May 2017 Green Fire Times

N ews & V iews

from the

S ustainable S outhwest

Planning for a Secure Water Future • THE NEW MEXICO WATER DIALOGUE • THE NEXT GENERATION WATER SUMMIT

• WATER EFFICIENCY RATING SCORE (WERS ®) • JOURNEY SANTA FE’S COMMUNITY DIALOGUES May 2017

Northern New Mexico’s Largest Distribution Newspaper

Vol. 9 No. 5

NEXT GENERATION WATER SUMMIT June 4th - 6th

Santa Fe, NM

Sunday, June 4

Green Chamber of Commerce Green Expo & Green Home Show Mayor’s Reception

Monday, June 5

Who Should Attend:

Policy Makers • Water Planners • Water Conservation Professionals • Landscape Designers • Architects Land Use Planners • Builders/Developers

Keynote Speaker: Ed Mazria Educational Sessions Film Screening: Beyond the Mirage

HOSTS:

Tuesday, June 6

Keynote Speaker: Mary Ann Dickinson Educational Sessions Closing Panel

MEDIA PARTNER:

EDUCATION PARTNER:

EXPO PARTNER:

Exhibit booth starting at $499

For more details and to register please visit www.nextgenerationwatersummit.com

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Gretchen M.

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Find Your Future @NortherN

NortherN New Mexico College is the place for undergraduate student research in Biology, Chemistry, Math, environmental Science and engineering. reGISter NoW for Summer/Fall 2017 Call (505) 747-2111 or visit www.nnmc.edu

NortherN NeW MexICo ColleGe: Where SteM is hands-on from day one!

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Vol. 9, No. 5 • May 2017 Issue No. 97 PUBLISHER

Green Fire Publishing, LLC Skip Whitson ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Barbara E. Brown

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Seth Roffman

News & Views

from the

Sustainable Southwest

Winner of the Sustainable Santa Fe Award for Outstanding Educational Project

DESIGN

Green Fire Production Department COPY EDITOR

Stephen Klinger WEBMASTER

Karen Shepherd CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Phil Bové, Mike Collignon, Rachel Conn, Kristina G. Fisher, Jack Loeffler, Lucy Moore, Katherine Mortimer, Doug Pushard, Seth Roffman

CONTENTS “Planning for a Secure Water Future Means Everyone Is at the Table” The New Mexico Water Dialogue’s 23rd Annual Conference – Lucy Moore. . .. . .. . . 8 New Mexico Water Newsbites . . ..

. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 10, 20, 27

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Phil Bové, Keely Jackson-Kennemore, Jack Loeffler, Seth Roffman, Melissa Williams

Next Generation Water Summit — Seth Roffman . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..13

PUBLISHER’S ASSISTANT Cisco Whitson-Brown, Gay Rathman

An Introduction to the Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS®) — Mike Collignon. 15

ADVERTISING SALES

Next Generation Green Building Codes: Modeled Performance — Katherine Mortimer. 17

John M. Nye 505.699.3492 John@GreenFireTimes.com Skip Whitson 505.471.5177 Skip@GreenFireTimes.com

What Water Is Right? — Doug Pushard . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 19

Anna C. Hansen 505.982.0155 DakiniDesign@newmexico.com

Profile of the Santa Fe Watershed Association on its 20th Anniversary — Kristina G. Fisher . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 21

Steve Jinks 505-303-0501 SteveJ@GreenFireTimes.com

Journey Santa Fe’s 10 Years of Weekly Community Dialogues — Seth Roffman. . .. . .22

Lisa Powers 505.629.2655 Lisa@GreenFireTimes.com

Acequia Madre Spring Cleaning — Phil Bové . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 24

Liberty Manabat 505.670.7243 Liberty@GreenFireTimes.com DISTRIBUTION

Linda Ballard, Barbara Brown, Co-op Dist. Services, Nick García, Scot Jones, Andy Otterstrom (Creative Couriers), PMI, Daniel Rapatz, Tony Rapatz, Wuilmer Rivera, Denise Tessier, Skip Whitson, John Woodie

CIRCULATION: 30,000 copies Printed locally with 100% soy ink on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper

GREEN FIRE TIMES c/o The Sun Companies P.O. Box 5588, SF, NM 87502-5588 505.471.5177 • info@greenfiretimes.com © 2017 Green Fire Publishing, LLC

OP-ED: The President’s Budget and Executive Order Rolling Back the Clean Water Rule — Rachel Conn . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 27 OP-ED: The Counterculture: A Great Underground — Jack Loeffler . . .. . .. . .. . 31 Newsbites . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 37 What’s Going On. . .. . .. . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 38

Green Fire Times provides useful information for community members, business people, students and visitors—anyone interested in discovering the wealth of opportunities and resources in the Southwest. In support of a more sustainable planet, topics covered range from green businesses, jobs, products, services, entrepreneurship, investing, design, building and energy—to native perspectives on history, arts & culture, ecotourism, education, sustainable agriculture, regional cuisine, water issues and the healing arts. To our publisher, a more sustainable planet also means maximizing environmental as well as personal health by minimizing consumption of meat and alcohol.

ON THE COVER:

Green Fire Times is widely distributed throughout northcentral New Mexico as well as to a growing number of New Mexico cities, towns, pueblos and villages. Feedback, announcements, event listings, advertising and article submissions to be considered for publication are welcome.

Photo © Seth Roffman

www.GreenFireTimes.com

The Río Grande, as seen looking down from the Río Grande Gorge Bridge in Taos, New Mexico

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Celebrating Alternative Medicine, Healthy Lifestyles & Sustainable Living Come soak in the healing.

Like a 1960s flashback, 2017 has already seen a massive march on Washington, widespread civil dem onstrations, vocal government opposition, civic protests and a deep ly divided population. In a timely collaboration, Santa Fe celebrates a half-century since the fabled Summer of Love , another pivotal era of protest, social upheaval, and consciousnes s-raising that marked the emergence of American coun terculture.

TruTh or ConsequenCes, nM May 12-14, 2017 hoTspringsFesTival.CoM Live Music • Workshops • Yoga • Excursions Hot Springs • Vendors • Camping Paid for by Truth or Consequences Lodgers Tax.

Memories made here

what a night!

APRIL 7, 2017– OCTOBER 1, 2017 NEW MEXICO HISTORY MUSEUM

Sleeping During the Day: Vietnam 1968 Photographs by Herbert Lotz MAY 14, 2017– FEBRUARY 11, 2018 NEW MEXICO HISTORY MUSEUM

Voices of Counterculture in the Southwest JULY 7, 2017– JANUARY 21, 2018 IAIA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY NATIVE ARTS

Connective Tissue: New Approaches to Fiber in Contemporary Native Art THROUGH JANUARY 2018 MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE

i love you.

Whether intimate or public, Scottish Rite Center is a unique and attractive place to host your next event.

• Concerts • Weddings • Plays • Film shoots • Celebrations

Frank Buffalo Hyde: I-Witness Culture ONGOING ATRIUM GALLERY, BATAAN BUILDING

Michael Naranjo: Touching Beauty AUGUST 8 & 13, 2017 SANTA FE DESERT CHORALE

Liberté and Justice: Music of Resistance and Revolution VISIT:

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nmculture.org/beherenow

Green Fire Times • May 2017

Planners, we invite you to visit with us & tour our charming, historic facility. Rates are reasonable.

events@santafescottishrite.org or call: 505-982-4414

www.GreenFireTimes.com

LIFESONGS in

This Deeper Love

Concert

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture’s

Photos by Carol Franco

MUSEUM-QUALITY NATIVE AMERICAN ART SHOW & BENEFIT OVER 200 OF THE BEST NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS

Jody Naranjo

SM

SANTA FE CONVENTION CENTER

Creating Communities of Care

art sale | entertainment | street eats

Sunday, May 7 • 7:00pm Lensic Performing Arts Center

505.988.1234

www.aloveoflearning.org

Maria Samora

MAY 26–28, 2017

Lifesongs

10.00 Adults, Children under 12 FREE More information and tickets at TicketsSantaFe.org

Hollis Chitto

2017 MIAC Living Treasure Jody Naranjo, Santa Clara

A benefit for the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture www.nativetreasures.org Support for this event comes from:

It takes around 1800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair of regular ol' blue jeans

Seniors Save 30% every Tuesday*

Military & Students Save 20%

every Wednesday**

Santa Fe Savers Thrift Store 3294 Cerrillos Road (505) 919-7185 Mon.-Sat. 9am-9pm Sun. 10am-7pm ®

*Must be 55+ to receive discount. See cashier for details. Not valid on red tag items. **Must show valid student or military ID to receive discount. See cashier for details. Not valid on red tag items.

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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“PLANNING for a SECURE WATER FUTURE MEANS EVERYONE IS at the TABLE” The New Mexico Water Dialogue’s 23rd Annual Conference Lucy Moore

N

A forum for professionals and those with generations of local knowledge to learn from each other and support their mutual efforts

The state water plan would be made up of 16 regional water plans, which would include the region’s current and future need for water and its current and future supplies of water. The assumption was that when the regions were put together the total water needs would equal, or as it turned out in many regions, exceed the total water supply.

Regional water plans were also to include a “public welfare statement” describing the region’s values and priorities for water.

State law dictated that each region would form a Regional Water Plan Steering Committee that would guide development of the water plan. Some big regions (Middle Río Grande) had water planners, hydrologists, economists and demographers close at hand to help.

Small regions (Mora-San Miguel) had lots of on the ground expertise in farmers, ranchers, acequia members, community water system managers, etc.

Big or small, the task was daunting. In the early 1990s the New Mexico Water Dialogue emerged as a forum for water planners and would-be water planners

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© Seth Roffman

ew Mexico has been officially “water planning” for the past 30 years, ever since legislators in El Paso tried to reach across the border and help themselves to New Mexico groundwater. The battle was decided in court, and the judge said that New Mexico could deny El Paso’s permit to take our water only if we could prove that we needed every drop for ourselves. This inspired the state to establish a process for a state water plan that would shut the door on thirsty neighbors.

The annual New Mexico Water Dialogue includes a diversity of voices from around the state reflecting regions with different climates, cultures and economies. to come together, learn from each other and support their mutual efforts to plan for their water futures. Based on inclusion, equality and respect, the initial 25-member board of directors for the Dialogue included the full diversity of the state—geographically, culturally and economically. There were professionals and those with generations of local knowledge. There were big irrigation districts and small acequia communities.

There were environmental activists, tribal members, business and industry people, ranchers and even a few elected officials.

The Dialogue still lives today, with a board just as diverse and lively, and continues to serve as a grassroots advisory group to the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC), the body responsible for water planning.

Each Januar y the Water Dialogue holds a water conference at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, chosen for its fine facility and its muchanticipated lunch. Around 125 people attend, and the diversity mirrors the board.

There are panels and plenty of back-andforth in the audience. This year’s theme was Toward a More Relevant State Water Plan, to complement the state’s current revision of the state water plan. To tackle the question the Dialogue tried a different format. In addition to a morning keynote and a panel of water experts, professional and lay, the afternoon was devoted to 12

Green Fire Times • May 2017

breakout groups, followed by remarks and observations from the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) staff and Director Deborah Dixon.

Each board member chose a topic of particular interest to him or her and facilitated that breakout session. Here is a sample of the 12 topics: • How can the state water plan be relevant to tribes?

• W h a t k i n d s o f o u t r e a c h a n d education programs are available to engage people, including youth, in water issues?

• How can we balance water protection and economic development?

• What role can the state water plan play in resolving inter-basin transfer issues?

• Should the state water plan address environmental and cultural issues and, if so, how?

• How can we make the new state water plan as useful and credible as possible?

The conversations were lively and wideranging, reflecting the Dialogue ethic that we are all experts when it comes to water planning, that we all have experience and passion to bring to the table. But running through the discussions some common themes emerged: • Building relationships: To plan for a balanced, equitable water future, all users—tribal, environmental, urban, agricultural, etc.—must be

included in the planning process.

The state water plan can be a forum for building trust and respect among competing water uses. This requires open communication that is accessible and inviting to all.

• Quality of Life: In New Mexico our quality of life depends on our relationship to water. Economic development and water are necessarily bound together. The challenge is to maintain a good quality of life while we both conserve and consume our natural resources. Water planning must honor and protect our communities’ cultural, religious and social values.

• Data Management: There are many public and private water use and management entities in New Mexico, each gathering data, making policy, developing projects. It is critical that water planning at the state and local level be a collaborative effort, where information and priorities are shared.

The state water plan should provide comprehensive, reliable technical data for decision-makers at local and state levels.

• Public Engagement: W hy aren’t more New Mexicans concerned about their water future? There may be multiple reasons. The topic may be too complicated, too scary, too boring. It may feel abstract rather than personal. For young people it may not seem relevant or “cool.” The

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dissemination, communic ation, outreach, education, conflict resolution and relationship building.

The Legislature needs to take water planning seriousl y and commit sufficient funds on an annual basis.

At the end of the day, Deborah Dixon and her ISC staff reflected on what they had heard and its relevance to the state water plan update underway. The relationship between the Dialogue and the ISC allows for mutual exploration of ways that both the regional and state water plans can reflect the diverse interests of New Mexico.

Don Diego Gonzalez (center) facilitated a breakout session about groundwater data.

Fo r m o re i n f o r m a t i on , i n c l u d i n g summaries of each of the breakout groups, see: allaboutwatersheds.org/new-mexicowater-dialogue  Lucy Moore, mediator, facilitator a n d a u t h o r, i s co-founder of the New Mexico Water Dialogue.

© Seth Roffman (2)

use of social media, water fairs, school field trips, internships and mentoring opportunities with water groups and agencies may reach new audiences.

• Conflict Resolution: There are inevitably conflicts among regions.

An upstream region identifies water supplies to fulfill its needs that the downstream region is counting on.

Water-rights transfers from one basin to another set communities against each other, and regions against the state. For reliable state and regional water plans there needs to be a mechanism for resolving these conflicts. Not all parties will be happy, but the process needs to be fair and accepted.

• Ongoing planning processes: Water planning should be an ongoing process, not the start-stop pattern of recent years. Regional water planners need to set priorities, evaluate projects, seek funding continually in order to implement their water plans.

• Funding: Addressing all the issues identified above requires funding— water planning, data gathering and

A breakout session on Making the State Water Plan More Useful and Credible. Center: Sam Fernald of the New Mexico Water Resources Institute. Next to him is Heather Balas of New Mexico First.

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U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials say that because of above-average mountain snowpack along the Colorado-New Mexico border, this summer farmers and cities along New Mexico’s Río Grande river system, including the Río Chama, can expect a full allotment of water. They cautioned that their forecast, which was also based on soil moisture and climate predictions, is a guess and that things can change.

The Sangre de Cristos near Santa Fe, the Pecos River Basin and other mountains farther south have had below-average snowpack due to a hot, dry March and “flash drought.” Months of high temperatures with little rain have left the eastern plains and parts of southern New Mexico quite dry. Still recuperating from an unprecedented 36 months of drought that peaked in 2013, almost half of the state remains abnormally dry, although that’s a major improvement over conditions last year.

After looking at future demand and variability in rainfall, along with existing rights, traditional uses, population estimates, economic trends and community development, water managers are projecting significant regional shortages of drinking water and irrigation supplies in New Mexico over the next five years, except in the San Juan Basin in the northwest. They say that in drought years in the Middle Río Grande Valley—the state’s most populated area, where agriculture uses about two-thirds of the water— the river and groundwater pumping will only be able to meet half of the demand.

STATE WATER PLAN

The New Mexico Water Resources Institute at New Mexico State University is coordinating different components of a Statewide Water Assessment. State and federal agencies and educational institutions are providing data in areas such as evapotranspiration, crop consumptive use, groundwater recharge and stream flow.

Water managers in 16 water-planning districts in New Mexico have created regional plans that identify gaps in water supplies, as well as possible solutions. The Interstate The ISC’s map of NM Water Planning Stream Commission recently Regions with Native Nation Lands, adopted the final two plans.

The Office of the State Engineer and the Pueblos and Interstate Compact ISC are expected to issue a comprehen- Boundaries sive statewide plan in about a year, updating New Mexico’s first water plan from 2003.

SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS GIVES NEW MEXICO ISC NATIONAL ‘AWARD’

The Society of Professional Journalists has given its annual award for “most secretive government agency or elected official” to the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. The award is intended to highlight the importance of journalists’ access to (what is supposed to be) public information.

The ISC has seemingly increased its secrecy since the proposal of the $500-million Gila River diversion project. The ISC and the quasi-governmental agency it created, the New Mexico Central Arizona Project Entity, have been the leading proponents and facilitators of the project. More than $10 million of $100 million in federal subsidies has already been spent.

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, as well as the commission’s former director, Norman Gaume, have accused the ISC of presenting faulty data to the public. The ISC has allegedly refused to explain the source of water use data, insisting that its numbers are accurate without any supporting evidence.

A bipartisan bill in the state Legislature to make the agency more accountable in its spending on the diversion was opposed by the ISC and the CAP Entity. The bill died in the Senate Finance Committee. In its testimony, the ISC asserted that the time it would take for the agency to produce answers to the questions in the bill (demonstrate that the proposed project is technically feasible; quantify the amount of water

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

the project could produce and who would use it; provide an engineering estimate of the project’s cost and a plan to pay for it) would cause New Mexico to miss the federal deadline for the project.

POJOAQUE BASIN WATER SYSTEM GRADUALLY MOVES FORWARD Litigation in the Aamodt case, initiated 51 years ago to delineate water rights between the Pueblos and residents living within the Pojoaque-Nambe-Tesuque stream system north of Santa Fe, could continue for at least several years.

Two settlement agreements have been signed since 2010, and a final court decree will be issued on Sept.

15. That decree could be subject to an appeal. The settlement could be undone if a $253-million regional water system, scheduled to begin construction in 2018, does not meet its requirement of being substantially completed by 2024. The Bureau of Reclamation’s final Environmental Impact Statement for the water system is expected in June, followed by a record of decision detailing how the water system will be built. Taos County has protested the planned transfer of 1,752 acre-feet The Río Grande near Los Alamos of groundwater from the Top of the World Farm in Taos County, so that an equal amount can be diverted from the Río Grande. The State Engineer’s decision on whether to approve the transfer is expected this summer. © Seth Roffman

MIXED MESSAGES ON NEW MEXICO’S WATER SUPPLIES

The Bureau of Reclamation, the water system’s major funder (along with the state and Santa Fe County), has awarded a four-year, $91.9-million design and construction contract to the firm CDM Smith. The New Mexico State Legislature has yet to set aside money to go toward construction.

The water system would serve about 9,200 customers. It is intended to reduce reliance on groundwater so that the aquifer does not become depleted. It would employ up to 193 miles of underground pipeline, large storage tanks, chlorination buildings and power lines at various locations, such as the former Tesuque Flea Market site next to the Santa Fe Opera.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING

The USDA’s Water and Environmental (WEP) program has been vital to the sustainability of rural communities. Since 2012, the agency has provided $81.6 million in grants and loans for dozens of small water and wastewater projects in 17 New Mexico counties. Rural community water systems such as the Entranosa Water Cooperative, which covers 280 square miles in Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties, serving about 8,500 people, may soon lose this federal support because of the Trump administration’s proposed elimination of the program. The Entranosa cooperative obtained low-interest USDA loans from 2003 to 2010 to buy about 1,600 acre-feet, giving it control of wells it needs to serve clients with clean drinking water and plan for growth.

The president has suggested that rural communities use private financing or— despite proposing to drastically cut the EPA’s budget—the EPA State Revolving Fund, managed in New Mexico by the state’s Environment Department. That fund usually goes to larger water systems, and it requires a shorter payback time than the USDA’s program.

Congressman John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., has reintroduced the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act. The legislation would provide nearly $35 billion annually to modernize U.S. water infrastructure. It would increase funding for small-scale technical assistance and provide grants to communities such as Entranosa.

The American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 report on America’s Infrastructure states that New Mexico needs approximately $1.1 billion in water improvements over the next 20 years.

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Your destination is easier than you think SANTA FE

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For Route Information: RidetheBlueBus.com | Toll Free: 866-206-0754

Announcing year-round service of RTD 255 Mountain Trail

Take the RTD Mountain Trail to the Santa Fe National Forest and Ski Santa Fe!

Hike, Bike, Picnic -- or just enjoy the ride!

DEGREES & CERTIFICATES OPEN DOORS! summer and fall registration is underway

TALK TO AN ADVISER TODAY

505-428-1270 | www.sfcc.edu Accessible | Affordable | Exceptional www.GreenFireTimes.com

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Santa Fe County Planning Open House Meetings:

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A DISCUSSION ON AGRICULTURE INITIATIVES INCLUDING THE TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS (TDR) PROGRAM •

2017 Agriculture Resource Review- telling the story of our local food community

•

Agriculture Clearinghouse- developing a hub of information for ag producers and buyers

•

TDR Program and Bank- protecting agricultural land and natural resources

Tuesday, May 16th, 2017

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

La Cienega Community Center 136 Camino San Jose (CR 50-A), La Cienega NM

Thursday, May 18th, 2017

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Eldorado Senior Center 16 Avenida Torreon, Santa Fe, NM

Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Edgewood Fire Station 1 Municipal Way, Edgewood NM

Thursday, May 25th, 2017

New —Basic Solar Disaster Backup Generator—Solar PV Starter System

COMPLETE AUTONOMOUS ENERGY SYSTEMS PV & STORAGE —OFF GRID —GRID PARALLEL —GRID TIED RETROFIT

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505/242-2384

Conveniently located at the Albuquerque SunPort

New Mexico’s History Is Alive at El Rancho de las Golondrinas El Rancho de las Golondrinas is a one-of-a-kind living history museum where the past comes to life and weekend programs are fun for the whole family!

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Nambe Community Center 180 A SR 503 Nambe, NM

Wednesday, May 31th, 2017

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Bennie J Chavez Community Center 354 Juan Medina Rd, Chimayo, NM For more information please contact senior planner Erin Ortigoza 505.986.2452/ eortigoza@santafecountynm.gov

aGuA fRiA nUrSerY 1409 Agua Fria • Santa Fe (505) 983-4831

U P C O M I N G W E E K E N D E V E N TS June 3–4 | Spring & Fiber Fest: Life On The Trails Of The Southwest Come see what life was like on the Camino Real, Santa Fe Trail and Spanish Trail.

June 17–18 | Herb & Lavender Festival Experience lavender and herb product vendors along with lectures and hands-on activities on all things lavender.

OPEN WEDNESDAY– SUNDAY, 10am– 4pm, JUNE 1– O CTOBER 1, 2017

(505) 471-2261  www.golondrinas.org 334 Los Pinos Road, Santa Fe partially funded by the city of santa fe arts commission and the 1% lodgers’ tax, county of santa fe lodgers’ tax, new mexico arts, and the santa fe new mexican

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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NEXT GENERATION WATER SUMMIT

June 4-6 in Santa Fe Seth Roffman

Water is the true limit to growth in the Southwest. Buildings must become radically more water eff icient. New tools and regulatory models have been developed, allowing us to do this now. – Kim Shanahan, executive off icer, SFAHBA Making our communities sustainable in the long term given predicted drops in renewable surface water flows, and resilient to short -term and long-term impacts from the effects of climate change, are critical issues across the southwestern United States, as well as many other regions around the world.

— Santa Fe City Councilor Peter Ives

T

he Santa Fe Home Builders Association, the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce, the City of Santa Fe and the national Green Builder Coalition are presenting the first ever Next Generation Water Summit, at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center from June 4–6. This professional summit includes a free Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on the first day.

This national summit will bring together water leaders from the West.

On that Sunday, the public can also attend any of 12 free sessions on water presented by northern New Mexico water experts.

Subjects will include water-efficiency techniques for homeowners; the food, energy, water nexus; the Residential Green Building Code Update; the Aamodt settlement update; the use of the Water Efficiency Rating Score, and other topics.

The following two days will feature speakers from around the country offering presentations that address water issues in the Southwest. There will be follow-up opportunities for participants to actualize ideas and solutions that come out of the summit’s discussions.

Santa Fean Ed Mazria, founder of the 2030 Challenge, is one of two keynote speakers at the summit. The other is Mary Ann Dickinson of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, who will talk about the Net Blue Ordinance Initiative. Some of the other speakers: Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales; Santa Fe Area Homebuilder Association’s (SFAHBA) executive officer,

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Kim Shanahan; Jonah Schein from the Environmental Protection Agency, who will speak about the future of WaterSense for New Homes program; and Doug Bennett from the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Bennett will speak on “No Water, No Growth.”

This national summit will highlight Santa Fe’s leadership role in water conservation and bring together other water leaders from the West who work in stormwater management, water reuse and water efficiency. The summit is happening at this time in part because The WERS® (Water Efficiency Rating Score) protocol is now mandatory for anyone building a house in the city of Santa Fe. The summit will target three tracks, all of which relate to the value of using WERS®: the Builder/Architect/Developer; Water District Professionals; and Water Harvesting Professionals. “If we don’t figure out how to get to net-zero on water,” says Shanahan, “the homebuilding industry will be imperiled within a generation. Future generations of homebuilders in the western United States will look back on this important water summit as the starting point for addressing the limitations that water availability imposes upon our industry.”

Registration for the full summit costs $299. Student registration is $50.

Booths are available for the Green Expo and Green Home Show for $499. Contact Glenn Schiffbauer at glenn@nmgreenchamber.com or go to www.santafegreenchamber.org. Related pre-summit courses are being offered at Santa Fe Community College. More information and registration details can be found at www.nextgenerationwatersummit.com 

ZIA PERMACULTURE Permaculture Design Course

May 17, 2017

• Permaculture Systems Design • Natural Building Techniques • Renewable Technologies • Foraging, shelter building & tracking • Fermentation, medicine making & food storage • Beekeeping & mushroom cultivation • Nutrition & Herbalism We will also take time to visit local hot springs, visit other permaculture sites & play in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. www.ziapermaculture.com/permaculture-design-course Call 575-613-6158

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Standardization does not teach

INNOVATION. It favors efficiency over INGENUITY, memorization over MOTIVATION. Critical thinking, confidence and curiosity are hallmarks of a Waldorf graduate, and key to thriving in the modern world.

Come visit us and see why entrepreneurs around the world are choosing Waldorf.

Call us today to schedule your visit.

505.467.6431

santafewaldorf.org | 26 Puesta del Sol, Santa Fe | 505.467.6431

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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AN INTRODUCTION to the WATER EFFICIENCY RATING SCORE (WERS®)

Mike Collignon

T

he use of analytics, modeling and metrics is increasing, whether it’s in advertising, sports or social media. Now it’s making its way into the construction industry. In the energyefficiency world, there is the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) and the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score (HES). Water efficiency now has a performance-based metric: The Water Efficiency Rating Score, or WERS®.

What is WERS®?

WERS® is a predictive, performancebased approach to residential water-efficiency and water-resource management. WERS® is the culmination of calculations that consider the loading from principal plumbing fixtures, clothes washers, structural waste and outdoor water management. Potential rainwater, greywater, stormwater and blackwater catchment are also calculated. The WERS® Program is applicable for both new and existing single-family and multifamily residential properties.

It uses a scoring scale of zero to 100, with zero being the most desirable and 100 representing the baseline home. In addition to the score, the property owner also receives a daily, monthly and yearly projection of water usage and, if water rates are entered, a cost projection over those same time intervals.

Project teams will have the ability to use the WERS® Design Tool to view initial estimates of the results of their proposed installed fixtures and appliances, as well as innovative water conservation strategies, without the involvement of a WERS® Verifier. In order to obtain a WERS® certification, the project team will need to enlist the services of a qualified third-party WERS® Verifier, who will then check that fixtures, appliances and strategies have been installed or implemented as claimed. Once the project has been verified, documentation is sent to the Green Builder® Coalition for certification processing. The certification document that is issued could then be utilized by the project team for anything from compliance with a water-conservation tax credit or incentive to a local building code that requires third-party verification.

How is WERS® being used?

Unlike a prescr iptive progr am, a performance-based program gives all parties (architect/designer, builder, property owner) design and product flexibility. It doesn’t require anything. Rather, it assesses the choices made. The same flexibility

extends to the implementation of the WERS® Program.

in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes as compliance paths for water.

On its own, the WERS® Program can help a property owner understand where and how water is being used. Without this knowledge, it’s difficult to determine the most cost-effective conservation strategies. For those who utilize wells, the combination of the projections and the deeper insight into their system’s capabilities can help manage overall water usage. This can prove very helpful when faced with extended dry spells.

The GreenHome Institute (GHI), after months of discussion, scrutiny and testing, has started the process of implementing the WERS® Program as the water criteria for GreenStar, its residential green building program available nationwide. Projects that achieve predetermined WERS® will obtain a majority of their water points for various certification levels. “Home energy scores and models are now becoming the norm, said Brett Little, executive director of GHI. “Why not water next? It just makes sense. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, and you easily weed out most waste through informed design.”

A performance-based program gives the architect/designer, builder and property owner design and product flexibility

© Seth Roffman

A voluntary modeling tool is just one way to use the WERS® Program. It can be adopted as a regulation. In October 2016, the City of Santa Fe became the first municipality in the nation to integrate a performancebased water-efficiency requirement in its residential green building code. The County of Santa Fe is taking a long look at the WERS® Program to determine how it might want to implement this innovative new approach to water efficiency.

Members of the Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS® ) development team received a Sustainable Santa Fe Award from NM Sen. Peter Wirth in 2015. L-R: David Dunlap, Teri Buhl, Bill Roth, Kim Shanahan, Amanda Hatherly, Doug Pushard, Nancy Avedesian

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The State of New Mexico allows a builder or new property owner to attach a WERS® report to show compliance with the new water-efficiency requirement of the state’s very popular Sustainable Building Tax Credit. The WERS® Program joins Build Green New Mexico and LEED (Leadership

Growing Support In addition to the entities mentioned above, the WERS® Program has received promotional support from both the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA).

Meanwhile, the WERS® — Manufacturer program currently has two members, Evolve Technologies and EcoVie Environmental, LLC. Both manufacturers are offering discounts on specific products deployed on projects pursuing WERS® certification.

By the end of 2017, the number of manufacturers is expected to double.

From the start of 2015 through March 2017, the WERS® Program will have been a part of 22 educational sessions at national or regional conferences. n Mike Collignon is the executive director and co-founder of the Green Builder® Coalition. He is also chair of the WERS® Development Group. He can be reached at info@greenbuildercoalition.org.

Green Fire Times • May 2017

15

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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NEXT GENERATION GREEN BUILDING CODES: MODELED PERFORMANCE

K atherine Mortimer

I

n 2009 the City of Santa Fe adopted a green building code for new single-family residences. The code addressed building energy use, water conservation, greenhouse gases embedded in building materials, indoor air quality, lot design and homeowner education. Recently, the city, in consultation with the local building community, adopted a major change in the code focused more specifically on energy, water and indoor air quality, using three performance standards.

The big (good) news is…there’s no more checklist! Most green building programs use a checklist of items in a range of topic areas. The process of collecting cut sheets and verifying percentages of recycled material and a host of other verification activities takes an inordinate amount of time, which equates to money.

Santa Fe’s 2009 checklist format had six topic areas with minimum point requirements in each. These had to be verified at least twice—once to get a building permit and again during or at the end of construction. However, one component of the program was different. These residences also needed to get a specific Home Energy Rating Score (HERS®) index. At the time it was a score of 70, which was about 30 percent more energy-conserving than the 2006 International Residential Code. This is an example of a performance requirement. It didn’t matter how you got to that number. People would increase the building insulation, purchase more efficiency equipment such as heating, air conditioning, water heating and dishwashers, use passive solar design and/or install photovoltaic solar panels. Builders and designers reported that they appreciated the flexibility that this performance requirement provided.

At the same time the green code was adopted in 2009 the city also adopted a resolution to improve building energy-efficiency over time to meet the 2030 Challenge. The 2030 Challenge is that all new buildings be carbon-neutral by the year 2030. That means increasing the efficiency by several percentage points every few years. Unfortunately, the economic downturn severely affected the home-building industry, and when the time came for increasing the requirement, no one wanted to make building in Santa Fe any more expensive. So we waited.

In the meantime, a group of local water conservation specialists, builders, designers and energy raters saw an opportunity to develop a tool to determine a home’s water efficiency, as HERS® did for energy. This tool would include both indoor and outdoor water to get a picture of the total water consumption. This team found a national nonprofit green building organization that saw the potential of this new tool and had the resources to develop it. The Water Efficiency Rating Score or WERS® tool came into being, allowing the city to consider moving away from the checklist-based program to one that is fully performance-based.

Performance-based means that the building is designed to reduce water and energy use, just as a hybrid car allows for better gas mileage. That doesn’t mean that every house will have specific and predictable water and energy bills. Just like a hybrid car, if you drive it in a way to maximize your gas efficiency, you can get even better gas mileage than the car’s rating. Similarly, if it is driven with frequent quick speeding up and slowing down, the car will get worse gas mileage than the sticker says. It is the same for water and energy use in a home. Two people might live in a 3-bedroom home and use less water than predicted, while another family in an identical home with two adults and two teenagers involved in sports, who shower frequently and have lots of laundry, would likely use more water and energy.

The scores measure the predicted water and energy use of a “typical” number of occupants based on the number of bedrooms, using national water- and energyuse data, adjusted for climate.

The importance of including water as a key resource to conserve is not just because of our location in the arid Southwest. It takes a lot of water to produce coal and nuclear energy, and it takes a lot of energy to extract, clean and deliver water and then to move and treat sewage. This water-energy nexus becomes more important as other energy conservation measures are achieved, and the amount of energy “embodied” in our tap water becomes a bigger piece of a building’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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As the number of building permits for new homes started to return to normal levels, there was renewed interest in improving required building energy efficiency and adding a water performance requirement.

The checklist had included an air-ventilation performance requirement as well. Under the new performance-based code update, HERS® measures a home’s expected energy use; WERS® measures a home’s expected water use; and a specific amount of ventilation based on the number of bedrooms and the size of the home ensures healthy indoor air quality. A few items from the checklist that emerged as universal best practices were added as requirements, and the code became a performance c o d e. G e t t h e e x p e c t e d “mileage” in water, energy and air exchanges and include a few specific requirements, and throw away the checklist.

There are some new costs such as contracting for a WERS® professional to show that the home meets the required score and then verifying the installation and flowrate of water equipment. However those costs are more than offset by not having to complete the checklist and demonstrate that the building will make the points in all six sections.

The city has now developed a homeowner’s manual rather than having developers create their own. Builders only need to download and print the most recent version and add a few items such as a diagram showing the location of major utility shutoffs and the manuals for major equipment and appliances.

Even with increasing the required energy efficiency, analysis shows that the overall cost of compliance will have a net cost savings in almost all cases.

By using a performance model, the city hopes to be able to add commercial buildings to the green code. Existing models available for commercial buildings are expensive to comply with and expensive for the city to administer. Performance modeling of commercial buildings would mean it would be just as easy to ensure water-and energy-efficiency and indoor air quality in commercial buildings as in residential. Stay tuned to see this further development of the green code once the WERS® tool is expanded to model commercial buildings.  Katherine Mortimer is the Sustainable Land Use supervisor for the City of Santa Fe. She facilitated the development of green codes for new residences, residential additions and remodels, and the recent update to a performance code the city hopes to use as a model for multi-family and commercial buildings. kemortimer@santafenm.gov

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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WHAT WATER IS RIGHT?

Doug Pushard

W

ater, water everywhere, but what is right for me? With water we do have lots of choices and not all are created equal. You are probably wondering what I am talking about. What choices, what water?

Of course there is city water that most of us utilize abundantly. But we also have rainwater, greywater and blackwater. All of these are potential sources of water that could be used to drive our net water use to zero or better; helping us to become a net producer of water.

Each one of these waters has different characteristics that make it well suited for a primary, secondary and tertiary use. Each type of water has different upfront costs and varies on impact of net water use. For example, city water has chlorine added to help keep it disinfected one route to our homes from the distribution plant. This same chemical may create healthy water for us, but over the long-term is not healthy for plants. It creates salt build-up in the soil that rainwater and fertilizers help offset.

So city water is a good primary source of potable water, but should be secondary or tertiary when it comes to landscape water use.

See Fig. 1 for a summary of the characteristics of each source of water.

Of course, the advantage of city water is that it is plumbed to almost every house and it is relatively cheap. The disadvantage is that it is not right for all uses. Looking at the sources of water without considering costs would result in a much different water use pattern.

For example, if all homes were plumbed for water storage and had water filtration systems, we would use the best water for the right use to minimize or eliminate our water footprint.

See Fig. 2 for “Current Water Use Patterns.”

Looking at our water use from this perspective rather than our water use pattern might look something like the following. See Fig.3 for “Future Water Use Patterns.”

Blackwater, greywater and rainwater all require some form of onsite treatment to be able to use as depicted in the chart above. These technologies exist today and are very feasible.

If implemented in this fashion our water footprint would drop significantly. One local

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Fig. 1

Current Water Use Patterns

Fig. 2

Future Water Use Pattern

Fig. 3 Santa Fe area resident that has mirrored this water use pattern is using just 15 gallons per day per person (GPCD). Compare this to our citywide average of 90 gallons! This does not require a radical take-no-showers lifestyle change; it only requires a change of how we think about water. Instead of thinking tap water is free and all other water is water, think of all water as precious and lifegiving.

Aside from the obvious benefits of saving water and extending our water supplies well into the 22nd century, our plants and soils

would be healthier, producing more fruit, vegetables, flowers and shade at a much lower water cost than today. Our need to be taxed to secure future water sources and build new filtration plants would be all but eliminated for the foreseeable future.

We have vast amounts of wasted water today. We must view this water not as waste, but as precious and irreplaceable.

With this mindset we will begin to change our behavior and assure our water security for decades to come. 

Doug Pushard is an EPA WaterSense partner with Certif ication in Ir rigation Auditing.

He is an active member of the City of Santa Fe Water Conser vation Committee and was a co-founder of the Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS®).

Pushard designs and consults on rainwater and water-reuse systems locally and around the country. doug@harvesth2o.com

Green Fire Times • May 2017

19

CITY OF SANTA FE UNVEILS RAIN GARDEN

A new “rain garden” on West Alameda, across from Sicomoro Street, will harvest large quantities of stormwater, while preventing erosion and reducing pollution.

With the Santa Fe Watershed Association’s leadership and the efforts of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The RainCatcher, Southwest Urban Hydrology, and with support from Wells Fargo Bank, the City of Santa Fe hosted the garden’s unveiling on April 8. “This is a classic example of a successful public-private partnership,” Mayor Javier Gonzales said.

The new Rain Garden in action

The rock-plated, compostinfused infiltration-basin is part of a series of similar structures that make up the Santa Fe River Demonstration Rain Gardens project, which have been installed over the last several years under the guidance of the SFWA. The structures reduce common stormwater pollutants from directly entering the Santa Fe River and its tributaries. The goal of this larger “green infrastructure” project is to absorb 300,000 gallons of water per year. Andy Otto, the association’s president said, “We must allow the precipitation that falls on our watershed to stay in our watershed and infiltrate down to the aquifers from whence our wells draw. These aquifers become an insurance policy for part of our future water source.”

Widespread impervious “grey infrastructure,” such as concrete, asphalt and rooftops, has taken its toll on every urban watershed. “As our urban footprint has grown, unmanaged runoff has created enormous damage, not only in our river but also within our arroyo systems,” the city’s River and Watershed coordinator, Melissa McDonald, said. “We should see every storm as a resource.”

EYEonWATER: AN APP FOR SANTA FE WATER CUSTOMERS

Santa Fe’s residential water use, thanks to low-flow toilets and other water-saving devices, along with a general awareness of the need to conserve, is about 59 gallons per person per day, well below the 80 to 100 gallons used by people in other areas of the United States.

EyeOnWater, a new app promoted by the City of Santa Fe’s Water Division, gives the city’s customers more information and control about how they use water and allows them to interact with the Water Division. People can now find out how much their household uses, when usage is high, and be alerted to a leak. Gardeners can now see how much their garden is using. To download, visit eyeonwater.com or follow the link on savewatersantafe.com

SANTA FE WATER CONSERVATION AND TREATMENT

In the arid Southwest, water conservation has become a part of the collective consciousness. Lowflow toilets and plumbing fixtures along with xeriscaping have significantly reduced residential water usage. The City of Santa Fe also recognizes there is a signifiCourtesy New Water Innovations cant potential for additional water savings from commercial customers and is offering a water rebate for any savings over .25 acre-feet of water (81,463 gallons). For information on this, contact Lisa Randall of the Santa Fe Water Conservation Department, 505.467.2000, or visit www.santafenm.gov/water_conservation One of the most significant opportunities for savings is on commercial cooling towers, which are used in air-conditioning systems found in large commercial buildings.

Cooling towers cool by evaporating water and require water to be drained (blowdown) to avoid a buildup of minerals in the tower’s water. A single medium-sized tower will blow-down more than 1 million gallons in a single cooling season.

Technology exists that can greatly reduce the chemicals used in cooling towers and as much as 95 percent of the blow-down water. A local company, New Water Innovations, provides environmentally conscious solutions to a variety of water quality and water conservation issues, including for commercial cooling towers, boilers and contaminated water. The company can be reached at 505.216.1774, www.newwaterinnovations.com

ALBUQUERQUE BERNALILLO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY’S “TREE-BATE” PROGRAM

Trees, while they do require water to survive, actually aid water conservation by providing shade and reducing water loss to evaporation, as well as providing other environmental benefits.

Among the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority’s incentives to help its customers make their landscapes more water-efficient are its “tree-bate” program, which can result in a $100 water bill credit for residential customers and a $500 credit for non-residential customers to help cover the costs of tree care and maintenance, as well as the purchase of trees that use little water. Twenty recommended trees appear in the authority’s xeriscape guide. The authority’s website (www.abcwua.org/Outdoor_Rebates.aspx) provides links for self-guided tours to view mature trees at the UNM main campus and the Río Grande Botanic Garden.

Other water-saving measures customers can use to achieve rebates include xeriscaping yards and using special types of irrigation or rainwater harvesting. Albuquerque’s Water by Numbers watering restrictions is in effect. Watering outside is only allowed two days per week, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. in April and May, three days per week in the summer, and it is reduced again in the fall until Oct. 31.

Help Develop Santa Fe’s 25 Year Sustainability Plan!

Learn more about the Plan, and share your ideas online at: www.sustainablesantafe2040.com JOIN US FOR COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS IN MAY MAKE YOUR THOUGHTS HEARD!

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Attaining a Sustainable Santa Fe is in our Hands More Info At:

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4. May 20 - The Chainbreaker Community Center, 2 - 4

Food, refreshments, childcare and bilingual services provided

20

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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PROFILE of the SANTA FE WATERSHED ASSOCIATION on its 20th ANNIVERSARY

K ristina G. Fisher

Through its education programs, SFWA teaches and inspires future environmental stewards.

When the river comes to life with flowing water each spring, it is thanks in part to SFWA’s advocacy of the 2012 “Santa Fe River Target Flow for a Living River” ordinance, which made Santa Fe the first

city in New Mexico to set aside water to provide for annual river flows. For over 15 years, the SFWA has been taking care of 18 miles of the Santa Fe River corridor through its Adopt-the-River program in partnership with the city and county, local businesses, foundations, community members and volunteers. Over one million pounds of trash have been removed from the riverbed—the equivalent of 40 school buses of trash!

Other restoration efforts have included removing non-native elms, planting native cottonwood trees, and building bio-retention basins (or “rain gardens”) to capture rainfall and help it infiltrate into groundwater aquifers where it will feed the river and recharge the city’s wells. SFWA is now working to expand its stewardship efforts to embrace the more than 80 miles of arroyos in the Santa Fe Watershed with a new Adopt-an-Arroyo program.

Through its education programs, SFWA teaches and inspires future environmental stewards.

SFWA’s My Water, My Watershed classes give hundreds of elementary and middle school students the opportunity to hike into the upper watershed, learn about f o r e s t e c o l o g y, a n d discover where the water in their faucets comes from. For many of these students, this is their first hike into the woods and their only field trip of the school year.

© Seth Roffman

SFWA also organizes adult classes, forums, hikes and van trips into the protected upper watershed to help connect Santa Feans with their river. SFWA’s Climate Masters program teaches Santa Feans how to adapt to climate change and

View from a bridge: The Santa Fe River in April 2017

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© Seth Roffman

W

ith education, stewardship, advocacy and on-the-ground restoration, the Santa Fe Watershed Association has worked tirelessly since 1997 to protect and restore the health and vibrancy of the Santa Fe River and its watershed for the benefit of people and the environment.

Viewing the Santa Fe River from the bridge at Alto Park

reduce their carbon and water footprints.

As they pick up trash, help construct a rain garden, learn from their children about the source of our drinking water, or attend a City Council meeting to testify for a living river, Santa Fe Watershed members and volunteers are touched, inspired and drawn into the movement to build a healthy, functioning watershed that will sustain our community long into the future. 

Kristina G. Fisher is president of the Board of the Santa Fe Watershed Association.

In 2015, the SFWA was honored with the Courageous Innovation Piñón Award f rom the Santa Fe Community Foundation. www.santafewatershed.org

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JOURNEY SANTA FE’S 10 YEARS of WEEKLY COMMUNITY DIALOGUES Seth Roffman

J

Although JSF is a team effort, since its inception, Melissa Williams has been the event’s central coordinator. Williams has a talent for connecting people with those shaping the issues of the day and opening a space for conversations and interaction. Williams said, “Journey has been a tremendous volunteer effort to make the programs happen every week for 10 years.” Alan Webber, former Harvard Business Review editor and founder of Fast Company Magazine, has also been a strong influence in shaping

A typical Sunday morning at Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeehouse in Santa Fe the program series. Webber has invited presenters from around the state who run organizations involved with current issues and the political scene. Webber has encouraged news organizations to “dig for the story behind the story,” and that is often what JSF does. “The silence of acquiescence is not acceptable,” Webber says.

In addition to Williams and Webber, JSF’s programming committee includes Bill and Ellen Dupuy; attorney Denise Fort; Lois Manno of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Santa Fe Watershed Association Director Andy Otto; poet Elizabeth Raby and her husband, Jim; and Green Fire Times Editor Seth Roffman.

JSF’s presenters have included journalists, authors, representatives from community and statewide organizations and activists.

QUOTES FROM A FEW OF JSF’S SPEAKERS “Journey Santa Fe’s vision of progressive dialogue each Sunday created a muchneeded platform for democratic engagement. Having this forum to dialogue with constituents makes me a better representative.” ­ — NM State Sen. Peter Wirth “I find I usually come away having learned something myself or at least having a new perspective on my positions opened up. It is always stimulating.”

— NM State Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino “Journey is a necessary weekly dose of engaged discussion about our problems— on this planet and in this place we live. Reality beats reality TV every time; a mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

— Teacher/activist Mark Rudd

22

Green Fire Times • May 2017

Some examples: Fred Nathan, executive director of Think New Mexico; Doug Meiklejohn, executive director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center; Mike Loftin, executive director of Homewise; Ona Porter, executive director, Pro s p e r i t y Wo r k s ; J a v i e r Gonzales, mayor of Santa Fe; Inez Gomez Russell, editorial page editor for the Santa Fe New Mexican; Simon Brackley, president of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce; Greg Mello, director of Los Alamos Study Group; Aaron Stern, president of the Academy for the Love of Learning; Joe Maestas, Santa Fe city councilor; Todd López, attorney/ community educator; Penn LaFarge, president of the Old Santa Fe Association; Peter Simonson, executive director of the ACLU of New Mexico; Daniel Tso, Navajo activist against fracking in the Chaco Canyon area; William DeBuys, author/ conservationist; John Nichols, author; and Marcela Díaz, executive director, Somos un Pueblo Unido.

© Seth Roffman

Webber has encouraged news organizations to “dig for the story behind the story,” and that is often what JSF does.

© Melissa Williams

ourneySantaFe was created to offer a platform to all sectors of the community and to provide ideas and information “that can effect change and solutions for the greater good.” Since 2007, JSF has offered weekly presentations by notable people who are engaged in environmental, social, cultural, political and policy issues that impact Santa Fe and New Mexico. Journey’s events take place every Sunday at 11 a.m. for about an hour, at Collected Works bookstore.

The dialogues are usually moderated by author/entrepreneur Alan Webber or former KSFR News Director Bill Dupuy.

The events are recorded by Geoff Cheshire and broadcast on subsequent Sundays at 5 p.m. on KSFR, 101.1 FM.

Poets Elizabeth Raby and James McGrath

JSF’s speakers are not paid, but a basket is passed around at the end of their presentation. JSF’s programing committee forwards donations it receives to people or organizations of the speaker’s choice.

For more information, to view upcoming JSF presentations or sign up for JSF’s weekly email newsletter, visit www. journeysantafe.com 

JSF founder Melissa Williams

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© Melissa Williams

© Seth Roffman

© Seth Roffman

Daniel Tso uses a map to point out areas being fracked in northwest New Mexico

Alan Webber with Somos un Pueblo Unido’s Marcela Díaz

Ellen and Bill Dupuy

© Melissa Williams

JOURNEY SANTA FE’S MAY WATER AND WATERSHEDS IN NM SERIES

Webber with Santa Fe New Mexican editorial page editor Inez Gomez Russell

Every Sunday at 11 am in May, Journey Santa Fe, in association with the Santa Fe Watershed Association, is presenting a speaker focused on different aspects of water and watersheds in New Mexico. Andy Otto, SFWA’s executive director, will moderate these talks.

May 7: Emeritus professor of law, G. Emlen Hall, will speak on Water Tales from the St. Augustine Plains. Hall will discuss the pending application to drill and pump 54,000 acre-feet per year from a ranch in Catron County. The developers propose to pipe that water 130 miles up the Río Grande, where it would be offered for sale to water-short cities. Albuquerque, Río Rancho and other municipalities have yet to commit themselves to purchasing the water. Hall will assess the controversial project against the historical, legal, scientific and human background of the proposal.

Hall has written three books: Four Leagues of Pecos: A Legal History of the Pecos Grant from 1800 to 1936 (1984); High and Dry: The Texas-New Mexico Struggle for the Pecos River (2002), and Reining in the Río Grande (with Phillips and Black) (2011).

May 14: John Fleck, a science journalist with 30 years of newspaper experience, more than two decades at the Albuquerque Journal, will speak on Water is for Fighting Over and Other Myths About Water in the West. His book by the same name (Island Press) is subtitled An Exploration of Solutions to the Colorado River Basin’s Water Problems.

St. John’s College President Mark Roosevelt

May 21: Claudia Borchert is Santa Fe County’s sustainability manager. She is working with the county’s administration and the community in areas of recycling/ solid waste, energy efficiency and renewable energy, transportation, and water resources. For the three previous years, Borchert was the director of the county’s water and wastewater utility. As a water manager and planner for the City of Santa Fe for over 10 years, she worked on policies like the Living River Ordinance, the Long Range Water Supply Plan and shortage-sharing agreements.

May 28: Phil Bové will present a brief history of acequias in Santa Fe, the problems acequias had with the water companies that built reservoirs on the Santa Fe River and what they did to get water. He will talk about the remaining acequias in Santa Fe and what the future for them looks like, then present a short video about the annual cleaning of the Acequia Madre.

© Seth Roffman

© Seth Roffman

Fleck’s perspective includes showing how the region’s communities have been adapting to changing circumstances, learning to do more with less, and how, in some instances, it may be possible to collaborate rather than fight over water.

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver

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Bové has been a commissioner on the Acequia Madre de Santa Fe since 1983 and on the Santa Fe River Commission since 2009. He and his wife of 52 years, Eleanor, live in the same house on Acequia Madre where she was born.

Green Fire Times • May 2017

23

ACEQUIA MADRE SPRING CLEANING

© Phil Bové

Phillip Bové

The people have a common goal of keeping this ancient piece of Santa Fe history functioning.

Top: Property owners, neighbors and volunteers clean out the “Mother Ditch” each spring.

24

E

very year at this time, cleaning the Acequia Madre is paramount on our minds. As the mayordomo used to say, “It is the first priority.” To the old people, it was time to sacar (clean out) the waterways. I like to hear stories of the old parciantes (water-rights owners), like the time there was a fish in the acequia, escaped from the reservoirs; or when they would wait for St. John’s Feast day, when everyone would enjoy the water. Making dams to trap the water was fun. They weren’t deep enough to swim in; only to wade in ankle-deep. We would wet our scalp, then the parents would tell us to go ahead. The kids would spend hours getting glass and rocks out of the way so they could spend the day in the acequia. In those days there was a lot of water, but now there are limited flows. It has everything to do with the snowpack. We have a good snowpack in

Green Fire Times • May 2017

our mountains this year, especially with the late snows, and we are anxiously awaiting a good stream of water.

At the first signs of spring the mayordomo and the commissioners of the acequia will discuss, walk parts of the acequia, and talk to the parciantes about the condition of the waterway. If major repairs are needed they will determine if the annual assessment to the members should be increased to pay for repairs.

Or they may determine that a work crew of members can make the repairs themselves. The officers make note of conditions on the acequia to pass on to the members when they are cleaning the ditch. Some sections where gophers have invaded and closed off the waterway with their own engineering talents may need to be dug out.

The tall grasses common around Santa Fe, such as orchard and western wheat grass, have deep root systems and very tall blade stalks. We like these types of grasses to be on the acequia banks because they hold the soil so well. The dried blades of grass on the edges of the waterway have to be trimmed back with a shovel, or if too thick, cut with a weed trimmer and removed so that the water can flow quickly and unimpeded.

All the information gathered about the conditions of the waterway is discussed at the annual meeting, which usually is held about 30 days before the annual acequia cleaning. The Acequia Madre, including its three laterals (Acequia Ranchitos, upper and lower Acequia Analco) is nearly seven miles long. It takes about four weeks to clean the portions west of Old Santa Fe Trail to the village of Agua Fría. The section from

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Acequia farmers, youth and advocates outside the Roundhouse on Acequia Day, Feb. 16, 2017

© Seth Roffman (2)

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the head gate on the Santa Fe River near Cristo Rey Church, going to Old Santa Fe Trail, is the last portion cleaned. We enjoy having our neighbors, friends, Acequia Madre School students and their parents, city councilors, mayors, family members and sometimes people from other states that happen to be visiting come and help us clean. When we finish that last section, we provide lunch at a nearby restaurant or someone’s backyard. This type of gathering with food is always a most pleasant time to meet and talk to all types of people who all seem to have a common goal of keeping this ancient piece of Santa Fe history functioning and doing what it was built to do: deliver irrigation water to the orchards, gardens, fields and pastures all along the way to Agua Fría.

When the cleaning of the acequia is

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completed and everyone has been fed and maybe cleaned up a little, we go to the head gate and release Agua Prima into the waterway and we salute and cheer the water. Several individuals follow the water to make sure no blockages are created by the water picking up debris, especially from inside culverts and under bridges along the way.

So when all of the above is done, we will have completed the 407th cleaning of the Acequia Madre de Santa Fe!  Phillip Bové has been commissioner on the Acequia Madre de Santa Fe since 1983 and a member of the Santa Fe River Commission since 2009.

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James H. Auerbach, MD and Staff support Green Fire Times in its efforts to bring about a better world by focusing on the people, enterprises and initiatives that are transforming New Mexico into a diverse and sustainable economy.

SoMe oF THe TopicS GreeN Fire TiMeS SHowcASeS: Green: Building, products, Services, entrepreneurship, investing and Jobs; renewable energy, Sustainable Agriculture, regional cuisine, ecotourism, climate Adaptation, Natural resource Stewardship, Arts & culture, Health & wellness, regional History, community Development, educational opportunities James H. Auerbach, MD provides dermatology services in Santa Fe, NM (Sorry, we are no longer accepting new clients.)

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OP-ED

THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET and EXECUTIVE ORDER ROLLING BACK the CLEAN WATER RULE

What They Mean for New Mexico

W

ater is precious in New Mexico. Without it, our way of life is threatened and our communities suffer.

On Feb. 28, 2017 President Trump signed an executive order rolling back the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water Rule, also known as the Waters of the U.S. Rule. This order reverses years of work to ensure that New Mexicans have clean water needed for drinking, irrigating and recreating. The order directs the EPA’s director, Scott Pruitt, to initiate the lengthy legal process of rescinding and rewriting the rule. This could take years.

This order and the president’s proposed budget foreshadow a grim future for water quality across the state.

The president’s budget would cut a third of the EPA’s funding. The cuts include getting rid of the agency’s nonpoint source water pollution program. In New Mexico, this would gut $1.3 million used by the state Environment Department’s Surface Water Quality Bureau to implement watershed protection programs. It would also eliminate hundreds of thousands of dollars for on-theground restoration projects such as a project that addresses E.coli pollution on the Río Fernando de Taos; a project in the Valles Caldera to plant more than 33,000 riparian plants to decrease turbidity and temperature on Jaramillo Creek; projects on the Río Cebolla to reduce sediment loading; and a $200,000 project to address pollution in the Pecos River.

Overview of the Clean Water Rule • The Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, has guided the transition from rivers that literally caught on fire to healthy watersheds where species like the bald eagle and river otter once again thrive.

• In response to confusion after Supreme Court rulings in 2001 and 2006, the Rule was developed by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clarify what waters are protected by the Clean Water Act. The Rule clarifies that some of the rivers, streams and wetlands that fell through the cracks are indeed protected.

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• The Rule was finalized in August 2015, and then on Oct. 9, 2015 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit stayed the Rule nationwide, pending further action of the court.

• The Rule restores prior protections that once existed for a variety of water bodies, from tributaries to traditionally navigable waters. In New Mexico, traditional navigable waters are only the mainstems of five river systems—the Río Grande, Canadian, Pecos, Gila and San Juan.

• The Rule reduces permitting delays.

Why the Rule Is Important to New Mexico • Tributary streams such as the Santa Fe River, Río Hondo, Gallinas, Red River and Río Pueblo provide water for acequias, wildlife and recreation. These waters need protection from unregulated dumping and pollution.

• Many (93.6 percent) New Mexico tributaries are ephemeral or intermittent.

They flow into the state’s main river systems, provide wildlife habitat, and are used for livestock watering and irrigation. The Rule restores Clean Water Act protection to many of these waters.

At least 280,000 people in New Mexico receive drinking water from sources that rely at least in part on ephemeral or intermittent tributaries.

• 20 percent of the state’s vertebrate wildlife depend upon ephemeral and intermittent waters.

• New Mexico is a non-delegated state; meaning that the EPA administers and issues National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits in New Mexico. Unlike many other states, New Mexico does not have a state program in place to control surface water discharges into state waters.

• The Act requires wastewater and industrial facilities to clean water before being discharged into rivers.  Rachel Conn is projects director for the statewide water conservation organization Amigos Bravos. www.amigosbravos.org

© Seth Roffman (2)

R achel Conn

Antonio Medina, from Mora, a Concillio member of the NM Acequia Association, addresses the audience at the state capitol at a “Water Is Sacred” demonstration.

RÍO RANCHO AQUIFER PROJECT

A $5.6-million project to inject millions of gallons of recycled water into an aquifer will be operating soon. The advanced treatment facility in Río Rancho—the first of its kind in New Mexico—includes a two-million-gallon concrete tank. Advanced Oxidation Treatment, a process that cleans biologically toxic or non-biodegradable materials such as pesticides, petroleum constituents and volatile organic compounds in wastewater, uses ozone, hydrogen peroxide and/or ultra-violet light.The contaminants are converted to a large extent into stable inorganic compounds such as water, carbon dioxide and salts.

The facility will be able to upgrade up to one million gallons per day to drinking standards. The water will then be pumped into streams, used for sewage treatment or injected into the city’s aquifer, to be later retrieved by nearby active wells.

Río Rancho funded the project through a New Mexico Finance Authority Water Trust Board loan and grant funding.

FRACKING SCORECARD EVALUATES NM’S OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS

“Disclosing the Facts,” a fracking scorecard on the environmental record of New Mexico’s top 10 oil and gas producers indicated that, despite improvements, most of the companies that use hydraulic fracturing fared poorly.

The annual report ranked the companies on their public disclosure of use of toxic chemicals, water consumption, water quality, waste management practices, air emissions and other impacts on communities and the environment.

Eight producers received low or failing scores. Houstonbased Apache Corp. had the highest improvement, scoring 29 points out of a possible 43—up 20 points. That Mineralization along a was because the company reduced its toxic chemical use northern NM stream by 60 percent, and provided “a venue for conversations concerning risks, management practices and disclosures associated with fracking operations and a forum for industry experts to review draft practices and indicators.”

The report was released at the end of 2016 by the corporate responsibility group As You Sow and green investment firms Boston Common Asset Management and Investor Environmental Health Network. The EPA released a study at the same time, which highlighted fracking’s potential for groundwater contamination.

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OP-ED

THE COUNTERCULTURE: A GREAT UNDERGROUND

Jack Loeffler

J

ack Kerouac referred to it as the subterraneans in his novel of that name.

Gary Snyder traces it back in time as the great underground. Asha Greer refers to it as the marginaux. Theodore Roszak dubbed it the counterculture in 1969. I think of it as a great stream of interwoven cultures of practice of resistance and creative alternatives to a mainstream culture whose hierarchy are defined by economic status, white supremacy, and politics governed by corporate mandate. The Civil Rights Movement, Black Panther Movement, Women’s Liberation Movement, Gay Liberation Movement, Psychedelic Movement, Chicano Movement, American Indian Movement, Back-to-the Land Movement and the Radical Environmental Movement have all contributed to a mighty stream of intertwined perspectives that have re-shaped the cultural consciousness of America and beyond. It was the environmental movement that finally elevated habitat itself to be perceived as having inviolable rights.

The cultural diversity that prevails [in the Southwest] reveals perspectives we would do well to assimilate into mainstream cultural consciousness.

In this time of political travesty, we would do well to refer to our countercultural antecedents to not only regain perspective, but to invent new modes of conduct and procedure to forestall the presidential promise of environmental and cultural disaster. In the early 19th century, Henry David Thoreau wrote his celebrated essay Resistance to Civil Government that later became known as Civil Disobedience. Thoreau was resisting slavery of Negroes that was finally abolished by President Abraham Lincoln. The practice of civil disobedience has tremendous relevance in today’s world.

Second-rate citizenry continues to prevail to this day, although slavery per se ostensibly no longer exists in America. However, Lincoln’s lofty phrase from the Gettysburg

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Address, now more clearly portends “... government of the people by the corporate powers who control the government.”

This is not defensible in a democracy. Our nation’s principles have been subsumed by the economically privileged. Our cultural attitude has been severely damaged by years of ethical inertia. None of us are faultless.

We have fallen into a cultural ethical lassitude that is difficult to define, let alone reverse. In my opinion, this is due in part to our gradual separation of attention away from the natural world, our homeland.

Instead, we have refocused our attention on the wonders that we have created with our phenomenal evolving technical knowhow, thus diverting our attention away from the biotic community that naturally sustains us—and which now requires a heightening level of human reciprocity if it is to flourish in its present form.

This is a tough call after so many generations have become ever more embedded in the anthropocentric world that shapes and reshapes our cultural mores, our attitudes, our perspectives, to the exclusion of a bigger picture of our species’ place in this world. We who live in the North American Southwest have a lot of space in which to roam, more headspace to free our thinking, vast diversity to free us from the rut of linear thinking. Indeed the cultural diversity that prevails here even now reveals perspectives we would do well to assimilate into mainstream cultural consciousness.

Daniel Kemmis is an author and political scientist whose book Community and the Politics of Place is a fine handbook that helps define the relationship between human Daniel Kemmis communities and their respective habitats. I once recorded him saying: “What I have come to believe more and more strongly is that we’re now passing through a period in political history that is much more profound than we’re generally aware of. What it really amounts to is that for 200 years we have lived under the sway of the

Jack Loeffler is co-curator of an exhibition entitled Voices of Counterculture in the Southwest, opening at the New Mexico History Museum at the Palace of the Governors on May 14, 2017. It runs through Feb. 11, 2018. With Meredith Davidson, he has coedited a book of the same title, published by the Museum of New Mexico Press. nation-state as the defining political entity. That period of history is ready to pass as all periods of history do pass, and we’re moving now in the direction of the recognition of organic forms at all different levels. The most important of those levels is the most local, and that localism comes down, I think, finally to very small units, to neighborhoods, at least. What you recognize about neighborhoods immediately is that they are organic. You can’t tell something by drawing straight lines on a map, ‘This is going to be a neighborhood.’ You can only ask it ‘What is the neighborhood here?’, and then it defines itself. And you move up from there to the city and then the organic relationship between a city and its surrounding countryside. There again, you can’t tell an area what that organic relationship is going to be, but if you ask, if you pay attention to how do city and countryside relate to each other, you see an organic form emerge.

I think politically we’re going to see that happen all the way up through the continental level and finally to the global level. I think we have to be willing to exercise citizenship and politics at all of those levels, but I also believe that the way in which nationhood has defined our political thinking and acting is ready now to soften, if not dissolve.”

Unfortunately, our nationhood has hardened and is now more likely to shatter than dissolve. Those who hold political power have tightened their reins and are prepared to defend their political, fiscal and territorial control until our planetary habitat is so savaged that our species is bid an un-fond adieu. Legislation has bent the

rules of conduct, and those rare pieces of healthy legislation designed to protect the environment and its denizens are being overturned by newly appointed corporate moguls who control the government. The United States government can no longer be trusted to govern judiciously.

But then can any institution? Institutions and their attendant bureaucracies exist largely to defend procedures of their own invention. They are founded by humans and are fundamentally anthropocentric in nature, and thus exist for their own sake. Some may be founded on altruistic principles, but they inevitably become too rigid to accommodate change. Change is a fundamental principle of Nature. To the greatest extent that I can, I trust to the inspiration of the moment. I take almost all of my inspiration from the flow of Nature. Thus, for the last 50 years or so, I remain a ‘Naturist.’ Therein lies my purpose and my sense of the divine.

I think that our species made an immense mistake when we began to institutionalize our paltry perceptions of reality. It is perfectly natural to seek out our ‘reason-tobe,’ but to institutionalize answers before we have the consciousness to perceive the bigger picture is folly—the shadowy work of wizards, priests, politicians and others who recognize means of controlling perception, and thence culture. This is not to say that all institutions are bad, as long as they don’t crystallize. Some are genuinely devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, and I laud them.

But beware political parties. Their purpose is to dominate cultural consciousness—and then control culture. As Brother Ed Abbey

CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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The Counterculture continued from page 31 so aptly articulated, “Society is like a stew.

If you don’t keep it stirred up, you get a lot of scum on top.”

Our society has now ‘scummed up’ our government big-time. And that scum can afford enforcers to enforce their will. But they cannot enforce either consciousness or conscience. And consciousness and conscience are what invigorate the great underground— the counterculture in whatever guise it appears. We have the freedom of individual and collective imagination to begin to arrange our cultural attitudes to encompass profound truths hidden behind our prejudices. To wit: • Can we morally justify ever-increasing human population in a world of diminishing resources like water?

• Can we continue to be driven by economics at the expense of dwindling natural habitat?

• Can we accept that we are once again falling under the sway of a tiny handful of those who have accrued enormous wealth and have thus re-established an age-old hierarchy of alpha-governance?

• Can we perceive that we as a species have overrun our planet to the extent that a shift in the nature of the greater biotic community is now inevitable?

• Can we understand that Nature will eventually subsume human endeavor?

How do we react ethically to the daunting array of societal problems that have emerged as a result of our cultural and individual complacency?

First, we forward the imperative that we must limit and decrease the size of the human population on the planet by natural attrition.

Concurrently, we react from where we are. We are citizens of a place that is characterized by its nature. We live in a watershed, a biotic community, a biome, a bioregion. We inhabit a continent that is a patchwork of biomes.

There are biota that belong here, biotic communities that have evolved here, biotic communities that include humans whose cultures evolved here in the post-Pleistocene North American Southwest.

Thereafter, we collaboratively determine the needs of our natural biotic community relative to the needs of our inhabiting human cultures of practice and find balance between the two. However, the biotic community itself must determine the nature of governance and acceptable characteristics inherent in the human cultures of practice. This takes intelligence and intuition, and acceptance of what the biotic community has to tell us.

The patchwork of biotic communities has evolved with a healthy measure of mutual

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cooperation even prior to the arrival of humans. Our species has been here for a modest two hundred thousand years, more or less. At 20 years per human generation, that amounts to roughly ten thousand generations of human beings to have come and gone on this tiny planet. Bearing in mind that all life is descended from a single common ancestor, all life, including human, is kindred. We can only guess at the cognitive capabilities of other species, but we can readily determine that we humans provide part of the consciousness of the planet, Earth.

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My old friend Camillus Lopez was born into Tohono O’odham culture of the Sonoran Desert.

His culture has provided him with the intelligence Camillus Lopez and intuition to perceive himself as part of the biotic community to which he belongs. His tradition has taught him to disturb the surrounding biotic community as little as possible, and also to perceive himself from the perspective of the biotic community itself. In Camillus’ own words: “Community is everything. It’s the stars.

It’s the ground way under. It’s the little ant that comes across. It’s Coyote. It’s the buzzard. Your actions reflect who you are. And if you can see yourself in it, then you’re there. But if you can’t look at Nature and see yourself in it, then you’re too far away. That’s why I think one of the things people need to do is go out and look at the mirror of Nature and try to see themselves in it. Because if they can see themselves in it, then they can help themselves by helping the environment.”

I know of no more sound advice from anyone anywhere. If one can see one’s self reflected in Nature’s mirror, answers as to how to comport one’s self in today’s strange milieu become ever more apparent.

So jump into the flow of Nature, wash out the detritus, and help Nature take its course with life and consciousness. They’re Nature’s greatest gift and can be used wisely and well.

And thus counterculture evolves into a culture of alternative consciousness.  Jack Loeffler recently produced a radio series e n t i t l e d Vo i c e s o f Counterculture. It is available to be heard over Public Radio stations. www.loreoftheland.org

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Health Stores Wellness Workshops Holistic Videos and so much more

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

1121 Calle La Resolana • Santa Fe • (505) 471-1996

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NEWSBITEs

the rock and the contaminated groundwater in the sparsely populated area would be “very costly and have a negative environmental impact”.

WATER CASE MOVES FORWARD

Aquifer Science is wholly owned by two shell corporations, one of which is a subsidiary of Vidler Water Co., a major water developer in the western U.S. The company proposed a luxury resort/subdivision north of Sandia Park, but the project has been dormant (with the exception of the water rights fight) for more than a decade. The companies have spent more than $5 million to date to obtain the water rights, which could be sold to a third party if granted.

The residents are represented by the nonprofit New Mexico Environmental Law Center.

NMELC asked the court to immediately dismiss the appeal on the grounds that the application is illegally speculative—it filed the motion after Aquifer Science’s owners admitted that there is no up-to-date plan to use the water.” (Under New Mexico state law, an applicant for water is required to demonstrate that it will put water to “beneficial use” immediately.) NMELC is hoping that a ruling will be handed down this summer.

ALBUQUERQUE’S SOLAR PLAN

On April 23, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Albuquerque City Councilors Pat Davis and Isaac Benton announced plans to sell $25 million in renewable energy bonds to make possible the installation of solar projects on dozens of city buildings throughout Albuquerque over the next two years.

According to a city news release, the first phase of the project would create 135 jobs in Albuquerque and save taxpayers over $20 million over 30 years. As a result of the energy savings and financing through federal bond credits, the projects will be built at no cost to taxpayers.

THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO’S AIR

During 2013, 2014 and 2015, Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties had the poorest air quality of the 11 (out of 33) counties monitored in New Mexico, according to the “State of the Air” 2017 report released last month by the American Lung Association.

The results suggest that thousands of people in those and other areas are at increased risk for asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. It also adds to evidence that a changing climate is making it harder to protect human health.

To compile its report, the ALA relies on publicly available, quality-assured data from monitors operated by the states, counties, federal agencies and tribes. The report examined data for ozone and particulate pollution. Ozone indicates the amount of smog in the air. It can come out of tailpipes, smokestacks and many other sources. Ozone aggressively attacks lung tissue by reacting chemically with it. Cities in the West and Southwest continue to dominate the most ozone-polluted list. Microscopic particle pollution could be dirt, dust or soot from wildfires, drought, wood-burning devices, coal-fired power plants and diesel engines. The particles can lodge deep in the lungs and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, cause lung cancer and shorten life. The report grades both daily spikes, called “short-term” particle pollution, and annual average or “year-round” levels that represent the concentration of particles day-in and day-out by location.

The report also says that changes seen since the previous report reflect increased oil and gas extraction, especially in the Southwest. Cleanup of power plants in the eastern U.S. have shifted the cities that experienced the greatest number of unhealthy air days.

In 2016, Albuquerque’s city council unanimously passed a resolution calling for the city to derive 25 percent of its energy from solar by 2025. Given that goal, the council seems likely to approve issuing the bonds. Councilor Davis said that $25 million in solar panels would put the city about halfway to that goal. It would also reinforce the city’s identity as a renewable-energy leader.

The report credits improvements in air quality in various areas to the science-based Clean Air Act, a public health law put into place more than 45 years ago. Some in Congress are seeking changes that would dismantle key provisions of the law.

A new report from Environment New Mexico Research and Policy Center called “Shining Cities” ranked Albuquerque No. 9 amongst American cities based on the amount of solar energy installed (fourth-most solar power per capita), with 82 megawatts providing clean energy at the end of 2016. The high ranking is attributed, in part, to businesses and homeowners who have made the switch to solar power.

San Francisco-based Pattern Energy has acquired the Broadview Wind Farm and its associated 35-mile transmission line for $269 million. The 324-MW farm (equivalent to annual energy usage of about 180,000 homes), 30 miles north of Clovis, N.M., one of the highest wind areas of the West, began commercial operations in March.

The power it generates goes to California, helping that state transition to a carbonfree, low-cost, renewable grid. California leads the nation in renewable-energy job growth and is aiming for 50 percent renewable power by 2030.

UNITED NUCLEAR WANTS TO LOWER CONTAMINATION STANDARDS

United Nuclear has spent more than a decade attempting to clean up radon-226 and 228, boron, fluoride, sulfate, chloride and dissolved solids at the St. Anthony uranium mine in Cibola County, not far from the Pueblo of Laguna. The mine, which was operational from 1975 to 1981, includes two open pits and one underground mine.The company has asked New Mexico regulators to approve a variance for groundwater contamination thousands of times above current standards. The Water Quality Control Commission says that wells monitored in the area continue to show contaminated groundwater exceeding state standards. The commission has scheduled a public hearing this month.

The New Mexico Environment Department, acknowledging that a full cleanup is not possible, has recommended that the commission grant the variance because removing

Summer is near. . .

Prepare your A/C PLUMBING INSTALLATION, REPAIR & SERVICE

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505-469-1421

ENERGY COMPANY ACQUIRES NM WIND PROJECT FOR $269 MILLION

“Pattern Development is actively developing several significant opportunities in New Mexico and the Southwest as part of the region’s increasing demand for lowcost, renewable energy,” said Mike Garland, the company’s president and CEO. The company has entered into transmission service agreements through the Western Interconnect with Public Service Company of New Mexico and Arizona Public Service.

Wind energy provided nearly 11 percent of all in-state electricity production for the 12-month period ending October 2016, according to the New Mexico State Land Office. The state’s current energy portfolio plan calls for 20 percent renewables by 2020.

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Green Fire Times • May 2017

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WHAT'S GOING ON! Events / Announcements ALBUQUERQUE

MAY 4, 11:30 AM–1 PM WATER AS DESTINY SERIES Hotel Andaluz, 125 Second St. NW “Exploring the Nexus between Water & Economic Development.” 2nd luncheon in a series on regional water innovations.

Speaker: John Freisinger, president, Technology Ventures Corp. $50/$30/$25.

Presented by Urban Land Institute-NM. http://newmexico.uli.org MAY 7–10 GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM ABQ Convention Center Presentations, panel discussions and demonstrations related to hotel & tourism sales, tourism/product development, operations management, hotel & tourism marketing. $229–$429. Presented by the NM Hospitality Assn. http://newmexicohospitality. org/2017-governors-conference-registration MAY 10, 9–10:30 AM AGRICULTURAL COLLABORATIVE MRCOG Office, 809 Copper NW Monthly meeting of citizens, growers, farmers, producers, food processors, buyers, representatives from agencies & organizations. 505.247.1750, localfoodnm@ mrcog-nm.gov, www.mrcog-nm.gov THROUGH MAY 11 FOOD AS MEDICINE UNM Continuing Education Explore the wisdom of a wellness system growing in recognition and acceptance as a compliment to Western healthcare practices.

505.277.0077, CEhealth@unm.edu, ce.unm. edu/Herbalism MAY 11, 9 AM–1 PM JOB-READY HIRE FAIR ABQ Rail Yards Over 40 ABQ companies will bring highdemand jobs to out-of-school and unemployed young adults as part of a national effort to support skills-based hiring. Free Core Score Assessment. Find a mentor and a Job Training Program. jlsanchez@innovate-educate.org, www.job-ready-hire.org MAY 13, 10:30 AM–12:30 PM ABQ CITIZENS’ CLIMATE LOBBY Nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization working in support of solutions such as the carbon fee/dividend to prevent the worst aspects of a warming world.

Meets 2nd Sat. monthly. Lisas.ccl@gmail. com, http://citizensclimatelobby.org/ chapters/NM_Albuquerque/ MAY 14, 9–11 AM SEASONS OF GROWTH GARDENING CLASS IPCC, 2401 12th St. NW Hands-on learning series the second Sunday every month through Oct. explores Pueblo people’s traditional farming methods. $5.

Reservations: bsandoval@indianpueblo.org.

MAY 14, 5–6:30 PM SAFEGUARDING OUR NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE Bachechi Open Space 9523 Río Grande NM Mark Allison, exec. dir. of the NM Wilderness Alliance will talk about NM’s wild public lands and wilderness areas. Free. www. nmwild.org

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MAY 14, 6:30 PM NM HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS Popejoy Hall, UNM 11 high school drama programs from across the state have competed. 63 students have also been nominated for Best Actor and Actress. 505.266.3003, nmhsmta@gmail.com

DAILY, 10 AM–6 PM WILDLIFE WEST 87 N. Frontage Rd., Edgewood (just east of ABQ) 122-acre park/attraction with educational programs dedicated to native wildlife and ecology. $7/$6/$4/children under 5 free. www.wildlifewest.org

MAY 18–20 PLANT-BASED PREVENTION OF DISEASE CONFERENCE UNM National annual conference. 33 speakers include clinicians, researchers and educators.

Open to professionals, students and the public. http://preventionofdisease.org

THROUGH NOV. 5 OUTSTANDING IN HIS FIELD: SAN YSIDRO NHCC Art Museum, 1701 Fourth SW Exhibit on patron saint of farmers & gardeners. More than 65 artists. $6/$5/16 & under free.

MAY 20, 11 AM MARCH AGAINST MONSANTO Begins at Central Ave. and University Blvd.

Worldwide Protest. A nonviolent march to raise public awareness of corporate farming and business practices and to advocate banning genetically engineered (GE) seeds and foods. http://www.marchagainst-monsanto.com MAY 20, 12–9 PM BEES & SEEDS FESTIVAL Tractor Brewing – Wells Park 1800 4th St. NW Family-friendly, interactive learning event.

Free plants & seeds, art & craft vendors, music. Hosted by GMO-Free NM. http://bit. lybsf2017 MAY 21, 10:30 AM–4 PM FESTIVAL OF ASIAN CULTURES NM Veterans Memorial Park 1100 Louisiana SE Music, dance, food, activities, vendors.

Cambodian, Chinese, E. Indian, Filipino, Hawaiian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Nepali, Tahitian, Thai, Vietnamese.

Free. 505.332.9249, www.aaanm.us JUNE 7, 8:30 AM–4 PM NM RECYCLING COALITION ABQ Museum, Ventana Salon Annual meeting and professional recycling training. 6 CEU credits towards NMED and National Sustainable Resource Management Recertification. $100/$175. www.recycyclenewmexico.com JUNE 26 KIDS COUNT CONFERENCE Marriott Pyramid “Opportunity Matters: Advancing the Wellbeing of NM’s Children, Women and Families in a New Political Era.” Nationally renowned keynote speakers, panels, breakout sessions, awards. Donate.nmvoices.org/kidscount FIRST SUNDAYS NM MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 1801 Mountain Road Museum admission is free to NM residents on the first Sunday of every month.

505.841.2800 SATURDAYS, 1 PM WEEKLY DOCENT-LED TOURS National Hispanic Cultural Center 1701 4th St. SW Tours of different exhibits and themes in the Art Museum. $2-$3, free with museum admission. 505.246.2261, nhccnm.org

Green Fire Times • May 2017

THROUGH JULY 2018 LONG AGO: PUEBLO PEOPLE & OUR MODERN ENVIRONMENT Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th NW Exhibits link elders’ wisdom to modern relationship with Earth. $8.40/$6.40/$5.40; 505.843.7270, indianpueblo.org PAID AMERICORPS TERMS Young women and men ages 18–25 sought for seasonal, full-time conservation projects in Albuquerque area wilderness.

575.751.1420, www.youthcorps.org ABQ 2030 DISTRICT A voluntary collaboration of commercial property tenants, building managers, property owners and developers; real estate, energy, and building sector professionals, lenders, utility companies; and public stakeholders such as government agencies, nonprofits, community groups and grassroots organizers. Property partners share anonymous utility data and best practices.

Professional partners provide expertise and services. Public partners support the initiative as it overlaps with their own missions. Info: albuquerque@2030districts.org

SANTA FE

MAY 3, 9, 13, 20 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS Help SF become a thriving green city and leader in caring for our environment, economy and each other. Learn about the ongoing development of SF’s 25-year Sustainability Plan. Share your ideas and creative solutions.

5/3 and 5/9, 5:30–7:30 pm. Intro by Mayor Javier Gonzales. 5/3: Genoveva Chávez Center, 3221 Rodeo Rd; 5/9: Hotel SF, 1501 Paseo de Peralta; May 13, 1–3 pm: Southside Library, 6599 Jaguar Dr; May 20, 2–4 pm: Chainbreaker, 1515 5th St. Food, refreshments, childcare, bilingual services provided. www. sustainablesantafe2040.com

1 pm Sat., 2 pm Sun. $10. 505.466.3533, www.upstartcrowsofsantafe.org MAY 6, 7–10:30 AM MAKE THE PLAZA BEAUTIFUL Volunteer teams meet at the bandstand for team assignments. Breakfast and refreshments. 505.699.2687, buddy@ coronadodecorating.com MAY 6, 10 AM–3 PM FOLK ART FLEA Museum of Intl. Folk Art 706 Cam. Lejo Treasures from all over the world.

505.476.1200 MAY 6, 10 AM–7 PM IAIA SPRING POWWOW IAIA Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Rd. Contest powwow gourd dancing and drum contest. 11 am grand entry. Food, arts & crafts vendors. Free. 505.424.2339, nburgess@iaia.edu MAY 6, 10 AM–12 PM XERIC LANDSCAPE & WATER CONSERVATION Railyard Park Community Rm. Free workshop. Learn techniques to use at home to maximize catchment and minimize waste. Presented by Jeremiah Kidd. RSVP: 505.316.3596, Christy@railyardpark.org MAY 7, 12–2 PM HERITAGE VEGETABLE GARDENING Jannine’s Micro-farm 56 Coyote Crossing Learn which warm-season heirloom varieties grow here and how to prepare for planting. $5. Homegrownnewmexico.org MAY 10 APPLICATION DEADLINE DRY-LAND PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE Intensive hands-on natural living experience on a 1.5-acre permaculture homestead.

May 22–June 4. Guest speakers: Katrina Blair, Tyler VanGemert, Joel Glanzberg.

575.613.6158, ziaenergeticsllc@gmail.com MAY 13, 9 AM SF RIVER EDUCATION DAY Intersection of W. Santa Fe River Road. and Calle Don Jose Join the Rainwater Resource Partnership and the SF River Commission to learn about the recently installed structures in the river and participate in a hands-on workshop installing spreader dams. reese@theraincatcherinc.com MAY 13, 9:30 AM–12 PM SF CITIZENS’ CLIMATE LOBBY Higher Ed. Center 1950 Siringo Rd., Rm. 135 Working for climate change solutions that bridge the partisan divide.

MAY 5, 4:30–6:30 CLIMATE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE POSTER CONTEST SF Community College High School winners announced. Tour Trades & Technologies Dept. including new Science on a Sphere®, meet faculty members.

505.428.1467, thecenter@sfcc.edu

MAY 13, 10 AM–9 PM CITY OF SF COMMUNITY DAY Santa Fe Plaza Annual Dia de la Gente. 10 am–3 pm: Community and government organizations’ information tables. 10 am–9 pm: Live local performances. Free. 505.955.2146, cmsanchez@ci.santa-fe.nm.us

MAY 5–14 UPSTART CROWS SF Performing Arts 1050 Old Pecos Tr. Four casts of actors ages 10–18 stage Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. 7 pm Fri.–Sat.,

MAY 13–14 SPRING OPEN HOUSE Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary 3749-A Hwy. 14 Visit the animals. Eldercare and hospice for dogs, horses and poultry. Educational

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talks and demos. 20 miles south of SF. 505.471.5366, www.kindredspiritsnm.org MAY 14 OPENING, 10 AM–5 PM VOICES OF COUNTERCULTURE IN THE SOUTHWEST NM History Museum, SF Plaza Exhibit spans the 1960s and, 70s. Archival footage, oral histories, photography, ephemera and artifacts. Curated by Jack Loeffler and Meredith Davidson. Keynote lecture by Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gary Snyder at the Lensic at 5 pm. Exhibition runs through Feb. 11, 2018. http:// nmhistorymuseum.org/calendar.php?

the interrelated connections of water, soil, consumption/waste, forest management, transportation, architecture and how we can live more sustainably. Field trips and weekly expert guest speakers. $25.

505.820.1696, www.santafewatershed.org SAT., 7 AM-1 PM SF FARMERS’ MARKET 1607 Paseo de Peralta (& Guadalupe) Northern NM farmers & ranchers offer fresh greenhouse tomatoes, greens, root veggies, cheese, teas, herbs, spices, honey, baked goods, body care products and much more. www.santafefarmersmarket.com

MAY 17, 5–8 PM FARMS, FILMS, FOOD CCA, 1050 Old Pecos Tr. A Santa Fe Celebration. Food trucks, demos, speakers, gallery tours, screening of Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food and The True Cost. Free. alexis@farmersmarketinstitute.org

SAT., 8 AM–3 PM; SUN., 9 AM–4 PM WINTER MARKET El Museo Cultural 555 Cam. de la Familia Art, antiques, folk and tribal art, books, jewelry, beads, glass, rugs, vintage clothing, etc. 505.250.8969

MAY 20, 12 PM MARCH AGAINST MONSANTO Meet at SF Farmers’ Market Worldwide Protest. A nonviolent march to the Plaza to raise public awareness of corporate farming and business practices and to advocate banning genetically engineered (GE) seeds and foods. www.facebook.com/ MarchAgainstMontsanto/

SAT., 8 AM–4 PM RANDALL DAVEY AUDUBON CENTER 1800 Upper Canyon Rd. Striking landscapes and wildlife. Bird walks, hikes, tours of the Randall Davey home. 505.983.4609, http://nm.audubon. org/landingcenter-chapters/visitingrandall-davey-audubon-center-sanctuary

MAY 31, 2 PM ENERGY STORAGE HEARING PRC, 1120 Paseo de Peralta, 4th Fl. Public workshop/hearing to consider amending rules to require NM electric utilities to add energy storage resources to their portfolios. Commission Vice-Chair Cynthia Hall will preside. 505.827.4446, carlos.padilla2@state.nm.us JUNE 4–6 NEXT GENERATION WATER SUMMIT/GREEN EXPO SF Convention Center Learn about new tools and models for building to become radically more waterefficient. An event for policymakers, building designers, builders, water conservation professionals, water system designers, landscape designers, etc. Hosted by the City of SF, SF Green Chamber, Green Builder Coalition, SF Area Homebuilders Association. www.NextGenerationWaterSummit.com SUNDAYS, 10 AM-4 PM RAILYARD ARTISAN MARKET Farmers’ Market Pavilion 1607 Paseo de Peralta Local artists, textiles, jewelry, ceramics, live music. 505.983.4098, Francesca@santafefarmersmarket.com, artmarketsantafe.com SUNDAYS, 11 AM JOURNEY SANTA FE CONVERSATIONS Collected Works Books 202 Galisteo St. May Water and Watersheds in NM series.

5/7: Law professor/author Em Hall on Water Tales from the St. Augustine Plains; 5/14: Science Journalist/author John Fleck on An Exploration of Solutions to the Colorado River Basin’s water problems; 5/21: SF County Sustainability Manager Claudia Borchert on Greening the Place We Call Home; 5/28: Acequia Madre and SF River Commissioner Phil Bové on A Brief History of Acequias in Santa Fe. Hosts: Alan Webber and Bill Dupuy.

Free. www.journeysantafe.com WEDS. THROUGH JUNE 7, 5:30–8 PM CLIMATE MASTERS The Commons, 2300 W. Alameda St. Curriculum focused on climate change and

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SANTA FE RECYCLING Reduce, reuse and recycle. City residential curbside customers can recycle at no additional cost and drop by 1142 Siler Road, Building A to pick up free recycling bins. For more information, visit http://www.santafenm.gov/ trash_and_recycling or call 505.955.2200 (city), 505.992.3010 (county), 505.424.1850 (SF Solid Waste Management Agency).

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SF COUNTY Hard copies $70, CDs $2. Contact Melissa Holmes, 505.995.2717 or msholmes@ santafecounty.org. The SGMP is also available on the county website: www.santafecounty. org/growth_management/sgmp and can be reviewed at SF Public libraries and the County Administrative Building, 102 Grant Ave.

TAOS

MAY 4, 9 AM–4 PM TAOS LAND AND WATER CONFERENCE Sagebrush Inn and Conference Center Dialogue with local experts, practitioners and community members. Keynote by Dr. Sylvia Rodríguez. Panel presentations on climate change, innovation in agriculture and more. Sponsored by Taos Land Trust, Amigos Bravos, NMSU Taos Cooperative Extension Services and Alianza AgriCultura de Taos. $15 includes lunch. Students free. www. eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-taos-land-andwater-conference-tickets-33716176993 MAY 30–SEPT. 29 EARTH BAG BUILDING WORKSHOP Learn to build a sustainable, affordable, off-grid solar home. earthandsunsustainablebuilders.com THIRD WEDS. MONTHLY TAOS ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORK Taos County Courthouse Mural Room, Taos Plaza Networking, presentations and discussion. Free.

FARMER-TO-FARMER TRAINING Taos County and Española Valley Learn to be an organic acequia farmer. The NM Acequia Association has a yearlong training program. It includes farm and business planning, season extension, fertility and soil health, equipment maintenance,

planting & harvesting, organic pest management and more. 505.995.9644, pilar@lasacequias.org ONGOING HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL HEALTH SUPPORT HCH Community Wellness Center (lower entrance), 1397 Weimer Rd. 575.751.8909, mariam@taoshospital.com, TaosHealth.com

HERE & THERE

MAY 6–7 ZUNI PUEBLO MAINSTREET FESTIVAL Zuni Pueblo, NM 5th annual celebration of local businesses and artists. Presentations, traditional dancers, carnival. Zunipueblomainstreet.org MAY 16-18 RECYCLING FACILITY OPERATORS COURSE ABQ, Carlsbad, Ratón, Silver City, NM The NM Environment Dept. Solid Waste Bureau, in partnership with the NM Recycling Coalition, hosts two recycling and two compost facility operators certification courses each year. http:// www.recyclenewmexico.com/trainings/ MAY 2017–JULY 2018 NEW MEXICO AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM NM State University, Las Cruces Designed for men and women in the early stages of leadership careers in agriculture, food and natural resources. Participants meet 8 times over 15 months including 6 in-state seminars and in Washington, D.C. 575.646.6691, nmal@nmsu.edu, http:// aces.nmsu.edu/nmal/application.html MAY 29–AUG. 4 CLIMATE AND SOLAR AMBASSADOR INTERNSHIPS Los Alamos Study Group Office Interns gain knowledge and experience in climate issues, renewable energy, business development and community organizing and present their findings in public forums. twm@lasg.org, lasg.org MAY 30–JUNE 1 WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Las Cruces, NM 12th biennial. 200 women from all types of agriculture are expected. Diamond in the Rough award will recognize an outstanding woman in NM agriculture and highlight her efforts. $50–$130. Reduced registration fee for junior, high school & college students. www.eventbrite.com/e/ women-in-agriculture-leadership-conferencetickets-29078826553 JUNE 10, 4 PM NM LAND CONSERVANCY 15TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Tamaya Hyatt Resort, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM Honoring Courtney White, recognizing landowners, protecting landscapes. $150.

505.986.3801, www.nmlandconservancy.org/ JUNE 14–18 GOOD MEDICINE CONFLUENCE FESTIVAL Durango, CO.

The Art of Healing. 100 unique classes. Learn herbal skills. Native plant walks, dance concerts.

PlantHealer.org

JUNE 20–22 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF THE ANIMAS AND SAN JUAN

WATERSHEDS San Juan College, Farmington, NM 2nd annual conference. Emphasis on Gold King Mine and other mine waste issues.

Hosted by the Water Resources Research Institute. https://animas.nmwrri.nmsu. edu/2017/ FIRST MONDAYS EACH MONTH, 3–5 PM SUSTAINABLE GALLUP BOARD Octavia Fellin Library, Gallup, NM The City of Gallup’s Sustainable Gallup Board welcomes community members concerned about conservation, energy, water, recycling and other environmental issues. 505.722.0039.

MON., WED., FRI., SAT., 10 AM–4 PM PAJARITO ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER 2600 Canyon Rd., Los Alamos, NM Nature center and outdoor education programs. Exhibits of flora and fauna of the Pajarito Plateau; herbarium, live amphibians, butterfly and xeric gardens.

505.662.0460, www.losalamosnature.org TUESDAYS, 6–8 PM FAMILY NIGHT PEEC, Los Alamos, NM The second Tuesday of every month.

Games, activities experiments or crafts at the Nature Center. 505.662.0460, www. losalamosnature.org 1ST TUES. 7–8:30 PM GARDENING WITH THE MASTERS Meadowlark Senior Center 4330 Meadowlark Ln., Río Rancho, NM 5/2: Traditional healing plants of NM; 6/6: Growing daylilies; 8/1: Tree selection, planting and maintenance in the high desert. http://sandovalmastergardeners.org 3RD TUES., 7 PM FOUR SEASONS GARDENING CLASSES Sabana Grande Rec Center 4110 Sabana Grande Ave. SE, Río Rancho 5/16: Chickens 101. http://sandovalmastergardeners.org WEDS., 10 AM GREEN HOUR HIKES Los Alamos Nature Center, Los Alamos, NM Kid-centered hikes. Free. Losalamosnature.org FIRST 3 WEDS. EA. MONTH, 6–7 PM SOLAR 101 CLASSES 113 E. Logan Ave., Gallup, NM Free classes about all things related to off-grid solar systems. No pre-registration necessary. 505.728.9246, gallupsolar@ gmail.com,Gallupsolar.org 2ND WEDS., 1 PM SANDOVAL COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS, CLASSES County Extension Office 711. S. Cam. del Pueblo, Bernalillo, NM Free classes. Urban horticulture series.

14: Climate extremes & ways to buffer it. http://sandovalmastergardeners.org SPIRIT OF THE BUTTERFLY 923 E. Fairview Land, Española, NM Women’s support group organized by Tewa Women United. Info/RSVP: Beverly, 505.795.8117 BASIC LITERACY TUTOR TRAINING Española area After training by the NM Coalition for Literacy, volunteer tutors are matched with an adult student. 505.747.6162, read@raalp.org, www.raalp.org/ become-a-tutor.html

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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Why adopt solar energy?

You might already have a few good reasons.

To see why joining One World Solar Co-Op just makes good sense, visit www.oneworld.coop/power

One World Co-op A People’s Electric Co-op 505/242-2384

Green Fire Times • May 2017

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