasifier ends up liber-

ating its own oxygen supply in substoichiometric conditions from the biomass itself, thereby releasing more energy as gas and heat than the endothermic reactions require to sustain themselves. Biomass energy technologies are ready for deployment from the bottom up, for communities and by communities. In this same movement, we find we will also be keeping organics out of landfills, localizing fertilizer production, tending diseased forests, and displacing fossil fuel expenditures and associated carbon release. i Nicholas Chambers is a small farmer who operates Living Arts Systems, LLC, a design, build and installation company for food and energy systems operating in southern Colorado and northern NM. He is also the Biomass Energy instructor for Santa Fe Community College’s Biofuels Center of Excellence. You can reach him at nick@livingartsystems.com.

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Benchmarking

continued from page 12

Cost Caps: Many states, including Colorado and NM, have imposed “cost caps” to limit the amount that utilities must spend to meet stateimposed RE mandates. Colorado’s cost cap is very similar to NM’s. That hasn’t been a problem for Xcel Energy, which continues to add renewables by choice. In NM, the cost cap has been used creatively by PNM to try to avoid adding additional renewables. PNM doesn’t admit to ANY benefit from RE sources other than fossil-fuel cost displacement. Interconnect Rate Riders: A few years ago, several major SW utilities attempted to impose extra charges on customers who “grid-tied” their PV systems to the utility system, arguing that these PV systems were actually costing the utility money. In the two most prominent cases, independent third-party studies concluded that these grid-tied distributed PV systems were, in fact, saving the utility money, so the rate riders were not approved. PNM has promised it will demand a grid-tie PV rate rider in 2013. Energy Efficiency: Many utilities talk the talk, but then adopt only modest initiatives such as efficient lighting and appliance rebates. In general, electrical cooperatives have been much more supportive of energy-efficiency programs. In ultra-conservative Oklahoma, Oklahoma Gas & Electric is leading the nation in energy-efficiency initiatives, having concluded that it can earn serious profits by helping its customers save money. PNM continues to struggle to meet NM’s modest energy-efficiency mandates. PNM’s “energy efficiency committee” has no trouble coming up with good ideas.

Green Fire Times • October 2012

PNM executives veto most of them. Electric Vehicles: EV sales this year are lower than some had forecast, but make no mistake, EV is a big deal. And the combination of plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles with PV charging stations is starting to take off for sound economic reasons: the payback for EV owners can be impressive. GM is partnering with SunLogics; Tesla is partnering with Solar City; Nissan and Ford are partnering with SunPower; BMW is partnering with Active-E. NRG, a Texas utility, is leasing residential EV charging systems bundled with special timeof-use rates. The buzz is that “forward looking electric utilities are active in promoting electric vehicles.” PNM executives are apparently looking in the opposite direction. PNM deserves some credit for not being a member of the dwindling “noway” utility club. At one time it might even have been fairly described as “not opposed” to RE, but these latest utility benchmark “best practices” prove that current PNM management is stuck in “de Nile.” In fact, some of these bestpractice examples completely undercut PNM’s current strategy as well as several of its recent formal proposals to the NM PRC. This just shows how ordinary folks can use a few “bestpractice” examples to expose utilityscale “untruthiness.” Are you feeling empowered yet? i Gary Vaughn is a licensed professional engineer, a renewable energy advocate and vice president of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association. www.nmsea.org

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Sustainable Agriculture

Building a Community Food System

IAIA’s Demonstration Garden Story and Photos by Seth Roffman

lthough the faculty had integrated agricultural curriculum into the Indigenous Liberal Studies and Museum Studies departments, opportunities for hands-on student agriculture and scientific research at the Institute of American Indian Arts was lacking until two years ago, when a garden was planted to demonstrate and promote Indigenous agricultural methods for food and medicinal crop cultivation. The garden includes corn, beans, squash, peaches, lettuce, onions and other fruits and vegetables, some of which are used in the school’s cafeteria. The plot is designed and maintained by the school’s Center for Lifelong Education, local tribal members, students and faculty. The assistant garden manager is Paul Quintana Jr. of Cochiti Pueblo. Teresa Kaulity (Kiowa) and Jacki Smith (Navajo) are the work-study garden and greenhouse staff. IAIA is now one of several tribal colleges across the nation engaging in programs to revitalize traditional food cultivation, harvesting and cooking. IAIA students are mentored in small-scale traditional food crop production, including soil preparation, irrigation methods in dry climates, and the benefits of organically produced foods. The project is representative of IAIA’s 1994 Land Grant mission to offer culturally sensitive curriculum that incorporates cultural and historical identity. This includes workstudy, internship training and community outreach that promotes tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

Top: IAIA’s Center for Lifelong Education; center: Project manager Luke Reed in herb garden; bottom: CLE coordinator Jacquelyn Gutierrez (Santa Clara Pueblo) and IAIA food service Bon Appetit manager Guido Lambelet in greenhouse

IAIA’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

The Institute of American Indian Arts is the nation’s only four-year institution dedicated to the study of contemporary Native Arts. IAIA will host an open house and 50th anniversary celebration from 10 am-5 pm on October 13 at the IAIA campus at 83 Avan Nu Po Road in Santa Fe. Events will include panel sessions on IAIA’s impact on creative writing, Indigenous studies, museum studies, studio and new media arts. There will also be campus tours, storytelling by Stephen Fadden (Mohawk), oral history presentations, faculty and student exhibitions and demonstrations, and opportunities to view IAIA’s museum collection, which includes artwork created by students since the school opened in 1962. In addition, there will be a foundry bronze pour at the Sculpture Complex, and experimental video by students and staff in the world’s only fully moveable Digital Dome, as well as food, music and games. For more information, call 505.424.2351 or email IAIACommunications@iaia.edu.

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Students also survey family participation in farming, gardening and a healthy eating program, and IAIA’s research team is providing mentoring to Santa Fe Indian School students in agricultural and environmental science. A US Department of Agriculture grant has strengthened IAIA’s collaboration with New Mexico State University, a fellow Land Grant institution, through NMSU’s Alcalde Sustainable Agriculture Science Center and NMSU’s extension services, which offer beginning farmer and rancher programs. A USDA grant also made it possible to build a

greenhouse to start plants and serve as an experiential classroom. “The overall intent is to teach how to help build a whole community food system,” says Luke Reed, USDA Research & Extension Project Manager. “Local year-round food production can improve people’s food habits by infusing greens and healthy foods into communities’ diets.” i For more information about IAIA’s agriculture and nutrition research programs, contact Luke Reed at lreed@iaia.edu

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

A Visit to China Opens Doors To North Korea through Sustainable Agriculture Don Bustos

Korean Farmer-to-Farmer Exchange with the US

While in China, as part of our tour, I was able to meet with four farm managers from North Korea. China and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK, commonly referred to as North Korea) are both Communist countries but function differently. Under the direction of the government, the North Korean farm managers are in charge of cooperative farms, which are given quotas for agriculture production. Because of the different regions where the crops are growing and infrastructure limitations, their farming operations are very diverse. The woman manager I met ran a 1,750-hectare operation with fishing boats, farmland and orchards, along with the mandatory rice and corn production. Her challenges include steep slopes, erosion of soil, and very limited infrastructure and resources. The four managers were very intelligent, and had keen eyes toward learning new technology for winter production using solar energy, soil management and conservation.

On October 10 at 6pm, Don Bustos will present a public talk on his trip to China, complete with photos and a short video. The event is being hosted by Willem Malten at the Cloud Cliff building, 1805 2nd Street in Santa Fe.

One of the main points of interest for me was the tour of the University of Shenyang’s Agriculture and Sustainability program. We went to three different research centers there. The first was focused on winter production. It had walls built from brick and pumice blocks, and there were some freestanding cold frames. The North Korean farmers were given cold-frame kits to extend their growing seasons. They were interested in growing high-value crops for their cooperatives and communities. They hoped that these crops could generate sales, which could then be reinvested into their communities.

n August 2012, I had the opportunity to travel to Dalian, China as part of a farmer-to-farmer cultural exchange program. The farmers I met there were able to sell what they grow in the open markets, and after they make their state quotas, have brokers sell the larger amounts. Wholesalers drive their trucks to the farms, buy directly from the growers, and then transport the produce to the city to sell to restaurants and stores. On several occasions, I saw vendors selling directly to the hotel where we were staying. Also, each day, local street markets sold live seafood. What they didn’t sell would be offered for dinner at restaurants.

Organic farm at university research center in Shenyang, China

Accompanying First they negotiate a price for us was a North a tour and a short introduction Korean translato explain what services they tor by the name offer. If more is wanted, then of Mr. O. Mr. O a contract can be entered into has apparently if the government approves. In been one of the those cases the government offew North Koficials are offered a fee for their reans who have services. The season extension regularly travresearcher in Shenyang was a eled outside of professor at the solar greenDon Bustos and Linda Lewis, director of the Asian office of the American their country. I Friends Service Committee, with a delegation from North Korea house research center. He had believe he is one several students working with of their more progressive thinkers in what order to enter rooms, and the him on design and placement. When and has gained respect from some of seating arrangements were studied beasked by the North Korean farmhis countrymen. Our group also infore the meetings. When we met with ers for very specific details on buildcluded a chief engineer from one of Chinese delegations, we usually had a ing, growing times and methods, he the North Korean farms. He was very Chinese Cultural Affairs attaché with said if they wanted more information quiet and respectful. His main responus. I had the sense that the Chinese he could provide construction and sibility is to keep all of the equipment were watching the North Koreans, materials for a fee. He has his own running. A soil scientist from the the North Koreans were watching the consultation firm. ASE, a branch of the North Korea Chinese, and both sides were watchThe North Korean farmers were agriculture services, was especially ining me, the American farmer. very interested in experiencing other terested in the soil laboratory at the methods and then taking those obChinese agriculture station where soil servations and adapting them to their is tested for all the Chinese farms. Exneeds for growing food to feed their tension agents then distribute the reccommunities and country. It was clear ommended kind and amount of ferthat both counties were withholding tilizers needed. The seventh member information from each other. And of the North Korean delegation was after spending time with the other Mr. Ling. He was the only one who The education system in China is very farmers, I could understand why. The actually stated that he works for the different. Not only do students not get reasons are many, and in some inDRPK prosecutor’s office. I think he to pick their education levels; they do stances, historical in nature. was the assigned government officer. not get a choice of their career. That is On one of the travel days I asked the The whole tour was very well dedetermined by several factors, by othfarmers what their country looked like. signed, and protocol was always folers. Another strange thing is that the Immediately, all the other folks in the lowed. In some instances we were told professors charge for their services.

Green Fire Times • October 2012

It was clear that both counties were withholding information from each other.

continued on page 22

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Sustainable Agriculture

Farming for a Sustainable South Valley Community

Patrick W. Staib and Sayrah Namasté

“W

e wanted to dispel the myth that you can’t make a living farming,” says Don Bustos, director of the New Mexico program of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). AFSC is an international nonprofit organization and Nobel Peace Prize recipient that has worked in NM since 1976 to create economic viability through training small farmers in sustainable agricultural practices, thereby protecting land and water rights and traditional cultural practices.

Don Bustos harvesting garlic at NNMC’s Sostenga field in Española, NM

AFSC’s hands-on, farmer-to-farmer training program teaches beginning farmers high-value-crop selection, sequential planting, crop aggregation, year-round production in passive-solar cold frames, and managing a farmer network. Teaching farmers to aggregate their produce was Don’s idea to help them access larger markets.

ing together on their farm tasks, processing and marketing. The group training provided an ideal opportunity to learn the cooperative approach to aggregated production and marketing. “You’re like my brothers now,” said a farm trainee to the others in his class. “If anything goes wrong at your farm, I’ll come out and help fix it, and I know you’d do the same for me.” AFSC, La Plazita Institute and Valle Encantado established and operated a farmer-owned network that conducted sales, marketing, processing, permitting and coordination. The trainees named this farmer-owned network The AgriCultura Network (ACN). By the end of the first year of the project, ACN was servicing seven restaurants, two grocery outlets, had obtained vendor status and won a bid to supply produce to the local food program at Albuquerque Public Schools (APS). The project partners and AFSC staff soon discovered that coordination of a produce-for-market operation over several sites required significant oversight and logistical support. By the second year, ACN was operating seven sites, with six farmers working to aggregate their harvests. ACN was supplying almost 150 pounds of salad mix to APS a week and had developed a system for ordering, processing, packaging, labeling, distribution and invoicing. In one year, the trainees more than doubled their food produc-

AFSC partnered with South Valleybased community organizations La Plazita Institute and Valle Encantado in 2009, with significant funding from the USDA. These organizations recruited community members who wanted to learn to farm and provided training sites that were developed into more than a dozen small farms in Albuquerque’s South Valley. The trainees participated in AFSC’s popular year-long program by work-

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Agri-Cultura Network members

tion and more than tripled their sales. AFSC also taught trainees how to construct cold frames for year-round greens production for wholesale and institutional markets. This kept the farmers busy in the cold months. An important facet of this effort was to emphasize collective planning events. AFSC worked with the Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension ofFarmers’ market at Nob Hill in Albuquerque fice to conduct business frames with drip irrigation to get a head planning workshops and held group start on tomatoes and then extend their seed selection workshops that culmiharvest into November. It was the farmnated in a collective seed order. The ers themselves who enacted this innoAFSC project team also worked with vation, based on their observations and ACN farmers and incoming trainees experience from the previous growing to schedule planting dates and variseason. AFSC simply provided technical eties around seasonal availability and and logistical support. marketability. One wonderful but unexpected impact One innovation as a result of these of the program was the community events was to coordinate farms to participation. Much of the land the share the expense of early-season trainees farm has been lent to them by plant starts. ACN farmers worked community members, including a few with AFSC staff to select diverse heirwidows, who saw the farms in their loom tomato varieties and then to get neighborhood that AFSC and the the tomato starts in the cold frames partners developed and wanted their before the last spring freeze. ACN land to produce food again. The interfarmers grew a wide array of tomatoes generational relationships and comand were able to bring them to market munity revitalization that resulted exmuch earlier in the season. ceeded everyone’s expectations. As a result, the farmers learned to target As this project draws to a close in higher price points through maximizOctober 2012, AFSC is proud to be ing the appropriate technology of cold implementing similar training and aggregation models in Anthony and Embudo, NM. While there is no uniform approach to community development through sustainable farming, the shared experience of farmers and communities willing to collaborate will help ease new groups’ transitions. There is much work to do, but this innovative approach is likely to help accomplish the goals of preserving water rights and reducing food insecurity within New Mexico. i Patrick W. Staib and Sayrah Namasté work for the American Friends Service Committee and were key to the success of this project. Contact: 505.842.7343

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

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

Green Fire Times • October 2012

505.820.2617

van were listening. I was given three publications from North Korea to look at from the government official. One of the most eye-opening things I witnessed was the first time the other folks from North Korea saw pictures and stories from their countrymen and women. My understanding is that living in their country, people are not encouraged or sometimes cannot travel inside their own country. One of the impacts of that is that there is very little farmer-to-farmer exchange, and this hinders the ability of the ASE to spread the information needed to change and improve their food system.

Recommendations for Change

These are a few of the experiences I had on what I believe was the first farmerto-farmer exchange program between North Koreans and New Mexico farmers. I witnessed the power of regular people sharing ideas and having

A Visit to China continued from page 20

Shenyang market

some of the same values of family and community. It was an effort toward building trust and learning what it is really like in each other’s countries. On this tour, I felt that some of the participants saw the North Koreans as inferior on several levels. I think more exchange programs of this sort should be developed. It will take a culturally sensitive approach, one that utilizes respect and equitable treatment. i Don Bustos is an International Agriculture and Trade Policy fellow working for American Friends Service Committee. DBustos@afsc.org

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The Story Behind the Wildfires

Maceo Martinet

hile the mainstream media has grudgingly begun to talk about the connection between global warming and destructive wildfires, there is an important connection not being made. Today’s wildfires, now often called megafires, are much worse than those of the past due to human mismanagement of the forests. This mismanagement is based on how humans relate to fire and how we relate to the communities that depend on the forests.

companies, more concerned with extracting profits than with forest and community sustainability.

The US Forest Service (USFS), the agency tasked with managing approximately 100 million acres of public forest throughout the West, believed from its inception in 1905 until the 1980s, that fire was the enemy of American forests and must be suppressed. Gifford Pinchot, the USFS’s first chief forester, often proclaimed that fire was the “dragon of destruction.” To drive this message home, the Forest Service issued various posters depicting fire shaped as the devil. The policy of fire suppression effectively removed the ancient role that fire plays in forests. For millennia, Southwestern forests experienced a natural cycle of small, low-intensity fires ignited by lightning every three to 15 years, which removed piles of dead wood and young trees, resulting in a forest with a mosaic of open meadows. As a result of our fire suppression policy, our forests went from having about 25 trees per acre to today’s dense thickets of about 1,000 trees per acre. As reported in a recent National Public Radio broadcast from the Jémez Mountains of New Mexico, these dense forest thickets create megafires so hot, they literally cook the soil, wiping out the soil’s microorganisms and completely changing the basic nature of the forest.

Having learned from its mistakes, the USFS now sees fire as an important and natural ingredient for a healthy forest, and prescribed burning as a cost-effective treatment to restore forest health. To reduce the threat of megafires, we need to use a combination of both prescribed burns and Las Conchas wildfire on the outskirts mechanical thinning. This, of of Los Alamos, June 2011 course, is a major task, considering that since the 1990s we have only done mechanical thinning and prescribed burns on only 3 percent of all public forested land throughout the West. There is no way that we can treat the remaining 97 percent unless we have a massive jobs program to restore our forests. In a time of budget cutbacks, you might think this would cost the taxpayer too much to implement. However, considering that we already spend about $1.5 billion a year to fight wildfires (not including what we spend on the recovery), then surely we need to spend some money to prevent them.

While 100 years of fire suppression is largely responsible for current forest conditions, another contributing factor has been our policies to remove the Indigenous and Hispanic community stewardship of the forest. Communities were restricted from harvesting firewood and other traditional uses that could have helped reduce the dense forest thickets we see today. This policy of reducing traditional uses of the forests effectively made the population dependent on a labor market that did not respect their labor, their culture, or the forests they depended on. The forest and forest communities were subjected to contracts with large timber

Instituting a Jobs Program

A jobs program that helps reduce the threat of megafires can simultaneously bring back the health of the forest, along with long-term economic security for communities. To thin and conduct prescribed continued on page 29

Wildland Fire Science at Northern New Mexico College

Lisa Mednick Powell

n June 26, 2011, lunchtime patrons at Española’s La Cocina emerged from the restaurant to see a thin plume of smoke rising from the Jémez Mountains into the afternoon sky. Less than 24 hours later, the ragged plume had become a raging wildfire covering 43,000 acres of northern New Mexico. It would continue spreading until Aug. 2, when it was finally contained; by then the Las Conchas Fire had gained the distinction of being the largest wildfire in NM history at 156,000 acres. Some wildfires begin with a spark from lightning or from a careless smoker’s smoldering match. The Las Conchas Fire started when a falling aspen tree that had been cooked to tinder by the

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high desert heat struck a power line. The spring winds, normally fierce enough, were stronger than usual and lasted into early summer, fanning the sparks into a blaze that helped the fire progress at a record pace.

may be too risky. Therefore, you may need to build a fireline many miles out ahead of the fire and burn the fuel, essentially starving the fire.”

Less than one year later, the Las Conchas fire was outpaced by the lightning-ignited Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire, which consumed over 200,000 acres. This fire in the Gila Wilderness spread quickly across steep and jagged terrain, where firefighters cannot go. Dr. James Biggs, director of both Environmental Sciences and the Wildland Fire Science Program at Northern New Mexico College explained, “You cannot put personnel directly in front of the fire because it

component of Wildland Fire Science, so it is worth looking at a brief chronology of fires in northern NM. The perception of what constitutes a large fire has shifted in comparison to what a large fire looked like in the relatively recent past.

Dr. Biggs’ Natural Resource Science and Management students on a field trip Regional fire history is an important

In June of 1977, the La Mesa fire burned 18,000 acres. This was followed by a lull in fire activity. The next 15 or so years constituted a “wet period,” during which, according to

Dr. Biggs, “things started heating up, growing fast and thick—which resulted in a fuel buildup.” By the time the Dome Fire occurred in 1996, burning 19,000 acres, the environment had begun to dry up. This dry period continued through 1998, when the Oso Complex Fire burned just under 6,000 acres, until 2000 when the region suffered the Cerro Grande Fire. The Cerro Grande Fire was, at the

continued on page 31

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

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Technology Conference continued from page 10 engine fired right up and seemed to be running quite well.

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The Top 5 Exotic Free Energy Technologies

Sterling Allan, creator of the Pure Energy Systems or the PES Network, wrapped up the conference with a presentation of his Top 5 Exotic Free Energy Technologies. Allan, more than anyone else, has doggedly tracked the development of clean/free energy technologies over many years. His New Energy Congress, founded in 2005, seeks to bring together credible and knowledgeable scientific talents to evaluate the range of emerging energy technologies with commercial potential. His efforts have been critical in terms of distinguishing the scammers and hucksters from what might truly have the potential of shifting the world away from our near-total reliance on fossil-fuel energy systems. His goal is to encourage and identify those new energy technologies that are, in his terms, “environmentally friendly, scalable, sustainable, robust, affordable and practical, and have behind them a solid team of technical and customer support.” He assured us that no less than 30 genres of free energy concepts/devices exist. His top choices as detailed in his PowerPoint presentation are as follows:

ogy would be ideal for powering cell phones and small electronic devices. Commercial distribution is planned for late 2013. 4. The PlasmERG Noble Gas Engine: PlasmERG. This engine’s outstanding features include only five moving parts, negligible fuel cost, high-power plasma effect and very high powerto-weight ratio. See www.plasmERG. com 5. Brillouin Energy Corporation. www. brillouinenergy.com. This technology is based on what’s called LENR or Low Energy Nuclear Reactor. It utilizes a boiler that produces 600-degree Celsius heat through a “controlled electron capture reaction.” This device would serve as a convenient and very clean home heating unit, eliminating the need for oil, propane, natural gas or electricity for heating and cooling. Stanford University is currently testing the technology.

Allan emphasized that Free Energy could serve as a bulwark against certain major global challenges that our world currently faces. Free Energy Technologies can: • Counter the rising price of food and buffer economic collapse by reducing transportation and energy costs • Bring about a more peaceful world by reducing or eliminating destructive global competition for fossil-fuel resources • Give hope to people that a new, cleanenergy revolution is on the way • Offer perhaps the only practical means to avert additional global warming and eventual catastrophic climate change • Facilitate building a new economy by

Technology

decentralizing and localizing energy production • Dramatically reduce the deleterious environmental effects of our current extractive energy industry

Allan provides an E-Newsletter that tracks how these technologies are developing. For more info see www. peswiki.com

In Summary

In summary, two key focal points seemed to emerge from the conference— water and the torus. Certain presenters highlighted the generally unacknowledged healing qualities of water and others focused on the enormous energy hidden in the molecular nature of water. Water, of course is ever-present in our reality. It covers two-thirds of the planet’s surface and comprises a major component in our terrestrial biomass, including all our food products and 60 percent of our body weight. “Water is everything,” one presenter noted. “It’s the most powerful energy on earth. It can take the form of a crystal, and it’s piezoelectric and pyroelectric. It has memory and responds to sound and emotion.” The water molecule is composed of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, both normally highly explosive gases when separated, but when joined together, they readily extinguish fire. Without water, life would not have been possible on Planet Earth. Humans would not and could not exist. Many of the technologies presented at

the conference rely on water in some form for their effective operation. The torus or toroid is a fascinating universal structure that describes how energy is processed and recirculated in nature at microscopic and planetary scales. It also figured prominently in the explanation of the workings of the various exotic technologies. When the researchers strove to explain how their devices could generate and recirculate enormous amounts of energy in ways that appear to challenge standard laws of physics and chemistry, the mechanism that surfaced time and time again was the toroid. The torus is a central character in the THRIVE film. The film documents how ancient civilizations the world over often cited the torus as the source of fabulous power and universal equilibrium. Perhaps now we are rediscovering how the powers of water and the torus can reshape our global future into one of profound healing and abundance for all. i Charles Bensinger is Biofuels Program Director at SFCC. He also developed Renewable Energy Partners of New Mexico, which manages the biofuels dispensers inside the Giant Conoco and Phillips 66 retail stations on Cerrillos Road. Email: newworld@cybermesa.com, 505.466.4259

1. Rossi E-Cat: a cold fusion device. Founder Andrew Rossi demonstrated a ½ MW (Megawatt) device in Italy in October 2011. The company claims that a 1 MW unit could sell for $1.2 million. They plan to introduce a 10 kW (kilowatt) home unit in the near future. 2. Praxen Defkalion Green Technologies: This Company demonstrated a 5 kW reactor in September 2011 in Greece, which attracted much attention. See www.defkalion-energy.com for more info. 3. Solid State Power Generator: Inventors in Salt Lake City demonstrated a solid-state power generator the size of a postage stamp. The process has received third-party confirmation. The device generates very low but continuous power by harnessing the movement of atoms. This technol-

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October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

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Perspectives

Responding to Instability

Jack Loeffler

onsider this. We became who we are as a species around 200,000 years ago, responding to some greater urge to evolve that prevails within the biotic community. By the end of the Pleistocene, we practiced a time-honored hunter-gatherer lifestyle, relying on our individual and collective wit to survive by reaping the bounty offered by the flow of Nature. The whole of our planet was a wilderness where sometimes we ourselves provided a wholesome meal for other predators, our decomposed remains enriching the soil to provide nutrients. During the warming trends of the early Holocene, we began to develop agriculture, and with that, civilizations began to blossom into being, a condition that thinkers like Paul Shepard and Edward Abbey considered to be the beginning of the nightmare of human history. It certainly heralded the moment when humanity began to lock into becoming the keystone species of this planet. Metaphorically, we left the “Edenic” phase of existence, and segued into a different level of consciousness. We are now 11- or 12-thousand years into the Holocene that some people consider to be at an end, having waned into the Anthropocene epoch, so named after ourselves; our species now seems to be the most powerful force on the planet. That is a profound distinction, an element of which is that we can apparently no longer be self-governed because there are far too many of us, and not everyone is altruistic because the survival instinct is more compelling than mutual cooperation—as is the urge to power.

body at the University of New Mexico. But that’s a different story.

It would be a grievous shame if we were to collapse because we failed to muster the consciousness to thwart the growing probability of a disaster of our own making. Two-and-a-third centuries ago, the newly born nation of the United States of America formed a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It required a revolutionary war to wrest this land from the British Empire. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of this new nation, himself a slaveholder, looked to the future through an agrarian lens whose clarity was soon obscured by the Industrial Revolution. Thus the new nation of farmers was gradually subsumed by growing technology that was vigorously applied until we became what we are today—something of a technocracy; an empire unto ourselves, having perfected the parlaying of natural resources into a giant system of economics where, until recently, most of us luxuriated in the highest standard of living while concurrently spewing monstrous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a by-product of our perceived energy needs; a nation where the government serves the will of the people less than the corporate will of those who have specialized in making lots of money with which to buy power—political and otherwise. Lord John Dalberg-Acton, the so-called magistrate of history of 19th century Britain, is quoted as having said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Governance has taken many hues over the millennia, as has religion. At times, the two have integrated and empires have arisen, most of them now settling into the dust of antiquity. Voltaire pointed out that “Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest,” which author Edward Abbey loved to re-attribute to Louisa May Edward Abbey: “Growth for Alcott, much to the dismay the sake of growth is the ideof the faculty and student ology of the cancer cell.”

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This, of course, is obviously a simplistic rendering of the extraordinary course our nation

has taken. We have been a great nation, a compassionate nation. We have defended other nations against that which they and we regard as wrong-minded attacks from without. While being perhaps the greatest military force in world history, we ostensibly seek world peace. We have produced great art, great music, great literature, great institutions of higher learning, while at the same time we have wrought extraordinary havoc within our biotic community, our life support system. We are a particularly complex study in conflicting absolutes. It would be a grievous shame if we were to collapse because we failed to muster the consciousness to thwart the growing probability of disaster of our own making. We are now launched into a realm of climate instability created by our species. Much of this instability is the result of the inordinate amount of carbon dioxide that we have emitted into our atmosphere from the smokestacks of power plants, the tailpipes of our cars, our jet engines, the hot air exuded by politicians—our lifestyles. None of us is exempt. Each of us bears some responsibility for the dwindling state of our biosphere, thus contributing to a form of jeopardy that is not reliably predictable, but with which we and our descendants must now contend, ready or not. In the August 4, 2012 issue of New Scientist Magazine, Michael Marshall wrote an intriguing article entitled “Ruined,” wherein he pointed out that over the last four millennia, great civilizations including the Akkadian, Hittite, Egyptian, Mayan and several others went belly-up during times of extended drought. Some might chalk this up to coincidence; however, we can imagine how running out of water must be a major contributor to cultural instability, conceivably leading to collapse. As the climate becomes less stable, basic necessities, including water and food, are likely to become less abundant, more expensive and increasingly difficult to come by. As culture destabilizes, mutual cooperation gives way to personal survival mode. Chaos must ensue if the progression ultimately plays out to failed habitat, collapse of biotic community that includes the human community.

Cultural instability and climate instability inevitably coincide. Doom mongering is not a classy pastime. And for one like myself who is genetically optimistic, the irrefutable evidence that assails my intellect on a daily basis causes me to cast about, all but announcing, “The sky is falling!” Granted, we are vastly more equipped with technology and scientific understanding to deal with problems of this magnitude than were folks of earlier civilizations. But they lived in a time when the human population was under one billion. We are now at seven billion and rising. We’re coming up on a major election in this democracy of ours. Thus far, democracy has seemed to be, if not proved to be, the best political system yet devised in the civilized world. However, Lord Acton cautions us yet again: “The one prevailing evil in democracy is the tyranny…of that party…that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.” Does anything come to mind? Another evil that has come to this democracy of ours is the limitation of political choices that have come to prevail. Not only are we a Lord Acton: “Power two-party sys- tends to corrupt, tem; both par- and absolute power ties are domi- corrupts absolutely.” nated by a form of economics that is based on extracting finite resources to provide jobs and energy to run a civilization that is faltering. Neither has as yet put health of habitat at the top of the agenda. Without longterm healthy habitat, economics in its current form is doomed. Growth for the sake of growth is obviously doomed anyway in a world of finite resources. Our two-party system reflects vastly different realms of consciousness. One realm asserts that we must charge in and extract what’s left of our waning oil and gas reserves regardless of damage to habitat in order to revive another decade continued on page 28

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

or so of false prosperity. That seems to be the realm of consciousness that presently prevails in the office of the Governor of New Mexico, and also the mind of the man who would dislodge our current president from office.

continued from page 27

impasse and seek solace in the words of Henry David Thoreau: “Can there not be a government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?—in which majorities decide only those questions to which the rule of expediency is applicable? Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then?” Perhaps human conscience, once thought to be one of the highest attributes, has been rendered obsolete by the system of economics in which we have been rapaciously engaged ever since 1845 when John L. Sullivan coined the term “Manifest Destiny,” thus firing westward expansion and empire.

H.D. Thoreau: “Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward attaining it.”

The other realm of consciousness seems far keener, far more encompassing, although greatly handicapped by having inherited the shambles left by the previous administration, thereafter continually hampered by a Congress intent on thwarting every attempt to restore order to our dreadfully bifurcated culture. Better, then, to head Congress off at the

I believe that conscience continues to exist, as does true consciousness. I also believe that liberal application of consciousness will provide the clarity to proceed in “good conscience” through the coming decades—part of which will include a careful scrutiny of the very way governance is actually achieved by federal, state and local governments, and initiating a gradual practice of decentralized governance from within home habitats/watersheds/bioregions. This consciousness must also include the relative health of homeland, and indeed include homeland as the “chair” of the homeland

Thinking Like a Watershed

by Jack Loeffler and Celestia Loeffler

ISBN: 978-0-8263-5233-0, 280 pages Anthology explores past, present and future of water use in the Southwest In North America’s arid Southwest, water is the rarest of the four elements. Yet for thousands of years, the landscape has nurtured and influenced many cultures, its history recorded in fossils, rock art and tree rings, as well as written accounts such as essays and interviews collected in Thinking Like a Watershed (University of New Mexico Press).

Produced in conjunction with the documentary radio series Watersheds as Commons, this anthology offers a variety of voices, including members of Tewa, Tohono O’odham, Hopi, Navajo, Hispano and Anglo cultures, sharing perspectives shaped by the consciousness and resilience that comes from successfully enduring the harshness of their environment. Inspired in part by the thinking of the great explorer John Wesley Powell, who articulated the notion that the arid American West should be seen as a mosaic of watersheds, and the pioneering ecologist Aldo Leopold, who recognized the need for a land ethic guided largely by conscience, the work’s true inspiration can be attributed to the spirit of the mythic landscape of the American Southwest. Thinking Like a Watershed is available at bookstores or directly from the University of New Mexico Press: 505.277.2346, www.unmpress.com

Green Fire Times • October 2012

council which is comprised of citizens duly elected to their seats, and who hold their unpaid positions for no longer than two years. The primary concern should be health of habitat. It would wise for habitat residents to make well-informed documentation of species of plants and animals, annual precipitation, nature and capacity of aquifers, average dates of seasonal cycles, and far more—in a word, the lore of the land. We desperately need to devise and perfect a system of steady-state economics, abandoning the limitless growth system that accompanies unchecked population growth that has brought us to the edge of the precipice. We also need to revise an education system to include “ecosystemology,” for lack of a better name, so that the young learn their place in Nature from an early age. We live in the land of clear light where the Sun shines far more than it doesn’t. And the wind blows, frequently with an intensity that may seem alarming to those unfamiliar with wind gods who stir dust devils to action, and range freely across the face of the high desert. Sun and wind are the sources of energy that can be tapped and thus allay gouging yet more coal and uranium from the soil, and pumping oil and gas from beneath the Earth’s surface. This may cut across the corporate will—but it’s now time to cut across the corporate will and take control of homeland with clear conscience and conscious recognition that much of the law of this land was designed to serve a corporate will to power. In his brilliant essay, “Resistance to Civil Government,” Henry David Thoreau wrote: “All men recognize the right of revolution: that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.” Although he wrote these words in disgust of a government that condoned slavery, they certainly apply to the unconscionable conduct of the Congress of the United States over these last four years. Less than two decades after Thoreau wrote his essay, our country was engaged in the Civil War, our culture sundered in a way that took more than a century to heal. In this time of climate instability, we have to admit to our cultural instability. But rather than engaging in violent revolution pitting conscience against greed, we can nurture grassroots activism and

Responding to Instability

Philip Whalen: “Money is the roost of all eagles.”

invigorate consciousness as to the needs of homeland. We can think like a watershed and react accordingly. We can continue to use the democratic process to elect government officials who recognize that the needs of homeland far exceed the needs of coffers to be filled. And we ourselves can become engaged at home. My old friend John Nichols once said to me, “Growing a tomato is a political act.” Indeed it is, and by extension, nurturing the foodshed within the watershed is a vital step in restoring the handcrafted lifestyle that we all may soon be required to adopt in order to survive. To do these things in the spirit of mutual cooperation is far better than in a state of mutual antagonism. At this point, no one can accurately predict what the next decades will bring, but we are all well advised to proceed in good conscience and clear consciousness. In his compelling essay, “The Land Ethic,” Aldo Leopold wrote the following passage: “Perhaps the most serious obstacle impeding the land ethic is the fact that our educational and economic system is headed away from, rather than toward, an intense consciousness of land. …Quit thinking about decent land use as solely an economic problem. Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and esthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” 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. For more info, visit www.loreoftheland.org

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Behind Wildfire continued from page 23

burns in an environmentally conscious way requires professional training on a whole range of skills, such as forest and fire ecology and learning about our rich landuse history. Employees would be trained on how to bring back the biodiversity of the forest and make the forest community more resilient to climate change. This initiative could also provide resources to develop small entrepreneurial companies and co-ops, which could creatively market the wood extracted from these thinning projects. For example, wood products could be used to restore soil health, make firewood, or pellets for home wood stoves, or be used in alternative-energy technologies such as co-generating heat and electricity. More importantly though, this jobs program could help empower local communities to develop their own sense of community.

If megafires are the new normal, then we need to develop the new forestry jobs of the 21st century. This is not a new idea. In 1992 a community-based timber company in northern New Mexico called La CompanĂa, argued that timber management should be done in an ecologically sustainable way, allow for local traditional uses of the forests such as gathering food and medicine, and support local school infrastructure and curriculum. The megafires that have been scorching the earth and our homes are a wake-up call for us to rethink how we manage fire, and how healthy forests are directly tied to the health of the local community. If these fires are the new normal, then we need to develop the new forestry jobs of the 21st centuryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;jobs that can pay a living wage while at the same time take better care of the land and community. Too often we get tricked into thinking that we only have a choice between putting food on our plates or keeping our environment healthy. But as the story behind the wildfires shows us, these two issues are one and the same. i Maceo Carrillo Martinet, Ph.D., is a New Mexico-based ecologist/ educator working on ecological restoration and community-based environmental education. He can be reached at: conuco8@yahoo.com

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Wildfires

Wildland Fire Science continued from page 23

Located on two campuses, one in Española and one 28 miles away in El Rito, where the Wildland Fire Science classes take place, Northern New Mexico College is an ideal location for the study of this topic. The Jémez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains frame the lush El Rito Valley, and the campus is located within Kit Carson National Forest. This program has seen a dramatic increase in enrollment in the past year, perhaps due to the increased frequency of large wildland fires. In addition to fire history, the coursework includes the study of the ecological role of fire, which can include clearing out accumulated fuels, such as underbrush, dried leaves and Aftermath of the Las Conchas Fire in the Jémez grasses, replenishing nutrients Mountains of New Mexico in the soil and controlling both disease and insect populations. time, the most destructive and costly It is important to note that fire plays fire in the United States, and further a natural and positive role in wildland damage occurred due to subsequent ecology and forest restoration. Under flooding in the region.

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the right conditions, fire is of benefit to the environment and should be allowed to burn. “To restore forests we need to restore fire and other natural disturbances,” says Dr. Biggs. He adds, however, that any human-caused fires should be immediately extinguished; conditions today are less than ideal due to climate change and other factors affecting fire regimes. Thanks to a grant recently awarded to Dr. Biggs by the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), NNMC’s El Rito campus will soon house a Fire Ecology and Simulation Laboratory. The new lab will be part of Northern’s Agroecology and Biological Research Station, which will include a soil laboratory. There, according to Biggs, “students will research the hydrologic characteristics and carbon dioxide emissions of burned versus unburned areas. They will also study simulated fire predictive models in the Carson National Forest.”

Dr. Biggs has identified a need to educate people about the relationship between fires and other biological components of ecosystems, such as soil and water. In that regard, the new lab will also include research opportunities for undergraduate students and the general public, and will feature outreach to K-12 students and teachers. The lab will also host informative workshops for the public, policy-makers, the media, and of course students—so that all may become better informed about fire’s relationship to the environment. i Lisa Mednick Powell is a staff writer at Northern New Mexico College. lpowell@nnmc.edu, www.nnmc.edu

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ October 2012

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Perspectives

The Prodigious Power of Our Beliefs

any of us have noticed the rapid acceleration of change that is occurring both individually and collectively. You don’t have to watch the news to perceive that various aspects of our culture that previously seemed tolerable, or perhaps held in denial, appear to be crumbling as a result of unsustainable foundations. It is a time to become witness to our patterns of behavior, to confront the imprints of our social conditioning and to take responsibility for the outcomes precipitated by our actions. This is especially worthwhile, given that these actions are often driven by subconscious motivations spawned from programming derived from the church, the state, our peer groups, our lineage and from the pool of human DNA. The vast majority of humanity appears to be driven by deeply embedded core beliefs that personify individuals, communities, societies and nations. We define ourselves religiously, politically, geographically, by skin color, language and countless other delineations. We believe who we are based on these definitions. But wrapped in this perspective, based on belief, we lose sight of our source, from which all of life springs forth, forgetting the unity and the commonality of the life experience, the very essence of who we are in spirit. Then there’s the not-so-subtle mixed message of religious fanaticism that has impacted the planet for thousands of years—each time expressed in the name of a belief system determined to be the only correct methodology sanctioned by the Creator, and then thrust on others or defended to the death. The Crusades during the Middle Ages set the tone for the mass exterminations to follow, designed to eliminate those whose beliefs differed enough from those who yielded the mightier sword and whose delusions propelled their dastardly actions. It somehow hasn’t occurred to many, after a brief glimpse at history, that the very gods and prophets so worthy of defending had no connection to these acts of inhumanity, and apparently

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promoted a much different message of peace, tolerance and compassion. After a moment of review, it is evident that intolerance, bigotry, self-righteousness and misguided power have propelled the human story of hatred, war and inhumanity throughout history. Might this not be a perfect time to take a breath, go a little deeper and contemplate a different perspective? A walk in nature might be a good place to start. Given what is occurring with climate disruption and the rate of world population growth, with its ever-expanding intrusion into what remains of our natural environment, it has become imperative that the human race take a deeper look at the beliefs that foster separation and alienation from nature and from each other. It is the unity perspective, or a form of belief that considers the rippling effects of our actions with consequences for which we must be conscious, that will drive the thrust toward a sustainable future. How can we resist the possibility of becoming more aware, more conscious of our thoughts, even though much of our thought process is spurred by motivations that appear outside of our present awareness? The answer is... we cannot. If we are to prosper through these times of Earth- and societal transition, a simultaneous period of decline and evolution, where old institutions, non-serving thought forms and outdated beliefs are stripped away by the sheer energy of change, we must seize the present opportunity to adopt a new understanding of what is possible and recognize the power of our thoughts.

that through action, word and deed, we can create models of cooperation and right livelihood that will propel us (and the planet) in a direction that will be sustainable. Interestingly, there are thousands of good news stories around the world for every story of strife, war and inhumanity, though these don’t typically make the headlines. Humanity has also evolved a heart and an inherent belief in the triumph of the human spirit as witnessed in grassroots movements across the globe where people are uniting in the pursuit of peace, freedom and environmental justice, while realizing the instant rewards of harmony and cooperation. This is the beginning of an expanded experience that promises far greater possibilities for humankind. This evolution begins with each individual who desires to be a proactive part of the solution, and

we don’t necessarily have to roll up our sleeves each day in an effort to clean up the mess. We must recognize that we have the power to grab the reins of our thoughts and accompanying feelings, to project a positive future. In doing our part to transform fear into hope and defeat into triumph, we express our contribution to planetary evolution. i Faren Dancer is an award-winning designer, builder, educator and activist. His UNICOPIA GREEN RADIO show, each Saturday o n K T RC (1260AM), is simulcast at santafe. com. The archived shows are available at www.unicopia.org. Email: Faren@unicopia.org

As a result of breaking out of unconscious patterns of belief and the evolving capacity to operate on a less selfcentered perspective, which includes the premise that every action has some effect on all of life, we can grow to encompass an awareness of the common good. This necessary shift of awareness is a natural evolution of what has already been occurring throughout the centuries. With this, a responsibility and respect for all of life, the belief

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ October 2012

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Perspectives

Start Today Before Tomorrow Is Gone

Victoria Gonzales and Elizabeth Sánchez, Santa Fe High School Students

hink of our world. What are its issues? What are its needs? We, living in a First World country, tend to believe that the world’s needs only revolve around us. Have you ever imagined homeless children or global warming right outside your front door?

An Earthship in Taos, New Mexico

Michael Reynolds did. In the 1970s, he invented what are known as earthships. Earthships are eco-friendly homes constructed from recycled materials. They can produce much of their own food, heat and water supply. This is made possible through the use of innovative design that includes solar panels, rainwater harvesting and circulating tubing. These homes originated in Taos, New Mexico, and have since spread to different areas of the world. This type of building reduces pollution and requires less expensive house payments. The average cost of an Earthship is $150,000, which is less than the median price of a home in Santa Fe. If a city building were constructed using an Earthship design, the money saved could be used for community service projects.

there is a dance floor where, by people merely dancing on the surface, energy is generated. This is called the Piezo Effect. The Piezo Effect creates energy waves, which are generated through movement. What if every club, dancehall, roller rink, basketball court or playground were built like this? What if high school students in their architecture, engineering or technology classes designed and built them? We would have a lot more power, we could reduce carbon, and students could learn how to create green recreational places, something that is sorely needed in Santa Fe. This concept could expand to other applications that could be fun and at the same time helpful to our society.

And what better day to start with a new, positive change than TODAY? If we begin today instead of waiting, and thus see what can be done, we won’t allow the world to progress in a negative way and possibly go under. We hope this article will inspire you to take action now. If not now, when? i

Elizabeth Sánchez, a sophomore honor student, has read her poetry at Poets in the Schools fundraisers, the Santa Fe Riverfest and in front of a very large crowd in Florida. She is dedicated to creating positive change in the world.

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.

Speaking of creating new recreational places for youth, why not add an ecofriendly, alcohol-free club to Santa Fe? And why not place this sort of club in other cities and states where youth have nothing to do but possibly get in trouble and do illegal things? Perhaps if this concept were applied to schools or other well-populated communities, we might be able to create entrepreneur programs or organizations that would provide for the students as well as surrounding areas from the surplus of energy created.

Why should these amazing buildings be limited to a single area? Perhaps if this integrated plan were incorporated around the state into individual homes as well as community centers, the entire population would benefit. Take povertystricken communities, for example. If a poor community were given the opportunity to gather together in a large, green-built, local food-producing environment, the cost of living would decrease. Who knows? Isn’t it possible that these ideas could be used to create environmentally efficient amusement parks, schools and offices?

Endangered polar bears and poverty are inextricably linked these days in the face of global warming and the downfall of our economy. The economy will benefit if more “green jobs” are introduced. Green jobs are occupations focused on employment that create a more sustainable society in a variety of sectors like energy, education, economics and agriculture. If these occupations are created for our growing number of unemployed citizens, this will help them build up their skills and self-esteem because they are contributing to the greater good. Not only will they benefit from job security; communities and future generations will also benefit. This will push society to become more informed about the topic, while diminishing poverty.

Another energy-efficient idea could be centered on excitement. What if there were ways that we could have fun, have more places to go, and at the same time use our personal energy as a way to help the environment and do things in a more convenient way? In New York

We can begin this mission in schools by educating students about transitioning to a green economy and building green communities that we all know will be better for all. Classes involving construction could assist students in learning “green” housing or mechanics. This may

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spark fresh ideas for the future of not only the community but also the planet.

October 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;˘ October 2012

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NEWSBITEs Sustainable Building Tax Credit Fund Almost at Annual Cap

Due to the popularity of new energy-efficient homes, the Sustainable Building Tax Credit for residential building in NM is nearing its annual $5 million cap. Once the cap is met, builders or homeowners who expected to claim the credit for greencertified construction on their 2012 taxes will have to wait until next year. This is likely to have the effect of depleting the funds available for issuing credits in 2013, the year the tax credit is due to end. However, a proposal to extend the program is being developed. It will need legislative approval. Sixty-seven percent of all permits issued for single-family homes in Albuquerque through the end of September were green-certified. Green home construction has almost doubled its 36.5 percent rate for 2011. Albuquerque’s Green Path Program has two ways to build to green standards that require third-party certification: Build Green New Mexico and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Last month, in an effort to help more residents install solar panels, add insulation and make other improvements, Santa Fe’s City Council approved a contract with Homewise to keep the Energy Partnership Loan Program going. Energy improvements are another way to help keep homeownership affordable.

New Mexico Transmission Project Request Rejected

The Federal Regulatory Commission has denied a request by PNM and the Renewable Energy Transmission Authority for a waiver to expedite the Power Network Project, a $350-million 200-mile transmission line that proponents say would carry up to 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy from east and central NM to PNM’s Río Puerco switching station near Río Rancho and then on to western markets. 1,500 megawatts is about three-quarters of peak demand from PNM’s 500,000 customers. The nation’s transmission line capacity is nearly at capacity as state mandates call for more renewable energy to be utilized. The waiver was requested because of a backlog of requests. FERC said that granting a waiver would be discriminatory toward other energy developers in line for approval. Some have been waiting for access to transmission service for years. PNM added five solar arrays to its network last year and plans to expand those plants, but development of utility-scale solar and wind projects has been slowed down by the limited transmission capacity.

Sapphire Energy Facility Now Producing “Green Crude”

After 14 months of construction, Sapphire Energy’s algae crude oil production facility near Columbus, NM is now functioning. The commercial demonstration project using an open pond design will utilize 300 acres for algae cultivation when completed. The renewable oil produced by a proprietary process will be turned into 91-octane gasoline, 89-cetane diesel and jet fuel. From the lab to harvesting to production of oil, the process takes a little more than a month. The facility hopes to produce 100 barrels of green crude per day by 2014 and 5,000 to 10,000 barrels per day by 2018. Green crude requires two main inputs – sunlight and CO2. It uses non-potable, brackish water pumped from aquifers and, with added nutrients, grows on nonarable land in desert climates. Sapphire is addressing the potential of environmental contamination in the open ponds by breeding high pH level strains of algae to withstand the elements. The company says that when its process is done at a larger plant, it will match fossil fuel-sourced oil at $85 a barrel. The Sapphire Green Crude Farm was funded, in part, by a $50 million Department of Energy grant, a $54 million USDA loan guarantee and $85 million from private investments.

Las Vegas, NM Group Seeks to Prohibit Fracking

The Community for Clean Water, Air and Earth (CCWAE), a San Miguel County-based group, is working to get the city of Las Vegas and the county to ban oil, gas and geothermal drilling. Last month the City Council passed a moratorium on those operations. CCWAE is also trying to get a “community rights ordinance” instituted that would prohibit hydraulic fracturing – “fracking” – but Las Vegas Mayor Alfonso Ortiz is blocking it. The mayor and city officials say the ordinance would supersede state and federal laws. In July, the mayor did sign an executive order that established a moratorium on fracking, a process that involves injecting large amounts of water and sand laced with chemicals to crack open fissures in rock to unlock reservoirs of oil and gas. In some instances, contaminants found in well water have allegedly been linked to the process. The US Environmental Protection Agency has been testing ground-

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water samples near fracking sites in Wyoming. The agency theorized a frackingpollution link in a draft report released in December that drew heavy skepticism from the petroleum industry and state officials. Fracking in Las Vegas is unlikely, but the ordinance’s sponsors say they intend the measure as a community statement against drilling and in solidarity with opponents of possible oil and gas operations in nearby Mora County. CCWAE’s proposed ordinance was drafted with the assistance of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit, public interest law firm based in Mercerberg, Pa. The ordinance is similar to 140 other ordinances in place throughout the country, including many in Pennsylvania where communities have been fighting fracking for a decade. CCEAE hopes to prove that its ordinance is constitutional by taking it to court.

Traditional Agriculture and Sustainable Living Conference October 12-13, Northern New Mexico College, Española This 7th annual conference features many important presenters, including keynote speakers Paul Stamets and Oscar Olivera. Stamets, an acclaimed author and mycologist, will talk about how mushrooms can help heal the world. Olivera was one of the main leaders of the “water wars” in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where he lead the impoverished indigenous people in their fight against the privatization of that region’s water. Also presenting will be the renowned economist/activist Winona LaDuke, Mohawk seed-saver Rowen White, and Native actor Gary Farmer, who will introduce his documentary, “The Gift.”

Winona LaDuke

The event’s workshops include Sacred Gardens, with Tesuque Pueblo farm director, Emigdio Ballón and Four Corners Traveling Permaculture Institute’s Lorraine Gray; Goat Management, with Nancy Coonridge of Coonridge Organic Goat Dairy; and Building a Solar Oven. There will be a variety of hands-on activities, an organic lunch, Pueblo Buffalo Dancers, and live music by Tito Ríos and his band. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own seeds to trade at the Heritage Seed Exchange to be held later in the day on October 13th. The Pueblo of Tesuque Farming Department, Four Bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute and the Sostenga program of Northern New Mexico College organize the conference annually. Participant/supporters include the Institute of Natural & Traditional Knowledge, the New Mexico Acequia Association, and the Traditional Native American Farmers’ Association. Camilla Bustamante, Ph.D., director of NNMC’s Sostenga Program says, “The Traditional Agriculture and Sustainable Living Conference inspires critical dialogue towards better understanding of the relationship between tradition and sustainability. With a unique and quality level of speakers, relationships are formed, and the issues are not always easy or without controversy. The synergy between values and natural science is palatable and critical as we address issues of climate, food security and culture.” For more information, visit www.4bridges.org

El Rito Studio Tour • Oct. 13-14

Hidden in plain sight is a small community embraced by the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos where residents have lived quietly for generations cultivating lives that foster independence. Autumn – with golden cottonwoods, clear blue skies, warm days and cool nights – is a particularly beautiful time to visit El Rito, 50 miles north of Santa Fe. The village is bursting with creativity. Twenty-one stops, including two on the NM Fiber Arts Trail and one on the NM Potter’s Trail, will display the work of over 50 artisans. Their work includes sculpture, pottery, weaving, welding, tin and ironwork, paintings, drawings, printmaking, photography, jewelry, handmade books and notecards, Spanish Colonial furniture and carving, and musical instruments. Local musicians will entertain. Northern NM College’s El Rito campus will host a unique Mercado, and will open its café and three departments for the tour: Fiber Arts, Spanish Colonial Furniture, and Retablos. The El Rito Library will host its “Death by Chocolate” fundraiser, and the El Rito Quilters Guild will be selling quilts, pillows, art dolls and drawstring bags. Wear comfortable walking shoes to enjoy a stroll in the crisp fall weather and work up an appetite. Mama Juana’s tamales will be available, and El Farolito will be cooking its popular chile, enchiladas, burritos, tamales, rellenos and frito pies. www.elritostudiotour.org

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

What's Going On! Events / Announcements

Oct. 14, 11 am-4 pm 2012 Local Food Festival & Field Day Gutierrez-Hubbell House and Demo Farm, 6029 Isleta SW

A celebration of history, culture and farming.

ALBUQUERQUE

Through Oct. 28 Transforming the Human Spirit Natl. Museum of Nuclear Science & History, 601 Eubank, SE

Imagine a world where the interconnectedness of humans across the globe is paramount and a peaceful world is possible. Exhibit by Soka Gakkai Intl., a lay Buddhist movement. Admission: $8/$7. www.nuclearmuseum.org

Through Oct. 31, Fri-Sun. Maize Maze Los Poblanos Fields, 1701 Montaño NW

Río Grande Community Farm’s corn maze, partnered with ABQ BioPark, features amphibians and farm animals. Family-friendly activities. $7/$5. Info: www.riograndefarm. org/events/maize-maze

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

Oct. 6, 8 am-5 pm Introduction to Wind Energy CNM Workforce Training Center 5600 Eagle Rock Ave. NE

This free course presented by Mesalands Community College will cover wind energy from the source to conversion to electrical energy. Registration: 575.461.4413, ext. 156 or toll-free 800.261.4877. www.mesalands.edu

Oct. 7 Simply Botanicals Workshop Albuquerque Marriott

Presented by UNM Health Sciences Center taught by Arti Prasad, MD, FACP and Mary Hardy, MD. Objectives: Review historic and scientific literature of herbs, supplements and spices; Explore natural and medicinal uses of mushrooms; Expand knowledge of preparation and use of herbs, essential oils and herbal medications. Intended for physicians, nurses, social workers, naturopaths, traditional healthcare professionals. 505.272.3942, http://hsc.unm. edu/som/cme

Oct. 12, 1-5 pm Green Infrastructure UNM George Pearl Hall

In-depth discussion for designers, policymakers, leaders, advocates, citizens. Participants include Office of Sen. Tom Udall; NM State Engineer Scott Verhines; Jerry Lovato, AMAFCA; Roland Pentilla, City of ABQ; George Radnovich, ASLA-Sites SW; Erin English, Natural Systems Intl; others. Presented by NM Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Free. Info: NMASLA.org.

Design/build competition to benefit Roadrunner Food Bank of NM. Theme: NM Centennial. Architects, engineers, designers, contractors, students and the community participate. Info: http://www.canstruction.org/

Oct. 19 ABQ Symposium on the Creative Economy Natl. Hispanic Cultural Center

“Profit: From Striving to Thriving” Internationally known speakers, panel discussions and roundtables. Tickets: $67/$87. 505.724.4771, Info: 505.268.1920 or regina@ creativeabq.org, www.creativeabq.org

Oct. 19-21 Heal Yourself=Heal the Earth Tamaya Resort, Santa Ana Pueblo

Fall clinic with Golden Dolphin S.T.A.R. experiential healing retreat. 505.559.4441, www.GoldenDolphins.com

Oct. 20, 10 am Xeric Garden Club Dedication

Plants and other features that attract and support wildlife. Free. Reservations required: president@xericgardenclub.com, www.xericgardenclub.org

Oct. 22-24 (10/17 Regis. Deadline) Rainwater Harvesting for Wildlife Workshop Sandia Pueblo

Get hands-on experience in building rainwater harvesting catchment systems for wildlife, livestock and farming. Hosted by Sandia Pueblo, US Fish & Wildlife, and Billy Kniffen. Call 505.771.5083

Oct. 26, 27 Burque Bioneers Conference Natl. Hispanic Cultural Center and Open Space Visitor Center

Two days with innovators, pollinators, conductors, connectors, cultivators and others. 505.433.7346, Burquebioneers.org

Oct. 27 Make a Difference Day

National Day of Service. A variety of projects are listed for nonprofit agencies throughout the community. Info: dhmakedd@gmail. com, www.centerfornonprofitexcellence.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 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.

Green Fire Times • October 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

Through Oct. 18 Sustainable Land Development Code Public Review Various Locations

For info or to obtain a copy of the SLDC, visit www.santafecountynm.gov/sidc or call 505.955.2717.

Oct. 3, 4-5:30 pm Rally at the Roundhouse

Join Physicians for Social ResponsibilityNM, NM Interfaith Power & Light and others to show support for a transition to clean energy. People from across NM will deliver a petition with thousands of signatures to the governor. Info: 330.304.2074, http://act.350. org/signup/NM_RoundhouseAction/?ak id=2194.767631.msZVsh&rd=1&t=2

Oct. 4-Nov. 8, Th. Evenings, 5-7:30 pm Mystery and Magic of Soil Preparation for Vegetables Dandelion Ranch, 1212 Don Gaspar

With biodynamic teacher/master gardener Juaquin Lawrence Hershman. $20/class; $90 series. 505.660.3171, luminous@cybermesa.com, http://juaquinlawrencehershman.blogspot.com

Oct. 6-7 Watershed Restoration: The Cutting Edge Ampersand Sustainable Learning Cntr. Cerrillos, NM Workshop on catching, sinking, storing and using water where it falls. Sponsored by the Watershed Forum and the NM Environment Dept. $35. Registration: ampersandproject@yahoo.com or 505.780.0535

Oct. 6-7 Harvest Festival El Rancho de las Golandrinas 334 Los Pinos Rd., La Cienega

Living history museum dedicated to Spanish Colonial NM. Local artisans and musicians. 505.471.2261

Oct. 7, 11 am Conversation with Jerry Ortiz y Pino Collected Works Bookstore

Q&A with the state senator/community activist. www.JourneySantaFe.com

Oct. 8-13 Help Build a Habitat for Humanity House kim@sfahba.com, 505.982.1774

Oct. 9 2012 Piñon Awards & Community Forum

9am-12 pm: Forum at the SF Community Foundation office will offer discussion with SF journalists and community leaders on immigration, veterans’ affairs and community philanthropy. $25. 5:30-8 pm: Awards ceremony & dinner at La Fonda Hotel. $35. Info: 505.988.9715, foundation@santafecf. org, www.santafecf.org

Oct. 10, 8:30 am-4 pm 2012 SW Trails Conference SF Convention Center

“What our trails need beyond dirt: cooperation, collaboration and leadership” Hosted by the SF Conservation Trust and the Trails Alliance of SF. Presenters, exhibitors. Free. ($5 suggested donation) 505.989.7019, info@sfct.org, www.sfct.org/registration

Oct. 5-6, 13-14, 10 am-5 pm Madrid & Cerrillos Studio Tour

21 stops feature the work of 29 artists. Painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, wearable fiber arts, gourd art, encaustic and more. Auction and preview party at the Engine House Theater at the Mineshaft Tavern on Oct. 5. Info: 505.470.1346, www.madridcerrillosstudiotour.com

Oct. 6, 2-4 pm Intro to Mindfulness Exercises Eldorado (SF)

Increase awareness, flexibility with changing conditions, and boost your immune system by triggering natural mechanisms in the body through simple posture and breathing exercises. Free. 505.424.9211

Oct. 6, 6-10 pm Havana Nights Dance Contest Inn at Loretto, 211 Old SF Trail

CCA’s annual fundraiser. Silent auction, dinner, open dancing. $100/ticket. admin@ ccasantafe.org, www.ccasantafe.org

Oct. 10-13 Intl. Mountain Biking Assn. World Summit SF Convention Center

Educational forum to share ideas about sustainable trail design, conservation, bicycle tourism & economic development, trail advocacy and public lands policy. Opening reception, group rides, co-hosted events. $432/$480. www.imba.com/world-summit

Oct. 11-12 Building Science Fundamentals Workshop SF Community College

CRN 21438. Building scientists Dr. Joe Lstiburek and Dr. John Straube teach basic knowledge needed to design and build du-

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rable, energy efficient, affordable and healthy buildings. Also, optional casual get-together in the Green Building Lab Oct. 11, 5-7:30 pm. $15. Info: 505.428.1270.

Oct. 12, 6 pm NM Land Conservancy Conservation Awards Bishop’s Lodge Resort

Gala reception, dinner, silent auction, music. Honoring William deBuys. Tickets: $125. 505.988.1234, Lensic box office, ticketssantafe.com. Info: 505.986.3801, www.nmlandconservancy.org

Oct. 13 Institute of American Indian Arts’ 50th Anniversary Celebration (See page 19) www.iaia.edu

Oct. 14, 10:30 am-3:30 pm Climate Action Bike Ride & Luncheon Tesuque Village Market

Sponsored by the Climate Change Leadership Institute. Learn about the CCLI’s clean energy and conservation endeavors. Info: http://www.takeresponsibility.us/ride2012/ ride2012.html, 505.603.1976

Oct. 14 & 28, 8:30 pm Full Signal Screenings BODY of Santa Fe

Award-winning film on potential cell-phone and cell-tower radiation dangers. Presented by Doctors W.A.R.N. Info: 505.451.4194, WhyFry.org

Oct. 15, 6 pm Mother Earth, Father Sky Series Hotel Santa Fe

Lecture by Dr. Barbara Mills: The Archeology of Persistent Place: A Social Network Analysis. $12, southwestseminars.org

Oct. 16, 6-7 pm Business Development Assistance for Artists SF Community Gallery, Convention Center

Presented by Bette Bradbury, Regional Dir. for WESST-Santa Fe. Info/RSVP: chris@ High-ResSolutions.com

Oct. 17-21 SF Independent Film Festival The Lensic and Warehouse 21

Screenings, community events and educational workshops. 505.349.1414, info@ santafeiff.com,www.santafeindependentfilmfestival.com

Oct. 17 Move to Amend Tour

Abolish corporate personhood. Vehicle display, public art, information center. www. MoveToAmend.org/stampstampede

Oct. 18, 10 am ElderGrace PV/Electric Vehicle Project 3466 Cerrillos Rd., #C-2 (behind Holiday Inn Express)

Ribbon cutting for senior housing community electric car-share project.

Oct. 18, 6:30-9:30 pm Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts SF Convention Center

Ceremony and dinner. Tickets: $65. Reservations: 505.955.6710, SantaFeArtsCommission.org

Oct. 20, 9 am-4 pm Community Design Workshop The Hub, 1636 St. Michael’s Dr.

Americans and Forests – Indigenous Management of Trees in Northern NM. $12, southwestseminars.org

Oct. 20, Begins 5:30 pm Mayor’s Ball SF Convention Center

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 after-market lunch and meet the community. Info: Sheila@joesdining.com

UNM School of Architecture & Design students are working on ideas for revitalization of St. Michael’s Dr.

Dinner & dancing with the Jimmy Stadler Band. MC Steve Thomas. $150/person ($100 tax-deductible) benefits SF Habitat for Humanity. Info/ tickets: 505.986.5880, www.santafehabitat.org

Oct. 20-21, 9:30 am-4:30 pm Learn Aboriginal Living Skills SF Community College

Weekend workshop with 7 pm lecture on 10/19. Info: 505.819.3828, www.carboneconomyseries.com

Oct. 21, 10 am-12 pm Harvest Swap: A Celebration of Community & Local Food Railyard Park Community Room

Share the abundance of our gardens, orchards and backyard barnyards. Bring extra harvest you don’t need and barter your way to a dream pantry. $5 entry fee will be donated to local food sustainability organizations. Preregistration required: www.santafeharvestswap. eventbrite.com or call 505.474.7998.

Oct. 22, 6 pm Mother Earth, Father Sky Series Hotel Santa Fe

Lecture by Craig Childs: Apocalyptic Planet – Field Guide to the End of the World. $12, southwestseminars.org

Oct. 23 Santa Fe SpeakEasy

Live storytelling night. True stories, each no longer than 10 minutes. santafespeakeasy@ gmail.com, http://www.facebook.com/ SantaFeSpeakEasy, KSFR2.org

Oct. 23, 11:30 am Luncheon Presentation with Michael Berman La Fonda Hotel

Guggenheim photographer and author of the new book Gila: Radical Visions/The Enduring Silence. Benefits the NM Wilderness Alliance. Tickets: $50. www.nmwild.org

Oct. 23, 7 pm Wild Harmonies The Lensic

A performance by world-renowned pianist Hélène Grimaud to benefit the NM Wilderness Alliance and Wolf Conservation Center. Tickets: $20-$70. 505.988.1234, www.ticketssantafe.org. VIP packages: www.nmwild.org

Oct. 26, 5-7 pm opening Fine Folk of New Mexico SFCommunityGallery,ConventionCenter

Art exhibition by many acclaimed artists of people, places and culture of NM. Curated by Arthur Lopez. Through Jan. 26, 2013.

Oct. 27 La Montañita Co-op’s Membership Gathering Warehouse 21, 1614 Paseo de Peralta

Celebrate cooperation and the Intl. Year of the Cooperative. RSVP: 505.217.2027 or toll-free 877.775.2667.

Oct. 29, 6 pm Mother Earth, Father Sky Series Hotel Santa Fe

Lecture by Dr. Richard I. Ford: Native

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

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 http://santafecreativetourism.org/

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

HERE & THERE

Through Oct. 7 Taos Fall Arts Festival Convention Center and Galleries. Taos, NM Includes Wool Festival (www.taoswoolfestival.org), installations, awards and activities.

Oct. 5, 8 am-5:30 pm Renewable Energy & Clean Technology Conference 2012 Convention Center,680 E.University Ave. Las Cruces, NM

NM’s Clean Energy Future. Address by Sen. Jeff Bingaman. Green Business Expo free to the public. Registration: $65/$40/$20. Info: 575.323.1575, carrie@nmgreenchamber. com, nmgreenchamber.org

Oct. 6, 12-6 pm Spanapolooza Española Skate Park

Live painting, poetry, music, skate and BMX competitions. Food & information booths from local organizations & nonprofits. Info: 505.927.9631 or spanapalooza@gmail.com

Oct. 9, 5-6:30 pm Reception; 6:30 book signing Amy Goodman and Denis Moynahan Old Martina’s Hall Ranchos de Taos, NM

Reception, talk and book signing for “The Silenced Majority, Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance & Hope” Reception honoring Miguel Santistevan, Margaret Garcia, Luis Pena and Pat Leahan: $80/person, $150/couple. Benefits Cultural Energy & KCEI 90.1 FM. Talk: $12/$10/$8. Info: 575.758.9791, http://culturalenergy.org

Oct. 10-15 Flagstaff Mtn. Film Fest Orpheum Theater, Flagstaff, AZ

Celebrate independent filmmaking. Screenings, panel discussion and sneak peek of upcoming documentary Wrenched: The Legacy of the Monkey Wrench Gang. Tickets and details: www.flagstaffmountainfilms.org

Oct. 12-13 Traditional Agriculture and Sustainable Living Conference Northern NM College, Española

“In the spirit of 2012, Embracing Traditional Knowledge in a New Era.” Keynote speakers: Paul Stamets and Oscar Olivera. Also Winona LaDuke and many other respected presenters. Details and registration: www.4bridges.org

Oct. 12-13 NM History Conference No. NM College, El Rito Campus

Historias de Nuevo Mexico. Academic and community scholars, artists and activists. Sponsored by the NNMC Northern Pueblos Institute, the NNMC Chicana/o and Latina Studies Research Center and Espejo. 505.747.5488, https:// sites.google.com/a/nnmc.edu/historias/

Oct. 13-14 El Rito Studio Tour El Rito, on NM 554 off Hwy. 84/285 NW of Española

Community of artists offer hand-carved furniture, paintings, pottery, artist’s books, textiles, santos, local cuisine. 575.581.0155, elritostudiotour.org

Oct. 15 Deadline Value-Added Agri-Producer Grants

Maximum feasibility study grant: $100,000. Maximum working capital grant: $300,000. Matching funds required. Info: Margaret@ lasacequias.org or www.rurdev.usda.gov/ BCP_VAPG.html

Oct. 18, 6:30-8:30 pm Aldo & Estella Leopold Residency Lecture Fechin Museum Studio, Taos

Quivira Coalition Exec. Dir. Courtney White will present: The Land Ethic in the 21st Century: A View from Aldo Leopold’s Mi Casita in Tres Piedras. www.aldoleopold.org

Oct. 20, 10 am-3 pm Fiesta of Cultures Coronado State Monument, Bernalillo,NM

Celebration of local Pueblo, Hispanic and Anglo traditions. Crafts, folk art, self-reliance demonstrations. Free. 505.867.5351

Oct. 26-28, 10 am-4 pm Rug Rag Festival & Gift Show Farmington, NM

Presented by the NM Women’s Foundation. www.nmwf.org

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

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

Wednesdays, 10 am-5 pm Red Willow Farmers’ Market Taos Pueblo, NM

Greenhouse and field-grown produce and more. redwillowfarmers@gmail.com

October 2012 • GreenFireTimes

Green Fire Times â&#x20AC;˘ October 2012