Earth Care 2008 Sustainable Santa Fe Guide

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Santa Fe

A Resource Guide 2008

06 From the Editor – Seth Roffman 07 From the Executive Director of Earth Care International – Taylor Selby 08 The Cover Artist: Cynthia West \ Featured Artists: Glen Strock, Peter Aschwanden 11 Growing a Movement for Change – Jan-Willem Jansens 13 City of Santa Fe Initiatives 15 Santa Fe Takes on Climate Change – Katherine Mortimer 15 The Sustainable Santa Fe Commission – Camilla Bustamante 20 An Interview with City Councilor Chris Calvert

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Community - Culture, Education, Social Sustainability

22 Building Sustainable Community – Amy S. Dugan 24 Making Changes from Personal to Community Scale – Scott Pittman Culture 26 Santa Fe Has Always Been a Creative City – Tom Maguire 30 Santa Fe Fiesta – Photos

Education 32 Sustainability Education for All – Christina Selby 34 Planting Seeds for the Future – Miguel Santistevan 38 Youth Allies – Bianca Sopoci-Belknap 43 Going Green at Santa Fe Community College – Lou Schreiber

Social Sustainability 45 You Can’t Have a Living River Without a Living Community – Maria Dominguez 50 Native American Emergence at the Santa Fe Mountain Center – Ian Sanderson 54 Growing Our Future Together – Kimi Green

56 57

60 62 66 67 72 74

Ecology & Land Ethic - Agriculture, Food, Water

Our Ethics, Nature’s Laws and the Imperative for a New Understanding of Development – Jeffrey Bronfman Lots of Life in One Place – Arina Pittman Las Comunidades and the Vallecitos Federal Sustained Yield Unit – John Ussery Honor Our Pueblo Existence (H.O.P.E.) – Marian Naranjo Speaking Traditional Truth from the Heart with Soulful Presence – Kathy Sanchez An Interview with Joel Glanzberg Earth Day / All Species Day – Photos

Agriculture 76 Eating Locally: A Panel Discussion 90 Traditional Agriculture / Permaculture Design Course – Photos 92 New Mexico Food & Seed Sovereignty Alliance 94 Sustainable Honeybees – Melanie Kirby Food 96 Farming the Future – Kenny Ausubel 98 SF Farmers’ Market Prepares for the Future – Sarah Noss 100 Santa Fe Farmers’ Market – Photos 102 Farm to Table – Le Adams and Pam Roy 104 Native Foods Summit

The paper in this magazine was made primarily from residual wood fiber (“waste wood”), and more than 70 percent of it comes from suppliers who have achieved sustainable forest management certification.

Printed with vegetable-based inks

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Water 107 Santa Fe River Update – Mayor David Coss 107 Like Money, Like Water: Investing in the Santa Fe River – David Groenfeldt 112 Acequias: Cultural Legacy and Grassroots Movement – Paula Garcia 116 Water Quality – Stephen Wiman

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Economic Well-Being - Business, Finance

120 An Interview with City Councilor Miguel Chavez

Business 124 What Can a Dollar Buy You in Santa Fe? – Vicki Pozzebon 124 The Natural Competitive Advantage of Bioregions – Spencer Beebe 127 Rags to Riches – Yolanda Archuleta 128 The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market Finance 130 From SRI to Sustainable Investing – Joe Keefe 133 Being Green from the Inside Out – Kim Keil

138

The Built Environment - Design, Energy, Transportation

138 The Built Environment – Ben Haggard

Design 142 Design Matters in Santa Fe – Barbara Walzer 146 Green Codes Are Coming – Kim Shanahan 150 Historic vs. Green 152 The Triangle District Project – Naomi Woodspring 154 A Vision for the Alvord School Community – Brian Skeele 160 Transformation of the Santa Fe Railyard 162 The ArtYard: A Sustainable Building Project in SF Railyard – Mitch Davenport 164 Featured Greenbuilt House – Photos Energy 166 Clean Energy in New Mexico – Joanna Prukop 168 NM Taking the Lead on Global Warming – John Fogarty 172 Energy Independence for North America Conference in Santa Fe 173 Cost-effective Solar Projects / Heating vs. PV – Boaz Soifer 175 Demystifying Solar Energy – Allan Sindelar 178 The Benefits of Biofuels – Charles Bensinger Transportation 180 New Santa Fe Transportation Hub 180 Railrunner Express 182 Regional Trail System Being Developed 184 ADVERTISERS’ RESOURCE LISTINGS

Contents COPYRIGHT © 2007 Earth Care International: A non profit educational organization.

All rights reserved.

Material may not be reproduced without written permission.

P.O. Box 885 Santa Fe, NM 87504. (office) 505-983-6896 (fax) 505-983-2622 guide@earthcare.org | www.earthcare.org

Credits Editor In Chief Seth Roffman Graphic Design Jason Rodriguez of Flavor Graphics Photography All photos are by Seth Roffman unless credited otherwise.

Earth Care Staff Rachel Balkcom Rosario Dunning Daniel Loya Bianca Madrid Christina Selby Taylor Selby Bianca Sopoci-Belknap Board of Trustees Satara Bixby Apryl Chavez Don DeVito Joe Garcia Andre Jones Dannu Hutwohl Todd Lopez Bill Robins Jessie Parker Partners Santa Fe New Mexican Special Sponsors Los Alamos National Bank La Puerta Originals Green Money Journal Whole Foods Special thanks to everyone who submitted an article and to our advertisers.

We appreciate those who support Earth Care in educating and empowering youth to create a thriving, just and sustainable world.

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From the Editor

sustainability. Sustainability requires an integrated view of the world.

Seth Roffman

The phrase on the cover, “showcasing innovations and timehonored traditions,” is there because we wouldn’t presume to present new ways of doing things without respecting, understanding and drawing from the roots of the past.

Santa Fe has a long history of cultures that practiced forms of sustainability. This is a movement that is blazing new trails and restoring some old ones.

The name Santa Fe somehow has a subliminal association in the minds of people throughout the world. It elicits a particular sense of design and a sensibility: a way of life informed by the land, the traditional cultures and the independent spirit of some of the people. What happens in Santa Fe doesn’t take long to reverberate globally.

Increasingly recognized as a design hub for its architecture, art, crafts, as well as new media, Santa Fe’s role as an international cultural center was reinforced in 2005, when it was designated as the first UNESCO Creative City in the United States.

Mindful of our beautiful and sensitive environment, many community members are actively pursuing sustainability.

Northern New Mexico has long been at the forefront of innovative green building and sustainable design. Santa Fe became the first US city to adopt the Architecture 2030 Challenge, a national effort to systematically reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions created during As everyone here knows, the city and county are in the construction and operation of buildings by the year 2030. midst of a major transformation. A huge community and commercial center is finally taking Using resources wisely is an shape in the Railyard. This will important step toward becoming include the first new community sustainable. By necessity, Santa plaza in 400 years, a permanent Fe has become very good at home for the Farmers’ Market water conservation. There is also and portions of a citywide walkan imperative to become very bike trail network. The new good at energy conservation and Warehouse 21 Teen Arts Center to develop lifestyles that move will fill a great need. Plans are toward energy independence. underway for a renovated El Significant efforts are underway Museo Cultural and a new Santa by the city government to make Fe Courthouse. A $50 million Santa Fe sustainable in the civic/conference center is going areas mentioned above, and in up downtown, not far from the transportation. As an economic new History Museum, and much development strategy, it makes of the historic block bounded sense for Santa Fe to continue its

by Cathedral Place, East Palace growth as a center for alternative Avenue, Paseo de Peralta and East energy technologies.

Alameda is slated to become a major commercial and residential This evolution will require development. cooperation among various levels of government, resource Upscale condos are appearing managers, the business on hills north of town, alongside sector, the educational sector, areas proposed for affordable community groups and citizens. housing. More than two-dozen Peter Aschwanden Their collective and individual projects now being built or contributions are essential in achieving a common vision planned for the future will add an estimated 20,000 homes and purpose. Santa Fe can continue its path as a leader and more than 52,000 people. The Buckman Project, in sustainability if it is driven by an involved, connected a large-scale water diversion from the Rio Grande, is and creative community where people are engaged in scheduled to become operational in 2010. And, for the first honoring our diverse cultures, heritage and environment. time, a commuter train, the Rail Runner, will link Santa Fe This requires taking responsibility for the consequences of directly to downtown Albuquerque by the end of 2008. design decisions upon human well-being and the viability of natural systems. The improved well-being of people of This publication presents sustainability in Santa Fe and this bioregion can significantly contribute to the well-being northern New Mexico within four interrelated realms: of people and ecosystems around the world.

Cultural, Economic, Environmental and the Built Environment. Subcategories are included within each We hope that this publication will provide some useful section. You will find that many of the articles could fit information and perhaps some inspiration. into different sections. Such is the overlapping nature of

Taylor Selby There remains little, if any, debate regarding global climate change. In 2007, over 1500 of the world’s top scientists met at the United Nations and reached a consensus regarding the seriousness of the problem. In the movie An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore did a remarkable job presenting scientific evidence in a visual spectacle that left skeptics nodding their heads in agreement. As I watched the movie, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the answer. What are we going to do about global warming? Unfortunately the answer never came. I checked the website of An Inconvenient Truth and saw an oversimplified ten step program that felt like putting a band-aid on a broken back.

The landmark work being done around global climate change allows us to see that the path we are on leads to unimaginable suffering. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not offer us a new path, only the knowledge that we are currently on the wrong path. Global climate change is just one of myriad signs showing that things are not working; it is also the 50% of our topsoil that has washed away in the last 50 years, the 1.5 billion people on the planet who don’t know where their next meal will come from, the disappearance of languages and traditions.

There is so much not working in the world today.

I have too much respect for humanity and the creator to believe that self-induced extinction of the human race is near. We can choose to view these unsustainable conditions such as global warming, poverty and social injustices as gifts. They are signs of catastrophic systemic problems that if not addressed, will make Katrina seem like a slight breeze. They can awaken us to the need to discover a new path. I use the word “discover” rather than “create” because the path already exists. We need to remove the cover and brush off the dust covering our hearts.

I do not pretend to have the definitive answer to our quandary. I do, however, believe that there is a direction toward which we should move, immediately. Figuratively speaking, if the North represents Materialism, Globalization, Power, Greed, War, and Money, then we should begin walking south. The South is where we will find Nature, Contentment, Kindness, Humility, God, Open Hearts, and Love.

There are no environmental issues. This statement causes a great deal of discontentment, especially for environmentalists. I will say it again: there are no environmental issues. There are environmental symptoms of social and economic issues. Mother Earth has been

I hope we will learn soon. I hope that our children will thank us for our dedication and devotion to discovering a pathway towards a thriving, just and sustainable world. I hope to look back at this time with tears of joy.

Taylor’s top ten things to do about global warming: 1) Stop shopping for stuff you do not need.

We are not what we wear or drive.

Ask yourself: “Do I really need this?” &“Why do I want this?”

2) R econnect with this planet as deeply as you can.

Grow your own food. Go camping.

Restore damaged land.

3) S earch for wise elders and indigenous people and listen.

Native people are the closest to remembering what it means to be human.

As Micheal Meade says, “Search for elders, not olders.”

4) Reduce your ecological footprint by 70%.

Use a clothesline. Bike or walk to work; Stop flying 5) Connect with your neighbors and family.

Move home or move your family to you.

Hold neighborhood block parties.

6) M ake the effort to cross-culturally connect.

We are all in this together. There is strength in diversity.

7) Open your heart and be peaceful.

Practice giving thanks. Relax.

8) Examine the impacts of your actions.

Ask yourself, “How will this impact seven generations from now?” What are the unforeseen effects?

9) Give your gifts.

Why are you here?

What special gift do you have for the world?

10) Invest

all your resources (time + money) in our sustainable future.

Donate Money to organizations that are creating a sustainable world. Volunteer or work for an organization/company making a difference.

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From the Executive Director of Earth Care International

doing a great job for the last 3.8 billion years and will continue to do so. She is designed for life to thrive, and we can not change her design. Our actions and lack of respect for the natural world impede our happiness. We can confuse the sustainability movement by saying that we are saving the earth. The sustainability movement is a journey towards alleviating our suffering, alleviating the suffering of our children and alleviating the suffering of the other magical creatures that inhabit this glorious planet. Sustainability is a journey towards aligning our lives with our spiritual potential.

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The Cover Artist

Glen Strock lives in Santa Fe with his wife Alida and four children. His most recent work is an exploration intended to prompt spiritual dialog. In 2007, he exhibited his original paintings and prints for the first time in over ten years.

The painting on the cover by Cynthia West is entitled The Women Blessing the Water. “I am a mystic. I see the inter-relations of all life.

My works are places of refuge,” the Santa Fe artist has said. For nineteen years she painted in a studio on the plaza. Her works exhibit widely and are in collections all over the world.

Silkscreen and giclee prints of Glen’s paintings offer a more affordable way to take home and enjoy his work. The artist designs and builds his own frames to suit the character of the artwork and the setting in which they are to be shown.

Cynthia West

Glen Strock may be contacted at 505-474-4468 or email: yobrog@cnsp.com.

Peter Ashcwanden – Artist, Illustrator Vignettes from the “Old Santa Fe” Map Poster

Peter Aschwanden is known in the Santa Fe arts community for his passionate love of New Mexico and his satirical wit.

Aschwanden completed the “Old Santa Fe” pictorial map Well known for her visionary realist paintings, West is also two years before he died of cancer in December 2005. He skilled in poetry, photography, digital imaging, book arts spent ten months working on the poster, which he sketched and pottery. Her home, where she has lived for thirty years from 300 reference photos and painted with acrylic. with her husband and children, is a healing center. Her studio and the Westvision Gallery are open by appointment: The “Old Santa Fe” poster includes tributes to Santa Fe (505) 982-9187. Many travel great distances to receive the traditions. What looks like a 19th century artifact is really a satirical view of the city that changed considerably over benefits of her remarkable art and gardens. the 42 years that Aschwanden lived in the area. “It’s kind of West is the author of four books of poetry: For Beauty Way tragic and humorous at the same time,” he said about the (Inked Wingbeat, Santa Fe 1990), 1000 Stone Buddhas development that has transformed Santa Fe. (Inked Wingbeat, 1993), Rainbringer, (Sunstone Press, meticulous Santa Fe, 2004) and The New Sun, (Sunstone Press, A illustrator and 2007). an excellent d r a f t s man, Cynthia West’s artwork may be viewed on her website: A s c h w a nden www.westvision.us. created an extensive and unique body of work, illustrating numerous books Glenn Strock – Artist, Illustrator and posters. He gained national Glen T. Strock has lived and produced artwork in prominence by New Mexico since 1979. His imagery has appeared on illustrating a numerous book covers, publications and murals focusing series of auto on the history and folklore repair manuals, of Mexico. beginning with the 1969 classic, Glen’s distinctive linear “How to Keep style generates from years Your Volkswagen of study steeped in the Alive: A Manual folk arts of Mexico and of Step by Step owes a stylistic debt to Procedures for the woodcuts and steel the Complete engravings of Posada.

Idiot,” written by John Muir and Tosh Gregg. The manual He received a degree in is now in its 19th edition.

Communication Arts from Virginia Commonwealth To order the 24 by 36 inch poster, checks should be made out University in Richmond, to Deborah Reade and sent to 117 Duran St., Santa Fe, NM Virginia and went on to 87501. 505-986-9284 Its cost: $20 + $1.53 tax for in-state study painting, printmaking orders plus $5 shipping & handling (include name, address and primitive ceramics at Instituto Allende and Bellas Artes and phone number). in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Featured Artists

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By Being the Change We Want to See in the World

Let’s fast forward fifty years from now to 2057. Will the values embodied in the concepts of sustainability and stewardship of the earth be considered as momentous in their emergence as the values of social justice and civil rights have turned out to be for us now? How will we and our children have built the sustainability movement? Who will its historic leaders turn out to be? What sacrifices will we all have made to instill these values forever in the generations to come? Which of the looming sustainability crises of today will turn out to be the catalyst that forces the world to change: the global climate crisis, the crises around food, energy and water or the “nature deficit disorder” we all suffer from? Will the change be a global, fundamental change of paradigms and attitudes or just a pragmatic change of practices?

Jan-Willem Jansens

If the past holds the present and the present holds the future, sustainability programs nationwide and globally are about to grow into a movement for change as important as the civil rights movement has become in the past fifty years. Going back to 1957, twelve years after the end of World War II, a war waged to end the oppression of fascism, the world was churning with change. Many former colonies were seeking independence or were struggling through their first years as sovereign nations.

Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi’s life’s work for the cause of unity and peace had come to a sudden For some time now end only nine years I have had a vision earlier. Inspired by about the change him and other leaders our children will of change, in 1957 see retrospectively many in this country Children collect buckets of water from the Acequia Madre to water a tree after in 2057. In this sought equality, justice the ‘Seeds of Renewal’ groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of the vision, individuals, and freedom from Santa Fe Railyard Park. communities and oppression. organizations have made individual choices to become better stewards of the earth, grow their relationships with The U.S. government and many other nations in the western the places they live and model the change they want to see world saw communism as the greatest international threat in the world. This is a change from within: from within to the ideals of justice and freedom. Domestically, the U.S. the awareness and sense of responsibility of individual government strived to reach these values through economic people and communities. In my vision, every person and growth, the development of suburbs with standard housing every group or community living the change is a leader. and automobility for all. At the same time, young black Collectively these leaders form a movement, a driving leaders had stood up – or demonstratively sat down in force with great power and resilience. They combine the a bus seat as Rosa Parks did on December 1, 1955 – to practices of local action and decision making with an question the injustices committed against their people. awareness of the fragile beauty and bounty of Nature and It would take at least ten more years after 1957 before the genius of the place into powerful sources of community-

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Growing a Movement for Change

Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders would forever change people’s thinking about social justice and civil rights. They would do so with gigantic courage and faith, great sacrifice and a powerful movement, built gradually over many years throughout society.

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driven land stewardship, local water governance, local food production and new, thriving, local economies.

Earth Works Institute (EWI) is one such organization that has stepped into a leadership role in the emerging sustainability movement in the Santa Fe area. EWI tries to effect change in the world by growing the ability of communities to maintain or create resilient and healthy natural systems at a watershed scale. We strive to grow Watershed Wise Communities, one community and one watershed at a time. How do we do this? We help establish and support local, community-driven land stewardship coalitions in rural and suburban communities by bringing together residents, neighborhood associations, schools, conservation organizations and local government agencies to share information and points of view and to invite people to participate in workshops and workdays. Youth are part of the coalitions too. We recognize that youth are the central actors of change, and we include them in our work where we can. In collaboration with partners in the stewardship coalitions, we test and apply ecological techniques for soil and water conservation, stream rehabilitation and wetland protection. In so doing, we restore fragile, degraded land and we teach techniques that are in tune with Nature.

EWI is one of many organizations working in the Santa Fe area to effect behavioral change with the goal to create a healthy and resilient environment. We are unique in this field through our practice of encouraging people in rural communities and watersheds to get organized and to grow strong relationships with their own neighborhood and community. We would like to ask our colleagues, donors and funding agencies to recognize the importance of the diversity of actors in this place-based and collaborative process of modeling the change we want to see in the world.

Change toward sustainability starts with each individual person, school, neighborhood and institution. Together we have begun to form a powerful movement, especially if we celebrate each others’ accomplishments rather than seeing them as signs of competition. The diversity of new ideas, relationships and partnerships that are being pioneered in Santa Fe has the potential to generate the diversity of placebased solutions necessary for our children to confirm in fifty years the establishment of sustainability as a societal value as powerful as civil rights has become today.

Jan-Willem has lived in Santa Fe since 1993 after an international career in landscape planning and ecology that brought him from The Netherlands to Kenya, Burkina Faso, Niger, Central America and ultimately to the U.S. He is the Executive Director of Earth Works Institute in Santa Fe, where he puts to work his passion for building mutually nurturing, sustainable relationships between people and the land. 505-9829806 ww.earthworksinstitute.org

The City of Santa Fe Takes on Climate Change Katherine Mortimer

The Sustainable Santa Fe Commission Camilla Bustamante

Ever evolving in the resilient system of our community, the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission transitioned with a renewed scope and mandate in 2007. Originally sanctioned in 1998, the evolution of the Commission celebrates its renewed mission and collaboration with the city of Santa Fe Green Team, and brings with it a history of accomplishments, assets and resources.

The city of Santa Fe has joined 600 cities across the country in support of the US Conference of Mayors Agreement on Climate Change. To attain the goals outlined in this important agreement, the city has put together a “Green Team” consisting of staff from a number of departments who have knowledge and experience in Having always been a part of an overarching community these areas to advise the city on how to attain these goals. effort sanctioned by previous mayors, the Commission was reestablished in May 2007 to serve the city with the aim of reducing its overall environmental impact in a proactive The agreement outlines 12 actions manner, as well as to establish standards for sustainable for reducing global warming: practices. With representation serving in the interest of food security, energy, housing and environmental conservation, 1. Inventory global warming emissions and create an the Commission is tasked with establishing a Sustainable action plan; Santa Fe Plan with a clear implementation strategy. Through 2. Adopt and enforce land-use policies; member and community participation, the team will address 3. Promote transportation options; issues such as: climate change, energy efficiency, building 4. Increase the use of clean, alternative energy; code and construction standards, carbon emission reduction 5. Establish an energy efficient building code; efforts striving toward carbon neutral, wastewater reuse and 6. Install Energy Star city appliances & equipment; conservation, urban agriculture and ecological restoration.

7. Follow LEED or similar building practices; 8. Increase fleet fuel efficiency; Demanding a creative effort, true success of current day 9. Increase water and wastewater pump sustainability initiatives will be determined by our community’s efficiency and methane recovery; ability to continue to optimize the value of our diversity with 10. Increase recycling rates; people as well as our practices. The Commission facilitated early efforts that taught us that initiatives where community, 11. Maintain and increase healthy urban forests; staff and the dynamic City Council participated were often the 12. Educate the public, schools and others. most productive and sustainable. Such lessons showed that: The city’s Green Team has been meeting since February • through community meetings and discussions involving stakeholders and neighborhood leaders, planning for the 2007 and has established some priority areas to begin Northwest Quadrant has been an informed approach. this work, including incorporating green principles • in the context of the construction of the soon to be into the city’s building code as it also looks to adopt the LEED© certified city civic center, it was the human most recent version of the International Building Code. assets within the city staff as well as public discussion continued on pg. 16

continued on pg. 17

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City of Santa Fe Initiatives

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The City of Santa Fe Takes on Climate Change – continued from pg. 13

In May 2007 the city re-appointed the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission with a revised focus addressing a broad range of issues related to global warming and to author the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan with clear steps designed to implement the US Mayors Agreement. This group of dedicated community members includes professionals from a broad range of sustainability areas including energy policy, green building, development of local organic food, education & outreach, and energy efficient transportation, to name a few. The Commission compliments and works with the city staff Green Team to thoroughly vet proposals and The “Green Team” ensure they are consistent with the values embedded in the US Mayors Agreement.

measures to track progress, and that programs be reviewed and reworked as necessary to ensure that they are truly green. Additionally, it is not enough to have green programs if they are not correctly implemented. There have to be both carrots and sticks to overcome the inertia and fear of change in order to move Santa Fe towards a more sustainable future.

The challenge before us is broad and can seem overwhelming, but like the victory gardens people kept during World War II, individuals acting together for the common good can rise to the needs of the occasion and do great things. City government can and should be the locus the community uses to realize these great feats. Global warming is the No. 1 threat to the health of our planet.

However, the city is not waiting idly while research and We must create and implement meaningful solutions planning are underway. City staff has been meeting for a sustainable Santa Fe and a sustainable world. with Santa Fe County staff and community members as part of an “Implementation Team” to develop a list of additional things that both the city and county can begin Katherine Mortimer is the supervising planner in the Long doing right away to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This Range Planning Division for the city of Santa Fe and staffs group is also developing a list of things that community the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission. She holds a Masters members can do and will issue a joint challenge to the in Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley and has 23 community to begin doing those things that are easy to years of experience in environmental and land use planning. do and which will have a significant cumulative benefit.

The city is also working to incorporate “green building” requirements for new buildings constructed in the city, which it expects to implement in the first part of 2008.

The importance of local government action on these issues is that they should reflect the values of the community. Santa Fe has long been on the forefront of alternative and sustainable approaches to life. However, as a medium-sized community where the median income of people who live here yearround, and especially those families who have lived here for hundreds of years, is limited, there has been a perception that the upfront financial burden of more energy efficient buildings and vehicles and the on-going cost of buying local, artwork: Peter Aschwanden organic food can not be easily borne. Local government can act as a catalyst to facilitate the transition to a sustainable existence where the finite resources of the community are efficiently and equitably distributed and sustained.

It is also important that the city not fall into the trap of “greenwashing,” a term that refers to putting a window dressing of sustainability over what is really the old practice of business as usual. It is chic to be green these days so the appearance of being green is enticing. However, painting a façade of sustainable practices is no substitute for genuine sustainable practices. It is imperative that there be clear

The Sustainable Santa Fe Commission – continued from pg. 13

These green initiatives brought people together, and though they were perceived to be unattainable or not cost-effective, they are proving otherwise. They are models for the integrated, performance-based approach required for broadened acceptance and adoption of sustainable practices. With these lessons and the newly established responsibilities for the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission, success will be measured through community participation and performance-based standards for accomplishing the tasks before us.

system and community assets such as strong mayoral support and Earth Care International, encourage our youth to participate in their community. Sustainability education works to help children understand connections between social, economic and cultural issues in order to create a world that operates in harmony with natural systems.

Acknowledging an educational system that is stressed, planning for sustainability requires that we not only meet today’s global economic, environmental and social needs without compromising the same opportunity for future generations, but that we ensure that future generations are prepared to address the questions and challenges in their future.

With member experience and expertise in alternative energies, food security, green building, environmental management systems, public health and education, the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission seeks to be a resource to the City Council, an asset to the community and a catalyst for positive community health. Achieving these and many other goals requires embracing healthy traditions in a region rich in the history of resilience and survival. It requires acknowledging wisdom of the elders as a force greater than the ever changing dynamic of economics, and that change is good when it is initiated only by the innate interest in health and abundance in a self-organizing natural system.

Over the past year, discussions facilitated by the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission regarding the development of green building standards for local construction spurred the interest of many local builders. Local and regional educational assets, particularly those that support training in the trades such as the Center for Community Sustainability at Santa Fe Community College, and those that educate to the indigenous metaphor healthy environment, healthy culture, healthy people (Cajete, 1999) provide post- Camilla Bustamante is Chair of the Sustainable Santa Fe secondary learning opportunities to help meet local and Commission, Director of Environmental Science at Northern New Mexico College, project lead for development of the ¡Sostenga! regional training and educational needs.

Center for Sustainable Food, Agriculture, and Environment One cannot speak of sustainability without addressing the at NNMC and member of the Upper Rio Grande National youth of a community. The public and private educational Heritage Area Board. She may be reached at cbustamante@ nnmc.edu.

The Sustainable Santa Fe Commission

Santa Fe Hires Energy Specialist In a step toward fulfilling Mayor Coss’s goal of making Santa Fe “the renewable energy capital of the nation,” the city has hired an energy specialist. Nick Schiavo’s responsibilities include conducting an energy audit of all city vehicles and facilities, and working closely with the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission and the “Green Team” task force.

The city is in the process of replacing traditional incandescent traffic lights with LED bulbs, which are expected to eventually save thousands of dollars. The LED bulbs are brighter and last longer.

All worn out or failed city equipment is now replaced with Energy Star or LEED-approved units.

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that drove clear and definitive planning which has allowed for the project to be ahead of schedule and under budget in the first year of construction. with regard to the adoption of biofuels in the city fleet, it was communication and trust that was favored over mandate, and has reduced emissions and dependency on petroleum fuel in Santa Fe.

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An Interview with City Councilor Calvert

creating some well-paying local jobs. Part of sustainability to me is having a sustainable economy and jobs. Most people, when they think sustainability, think about greening of air and water, those kinds of things. And that is true, but you know it’s the whole thing coming together.

SSF: You helped reestablish the Sustainable Santa Fe Recycling Commission.

The recycling center… I sit on that SWAMA (Solid Waste Management Agency) Board as well. And we’re really We had the Sustainability Commission reconstituted because excited about the opportunities there for recycling materials there were some people that wanted them to go away… I and reducing stuff that goes to the landfill, reducing waste think that was partly because they didn’t have a good enough and also, eventually, probably doing recycling on a regional focus. Most of the commissions or committees have a council basis. In terms of sustainable economy, there are perhaps, or staff liaison at least, and they didn’t. So we’ve corrected some spin-off industries, maybe even located right there that situation. Councilor Wurzberger and I asked them to adjacent, that could take some of the materials that we come up with their plan, what they were going to work on, recycle for another business opportunity. That’s one that I’ve and then we designated staff to work with them. They’re not been pushing. I’ve been pushing to get the whole recycling just off in their own little world; they’re sort of tied to what thing taken over by SWAMA because right now it’s basically the city is moving forward on and there’ll be some feedback, a city function. I don’t necessarily have anything against back and forth. So if they think we should be doing this, the way the city is administering it, but I just think that if and we have a different opinion, we can discuss it and come we’re going to expand, it might more appropriately reside to a resolution. So they are always with the SWAMA entity so you going to be working to support can get more done in the county [the city’s initiatives] and they’re if you want to go regional. Right always going to have support for now the city has curbside but the what they’re working on. county doesn’t, and there are areas in the county that are as densely Building Code populated as areas in the city.

We’re working on our new building code, which is the precursor to Transportation greening up our building code.

In terms of transportation, I’m also We need to move into the 21st on the Transportation Advisory century. We’re working with Board, which is the transit the state somewhat in a parallel system. We’re just trying to make fashion because even when we improvements wherever we can to convert to the international code, build ridership and improve access. that’s not going to be aggressive We passed a resolution to improve enough, I don’t think. Part of the the sidewalks that are close to the reason why we’re working closely with the state on this is transit stops so that they aren’t an impediment to people. because CID basically administers the county stuff. And so, We’re also trying to improve the facilities like downtown we thought if everybody in this area had the same standards at Sheridan… Sheridan is probably going to undergo a and rules, it would make it easier to implement and sell. transformation for a couple reasons. One is because the Railrunner (we’re assuming that’s going to continue to One of the things that I introduced is an ordinance to have happen) - once that goes, then our major focus for a hub is all of the new homes rated. The purpose there is to inform probably going to be tied to that, that and the railyard, more the consumer as to how well their house performs energy- so than downtown. Downtown will be a destination but not wise. It’ll be a HERZ rating. I think it stands for Household so much the hub that it is now. And so the whole system Energy Rating System or something like that. It’s a national will undergo a transformation, but Sheridan will have an standard. One of the purposes is to inform the consumer interesting new life I think, because with the new convention but another is to spur competition amongst the builders. I center (and Sheridan being sort of centered between that think that having to disclose that information goes a long and the plaza), we want to make it a little more pedestrian way toward getting people to build more energy-efficient friendly because there’ll be a natural corridor going through homes. there. So I think just improving the facility there and the pedestrian safety of getting to the busses and maybe a little The effective date won’t be until January 1st, 2008, simply better shelter…. because we need to have the trained staff, the raters, if you will, to be able to do that. I’ve been working with the We’re also working on the same at Santa Fe Place because community college and I’ve been told that they’re going to that’s a major hub. Statistics show that ridership drops off have a course this fall to train people. And so, if that’s the in the winter, in the colder months. I think partly that’s case, I think that we’ll keep that January 1st effective date. because if you have to wait for a bus, and you’re going to If, for some reason they aren’t able to do that, the date might wait in the wind and the cold and the snow, you’re not as have to slip because we don’t have the personnel out there to likely to do that. Whereas, sometimes those are some of the support that ordinance. best months for people to take the bus just because of those sorts of conditions. The bus is probably going to be able to So, not only do we get the homes rated, but we’re also get through if anybody is. There are people coming in from

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SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 20

side streets and cars who are not necessarily going to be able plan amendments, I’ll ask them those kinds of questions. I’ll ask them about how much they are harvesting water or what to do that. kind of energy conserving measures are they taking, have SSF: Do you have any information you could share they got the best appliances, whatever the circumstances are for the case we’re looking at. I’ve even asked them if they regarding city vehicles? have oriented the building appropriately for passive solar…

When I first started on the council, I started talking with Orientation to me is an easy one but it’s not building code; purchasing and Robert Rodarte and so now we’ve got a it’s land use code. We have to make that distinction. definite policy of wherever possible going to alternative fuel vehicles: biodiesel or E85. Whenever we purchase Those are the kinds of things that I’d like to do, and I get new vehicles, that’s sort of a standard question. We’re also impatient. I’d like to do those things immediately because looking at trying to get different kinds of vehicles. Take the longer we wait, the more things are being built that aren’t for example, downtown with the meter people, they go oriented to passive solar, and to me that’s no-brainer cheap around in these little gasoline carts. Maybe they can have stuff. That’s low hanging fruit. Why wouldn’t you do that?

I’m still going to be pressing the land use electric carts or something like that. So department for that type of an ordinance to we’re constantly pursuing what’s available. the maximum extent possible. If it’s simply I wish there were more options, especially a matter of do you lay out the streets north/ in the biodiesel area. I wish in trucks and south or east to west, let’s lay them out east/ passenger vehicles, we had better choices. I west I think it is, so the house is north/ don’t know if it’s the automobile industry south and we get more of that passive solar in the US that’s sort of keeping some orientation. of that stuff out because I know those vehicles are available in other countries.

But, to answer your question… regarding We can use biodiesel in heavy equipment, building inspectors and such, until we and that’s a sector of our vehicle inventory, make it part of the code … that’s why I’ve but there are a lot of pickup trucks and taken on the building code and stuff like stuff like that. that. Until we (what I call) institutionalize it, those people aren’t going to be looking for it (laughs).

Bicycle Paths We are also trying to do better on pedestrian bicycle paths. And so the only way we’re going to get it as part of everyday We’ve got a fair amount of funding, and we’ve made some decisions and reviews is to get that basic stuff ingrained into progress. One that I had hoped that we would have done the code itself. is the (controversial) bridge across St. Francis. Supposedly the governor will still fund that at some point, and I hope SSF: Is there anything in relation to the concept of that’s the case. We did have the funds to do it but people sustainability that you might want to add? said, “Well, what’s it going to look like?” So we didn’t get past the design phase. The vote that didn’t get passed was I think we do need to think about it holistically. In other to authorize the money to let them design it. It’s hard to words, like I said, most people tend to think about it in terms make a judgment on its aesthetics unless somebody has a of air, water, that kind of thing, but I think we need to look chance to design it. They knew full well that was one of the at it in terms of the economy because jobs, the living wage, big concerns. We weren’t saying, “build it,” we were saying, all those things, they fit into that. And so I think we need “give us a good design,” and we didn’t get there. They were to keep remembering that. We have to make it in peoples’ saying they were waiting on St. Francis corridor studies, but interest to do these things. Either financially or through education, we have to continually get that message across; I don’t think that’s going to tell us anything (laughs). this is in your best interest. Even if it’s just health-wise, that We’re still moving ahead in terms of trails like in the is a financial incentive too because the healthier you are the Northwest Quadrant where we’re trying to build in bicycle/ less you have to pay for bills and medical expenses and all pedestrian trails through that whole area. You know, I’d that. Those are the kinds of things I don’t think are in the eventually like to see sort of a rim trail around the city with equation right now. maybe spokes in it. And I’d also like the bicycle and pedestrian trails to be as much for transportation as for recreation. But St. Francis again is a big obstacle.

Part of sustainability to me is having a sustainable economy and jobs.

SSF: At this meeting I just went to, someone was applying for approval of a building design, and his comment was that the planning and zoning commission doesn’t care about green stuff at all.

Well, he’s probably right. It’s not in our code right now so it’s not in their consciousness to look for those things except when those few things come by the council where they have to. If they’re zone changes or general

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Building Sustainable Community The Santa Fe Community Foundation Amy S. Duggan For more than a quarter-century, the Santa Fe Community Foundation has been improving the lives of local residents.

What the Foundation has learned – and what you can do – are catalysts for sustainability, for preserving that which is best about our communities.

Every three years, the Foundation works with nonprofits, as well as educators, healthcare workers, elected officials, clergy and business leaders to identify the most pressing needs facing our community. After extensive research, interviews and focus groups last year, the Foundation found that the theme of building sustainable community emerged at every forum and was consistently ranked as the overall highest priority.

northern New Mexico, to include the interconnections between the environment, local economic development and quality of life. Area leaders talked about the need for affordable housing and renewable energy sources. They emphasized that planning and zoning should address growth, as well as the infrastructure for everything from traffic to water. Outside of Santa Fe, the loss of land, water and culture concerns area residents.

The need for higher quality education is considered vital to building a sustainable community. Leaders think public kindergarten through high school must be improved, but also stressed the educational needs of all ages and populations.

Literacy, technical training and workforce development were highlighted. Early intervention and parental and family involvement were seen as important components of education and to increasing high school graduation rates. Youth development also ranked high, with the recognition that youth are an asset, not a problem.

Community building and reducing socio-economic disparities were stressed. The importance of integrating increasing numbers of immigrants into good jobs, housing, healthcare and schools was emphasized.

The definition of sustainability is evolving, especially in Throughout these conversations, the Foundation found that

Community

Culture, Education, Social Sustainability effect on young people and working families, many of whom have been forced to leave the city. Population growth and a lingering drought have raised awareness of the scarcity of water and the urgency of identifying alternative energy sources.

As a result of this work, the Foundation is focusing its resources on building sustainable community through education and literacy.

Building youth leadership is a priority; the Foundation seeks to provide young people with the skills and opportunities to be advocates and to participate in the decisions that shape how they live, learn, work and play. Building community where young people and adults come together to create positive social change is a community goal.

• Preserving, for current and future generations, northern New Mexico’s unique spirit of place by protecting natural open lands, rivers, working farms, trails and historic sites, protecting acequia water rights and the cultural heritage connected with local water and agriculture in Northern New Mexico.

• Preserving and promoting the rich textile heritage of northern New Mexico through educational and economic sustainability for fiber artists. Fostering agricultural economic development and educating the public about the value of supporting local food production.

Every one of us can act now to increase sustainability in our families, neighborhoods and community. The Santa Fe Community Foundation encourages everyone to commit to taking at least one step in the direction of sustainability.

Introduce yourself to one of your neighbors and call them by name next time you greet them. Conserve water. Shop locally and support our farmers, artisans and small business owners.

Start recycling. Plant a garden. Help a child learn to read. Sit The Santa Fe Community Foundation has responded to under a cottonwood tree and get reacquainted with the Santa feedback from our community and has funded nonprofit Fe River. organizations addressing these key sustainability issues, The Santa Fe Community Foundation is about community including: – our community. Gifts to the Foundation range from $5 • Development of a Spanish-language homebuyer education to over $1 million and every contribution works for the curriculum which resulted in an increase in home betterment of Santa Fe. ownership for our Spanish-speaking neighbors, helping build community, stabilize families and increase children’s For more information on supporting the foundation’s work toward sustainable community, call Valerie Ingram, success in school.

Development Director at 505-988-9715 ext. 4. For information • Creation of a playground at a small park where families on grant guidelines and nonprofit with young children can come together in a safe place for capacity building workshops, visit foundation’s website at laughter and play while getting to know each other and the www.santafecf.org.

The next deadline building a sense of community. for grant submissions is June 27, 2008.

To learn more about our funding • Youth development projects where young people work as priorities and to help us learn what after-school tutors and mentors and participate in field is important to you, contact Amy S. service activities, environmental education focused on Duggan, Program Director at aduggan@ sustainability and providing volunteer and employment santafesf.org or 505-988-9715, ext. 2. opportunities to Santa Fe teens.

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the ripple effects of poverty, including • Enhancing youth employment and higher education opportunities through counseling, mediation, and tutoring hunger, substance abuse and poor for high-risk adolescents. Supporting early childhood healthcare, are an underlying and programs in rural northern New Mexico and providing persistent problem. The high cost bilingual early childhood education to children who do not of living, particularly the rise in the otherwise have access. price of housing, has had an obvious

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Scott Pittman “We can only feel secure when we look out the window and see our friends working in the garden.” – Bill Mollison, founder of permaculture With the specter of peak oil, global climate change, loss of biodiversity, political tensions surrounding access to natural resources, world-wide epidemics and poverty, we as a nation and a species are forced to look at our behavior and how it impacts our world.

Most of the changes that we must make are not really that onerous, but are simply inconvenient. It is a matter of taking the time to discover what food is grown locally and purchasing that rather than continuing our current eating habits that represent 1500 miles of transportation per bite.

We could be supporting the local farmers in our community by eating closer to home while at the same time decreasing fuel use and CO2 emissions.

Claudia Pavel with biodiesel-powered truck and Airstream

with shared backyards for children’s play, food production and a safe neighborhood. Claudia Pavel and a group of Santa Fe-based, like-minded folks, started their own biofuels coop, collecting waste vegetable oil from restaurants and converting it into fuel for their vehicles. Louise Pape of Santa Fe decided to experiment with reducing her waste stream and got it down to one trash can per year! A group of youth is gardening along the railroad tracks near downtown Santa Fe, putting public land to productive use. Another group of youngsters started the ChainBreaker Collective, fixing bicycles, “getting more people on bikes.” Our town is teeming with good energy, great ideas and amazing ingenuity. It is a great place to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle. So what is sustainable?

Learning to garden, growing at least a few things to reduce the need to rip out some distant forest or wetland to create a commercial monoculture, would have a significant beneficial effect locally and globally. Developing our homes toward energy-efficiency and resource conservation by harvesting rainwater, growing edible plants and using the sun for space and water heating are simple to accomplish and in the current political climate may provide you with tax benefits. The word sustainable comes Carpooling, using a bus, or switching to a bike allows us to from the Latin prefix sus or up Louise Pape reduced waste to meet our neighbors, get in shape and reduce not only our from below and tenere which one trashcan per year.

submitted photo

The hyper packaging of everything we purchase could be reduced by leaving the packaging at the door of the store that sells it and encouraging those retailers to demand less plastic and paper waste from their wholesalers.

submitted photo

Many of the solutions being presented by our political leaders are compounding the problems. The rush to biofuels proposed by both Al Gore and George W. Bush are good political examples of how to turn a problem into a disaster.

The proposed use of our most fertile cropland to provide fuel from the most energy-intensive plants (corn, sorghum, soy and sugarcane) creates a food deficit and further destroys remnant native ecosystems while at the same time accelerating the use of fossil fuels to create biofuels. Fertilizer, after all, is a byproduct of gas and oil. Behind these quasi-solutions to peak oil lies greed for more profits at the expense of the natural world. In virtually every instance, the only road to sustainability is the one paved with the bricks of individual lifestyle change. We are past the age of the technological fix and are faced with the need of social fixes.

Amazing things are happening in Santa Fe and all around the country. Paul Cooley with his car-free family has made the front pages of newspapers and has been traveling the road to sustainability sans car since 2004. A West Alameda Kate Whealen in her urban bee neighborhood organized a yard in downtown Santa Fe dairy goat cooperative, where several families are sharing joy, responsibilities and products (fresh wholesome milk) from their small urban pack of goats. A group of people in Tierra Contenta is working on setting up their open space as an orchard, bee yard and community garden. There are people who catch enough rainwater to have their potable water supply disconnected from the chlorinated municipal tap. Los Alamos gardener Mary Zemach reaps enough produce from her mostly rainwater-fed 1/3-acre garden to share with the Food Depot. An Albuquerque-based group is buying homes along the same downtown street and converting to an ecohood

submitted photo

Making Changes From Personal to Community Scale

financial overhead, but also our ecological footprint.

Faced with high energy costs, global climate change and loss of species, we are forced to look at our behavior and how it impacts our world. We have already surpassed the planet’s ability to sustain itself with our thoughtless lifestyles. We are beyond the Earth’s tipping point, and as Einstein said, “The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”

We should seek out those community members and businesses that are local and support them. One of the reasons I co-founded the Permaculture Institute was to have a local financial institution that did not ship out all its resources to a banking center in New York or Houston.

Most big box businesses and big banks impoverish local communities by transferring the wealth of the community to other places. By keeping our money local we can multiply its buying power up to ten times through reinvestment locally.

The heart of the bioregional movement is to promote financial and social participation in one’s watershed. This helps to create a stronger and healthier local community that participates in its own governance and the direction of its growth.

Scott Pittman has been designing sustainable permaculture ecosystems for 22 years.

He lives and writes in Jacona, NM and collects peaches and guinea eggs between working on international per maculture projects and teaching. You can learn more about upcoming per maculture events, classes and other per maculture applications on Scott’s website, www.permaculture.org.

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means to hold, keep, or retain: thus held up or supported from below. Our modern usage may define it as enduring over time without diminishment of resources or pollution. In permaculture, it means that we provide for all of our needs from our own community.

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Culture Santa Fe Has Always Been a Creative City Tom Maguire Thirteen years before Plymouth Colony was settled by the Mayflower Pilgrims in what is now Massachusetts, Santa Fe was established with a small cluster of European type dwellings. It would soon become the seat of power for the Spanish Empire in El Norte (north of the Rio Grande).

famous regional trade fairs to exchange goods with neighboring Plains Indians and indigenous peoples of Mexico. As a colony of Spain and Mexico, Santa Fe was the northernmost stop on the Camino Real trade route, which carried Asian, European, Mexican and other international goods from Mexico City to Santa Fe. In 1822, Mexico’s independence from Spain invited unrestricted international trade along the Santa Fe Trail, boosting Santa Fe’s cachet as a world trade center for Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, French, Anglo-Americans and others.

The 1879 arrival of the railroad in the new U.S. Territory increased the flow of international goods to Santa Fe. This distinct confluence of culture and commerce created a progressive multicultural community where a vibrant exchange of goods and ideas continues to attract creative visionaries and countless visitors to this day.

Santa Fe is brimming with cultural history and creative enterprise conveyed in its rich traditions, side by side with contemporary expressions of architecture, art and design.

This mural of NM cultural icons is by Julia Coyne Amberleigh. It is painted on the Baja Tacos building on Cerrillos Road.

Depicted (l-r): San Ildefonso Pueblo potter Maria Martinez, flamenco dancer Maria Benitez, and artist Georgia O’keefe.

While Santa Fe was inhabited on a very small scale in 1607, it was truly settled by the Don Pedro de Peralta in 1609-1610.

Peralta and his men laid out the plan for Santa Fe at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the site of the ancient Pueblo Indian ruin of Kaupoge, or “place of shell beads near the water.”

Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in North America and the oldest European community west of the Mississippi, with the oldest public building in America, the Palace of the Governors, and the nation’s oldest community celebration, the Santa Fe Fiesta, established in 1712 to commemorate the Spanish resettlement of New Mexico in the summer of 1692, following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.

The city has been the capital for the Spanish “Kingdom of New Mexico,” the Mexican province of Nuevo Mejico, the American territory of New Mexico (which contained what is today Arizona and New Mexico) and, since 1912, the state of New Mexico.

Santa Fe’s roots as a major international trade center date back centuries to the area’s earliest Pueblo Indians, who attended

The Native American peoples of the Pueblos along the Rio Grande have artistic traditions that stretch back for more than a millennium, and the Spanish settlers of the late 16th century brought artistic enterprises from the old world and Mexico.

Combine these artistic traditions with the influx of painters and writers from the east coast during the early 20th century, and one gets a sense of the rich cultural tapestry that has made Santa Fe the third largest art market in the United States. In fact, Santa Fe has more cultural enterprises, per capita, than any other city in the United States. In recent years, contemporary art, new media, film, design and folk art have become strong economic elements of Santa Fe’s creative industries sector.

In July 2005, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Santa Fe as a UNESCO Creative City in Folk Art, Crafts and Design. Santa Fe is part of a growing network of cities that are recognized for their work in these areas: Berlin, Germany – Design; Aswan, Egypt – Folk Art; Buenos Aires, Argentina – Design; Popayan, Colombia – Gastronomy; Edinburgh, Scotland – Literature; Sevilla, Spain – Music; Montreal, Canada – Design and Bologna, Italy – Music. UNESCO also asked Santa Fe to take a leadership role in the network by hosting an international

Humans have always possessed a need to create…to walk in beauty, as the Navajo Beauty Way Chant extols. An important lesson can be learned from the Tewa Indians of some of northern New Mexico’s Pueblos. In the Tewa language, as in many other indigenous languages, there is no word for art. Art is, simply, a part of life, as well it should be. Rather than internalize the need for beauty, we take our desire for beauty out into the world to reflect back upon us and inform our world. We build it into the fabric of our urban environment.

In truth, our quest towards the horizon of beauty has not been a steady advance. We are a society that tolerates Muzak and the faux cultural experiences of Disney World and Las Vegas. We have polluted the environment with visual clutter.

We have built many environments quite devoid of beauty.

But, for me, living in a UNESCO Creative City is a return to the path.

In our cities and small towns, what we create, how we create it, where it is placed in our world and how we live with it can be all about “living in beauty.” I live here in Santa Fe, because, more than any other place I have lived in or visited in the United States, I find a sense of scale, a sense of creativity, a sense of beauty. I feel I can create beauty here and live with it as I wish.

I have always been intrigued by the ending of Voltaire’s Candide. After traveling endlessly, looking for the fabled Eldorado and “the best of all possible worlds,” Candide and the reader are reminded by Pangloss that the place where they are, the place that they have returned to, is really the “the best of all possible worlds.” If it were not, Pangloss reminds Candide, “you wouldn’t be sitting here eating candied citron and pistachios.” —“That is very well put,” said Candide, “but we must go and work our garden.”

Much has been read into this final statement, by Voltaire, on the condition of mankind. I have always taken my own meaning from it. For me, it has always meant that one must take responsibility for improving the ground…the place that we inhabit. If we each make that place, in which we can effect change, a better place, then we have improved the world as a whole. I submit that living in beauty is one way to “work our garden.”

Tom Maguire’s career in music and the arts spans more than forty years as a performer, arranger, conductor and arts administrator.

He currently directs Cultural and Heritage Tourism for the city of Santa Fe and is the Senior Planner for the UNESCO International Creative Tourism Conference to be held in Santa Fe in fall, 2008.

Photo by Thea Witt

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conference on creative tourism. Accordingly, The Santa Fe Conference on Creative Tourism – A Global Conversation is set for September 29-October 2, 2008 as the first major event in the new Santa Fe Civic Center. The conference will provide an opportunity for the city to showcase, not only its impressive new center, but also to highlight the Creative Industries and Creative Tourism Resources that make Santa Fe such a special place and a top tourism destination.

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Santa Fe Fiesta 2007

Don Diego DeVargas Statue Dedication

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Education

Sustainability Education for All Christina Selby

Around the world today there is a push to provide basic education and literacy for all people. UNESCO has been leading the “Education for All movement” since 1990 when representatives of the international community agreed to universalize primary education and massively reduce illiteracy by the end of the decade. An admirable and needed goal, right?

However, we might ask ourselves what kind of person ‘Education for All’ is bringing into the world today.

Looking at the world today, the challenge of a sustainability crisis is undeniable. Deteriorating ecosystems, declining food security and standards of living, widening social and economic inequality, water scarcity, disruptively rapid climate change—the list is extensive. What does the sustainability crisis have to do with Education for All? No education is value free. Most education today is taught from the values of the dominant global economic system. Many call it global capitalism. The global capitalist values that we all live by or under are playing a major role in the environmental and social challenges we face. E.F. Schumacher believed, “More education is not the answer to this crisis, at least not more of the same.”

natural world. Education for Sustainability focuses on the connection between social, economic, and cultural systems and how they impact both the ecology of local and global ecosystems, and people. Education for Sustainability advocates for and practices learner-centered education; that is to say where the learner feels empowered to take action for their future. Stephen Sterling, a leader in the field of Sustainability Education says, “If we want people to have the capacity and will to contribute to civil society, then they have to feel ownership of their learning – it has to be meaningful, engaging and participative, rather than functional, passive and prescriptive.”

In the U.S. there are approximately eleven nonprofit organizations explicitly dedicated to evolving this form of education, including Earth Care International in Santa Fe. However, these organizations are not isolated in their work. The environmental, social and economic justice, indigenous, and other movements all contribute pieces to the public’s awareness and education about what to do about the sustainability crisis. As all of these various movements go about their individual work, it is important to keep focused on how we are connected. As Sustainability Educators, our job is to hold this bigger picture, to lift up and educate about the connections between economics, social systems, culture, and the environment. And most importantly to remind ourselves how all this work to make a better world must be done within a central tenant of living on this earth – obey the laws of nature or suffer the consequences.

There is a multitude of ways to implement education for sustainability. In a global movement, programs across the world include strategies such as community education, youth empowerment programs, transforming school curricula based on a sustainability perspective, programs On a related note, Gloria Rendón, former Santa Fe in indigenous communities which help reclaim and teach Superintendent stated in the city of Santa Fe’s 2005 culture to their youth, micro-lending economic programs, Strategic Plan, “Although the official report indicates that and much, much more. our dropout rate is about 4%, the truth of the matter is that only about 60% of students who enter as freshman Although the work of educating our population for actually leave with a diploma four years later.” There are sustainability is immense, even in our community of Santa many ways to read this statistic. One way to look at it is as Fe, much is going on towards this end. The focus of this a challenge from our youth telling us the system is broken section is to highlight a few of the programs in the realm of and asking for something different. If kids are saying ‘this sustainability education in the Santa Fe area. education is not working for me’ by dropping or flunking out, then why would we think we can meet this challenge Christina Selby is the Coand Program by doing more of what isn’t working? But if more of current Founder Director of Earth Care education will not satisfy the needs of youth or contribute International.

To find out to understanding and solving the sustainability crisis more information about rather than exacerbating it, then how do we meet universal Earth Care International, education needs for all? visit their website at Education for Sustainability is an emerging field. Many www.earthcare.org. people often think of the term as a fancy word for environmental education. However, although sustainability education has at its core understanding and living within the laws of nature, it differs from environmental education, which is often primarily concerned with the study of the

We have come to live Life as rolling thunder Over and over and over Admiring roses Weaving between thorns Let us smile until the corners of our lips touch behind our heads Take down our fences Push over our barricades Open our hearts Speaking our dreams to this world Bringing our dreams to this world Let us walk this earth Barefoot and grounded Guided by stars Bringing a peace to everyone -Taylor Selby

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Lightly Open

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Planting Seeds for the Future Miguel Santistevan Acequia agriculture in northern New Mexico has a rich history that dates back thousands of years from cultures around the world. Acequias are communally managed, gravity-fed irrigation ditches that divert water from the river upstream of the community. The acequia thus creates many acres of irrigated land in the flood plain, expands the riparian area in the watershed and returns the unused water to the river though a series of desagües.

Acequias originated in the Middle East, and the concept traveled across Africa to Iberia (present day Spain).

Meanwhile, native people of the Americas developed a rich agriculture based on the cultivation of maíz and other crops. When the Spanish came to the Americas, they brought the concept of the acequia, crops and domesticated animals of the Old World to northern New Mexico.

As time went on, an agricultural ecology developed that was based on a blend of Native American, Mexican, Spanish, Moorish and Arabic agricultural techniques and crops.

Existing in the high desert with short growing seasons, the acequia has been the foundation of subsistence and survival for the people of northern New Mexico for centuries.

The agricultural system of the acequia in northern New Mexico is one of the most diverse in the world, especially if one considers the difficulties of agriculture in arid highlands.

Crops of wheat, corn, beans, squash, habas (fava beans) and alverjon (sweet peas) have grown from the waters of northern New Mexico. Traditions such as springtime acequia cleanings, summer farming and ranching, autumn harvest and food preparation techniques like canning and making chicos (traditional horno roasted corn), as well as winter matanzas (traditional butchering) have been the basis of survival in our mountains and valleys for centuries.

Modernization and demands on water have affected the future survival of acequias. Development and urbanization have created stresses on our water supply that have placed acequia water rights in jeopardy. Additionally, the knowledge that was once passed from generation to generation on the maintenance of the acequia and agriculture has been impacted as younger generations leave their villages in search of education and jobs elsewhere.

Acequia farmers are most often of an older generation and have a wealth of traditional knowledge to share.

With concerns of the future of northern New Mexico acequia agriculture and its associated cultural conservation, food security, nutrition and community development in mind, the New Mexico Acequia Association (NMAA) crafted the “Sembrando Semillas” Acequia

Youth Project that was funded for two years by the Christensen Foundation. Sembrando Semillas (Sowing Seeds) is engaging youth from the Taos, Mora, Peñasco and Embudo areas to practice and document seasonal agricultural traditions in their respective communities.

Central to the success of the Sembrando Semillas project is the involvement of mentors. The mentors are responsible for facilitating agricultural or other cultural experiences at least once a month during the growing season. These experiences have included activities such as Mora youth gathering remedios (medicinal and culinary herbs) while Taos youth were learning how to extract honey and making a trip to farmers’ market. The Embudo Sembrando Semillas team, comprised of elementary-aged youth, followed the seasonal agricultural calendar with season extension and went to market. Later activities included preparing the land, planting gardens and trees and harvesting garlic.

Ranching activities included branding cattle, taking them to the mountains for summer pasture and matanzas.

Youth learn to irrigate Photo: Samantha Mascareñas

Two of the youth events were encuentros in which youth from all four sites came together to participate in workshops for two days. The first encuentro was in Embudo where the youth learned about shearing sheep, spinning wool into yarn, dying the yarn with natural dyes and weaving on a loom. The next encuentro was a backpacking trip to La Jicarita peak, which defines the watersheds of Mora on one side and Peñasco on the other. Eleven youth from three sites were able to participate in this three-day trip that included activities in survival skills, watershed education and reflections on self and nature. This trip was important to give the youth a sense of their place in nature and to understand where the water for irrigation originates.

Beyond agricultural activities, the Sembrando Semillas

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¡Que Vivan las Acequias! radio show, the activities and perspectives of the youth are represented via local radio stations as well as the internet.

To date, twenty-two monthly radio shows have been produced by the NMAA in conjunction with Cultural Energy, a non-profit that creates media voices for youth, arts and activism. The ¡Que Vivan las Acequias! radio show can be listened to from www.lasacequias.org as well as www.culturalenergy.org.

As this 2007 growing season comes to a close, Sembrando Semillas youth and mentors are looking forward Planting onions and potatoes with mentor Eremita Campos Photo: Miguel Santistevan to workshops that include the youth were also able to learn about and participate in harvesting and processing of local crops and preparation of invasive species removal along the Rio Grande, make meals from local food. As Sembrando Semillas awaits the next presentations at the Bioneers and Quivira Coalition funding cycle for the continuation of the project into 2008 conferences, and learn the legislative process while testifying and beyond, it can be looked upon as a flagship for agricultural in front of committees for agricultural education and service mentorship in the area, with more and more opportunities learning in the schools. Sembrando Semillas was also invited to arising for our youth to represent the future of agriculture in participate in an acequia field school hosted by the University the region. Visit www.lasacequias.org for more information of New Mexico (UNM) with a research component in on this youth project of other activities of the NMAA. Mora. Four youth from Sembrando Semillas were able to participate in the field school and were able to show their Miguel Santistevan is a Ph.D. works alongside UNM students at their closing symposium. candidate in Biology at the

University of New Mexico, Another aspect of the Sembrando Semillas project is the where he is doing further documentation of agricultural practices, traditions and research on crop diversity knowledge. To this end, the youth have been taking and the ecology of the acequia pictures and video, conducting interviews and recording in the watershed.

Miguel their mentorship experience and producing media. served for the last two years as Several digital storytelling pieces have been produced by Project Director for Sembrando the youth, including “How my family makes chicos,” Semillas of the New Mexico a short video by Toribio Garcia of Peñasco High School. Acequia Association (NMAA).

This won second place in the cultural documentary He is continuing his work with category of the ¡ESE! (Española Showing the NMAA as youth mentor, Excellence) Teen Film Festival in April 2007. media producer and researcher.

More information can be found This program is having a positive impact on the lives of at www.lasacequias.org. the young people involved in the project, their peers and the greater acequia and regional communities. In the two years of project involvement, many of the youth members have learned new skills that helped develop their confidence, leadership potential and communication skills. It is likely that most of the participants will continue to participate in acequia culture, if for nothing else for their cultural identity as well as to continue relationships built over the course of the project. Participation in this project has also attracted the peers of youth members as well as other communities. For example, the NMAA has been invited to help start Sembrando Semillas in Nambe, Chimayo and in the Colorado community of San Luis.

Part of the Sembrando Semillas project is to showcase the youth activities along with the activities of the NMAA to a greater audience. Through the production of a monthly

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 38

Youth Allies for Sustainability: Leadership Program Bianca Sopoci-Belknap

intensive training sessions and field days that deepen Youth Allies is important youths’ awareness of the to me because it provides a social and ecological context in which they way in which I can particilive. Topics covered pate in changing my comin the training series munity. It is also where include environmental literacy, sustainable I draw my hope for the community practices, upcoming years. It is my diversity, anti-oppression; decolonization, youth support and where I offer organizing, and support to others. leadership. Through these – Mary Corff trainings, youth deepen their understanding of social and ecological systems and develop a heightened sense of connection and responsibility to one another, to their community and to the environment that sustains them.

It’s not a group you are likely to see walking down the halls of the local high schools, or hanging out at the mall. This crew of 35 Santa Fe youth range in age from 12 to 19, and are a uniquely diverse group of Native Americans, Hispanics, Anglos, Latino/Latinas and African Americans. On the weekends, they gather in a renovated warehouse on Siler road to talk about something they all have in common: the desire to create a more just and sustainable world. These are the youth of the Youth Allies for Sustainability Leadership Program, a program offered free to young people in Santa Fe by Earth Care International in “By participating in the Youth Allies program I have learned collaboration with the Santa Fe Mountain Center. how all of the things we do affect the world around us and also Since November of 2006, groups of young people have been that the world around us affects us. I will use this learning by working together to build cross-cultural relationships and learn being more careful with what I do and what I say so that my about environmental sustainability and social justice. The first actions will affect everything around me in a positive way.” half of the Youth Allies program is comprised of a series of – Bianca Madrid

work helping Somos organize the International Worker’s Day Celebration and Rally in Santa Fe on May 1st. They distributed flyers at schools, churches and neighborhoods; painted signs and banners for the rally; contacted organizations from the social service and environmental sector to table the event; and prepared speeches. On the day of the celebration, three Youth Allies spoke in front of a crowd of 1,500 and told their familes’ stories of immigrating to the United States to search for better lives. The May Day celebration provided Youth Allies participants with the opportunity to strengthen their organizing skills and to strengthen the community.

In addition to their community-change projects, Youth Allies put their leadership skills to use in the first year at a number of community forums.

Through delivering a keynote address to 500 ranchers and environmentalists at the Quivira Coalition’s Annual Conference, participating on the Santa Fe Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board, and leading a workshop at the city of Santa Fe’s 2007 Youth Summit, Youth Allies made their voices heard.

Youth learning about interdependence

environmental degradation and human migration, Youth Allies connected up with local organizations that specialize in environmental restoration and immigrant rights to learn about and contribute to the work taking place in these fields.

Year One Projects Restoring the Santa Fe River and battling Climate Change On March 17th, Youth Allies participants gathered along the Santa Fe River with shovels and gloves in hand. After receiving a brief training from a local ecological design firm, Regenesis Group, and the Santa Fe Watershed Association on river ecology, participants spent the day planting cottonwoods along the banks of the river. On April 7th, the national day of action for Climate Change, Youth Allies joined Forest Guardians to continue their restoration work downstream. They planted cottonwoods and willows and reseeded the banks with native grasses. Through these two projects, Youth Allies helped to plant hundreds of trees along the Santa Fe River - bringing back vegetation that is vital to the health of our city’s river and the health of the planet.

Youth Allies speak at immigrant workers rally

The first year of Youth Allies for Sustainability was extremely successful and inspiring. Youth have made visible positive change in their community while gaining the knowledge and skill base they need to become the next generation of emerging leaders in Santa Fe. The second year of Youth Allies begins this fall (2007).

Bianca Sopoci-Belknap grew up in Santa Fe. She currently works as the Youth Allies for Sustainability Program Leader for Earth Care International. To Immigrant Rights = Human Rights find out more about On March 24th, Youth Allies participants gathered for a this program, contact Know-Your-Rights training by the Santa Fe based non- Earth Care International at profit organization, Somos Un Pueblo Unido. Through 983-6896. discussion and role-playing, they learned about how to www.earthcare.org defend and promote the civil rights of all members of the Santa Fe community. Youth Allies members then set to

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The second stage of the training program is focused on skill development. Youth have the chance to get their hands dirty and apply the knowledge they’ve gained as they design and carry out community change projects.

To guide this process, Youth Allies participants interview other young people and adults in their community in order to determine what issues the local community is dealing with. Two main issues emerged as priorities for the group’s work the first year: environmental restoration and immigrant rights. After exploring the interrelation between

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41 SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008

Lou Schreiber Santa Fe Community College is going green. In accordance with its mission to serve students and the community, the college is focusing increased attention on the wide range of green technologies and green living issues. As new alternative energy technologies emerge, in an attempt to meet future energy demands, SFCC seeks to provide training to create a workforce capable of supporting these growing industries.

One could say that the focus is two-fold: ABOUT and HOW TO. To provide information about all the issues related to sustainable green living, the college has created the Center for Community Sustainability (CCS). The CCS is part of the Continuing Education and Customized Training Division. It offers a wide range of non-credit courses designed to help inform community members and raise awareness about sustainable living.

In Fall 2007, CCS offered courses on Sustainable Communities, Climate Change, Green Business Practices and Permaculture. In the Spring of 2008, courses will include Green Building for Future and Current Homeowners, Environmental Sensitivity and Green Products.

In addressing how to, the college offers many workforce training programs. In Fall 2007 the Center for Community Sustainability offered training programs on Solar Hot Water and Biomass. In the spring of 2008 there will be trainings in Green Building for Builders, Photovoltaic Solar Electricity and Advertising for Green Businesses.

In addition to the non-credit courses, the college is launching a credit Certificate in Environmental Technologies. This program is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment and/or entrepreneurship in a wide range of green businesses and industries.

A technology demonstration park is being developed.

The college has installed a Biomass heating training unit and an 800-watt Photovoltaic Solar system. People are encouraged to see these alternative energy technologies firsthand by visiting the campus. Tours can be arranged.

The Photovoltaic Solar system was installed in July 2007 during an advanced training on Solar Electric, the Summer Solar Intensive. The college purchased all the equipment

43 SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008

Going Green at Santa Fe Community College

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 44 Lou Schreiber (l) and students install a photovoltaic solar system

required to install the system. During an intensive 4-day hands-on program, 15 students worked with the instructor and his assistants to install the complete system. They worked in groups, rotating among the various aspects of the project. While some installed the actual solar panels, others prepared the shed where the batteries, breaker panels and grid-tie equipment are stored. The system is now complete, functional and grid-tied, allowing Santa Fe Community College to net-meter and generate electricity, feeding it back into the grid.

In an effort to be a model of sustainability for the community, Santa Fe Community College is working to reduce its environmental footprint. Low consumption lighting has been installed, and solar hot water collectors heat the swimming pool. A green health and sciences building is being planned. A new Green Task Force has been formed to look at issues of recycling, purchasing green, teaching sustainability across the curriculum and reduction of the college’s carbon footprint.

In June 2007, SFCC became one of 300 educational institutions nationwide when president Sheila Ortega signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org).

This initiative provides an opportunity to scrutinize current energy use practices, waste management and purchasing. It seeks to quantify an institution’s carbon footprint and make plans to move toward a carbon-neutral campus in an effort to combat global warming.

If learning about how you can live more sustainably in Santa Fe or anywhere on our planet interests you, or if you’re preparing for a career in green business or sustainable energy technologies, Santa Fe Community College may have the program or course you need.

Lou Schreiber is the Director of Workforce Training at Santa Fe Community College. For more information about the Center for Community Sustainability or the Certificate in Environmental Technologies, call him at 428-1617, email lschreiber@sfccnm. edu or visit the website: www.sfccnm.edu.

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Social Sustainbility

You Can’t Have a Living River Without a Living Community Maria Dominguez – ¡YouthWorks!

I grew up in Santa Fe. So did my family. So did all my friends.

Growing up here, I heard stories about how people used to hang out at the river, or about how you could take the kids there on the weekend and catch fish. Or before that, how families used to grow their own food right there with water they got from the river. But that’s all gone now. For my generation, the river doesn’t exist except for downtown and even there it is just a big arroyo. And barely any of us can hang out downtown anymore anyways, except for maybe during fiestas. Instead I grew up with the mall being the center of the community, the thing that connects everybody. And most people I know think that there are only two choices if you grow up here: go to jail or leave town. At YouthWorks, where I work now, we are trying to change that, and we will.

YouthWorks is a non-profit organization that was set up to help disconnected youth make their lives and the community better. One of YouthWorks’ programs, the “Santa Fe Youth Corps,” employs youth to teach job skills, mostly through environmental restoration projects. It is a program that keeps the youth off the streets and away from trouble. It provides

full-time jobs that include G.E.D. studies, life skills and advocacy for participants to help them get ahead to more productive lives. YouthWorks gives youth a chance - youth that actually want to make it in life but just have not been able to.

YouthWorks has designed paid on-the-job training With the opportunities that send youth crews into the right support community to make it a and direction, better place by cleaning up debris and trash, designing our youth and implementing water conservation measures, and have shown fixing the river through the great erosion control.

We accomplish this by putting accomplishments huge boulder structures in arroyos called “river we are capable of. blankets” to slow down the storm water runoff and slow erosion in the channels and arroyos. The Santa Fe Youth Corps has done the rockwork in the eroded beds of the arroyos at Larragoite Park and at Frenchy’s Field, and to slow down the river flow, began building up the bed of these drainages to restore them to a natural reinforced state. The youth corps has removed hundreds of dead chamisa and invasive species like Siberian and Chinese Elms. By doing this, hopefully more Cottonwoods and other natural vegetation that doesn’t use as much water will be able to grow and thrive to make a “Living River.”

YouthWorks members with Mayor David Coss (center) and City Councilor Miguel Chavez (far left)

YouthWorks members attend a “Coffee with Coss� meeting

YouthWorks has been working on the river in this way for over six years, teaching over 150 youth the ways of restoration. We have been able to continue this work through state of New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps funds, but last year the City Council and Mayor Coss gave our organization a youth employment contract to perform The support for very specific river restoration work to assist in our long-term positive youth repair efforts. The support for development and positive youth development employment from our city employment from our and government is a real sign that city government is a Santa Fe can heal its wounds, just like we can heal our river.

real sign that Santa Fe can heal its wounds, just like we can heal our river.

With the right support and direction, our youth have shown the great accomplishments we are capable of. Because of our investment in local, disadvantaged youth and in creating a healthy community and environment, YouthWorks has obtained a major grant from State Farm to expand our work to more local youth. This year, we will be partnering with the city, the Santa Fe Public Schools, the Juvenile Probation office and other community organizations to combine handson environmental education, life skills and increased academic support for our youth at the highest risk to become engaged in their education and community.

We also do work throughout the community like at Santa Fe Civic Housing and the Santa Fe Public Schools, doing landscaping and other maintenance work. This year, we are going to be working on our own property so that the whole community can see the work that our youth can do and what they want to do for the future. YouthWorks envisions a future for our community where all our youth feel they are positive and valued members of the community. In order for this to happen, our community needs to continue building opportunities and programs for the youth to have supportive peers, quality education and valuable, meaningful jobs.

Maria Dominguez, 18, is a member of the YouthWorks Santa Fe Youth Corps. Born and raised in Santa Fe, she hopes to one day go to college and study just about everything. World, watch out!

Clearing brush above the Santa Fe River

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SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 50

Native American Emergence at the Santa Fe Mountain Center Ian Sanderson Se:kon akwe:kon, Ian Sanderson ionkiats.

Wakanienkehaka niwakitaroten. Greetings everyone, my name is Ian Sanderson, Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan, of the Six Nations of the Grand River. I have been asked to relate to you some of my thoughts on the work of the program I help coordinate, called Emergence, based at the Santa Fe Mountain Center in Tesuque, New Mexico.

The Santa Fe Mountain Center (SFMC) is a nationally recognized, private, nationally accredited 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and therapeutic organization that, since 1979, has been providing community mobilization, civic engagement, experiential and adventure-based programs for children, youth, families, communities and groups.

Program seeks to support the revitalization and empowerment of people and communities through the integration of Indigenous-based experiential education and community mobilization. By virtue of this vision, we are consciously contributing to a 500-year-old movement. The size and depth of that movement is far too large to fully articulate here, but we can begin to think of it broadly in terms of two opposing processes: Colonization and Decolonization. For the sake of clarity let us define these terms as derived from For Indigenous Eyes Only: A Decolonization Handbook: “Colonization refers to both the formal and informal methods (behaviors, ideologies, institutions, policies, and economies) that maintain the subjugation or exploitation of indigenous peoples, lands, and resources. Decolonization is the intelligent, calculated and active resistance to the forces of colonialism that perpetuate the subjugation and/ or exploitation of our minds, bodies, and lands, and it is engaged for the ultimate purpose of interrupting and overturning the colonial structure and realizing indigenous liberation.”

You who are reading this know that you are not separate from either process, no matter who you are or where you come from. I do not believe in “post-colonial” theory. The colonial process never ended; it continues to manifest itself in what we now call Globalization, and it continues to affect us all in various ways, from the way we think to the destruction of the physical world. Yet the very act of picking up this magazine is an act of decolonization. Let us think critically about our relationship with these processes, and act accordingly.

Program designs are rooted in our Experiential Adventure-Based Resiliency Model, which focuses on building social competencies, positive values and positive identity development.

As for the Emergence Program, we

seek to generate acts of decolonization The SFMC serves a diversity of young through a process of education, people, families and adults in New transformation, reclamation and Mexico and works with vulnerable Survival skills include creating shelter liberation. populations throughout the state. The Photo: SF Mountain Center programs we provide include Adventure Education can be used in its many Out, an HIV/AIDS prevention program, Climbing Up forms as a means to uncover and explore the abuses of Climbing Out - NM Gay-Straight Alliance Network, power that have traumatized peoples in the wake of serving gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning colonialism, and connect people to a vision that includes young people; Courage to Risk Program, serving trauma historical knowledge, language, traditional sustainable survivors and the Therapeutic Adventure Program, which practices, sensitivity to current social, environmental and serves adjudicated youth, survivors of sexual, physical or cultural realities and political empowerment. We further emotional abuse and substance abusers, youth at risk of this education by providing the skills that allow for the entering the system, youth in treatment and displaced youth transformation of shame, fear and anger into resiliency, from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures. strength and empowerment. This, in turn, can awaken passion and an ability to act upon and redress imbalances And finally, there is the Emergence Program. The Emergence within the self, family, community and world.

There is no “cookie-cutter” model for achieving this vision. We hold to certain aspects of our work that we believe have universal applicability, but the means by which these aspects are disseminated and actualized are situational and must be open, varied, adaptable and organic, mirroring the dynamic patterns of nature and the very non-linear thought processes of indigenous peoples.

“Emerging Leaders” Training Program: In 2004-2005, we conducted an intensive nine-month experiential training program for Native youth service providers called “Emerging Leaders.” A second more indepth program will be offered again in 2008-2009 for youth development workers who work in Native communities, as well as for the youth themselves.

Building Bridges to the Outdoors: In its first year, this program promotes the Leave No Child Left Inside movement in collaboration with the Sierra Club Foundation. We are working with youth from Santo Domingo Pueblo to help re-connect them to nature and to early ways of knowing through traditional and contemporary practices in sustainability, leadership and environmental stewardship. This program also enhances students’ ability to recognize significant patterns in themselves and the rest of the natural world through the use of tracking and other wilderness skills.

“Youth Allies” Program: Youth Allies is a collaborative program with the non-profit organization Earth Care International. Youth Allies serves as a forum where young people from diverse cultures (Native American, Latino/ Latina, Hispanic, Anglo, LGBTQ and African American) can work together to address pressing community needs and become community leaders. (see article on page 38)

It is also important to remember that in order to think in a truly sustainable manner, we must look at the potential impacts of our work not in terms of years, but in terms of generations. Just as it took centuries for indigenous people to We are planting seeds, and within these be brought to the current level of seeds lay our heritage and our blueprints disenfranchisement, so we anticipate for the future. that it will take generations of

devoted struggle to fully heal We invite all who are willing and able ourselves from the effects of to work for the Seven Generations yet colonization. We need to be to come to join us in the movement comfortable in the fact that none towards liberation. of us involved in this process in the present will be alive at the time of Nia:wen tanon skennen:kowa ne the full manifestation of this vision, akwe:kon - Thank you, and Great Peace and we must also trust that real, to All. lasting, positive change does and Learning to make adobe bricks Ian Sanderson is a member of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle will occur from our efforts.

Clan. He has worked for the Santa Fe Mountain Center for five years, where he serves as a Program Training in Coordinator for the Emergence Community Mobilization: Emergence offers an array of relevant trainings for both Program. Ian has a B.A. in Native from Trent University in Native and non-Native communities and organizations. Studies Peterborough, Ontario and has These trainings include but are not limited to: the colonial worked with various organizations process and its effects on Indigenous and non-Indigenous in Experiential and Outdoor peoples/communities, effects of intergenerational trauma, Education for over ten years. public policy, race, class, power and privilege, and structural For information about the discrimination/racism, etc.

Santa Fe Mountain Center visit: www.sf-mc.com

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We are particularly interested in dismantling the mechanisms of internalized oppression that were constructed by the powers of colonialism and continue to operate in our communities in the form of violence, drug and alcohol addiction, spiritual disconnection and cultural and community dissolution. When human beings are able to recognize the transformative powers within them, they are brought to a place where they are truly able to reclaim their traditional languages, worldviews, cultural practices and pride in their identity. If we can transform our feelings into something that creates positive action that comes from forgiveness and not blame, and develop the ability to stand in the power of our identity, we can effectively liberate ourselves from the numbing and grossly destructive effects of the colonial structure.

Homewise (founded as Neighborhood Housing Services of Santa Fe) is a non-profit organization that helps modest-income New Mexicans become successful homeowners. The goal is to strengthen families, create wealth and build communities.

Homewise provides free workshops, counseling and financial services to develop individualized action plans for reducing debt, build savings and improve credit towards a home purchase.

To increase the supply of affordable housing while creating sustainable development for Santa Fe, Homewise builds new homes, focusing not only on the initial cost of the house, but also the long-term operating costs by creating energy-efficient homes with water conserving features.

For current homeowners, Homewise provides a complete range of services to help manage the home as an asset. This includes free classes on home maintenance and repair. Homewise also assists with home improvement projects from start to finish. The company provides a licensed general contractor to assess necessary maintenance, needed repairs and potential energy savings improvements. A typical project might include Homewise services such as initial inspection, definition of scope of work, detailed specifications, cost estimate, fair bidding process with licensed and insured contractors, a contract between homeowner and the chosen contractor, escrow management and pay out inspections to assure quality workmanship.

Energy saving measures may include window and door replacements, added insulation for the roof, crawl spaces and walls, energy efficient appliances, programmable thermostats, hot water pipe insulation, compact fluorescent lighting, and a water heater blanket.

Suggested water conservation measures may include low-flow toilets, low- flow showerheads, faucet aerators, front-loading clothes washers, leak detection and on-demand hot water.

Exterior use can be reduced by rainwater harvesting from a roof into barrels or cisterns, shutoff spray nozzles for a hose and drip irrigation, to name a few.

Homewise’s services include affordable financing and below retail pricing on energy-conserving and energy-efficient appliances.

Some of the company’s water conservation efforts are funded by Governor Bill Richardson’s Water Innovation Fund and the city of Santa Fe. Homewise may be reached at 983-9473 or email: info@homewise.org.

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Homewise Promotes Affordable Home Ownership

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 54 Danny, Maria and Jonette Sam with their bison at Picuris Pueblo Photo by Joan Brooks Baker, courtesy: NMCF

Growing Our Future, Together…

Relationship by Relationship Kimi Green At the New Mexico Community Foundation, we practice sustainability by serving and investing in New Mexico’s communities and their greatest asset…people. Together we can overcome inequity, strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for everyone. NMCF invests in equity, providing opportunity, protecting the environment and promoting culture. We walk with our partners to grow our future, and we recognize our connection to one another and our responsibility to future generations.

The Picuris Bison Program is a partner we have walked with in growing the practice of cultural, economic and environmental sustainability. While we sleep on Thursday and Saturday mornings, Danny Sam is loading bison meat into a truck for a day at the Farmer’s Market in Los Alamos and Santa Fe, as well as sales to the Hotel Santa Fe. Many of us have enjoyed Danny and Jonette Sam’s fresh Picuris Pueblo bison at our festive gatherings. However, the Sam family’s vision expands beyond our dinner table. They are reclaiming a traditional food source for the tribal community, providing local bison to surrounding communities, building a culture-centered economy and supporting stewardship of their native land.

“Our main goal,” says Danny, “is to develop a sustainable food source for the tribe.” And the lean, low-cholesterol meat is distributed throughout the tribal community on a regular basis. Diabetes is a major health challenge at Picuris Pueblo and other tribal communities. The Sam family shares bison recipes and prepares samples at a monthly Diabetes Food Fair.

The sacred role of the bison is celebrated with bison hides, horns and meat used in Picuris winter dances. The Bison Program also provides products to other tribes within the state, helping those without their own herds maintain an important spiritual connection with this native animal.

By creating a tribal bison ranch, native grasslands flourish.

By avoiding the use of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals, Picuris Pueblo and the Sam family provide stewardship to support the health of the land.

Sustainability is about the regeneration of healthy communities and a thriving Earth.

The best part is that there is room for all of us to create a practice and enjoy the benefits now and for future generations.

Picuris volunteers and workers learn on-the-job training in a wide variety of ranch operations including fence construction and repair, equipment use and maintenance, horsemanship and horse care and the traditional tanning of bison hides.

The Sams’ children, Daniel and Maria, help with maintaining the land, feeding the bison and handling a portion of the administrative tasks required to run the business. Maria states, “Kids’ Impression, Next Generation Vision.” When he is not involved with the Bison Program activities, Daniel, an awardwinning artist, celebrates the bison in some of his paintings and drawings.

Whether one’s practice is food to table, balancing and supporting traditional communities with market forces, strengthening families, positive youth development, dignity for elders, community economies, quality healthcare, collaborative and intergenerational leadership, protecting our environment and water, sustainable farming and ranching, celebrating cultural history and the arts, animal welfare, promoting rural livelihoods, recycling, immigrant rights, community organizing or volunteerism, NMCF believes by working together, we begin to grow the garden of sustainable and healthy communities throughout our state.

Sustainability includes everyone who brings creativity, commitment and resilience to the recognition of our relationships to our natural world and each other. NMCF believes sustainability in New Mexico depends on growing our future, together.

Mother to Eli and Gabe Green, Kimi Green is the Director of Donor Development and Community Sustainability at the New Mexico Community Foundation. NMCF is a statewide organization dedicated to building permanent community assets, partnering with individuals, businesses and foundations to invest in New Mexico’s future through strategic grants and community Photo: NMCF partnerships.

Visit www.nmcf.org or contact Kimi Green at kgreen@nmcf.org.

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New Mexico is a state rich in diverse foods, cultures, landscapes, livelihoods and people. This diversity is a key ingredient for sustainability. To create a resilient and vibrant garden of healthy communities, we must nurture the diversity and grow our connections to one another. NMCF serves, celebrates and honors this rich tapestry of people, talent, traditions and resources. We honor the work of many individuals and groups dedicated to supporting sustainability and positive change in our communities, statewide and globally.

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 56

Ecology & Land Ethic

“Summer” by Glen Strock

Jeffrey Bronfman

In this sense, “development” can be reconsidered as how to best provide for the needs of the earth and all of her subjects.

In this understanding resides wisdom. In this lies the path to a future where we will not merely survive, but thrive.

In nature we see the example of how living systems provide for one another. The waters bring the rains, which nourish the trees, which breathe oxygen into the air. Waste, in nature, is a concept that does not exist. Everything has its utility, its purpose.

Excerpts from a keynote address given at the eighth International Permaculture Conference, May 2007, Sao Paulo, Brazil At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, my friend Raimundo Monteiro de Souza, a Brazilian ecologist, humanitarian and spiritual leader said, “Wealth is in the wise I believe it is our duty to understand nature’s laws in order to lesson that nature, silently, is always transmitting to man: be able to truly live well, and to fulfill our purpose in being no waste, nor lack, but the sufficient, the essential, the just here. In this sense I see our understanding and reverence for amount.” nature as a fundamental principle for the reorganizing of our planetary, human systems.

Production, within nature, does not lead to imbalanced or unnecessary accumulation. What is produced is produced in Through the recognition of life as sacred, the waters as sacred, just measure, to provide for and sustain Life. the food and medicine providing plants as expressions of the sacred, and the inter-relationships of living beings needing I ask you to now consider the necessity for these new ethics to be governed by principles of respect, we can begin to – a set of principles and values that can properly govern our reorganize our world in ways that will allow for our healthy conduct in relation to nature, to one another and to the and dignified survival. interrelated systems and communities of life that support our existence. This is a set of ethics that recognizes this I wish to suggest that the place to begin to transform the entire planet, even this universe, as one sacred system of world lies in the ethics of how we organize and conduct interdependent and truly interrelated expressions of one life ourselves. The current ethic that dominates human conduct force. sadly neglects huge areas of responsibility and operates with undeniable indifference and ignorance with regard to Within these new ethics I see two fundamental principlesnature’s imperatives.

RESPECT and SERVICE to the whole.

Nature has an imperative that the systems that were designed to sustain life on earth continue without being degraded or compromised in any form. We are part of a complex living system of relationships within which balance and harmony must be maintained. Nature has an imperative of order, of diversity, of interdependence, of beauty, of respect, of peace, of justice, of consciousness.

Respect for all living systems as expressions of the sacred needs to be understood in terms of their relationships to one another, not as commodities for human exploitation.

Respect for the inherent rights of the non-human world includes the right of natural systems to continue as they were designed.

In understanding these imperatives and recognizing nature Service is a fundamental principle of harmonious design. as superior to us, we can begin to redesign our choices, our Nature herself is the example of this. Nature in her plenitude personal and collective conduct in the world. serves us all.

As our ethics change, our relationships change and our sense of value changes. As our sense of value changes, our notions of what constitutes wealth and what is necessary in terms of development change as well. There have been cultures on this earth, for example, that saw the accumulation of personal wealth at the expense of others as an indication of great spiritual and ethical poverty.

This paradigm of what constitutes wealth and development

I would like to offer one last set of ideas for your consideration: The economy, the social structures and the politics of our world today are largely defined in relationship to petroleum.

It is my belief that within our lifetime we will be witnessing a profound shift where this circumstance, by necessity, will change.

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Our Ethics, Nature’s Laws and the Imperative for a New Understanding of Development

considers the health and well being of the Whole to be of primary significance. If we truly understand these principles of how nature operates and the imperatives of interdependence and justice, we will recognize that our true wealth depends on the well being of all.

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The next era of human development on this planet (our economics, our social systems, our politics and our way of life) will ultimately be defined in relation to water. Water, unlike petroleum, is absolutely essential to all forms of life. As a result of deforestation, climate change, species extinction and desertification, there are already huge territories on this planet lacking in available clean water to drink.

Our origin as living beings comes from water. Perhaps our future survival as humanity may result from changing our politics, our ethics and our sense of what constitutes true human development, in relation to water.

As our ethics evolve, as a result of the necessities of the times in which we live, it is my hope that water will be recognized not as a commodity or “resource� for profit and human exploitation, but as the essential element of life and therefore the most basic of all inherent, fundamental rights.

To all my relations‌

I close now with a prayer that the one who so lovingly placed us here, will continue Our health depends on water, our food systems depend on to guide us towards a future water, and ultimately, peace and justice in this world will be that is healthy and vibrant determined by how water is shared, delivered and provided and filled with peace for us to all who need, to all who thirst. all.

It is now that a legal, political and moral stand must be taken that will not allow for the privatization of water (life itself ) for profit: a recognition that we cannot patent or own, or possess nature. She remains superior to us, serving us, and by her example teaching us how we too must unite, harmonize and serve.

Jeffrey Bronfman is a writer, educator and philanthropist who has been a Santa Fe resident for eighteen years.

Photo: courtesy Jeffrey Bronfman

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 60

Lots of Life in One Place

traveled the world and worked with other cultures, particularly with Polynesian people of the Solomon Islands, learning about their Creation Story, their understanding of the universe. They explained to her that the divine expressed itself as an abundance, such as “a tree when there are a lot of butterflies that gather, or when there are a lot of Permaculture in Practice people gathered for a feast, or when there is a large school of fish in the ocean.” Divine to them meant a lot of life in Arina Pittman one place, abundance in nature, in community, in sharing and in giving. As such it seemed to fit seamlessly with the Our permaculture homestead is located in the traditional practice of permaculture, which has guided the work on village of Jacona, next door to Pojoaque, twenty minutes our farm for the past eight years. north of Santa Fe. I never know how to describe it. We are not farmers, yet we grow a lot of food, enough to sell or So far no one has really succeeded in defining permaculture share, or better yet – to put away for winter feasts. Maybe in one elegant sound bite that is easily understood. The we are gardeners, but we hardly spend time in the garden, reason for this is perhaps the difficulty in defining anything which is composed of perennial plantings as much as annual rich and complex, be it life itself or, for example, a ones. The garden does not even look like a garden, more magnificent redwood forest. Is a redwood forest a group of like an edible landscape of productive shrubs, medicinal large trees? Well, sort of. Is permaculture a design system? herbs, veggies and small fruit trees. Our chickens, guinea Yes, it is. What does it mean, though? It is how to create fowl and turkey run free, collecting fallen fruit and an conditions conductive for life… It is how to live sustainably, occasional pest, while two dairy goats browse on elm and on a personal and community scale…. It is about creating black locust. An incredible diversity of pollinators float in sustainable human settlements and communities…. It is a an amorphous cloud around pollinator hedge plantings. A set of guidelines and principles on how to work systemically variety of songbirds occupy tips of tree branches, patiently when making changes and adjustments to a landscape, in waiting for me to leave. It’s lots of life in one place I think; a house, or in a neighborhood to move it toward a smaller an abundance of diversity, sound, beauty, food and life. ecological footprint and more sustainability.

The name for our farm came from a story told by a dear Our farm is one particular interpretation of permaculture, friend who passed away several years ago. As an applied to a parcel of land in northern New Mexico. It is anthropologist, Frances Harwood, also known as Fiz, Arina feeds fish in the reconstituted wetland.

Bullfrogs and Leopard frogs inhabit the wetland.

their own Prius, and their own organic orchard, garden, beehive – it is the one where these things are interwoven and shared. When there is lots of life in one place, it just spills over, inoculates its surrounding, and invites more.

Our friend Fiz Harwood wrote:

Scott in his passive solar atrium

Arina explains goat forage systems at a permaculture open house day

“You give food away in order to increase life, or you have gatherings. ….They are not a giveaway or gift system. They are not giving away with the expectation of constantly giving and never receiving. It’s a whole system of exchange, but it’s almost the reverse of our economy. To my way of thinking … it’s just self-evident that these sorts of economic arrangements are better for the lands, better for people’s mental health, physical wellbeing, and for the social body altogether. You want to live in a place that’s full Living in a community allows us to share our goats’ milk of life, full of things happening. with another person, who in turn lets us use her truck. It’s enlightened self-interest or With this barter agreement in place I was able to get rid group interest.” of a second family vehicle that was parked on the driveway 90% of the time. Another neighbor brings his organic Arina Pittman is a farmer, gardener and honey in exchange for milk (of course it is not a one-to-one designer, exchange rate!). This way he can focus on taking care of bees sustainability practitioner. She while I raise the goats and manage their pasture with his teaches permaculture at the bees in mind by letting things bloom. These arrangements Santa Fe Community College through the Permaculture are weaving an intricate web of life, connecting animals, and Drylands Institute. You can learn people, abundant food, wholesome milk, honey and fresh more about permaculture, or about fruit, creating a network of love and mutual care. It is all upcoming workshops and farm about interdependence, not independence. A sustainable tours on Arina’s & Scott’s website, neighborhood is not the one where every house sports their www.permaculture.org. own photovoltaic system and their own rainwater cistern,

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part of a land holding that was designed to be a co-housing community in 1987 by a group of visioneers. There are seven households sharing undivided access to ten acres of land that we collectively hold the deed to. We own our houses outright, but the land itself, with its fields, chicken pastures, greenhouse, several orchards, mature shade trees and a dedicated wildlife habitat is set as common ground for the owners. People who live here are all different and have a varying degree of interest in sustainability, but as a group we are still able to reduce our ecological footprint by sharing resources (one weed whacker for seven families instead of seven weed whackers, or one driveway instead of seven, etc). So whether or not we as a group “practice” sustainability on a community scale, we cannot help but have some elements of it intrinsic to this setup.

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Las Comunidades and the Vallecitos Federal Sustained Yield Unit John Ussery Not many community organizations own a sawmill, let alone a sawmill that was originally established almost sixty years ago with the express purpose of supporting the communities that surround it. Las Comunidades is a not for profit organization with the mission of protecting the forests and watersheds of the Vallecitos Federal Sustained Yield Unit (VFSYU) and using forest resources in a way that promotes both forest health and the economic health of local villages.

The 74,000-acre VFSYU was established in 1948 in the Carson National Forest in order to provide “the maximum feasible, permanent support to the Vallecitos community and nearby areas.” The VFSYU is located in north-central New Mexico, an hour north of Santa Fe and an hour west of Taos. Of the nine villages served by the Unit, only three are now large enough to support a gas station. Vallecitos, La Madera, Petaca, Canon Plaza, Servietta, Tres Piedras and Las Tablas have populations of less than two hundred people, and the larger towns of Ojo Caliente and El Rito have only recently grown beyond a thousand people each.

There are currently few opportunities for employment, and most workers face long commutes in order to find jobs.

came to the Southwest that corporate clear cutting and overgrazing by cattle barons drastically altered the forest profile. The local people opposed this exploitation, since it destroyed their resources and almost never benefited them. When it was founded, the concept of a Vallecitos Federal Sustained Yield Unit was appealing because it was designed to limit timber harvests while providing for the needs of the forest communities around it. The establishment of Carson National Forest on what had been Land Grant land had already altered the traditional pattern of collective ownership and community management of the forest. Grazing was being limited, and cash jobs were offered through employment at the sawmill. For a while this worked. Three generations of workers found jobs at the mill. Then in the 1980’s and ‘90’s, issues surrounding the Mexican Spotted Owl and other environmental concerns changed how forest resources were managed.

When Duke City Lumber, who ran the sawmills in Vallecitos and Espanola, saw that large trees were probably not going to be available again, they abandoned the area.

They donated the mill and the 20 acres it was on to Las Comunidades, a local non-profit formed to provide economic benefit for the VFSYU. The locals got a small supply of logs and ran the mill for a year, but it shut down because of poor management and marketing. The lack of access to timber from the VFSYU gave little reason to get the mill running again. For eight years the mill and Las Comunidades remained dormant.

The catastrophic wildfires in the summer of 2000 made it apparent that decades of suppressing forest fires had led to an unhealthy and dangerous accumulation of small trees that needed to be thinned by natural fires. Large amounts of material would have to be removed in order to restore the forest to a profile that could safely tolerate fire. It was necessary for environmental organizations and forest-based Colonial Spaniards settled this area in the 1600’s. For businesses to learn to work together. centuries, the forest communities of north-central New Mexico made subsistence use of the forest on a basis that Now there is a new revolution going on in forest combined the gathering of firewood for heating, with the management and the people of the VFSYU do not want cutting of trees for the vigas and latillas used in their adobe to be left behind this time. High speed Internet access homes, and lumber for building barns and sheds. In the has been slow in coming to these villages, but the youth summer they grew alfalfa, beans and chilies on the irrigated are comfortable with computers, and applications are acres in the valleys and grazed their livestock in the forest. becoming available that will bring science based forest In the winter the stock were moved to these same fields management to a new level. In 2005 Las Comunidades and fed hay while the people burned wood to stay warm. got a 2-year Community Assistance Program grant from No one had much money; they bartered for what they the National Forest Foundation to help it reorganize. It didn’t have. They did have the deep and almost spiritual also got a grant from the Carson forest that allowed local wealth of living in a beautiful and rich environment and youth to use a laptop-based GPS and a digital camera to having a closeness to the land that they protected, which in map and collect data for some of the area’s acequias. The turn provided for them. These remote valleys were some of information acquired and data files from the Forest Service the last islands of non-monetary culture left in the United and other sources have been assembled into a community States. geographical information system (GIS) that is being used to store, present and analyze many kinds of information It wasn’t until the industrial revolution and the railroads about the VFSYU.

The most current data on forest conditions has been obtained from satellite images and other sources by the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Analysis program at Northern Arizona University and has been incorporated into the community GIS. This past summer, youth trained by the Forest Guild in environmental monitoring established photo points and transects in several areas of the forest and have collected and analyzed water samples from the Unit’s rivers. Advanced computer modeling tools for the determination of fire risk and other aspects of forest and watershed health will be used as a part of a collaborative community forest planning process that intends to involve all interested stakeholders in planning for the future for the Sustained Yield Unit.

While the immediate focus of Las Comunidades is on the local use of forest resources, its intention is to serve as a regional source of “green” lumber, posts, vigas, latillas, mulch and other renewable products obtained from forest restoration and sustainable forest management.

John Ussery moved to El Rito in 1976 to practice “Appropriate Technology” with Peter van Dresser. As Program Director for Las Comunidades, he is addressing the application of current technologies to community involvement in forest management and resource use. Pricelists and additional information can be obtained from: Las Comunidades, P.O. Box 1234, Vallecitos, NM 87581; 505-629-4213

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A four-year Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) grant obtained from the Forest Service in 2006 has three objectives: 1. Establish local businesses based on the use of small woods; 2. Increase capacity to do science-based forest management, and 3. Stop exporting our kids, by providing meaningful careers.

A mobile post peeler was purchased with CFRP funds to take small diameter trees from thinning projects and turn them into posts and vigas. The chips from the peeling process have been used to create tubular mulch logs that can be used as a replacement for silt dams in erosion control. A portable Woodmizer sawmill has been put into operation for the custom cutting of rough-sawn lumber and beams until the main sawmill is rebuilt to handle the smaller diameter trees that can be sustainably harvested from the Unit. Craftsmen in the Northern NM College Spanish Colonial Furniture program were some of the first customers for the lumber produced. With assistance from the New Mexico Rural Development Response Council, the Four Corners Consulting Group and Microforestry Resources, Inc. have developed a business plan, and funding is being sought for the revival of the mill at a level that can create 15 or more permanent jobs.

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SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 66 Photo: (1905-1907?) Courtesy Palace of the Governors (MNM/DCA), Negative no: 046418 - Community House top of Puye ruins, NM

Honor Our Pueblo Existence (H.O.P.E.) A newly formed organization based on teachings of the past Marian Naranjo

the people for sustainability. As one Elder has said, “We are spiritual beings in human bodies here on earth for only a short time. We were put here to nurture and respect one another and to take care of the gifts from the Creator: the land, air and water. If we don’t take care of them, they will not take care of us.”

And so, we find ourselves at a perilous point in time where as human beings occupying this earth, we must unify with the common goal of recognizing our responsibility to re-create sustainability. One of the issues that concerns us greatly is the fact that for the past sixty-plus years, since World War II, we have witnessed the release of highly radioactive materials and toxic chemicals into our land, air and water by the Los Alamos National Laboratory. continued on pg. 68

Located in north-central New Mexico in the area known to the nineteen sovereign Pueblo Nations and archeologists as the Tewa Basin, the village of Santa Clara lies two miles south of Espanola, 15 miles north of Los Alamos and 30 miles northwest of Santa Fe. The name was bestowed by the Laying the foundation for the panté (oven) Photo: courtesy H.O.P.E. Spaniards in honor of the patron saint St. Clair of Assisi.

The original name, “Kha Po Owingeh,” place of the singing water, or place of the wild roses, is still used. The people of Santa Clara Pueblo claim their ancestry from the last migration from the Puye cliff dwellings, located to the west within the Jemez Mountains.

Within and around the four mountain ranges that surround the Tewa Basin are the sacred aboriginal ancestral homelands of the Pueblo peoples who have been the caretakers and guardians of these places for millenniaum.

Through historical events and adaptation to incoming diverse cultural styles of living, the Pueblo peoples have maintained life ways that were passed down from the ancestors as caregivers. Generational prayers give thanks with songs and dances for the gifts that were bestowed upon

67 SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008

Speaking Traditional Truth from the Heart with Soulful Presence

lives. Now threatened fearful living means for whom do we exist? How does the busyness of a job, money as power, get in the way of the fluidity of why we exist and for whom? How does the path, the journey of our inner energy, our soulfulness have the fluidity of purposeful living? If life has life-givers who give us the ability to live…who is most refreshing, cleansing, nurturing and in our bodies as we live?

Kathy Sanchez

I believe it is the sisterhood of water who has purposeful living, the fluidity to be about life-giving. We are of water, and water is of us as we exist together. This conversation gets crazy because in the last 60 years we have invaded and stopped the fluidity of dreaming of life. The energy for our sacred life journey is about to stop, for goodness is not there to receive it. We are on the continuation of the ended life because of the forced expulsion of its energy to do work for the culture of violence.

A cultural way of being which is about the destruction of life through the deliberate ending of life for us, for our life-givers and the very spirited existence for our Earth Mother.

Ong bi au’ging di…sengi thaa muu..

I am Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez, a Tewa lifelong resident from the Pueblo of San Ildefonso - P’owhoge Oweenge in northern New Mexico. It has been said in our oral traditions, “sharing of our ancestral roots connects us to our past, present and future.

Our children’s visions lie within the eyes of our hearts, so speak and live the truth from the heart in soulful presence.”

With my Tewa way of thinking and with the Euro-American ways of thinking, I can go back and forward in different perceptual thoughts and still live in two-world harmony most of the time. This becomes very hard in the absence of one without the understanding of the other, and life is lived as forgotten spirited beings living in a shadow world - the world of make believe, the TV land of illusions.

I am always reminded that I was born in the Atomic era because the male birthing of the atomic bomb was done in the early 1940’s in our most sacred ancestral homelands. I am now highly diseased with body ailments. Like its radioactive effects, it is not seen outwardly until it rots you from the inside first. Even as we have just had a birthday party here in my home for our 2-year-old grandson, and as the children playing outside come in for some food, I am reminded of a test that How soon we forget all visions, for things of this earth started found radionuclides at high levels inside our very homes. as pure energy. This energy, when combined with thought, is given the right to existence. Most of our thoughts are Each and every day, we have our whole genetic pool intentionalized in dream space. Thus dreaming brings forth contaminated, irradiated and threatened with genocide the life and the life-givers. The life-givers are the spirited beings because the nuclear war weaponry work done by the whose purpose is to help all of us of this earth have purposeful University of California for the Dept. of Energy and Dept. continued on pg. 69

Honor Our Pueblo Existence – continued from pg. 66

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 68

Because of our changing times, some of the cultural aspects of Pueblo life have changed. We are currently working with Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, another community-based organization at Santa Clara, where we are teaching and building outdoor ovens. These ovens or Pantè, the native name, are vital for women to provide bread in abundance for Feast Days and other functions of Pueblo life. The art of building with local mud and rocks is a sure way of demonstrating that sustainability was a teaching of the ancestors. This was also an accepted collaborative skill of the Spanish when they arrived.

The finished panté (oven) Photo: courtesy H.O.P.E.

The United States’ top-secret military/scientific mission, the “Manhattan Project,” was the beginning of the Atomic Age. Ironically, the place chosen for this mission was within the aboriginal, ancestral homelands sacred to the Pueblo Peoples. As time passes, knowledge of the true impacts to the environment and all that is living has revealed that the nuclear industry has produced a legacy that reaches all corners of the earth. Albert Einstein said, “To the village squares we must carry the facts of atomic energy. From there must come America’s voice.” He also said, “Science has brought forth this danger…that the real problem is in the minds and hearts of men.”

The issues range from uranium mining, processing and enrichment, man-made plutonium, pit production, weapons manufacturing, testing and deployment, transuranic waste, transportation of nuclear waste, non-proliferation treaties, cleanup of contaminated sites, congressional appropriation of funds, emergency response, Homeland Security, etc… the issues go on and on.

Honor Our Pueblo Existence (H.O.P.E.) assists in researching documents, and as an outreach component to tribal entities. It’s important for our tribal leaders to be able to see all aspects of the issues as they arise, in order to make educated decisions on how to deal with them. In the Pueblo world, the tribal leaders are the ones whose decisions ultimately represent the voice of the pueblo people.

The mission of H.O.P.E. is “Embracing the Pueblo teachings of love, respect and care, working together, improving the life ways of our people to provide an enhanced and sustainable environment for generations to come.” The work is networking and collaborating with many diverse organizations within New Mexico with the common goal of clean up and holding industries accountable for degradation of our land, air and water.

Since H.O.P.E. is a new organization, the Board of Directors and Advisory Council, which is composed of Elders, are developing a long-term work plan that will include a variety of projects.

Another function of H.O.P.E. is to network and collaborate with the traditional farmers. There is a great need to help protect native seeds against becoming genetically modified or engineered. Native seeds have been the life source of native people for time immemorial.

Marian Naranjo, a Santa Clara Pueblo tribal member, is the founder and Executive Director of Honor Our Pueblo Existence (H.O.P.E.). For more information you can contact her at (505) 747- 4652, e-mail: mariann2@ windstream.net, or write to Rt. 5, Box 474, Espanola, New Mexico 87532.

submitted photo

Speaking Traditional Truth – continued from pg. 67

In one indigenous community in Russia, its death rate has already exceeded its birth rate. They are to this date the study population. We, people of color who live near military, and/ or the nuclear chain and its industrial pathways, we are their disposable people.

We people who disregard or do not ask for our spiritual ancestral peoples’ guidance, we are in the belly of the beast.

This message came from our sisters to the south: “When you go home to the United States, we will pray for you,” they said, “Go home and wake up your brothers and sisters. Shake off the numbing, the pleasing effects of self delusion. Make Talk about groundwater...our underground rivers, aquifers, changes in your own backyards.” were once pure and in renewal all on their own. We are water beings as humans. Now water and we are in the You must change the heart of the beast. You must transform, service of protecting that business which is about death and transmute the beast that lives off our energy to sustain its own culture, the culture of violence. Wow…what a challenge. My destruction. daughter and I came back to tell our story. After some soulful How can we talk about how we are going to ensure safe consultation, and being blessed by my grandmother, yeya.. drinking water when the source of the known contamination poe tin, through Tewa Women United, our local women’s is protected from stopping its toxic business? As politicians organization, along with the other women who went to promise us safe drinking water, what are they doing to stop China, we convened our first annual Gathering for Mother the known source of this radioactive toxic life-taker? To talk Earth in 1996. Soulful solutions for our unhealthy relational about solutions is to be brave, and living from our life center, beingness for the life of air, land and water begin to happen. and using our “gut reactor” as a more realistic indicator than E.A.R.T.H. is an acronym for Environmental Awareness an easily rationalized brain matter. about Radiation, Transportation and Health-risk(s). This To this day, we indigenous peoples of the world must be in year in 2007 we will hold our 11th annual gathering. It is prayer with our Creator so we can see our children to the a multicultural gathering time for all peoples who share seventh generation and beyond have a happy, healthy and the vision for redefining, or reaffirming healthy relations, spiritually connected life with our Earth Mother, our visionary unpolluting and reclaiming space for systemic eco-sustenance. life giver. We need to give love and thanks, acknowledgement, All cultures of all ages are welcome to join the spiritual loving gratefulness, while we have a mother still common to all of energy for our Earth Mother to say to us... “be woe waa yee us. I feel my reactor telling me, “you go girl…walk your talk.” knee - Be with life.”

What is your gut reaction telling you without second guessing Our Creator gave us as earthly peoples multiversal systemic your interpretation? eco-sustenance for perpetuity. The fluidity of love, the color of I am grateful I was able to sit and listen to my great- peace, the breath of life, the sound vibrations of good thoughts grandmother Maria Martinez, “Quiyo.” Yes, Povika was in action carries forth life-affirming visions…Be blessed with an amazingly gentle, loving and kind person…she always life’s energy to be about life affirming relations. thanked the Spirit Woman of Clay for giving us the ability to have sustenance. My grandparents, Adam and Santana also I have seen whole towns bulldozed over because the nuclear guided me and supported me on my many journeys beyond facilities had major radioactive leakage into their water and our tribal lands...always in good thoughts, prayers for spiritual their lands became highly toxic to all life systems. We cannot guidance and protection so I may return home safely and be doing business as usual with our Mother Earth’s beautiful share with them the visions of heartfelt peoples from other blessings, for life is already our birthright. Be not afraid. Be brave and live from the center of your beingness. Kuu daa. homelands.

Thank you.

It was on one such journey to China in 1995 for the UN Women’s International Conference where my daughter Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez is a Corrine and I had a major inspirational awakening. Who native Tewa from San Ildefonso wouldn’t, after being with 30,000 powerful amazing women Pueblo, New Mexico. She is a from all over the world? Sisterhood, motherhood, ancestral community educator, a potter and Director of Tewa Women United, a and spiritual connectiveness all around us. gathering of Northern Pueblo Tewa We came to the knowingness of things such as the meaning women advocating for positive of the culture of peace in a global context, and shared stories social changes in sexual violence of how the culture of violence inflicts fear with threats of prevention and women’s leadership. terrorism, pain and suffering upon our global families here .roles and nuclear safety. and in other places. We had to open our hearts, strengthen our hearts to speak about and address the issues of radioactive harm, cancers, tumors and death.

Photo: courtesy Kathy Sanchez

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of Defense at the Los Alamos National Laboratory has never stopped. Today it is a for-profit business, profiteering in war weaponry designing, testing and production. Radiation was known to us as indigenous peoples many, many years ago in another lifetime. We knew of its damaging abilities. We left it buried and let the cosmic energies be in balance as our Creator intended at a great distance. How can this deathly use of radioactive manipulating be happening in today’s time?

Letting the supposedly highest level of technology be able to bring death and destruction to what was created to give us life?

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 72

An Interview with Joel Glanzberg

all come from far away, our hard-earned money does not stay in the local system very long, but flash floods away.

Most places get poorer while a very few get richer. We have created simplified systems that are one-directional.

Our systems work on a concentration of resources into few places. Nature works on equitable distribution.

SSF: What have we forgotten regarding our relationship with nature?

I want to point out something about this question. John Mohawk, Oren Lyons and many others say that this is not We have forgotten that every right has an equal responsibility. about our opinions or environmentalism. This is about the Every relationship needs to be reciprocal. Nature gives us laws of nature. If we disobey these laws, it is not just at our everything that we have. Nature provides us with a place to hazard, but also at our children’s hazard. be, air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat. Nature gives us beauty.

SSF: What will be required of the human race in order to reconnect with our Mother?

Different people phrase it differently. Essentially what is required from us is appreciation and gratitude. Whoever A piece of the answer is that we need to fully appreciate the we are in relationship with, if we are grateful we treat the love and beneficence of nature. It is incredibly humbling other very carefully and see what they need and do our and like any love, it is nourishing. I think we need to atone, best to provide that. Love and appreciation are the basis of and at the same time, humans need to learn to be more any right relationship. That is true for our relationship with humble and to see themselves as beautiful and amazing nature and with each other. We all like to be thanked, and enough to deserve the love and generosity of nature. The none of us likes to be taken for granted. later may be more challenging.

SSF: What are the non-negotiable laws of nature Often when young people are asked, “What is the most (universal truths) here on Mother Earth? necessary thing for human life?” The first thing they say is air. I am told that most traditional elders say prayer.

Different people phrase this differently as well. One way is a process called The Natural Step. All the laws of nature can Joel Glanzberg with the Traditional Agriculture / Permaculture course be viewed through the lens of metabolism. The earth is just at Camino de Paz Farm, Santa Cruz, NM like our bodies. Natural Laws have to do with the rate that things are metabolized.

We cannot take things from the ground and put them on top of the ground faster than the earth can metabolize them. That means oil, metals, anything.

We must live on current sunlight. When we use ancient sunlight, such as oil, it releases more carbon than the earth can metabolize.

Do not produce materials that cannot be metabolized.

This includes toxins, plastics, chemical herbicides or all the things our bodies read as estrogen that cause cancers.

We cannot have ecological justice unless we have social and economic justice. If peoples’ children are starving they will go and cut down protected forests if they think that it will help. In Permaculture we would say: share all surplus. In nature that is what everything is striving for, a complex distribution of resources, rather than concentrations in a few places.

One of the laws is that things work best as complex interwoven wholes rather than simple linear systems. This is because interwoven wholes slow the resources down by passing them back and forth. This is true in an economy as well as any ecosystem. When local economies were strong it was because we had mostly local exchange: a tight web of back and forth exchanges that enriched the local areas.

Now that most of our food, shelter, energy and other needs

SSF: Does Nature miss us?

SSF: Is there anything else you would like the general population of Santa Fe to think about regarding our That is a great question. Of course she does. We are her future? beloved children. Otherwise we would not be here. We are here as a necessary part of the community. Many traditional Yes, I think a big one is about young people. The most people say that the role of human begins is to give thanks. valuable asset any community has is its young people. Santa David Abram says, “The unique ability human beings have Fe has too few opportunities for young people to thrive. I amongst all other species, is our ability to appreciate and think we need to increase openings for young people in the fall in love with everything.” We can love a tree, a rock, a community. Authentically empower them to participate in mountain and a mountain lion. building a vibrant and desirable community. I think this is essential. We need to plan for the community of the future. Currently we are planning for an end game, large homes for people to retire to. We need centers for the community to interact, cross-culturally, intergenerational and across the economic stratus.

We live in a beautiful place with many wonderful people. We have an opportunity that many communities don’t have. We can lead and create a vibrant, thriving, regenerative community. What are we waiting for?

Joel Glanzberg has broad experience in environmental design and ecological restoration, particularly in the arid regions of the southwestern US and in Latin America. An active author and educator in the fields of permaculture and ecological restoration, Joel is skilled in cross-cultural communication. He is a graduate of St. John’s College and studied with Bill Mollison, John Todd, Rosalind Creasy, Gabriel Howearth and Gary Nabhan. For more information on Joel’s work, visit: www.regenesisgroup.com.

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One of the pieces is to look inside ourselves to realize that nature is just like us. That has as much to do with connecting There are many examples around the world of people with ourselves as it does connecting with nature. They are interacting with their environment (their home) to provide for their needs in ways that increase the health, diversity and one and the same. richness of the natural community. Nature misses human A friend of mine who lives in Coralles, John Stokes, tells beings playing their role. I view our roles as to love and a story relating to the last child in the woods movement appreciate beauty and to live in ways that enable that beauty (about kids not being in nature). He was talking with his to fully flower. friend in Hawaii who told him a story about being close to members of our families. How those that we see every SSF: How can we heal the damage that we have done? day we get close to, and those that we rarely interact don’t think like everything else it starts with oneself. Until we mean much to us. It is the same with nature. If we see her Ifeel like noble worthy beings, we won’t be able to act like we everyday we come to care about her and we feel her pain. If are. I think everything starts at home. So we need to start to we never are intimate with her we are oblivious and maybe look at how we live in our homes and in our communities. are even scared of nature. We don’t know her. And can’t I believe we need to start working on the health of the love her. That is partly why the damage or death of nature communities as a whole. Make where we get our food, means so little to us. It is because we haven’t had an intimate water, energy, and shelter from healthy sources. Examine and loving relationship with her. We didn’t grow up close how we can increase our local exchanges. I hope we can to her. reweave complex local economies and communities.

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Earth Day /All Species Day, Santa Fe 2007

All Species of the Earth Day, April 21st 2007 was sponsored & co-produced by Ecoversity in Santa Fe, a nonprofit educational center that explores and demonstrates sustainable living, ecological design and responsibility for wise stewardship of the earth. www.ecoversity.org. All Species Projects has produced 18 years of All Species Days and Earth Days in Santa Fe and around the world. The chautauqua-like events are built in public studios with school programs. The 2008 theme is “Fixing the Sky.� It will be held at DeVargas Park in the Guadalupe district.

To volunteer, join the stilt dance troupe or the Puppet Pageant Theater, contact: allspecies@earthlink.net.

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Agriculture Excerpts from

Eating Locally: A Panel Discussion

Presented by the College of Santa Fe

earn a good livelihood from agriculture and that they don’t have to work themselves to death, they don’t have to always be at the mercy of the marketplace in order to get a good price for the products. This is another part of this vision for a sustainable and healthy food system. And also that we are protecting the natural resources and the wildlife that are part of the food system.

As we look at the progress or perhaps the lack of progress when it comes to sprawl, we are loosing too much of that land. We need to make sure that it’s there in order to fulfill that vision. So I look at that as the basics of a sustainable and a healthy food system, and I ask are we there yet? Is that something we are close to? And I don’t think we are.

Most food travels 1200 miles or more before it hits our dinner table. Our food didn’t always come from so far away, and northern New Mexico has a long and rich agricultural history. This panel explores the economic, environmental and gastronomical impacts of distant foods and possibilities As you know, there is a divide between rich and poor, for strengthening the local food future of New Mexico. between those who are well educated and well informed and those who are not, and there is indeed a food gap in this Mark Winne area. I am amazed by the intensity of food consciousness in I think it is a good idea to do these kinds of events because Santa Fe, the tremendous resources here. Great healthy food the community becomes more engaged in finding resources stores, tremendous restaurants and one of the best farmers’ to support farming, support a more sustainable food system, markets in the country, certainly. Yet, at the same time there reduce hunger and food insecurity and becomes a part of is a tremendous amount of poverty, a tremendous amount the process for doing those things. of food insecurity, and there is a food gap: people who just aren’t able to afford the same healthy, great food that most I work for a national organization called Community Food of us are able to afford.

Security Coalition. It’s a non-profit organization based in California, but we are all scattered around the country It hasn’t been any secret that New Mexico always ranks near where we do our work. This group tries to bring together the very bottom nationally when it comes to hunger and all the elements of a community to make sure that it has food insecurity statistics in the country. 65% of our nation enough healthy affordable food available for everybody. is now obese or overweight. The problem is becoming more severe, more prevalent among young people. This is perhaps Another part of the vision is that farmers and ranchers can our greatest food problem, not so much hunger but obesity,

Panel Members

Mark Winne’s first book is “Closing the Food Gap Resetting America’s Table in the Land of Plenty” (Beacon Press, Jan., 2008)

Laurel Wyckoff New Mexico Association of Food Banks, Education Director

Miguel Santistevan New Mexico Acequia Association, Youth Program Director

Sarah Grant New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association, Executive Director

Willem Malten Northern NM Organic Wheat Project; Cloud Cliff Bakery owner

submitted photos except Miguel Santistevan: photo by Seth Roffman

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which really does threaten to reduce the life spans for the unlikely that there is healthy food there. first time for this generation of young people.

For years I lived in Philadelphia. One of the things we knew I don’t think it is enough as an individual or a consumer about the inner city was that the worse the neighborhood to simply say I want to be respectful of the environment you lived in, the less likely it was that you could have fresh and try to live my life sustainably, shop and eat sustainably fruits and vegetables in your store. There’s plenty of junk without also paying attention to what’s going on in other food in those stores. There are plenty of chips and pork rinds peoples’ lives. If they are not able to eat sustainably and to and things like that, but it is really hard to find fresh apples address the factors that create poverty and food insecurity, and such. So our mission is to obtain those fresh fruits and then I think it leaves a gap that we have to take responsibility vegetables. We do that in a lot of different ways… About to close. So we have to pay attention to what’s going on half of what we distribute are potatoes that we purchase around us, as much as how we live our own lives. from Navajo Agricultural Products, which is right outside of Farmington.

Laurel Wyckoff

I’m the Education Director of the NM Association of Food Banks. Do you know what food insecurity is? Let’s say you get your paycheck on Friday and you buy a whole bunch of groceries and it doesn’t last until your next paycheck comes. You might be food insecure. Let’s say you are not sure whether you are going to be able to feed your kids this weekend. If your kids go to the right schools they might come home with a backpack full of food, which is one of the programs that our food banks do. But that is what food insecurity is about. We are number two in the US in terms of rankings of the most people who are food insecure per capita. How many of you have ever used food stamps?

Don’t be embarrassed. Anybody ever use a food pantry or a soup kitchen?

And then what we do is take leftover produce that is maybe at the end of its life, which means we end up throwing a lot away. Some food banks actually have relationships with pig farmers. We should be doing more composting and that kind of thing, because actually we dump a lot of stuff. So far this year the Association has dumped a half a million pounds of rotten produce. And that’s not free. You actually have to pay money to put things in landfills. That’s why we are a non-profit. We have to raise funds all the time. Most of our funding comes through the state legislature.

About fifty years ago, and then all the way back into recorded history, in order to be overweight you had to be wealthy. That has completely reversed in our time, in our generation. In order to be slim, you have to be wealthy.

It’s almost impossible for a lot of people to afford healthy, fresh produce. So, when Mark was alluding to obesity as a problem, some people don’t understand how hunger and obesity can exist in the same person. There are a lot of reasons for that. One is that when you only have a very limited amount of resources with which to purchase food, you’re just going to go with the calories. The other reason is that (and this is something that has been studied recently by the Food and Agricultural Policy Council in NM) if you are in a rural place, it is highly unlikely that you are near a food source and if you can get to a food source, it is highly

I work for the New Mexico Acequia Association, which was started in the early ‘90s as an advocacy group to protect water rights in the acequias. We live in an interesting time now where water is being quantified and commoditized, which might be okay if we had a method that made sense.

But we are finding that when they were quantifying water, they were quantifying it during the wet years. In fact, the last 50 or 100 years by tree ring data and oral history of the pueblos shows that we have had more water in the last century in northern New Mexico than we’ve had for thousands of years. We do live in a desert, but no one alive today really remembers what this land is supposed to be like.

So we are not entering a drought, we are entering normal time. The only difference is we do not have a groundwater supply, a savings account that our ancestors had.

Another thing we do is the backpack program that I mentioned. Several of the food banks send kids home with food-filled backpacks on the weekends because we know that a lot of kids only get food during the school day. That a lot of people out. We also distribute the USDA It’s kind of standard that way food banks work every place. helps commodities The food bank association is eight different banks and is not cheese. for the emergency food program, and no, it they are all over the state: Farmington, Las Cruces, Hobbs, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Gallup, Clovis and Roswell. Each of those food banks has a region that they serve. We get Miguel Santistevan donations or purchase food, or we get it from distributors Good evening everybody. I started farming in 1993, and did or from grocery stores. And then we distribute it in New a community garden, studied biology, did a garden in the Mexico through 650 other non-profit agencies. So those South Valley, started learning about agriculture, then I went soup kitchens, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, to Chimayo and did farming. Then I pursued my Master’s church food pantries that may be open a couple hours a degree in Agricultural Ecology from UC Davis and wrote week, they all get their food, or most of them anyway, from my thesis on the native corn varieties and acequia systems food banks. But many of them also get food donations on up north and the agricultural ecology of the acequias. I also their own. The association’s work, the core of our mission, practice and teach Permaculture and have a ZERI design is to provide fresh fruits and vegetables, to people who can’t certification. So I am very interested in what would be afford to buy it. called sustainability and these food issues.

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The New Mexico Acequia Association is trying to protect the water and keep the water on the land, the area of origin we call it. In 1907 there was a court case that made it possible for a landowner to separate their water right and be able to sell it and transfer it to another use. Nowadays all the water rights are taken, so in order to have new use of water you have to transfer it from existing use. So all the developers have their eyes on acequia water rights because we own about 75% of the surface water rights. Now it is important to recognize that this is a paper water right. The State Engineer has about three times as much paper water rights as there is water. So his job is trying to catch up and they have their eyes on the acequia water rights. Why we think this is a conflict is, of course, obvious, but it’s deeper than that because the acequias are about a 10 or 11,000 year old institution started in the Middle East that came across Africa into Liberia, modern day Spain to central Mexico.

So we have a very old way of dealing with water and water shortage, the repartamento we call it, sharing water in times of scarcity. One of the central aspects of the acequia is we measure water in time. If there is a lot of water, then everyone shares the lot of water. If there is a little water, then we all take the shortage equally. A person who has 10 acres to irrigate, gets 10 times as much time as a person who has one acre of water right. But the State Engineer measures water in volume, so that’s the essence of the problem.

Our other perspective is, there was a treaty signed between the United States and Mexico, the Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848, which guaranteed the descendents of the Mexican people at that time, their property, which we believe is also our water. We feel like we shouldn’t have to engage in these types of discussions, but the law requires us to. So the New Mexico Acequia Association was set up to try and protect those water rights. It was a policy-based organization: going to the legislature, making provisions for the water banking, water transfer provisions, trying to work within the law to protect the water, keep the water on the land, keep control within the community.

of about 80% reduction in cultivated agriculture. I found storages of old dried out wheat. Those crops are all gone. So that is a concern.

But I do have faith in the young people, and so we started youth programming and we are working with youth in Taos, Mora and in rural watersheds, giving training in agricultural cycles. For example in January we clean the seeds, now in March we are going to clean the acequias. So we’re working with the kids on the agricultural cycle. Another thing I am working on is a food security assessment for watersheds, and conversations with the pueblos about our seed sovereignty.

Sarah Grant

I started working for the New Life Co-op, which was here in Santa Fe in the early ‘80s during a time when we were beginning to bring fresh organic produce from California.

This was just the very beginning of the organic produce movement. I was thrilled for a couple of reasons. One was, I was getting to eat food that really had taste in it again.

The other thing that was cool about the organic market, was that when you called the wholesaler in California, they would tell you who grew the product. Because back then, there weren’t that many organic farmers and all of them had names and all of them had farms. You could go to a map and find where they were. So I got into this great habit of always knowing whose produce I was eating. I thought that was really great. And then because I was working in New Mexico in this co-op, along about June and July these farmers would start coming into the co-op trying to sell us their stuff.

Until that point (I had only been in New Mexico a couple of years) I didn’t even realize that there was local produce here. I was eating nice organic produce, but it was all coming from California. So the great realization that we had a lot of agriculture in New Mexico was a revelation to me, and I began to get to know the farmers here and I got involved in the Farmers’ Market. I began to develop a local relationship with my agriculture. It was about then that I started to understand the acequia system, because where I came from it rained. I began to realize how very vital the acequia system is to our local agriculture, and literally without it, farming wouldn’t have survived.

See the acequia isn’t just a ditch that carries water; it is also a community. A person belongs to an acequia. It’s a democracy. It is a recognized political subdivision of the state. We have bylaws, officers and elections, and everyone who is on the acequia is required to participate if they want to use the water. Even if they don’t want to use the water, an Farmers’ markets over the last 20 years have just gotten to acequia goes through their land. So, those are the struggles be more and more of a community event. Here in New Mexico that was happening as well. Before that time a that we are having. lot of people were farming, but they weren’t necessarily I came on board two years ago. The reason I came on is I formalizing their sales through a farmers’ market. A lot have an acequia; I am a parciante, an irrigator. I have a farm, of the agriculture, especially the traditional agriculture and I am cultivating the crops that I found in my research. in northern New Mexico, was all based on barter and I found that we are in the midst of what in the literature families. You had a large garden and you grew this and your is called genetic erosion. I interviewed about 150 farmers neighbor grew that. So there was this sort of fabric of local up north, old-time farmers, intergenerational farmers. The agriculture that existed, but it was pretty informal and it average age was probably 50, 60s. I was looking at corn. was beginning to fall apart.

I documented all the crops that they remembered saving from when they were young until now. I documented 11 But, a hundred years ago most people got their food varieties of corn. Now there are four. I documented a loss from their local area. Over the last 100 years, with some

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incredible innovation like refrigeration and transportation, that whole fabric of local food has been disintegrating. So now we are all looking around going, “Oh! Fresh food is not really part of our life anymore,” and we’re beginning to see what we have really lost. The problem that we are facing is the disintegration of the fabric that supported that, at the same time that we have increasing population and so there are a lot of different pressures going against the resurrection of that fabric. It is not just going to happen like that (snaps fingers). It took 100 years or so to degrade.

Farmers’ markets are one little thing that is trying to reverse that trend. Unfortunately, as you’ve heard from Mark and Laura and Miguel, that isn’t enough. We need to have a lot of other things going on for food and farming to begin to be part of our lives again. In New Mexico, where we have these water problems and some real complications, there are a lot of people who will say, “Forget farming. We can get all of our food from California. And if it runs out in California, we’ll get it from Mexico. If it runs out in Mexico we’ll get it from Chile or Argentina.” There are so many different places where people can grow food more easily than New Mexico. Well that’s not particularly good news, especially if you want to eat fresh food.

There was an article in the New Mexican about how the French all look really good. The reason the French look good is that they eat fresh wholesome food. They don’t buy a lot of packaging; they don’t buy a lot of processing. You’ve got to say some great things for American ingenuity but we’ve put a lot of it into processing and packaging. So when you go to the store, a lot of your food dollar isn’t going to food, it is going to packaging and processing. So I would encourage all of you to start looking at what you are eating because it is the beginning of being able to then go out into the world and advocate for some of these other issues.

Having a more local agriculture would certainly make some big differences in that area.

thinking about money and you are thinking about food, just remember you can’t eat money, and that food is something that is going to be vital to all of us. I agree with both Laurel and Mark that we want good healthy food to be available to everybody.

Willem Malten

I am really glad to see so many young people here. We all know that things are falling apart and there is a lot of work At this point, there are a lot of issues that are going against to do. And so our challenge is to create an economy of a local agriculture. One of them is the rising costs of land. generosity with farming as its cornerstone.

I read this dismal thing today. It came in the mail. It says we live in a culture that produces more malls than high I am looking at this from sort of a businessman’s point of schools; more prisoners than farmers, and paves 267 acres view because I have to. So I look at it a little differently per hour. So if we are paving 267 acres per hour, we are than some of the speakers here. In the mid-80s I had a giving ourselves less and less potential for farming. And so small bakery on the railroad tracks, and for various reasons that’s when land development issues come up. On the one I became part of the farmers’ market. I was very involved hand, everybody wants another house. But when you look in organics at that time, thinking about organics and food, at it from the point of view of what we are doing to our and nutrition. future in terms of even having the ability to farm, 267 acres per hour is not giving us a lot of potential. And so for that Then, I believe it was ’91, Stanley Crawford, who was the reason, think about what you can do with development, president of the farmers’ market at that time, came up to think about how you can contribute to cluster housing, me and said, “you know, Willem, there’s actually some think about all the different ways that we need to preserve controversy about your being part of the farmers’ market as open space. …For the next 10-20 years, if we can just a baker because you are not a farmer.” I said okay. He said, keep land available and open so that we have the potential “You know it would make it a lot easier to make a case to to farm, we’ve at least held a place for a future where we will the farmer if you were to use local wheat.” That was kind of a shocking remark; it was one of those things that changes be able to feed everybody. your life in some way, because you realize, “why didn’t I …So from the point of view of our future, when you are think of that first of all and why am I not doing that? That seems so natural.” And so I started thinking about it. continued on pg. 84

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At that time there was a little magazine called The Farm Connection. Actually Sarah was involved in that. I wrote a note. I said, “I am paying this much money right now for organic wheat.…Is there any wheat being grown in this area that I could buy locally? Well, it was amazing how much response came from that one letter. It became clear that wheat growing had been a tradition in this area until the 40s.

In the 1800s, it was normal to have a lot of wheat growing here. People remembered their grandfathers growing wheat in Grants, Mora and other places. Also, what was very interesting was that someone sent us an article about the Chicago fair. It was an agricultural fair in 1880 or 1882.

And New Mexico (talk about genetic erosion) as a state sent in 250 different varieties of wheat by train! New Mexico’s wheat at that time was chosen to be the best wheat in the country. When we were looking around in the early 90s as to how many wheat varieties were grown in New Mexico, we really came up with one: Chicago 66, and that was it.

It wasn’t organic, either. And so, loss of genetic diversity or genetic information is a real problem. Most people don’t understand how it is a real problem, but it is. Because of things like dryland farming, only certain varieties will do.

So that was really interesting to see.

done is quantified organics in a series of rules and made organics available to much larger producers and much larger marketers. (This came in the mail: “Sam’s Club goes organic.”) But it has hollowed out the social dimension of organics, and the social dimension of organics is really family farmers; small plots of land, local production, local consumption. It’s very important to think about farming in a bioregional holistic way, which, at this point, I believe is more important than organic. Right now a business like mine is paying for the use of the word organic. I can’t really use it that much because it costs a lot of money. Even though all my flour is organic, I am only marketing the Nativo bread as organic because it is costly. Well this is really a wrong thing, I think. I think the way it ought to be is that the chemical producers should pay into a fund that charges taxes to people that pollute our water, pollute our resources and sell toxic food. If you want to do that, we’ll pay for it in such a way that it goes into a fund and is used for educating people as to how to produce organic, how to produce food without chemicals.

Right now one of the things that is very important is to support a local marketing opportunity that the permanent site for the farmers market will bring to this area. This is going to be a cornerstone for this community, I believe. …And so, as a baker I have tried to make something out It will define this community into the future. And it will of these wheat varieties that were grown here. What did also be an opportunity to do more wholesaling locally, really well was a flat bread like a tortilla…so I reinvented something that is needed… the wheel here! …Of course, eventually we started farming the varieties that work better for a place like mine because I One other thing about local farming…this ties into the didn’t make tortillas at that time and I still don’t…Initially acequias as well. If land is not in agricultural production, we were talking about wheat, but we had all these fantasies it looses its water rights over time. It is really important to we were going to do barley, different varieties of spelt. look at that and see it as a communal value. There are all All of those things are still in the process of happening. kinds of things that are good about it – the open space, the They take a lot longer than you think. But the idea was beauty of it, but part of it is tied into water rights and it is that wheat could also be feed for cows, for instance, or feed very important to see that. for chickens who lay eggs, and also be processed into straw bales for housing, something that is popular here. So it was Lastly, I think farming in northern New Mexico, it is a holistic idea. so small right now; it has to become bigger and more important. People say farming uses all the water. Well it’s Then also the idea of Nativo…right now, Cloudcliff makes really the larger scale farming and the dairy farming in the the Nativo bread. Luckily there are still some farmers who south that uses most of the water. The water that is being are growing the wheat. But the whole idea behind Nativo used in northern New Mexico is very little. I think farming was to come up with this brand name that would cover a in northern New Mexico will give us the opportunity to cut range of different products that would be locally grown. through divisions of the different cultures and set common goals for our community.

Why is locally grown so important? Why not stick with say, organic? This is a point I would like to make; I would like to Questions and Answers: make clear to you how important it is to have locally grown. Question: You’re talking about decreasing sprawl and Organic had a different meaning than it has now….Organic, trying to conserve the water. Yet, you look at the Santa Fe originally was not yet a word with a legal requirement community; 30-40% of the people who live here work in attached to it. In order to use the word organic, you have construction or in supporting construction. It seems like to subject yourself to certain laws. I wonder about that, if such a vicious circle. The people that work in construction that is a good thing in the first place. But, in the beginning, are not the richest people…so if you legislate against that organic was really kind of a subversive movement of small to try to promote agriculture, you destroy people’s jobs and farmers, a way for small farmers to compete with the large lives. How do you reconcile that? farmers. Small farmers who wanted to make their product stand out and be special...

Laurel Wyckoff: Infill. If you build outside of where there is water, sewer and roads, it’s not just jobs. All of us are Now, it is a very different situation. What the law has continued on pg. 87

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Artwork: Glen Strock

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of the population load on that agricultural situation.

Mark Winne: One thing we don’t do when we are planning, when we’re developing, when we are thinking about jobs and so forth, is thinking about food - where our food is going to come from. Food doesn’t get considered when we’re doing that planning, laying out design stage of putting our communities together. And as everyone has already said very well, food is dependent on water and other natural resources. It is all linked; it is one system that we have to consider. So I think that the answer to your question perhaps is we need to consider all of these things when we are making those bigger plans for what this community is going to be about.

Question: What do you think the role of subsidies should be with respect to agriculture in northern New Mexico?

I realize that subsidies have traditionally been directed at larger farming operations. The European Union gives us an example of a union that is now determined to give subsidies on a different basis, including for environmental purposes rather than for food production. Are organic farmers or just small scale farmers in the north receiving subsidies at this time and do you think they should?

Miguel Santistevan: Another thing I would like to add is that I am sorry for Santa Fe, that it has already been lost.

Santa Fe had 28 acequias. All of the land on the southeast side of Alameda was irrigated land. As far as the rural areas go, infill is also happening, but on the irrigated land. But see in these communities, especially in Rio Arriba County, northern Santa Fe County or Santa Cruz, a watershed that has our most secure irrigation water because of the Santa Cruz Lake is getting infilled incredibly, but it’s because it’s landlocked by the BLM and in our other communities of Rio Arriba, it is landlocked by the Forest Service.

All of those lands used to be Merced lands, common lands of the land grant system. When the Spanish set up the commons here, set up the land grants, it was against the law to build on irrigated land. The only thing you could put on irrigated land (and there was a bureaucracy attached to it) was a corral or a barn. And only your initial construction of the defensible plaza, was in the middle of the watershed there. That’s a suitable location. But after that, all the houses had to be on the outside of the acequia on your worst land because your best land was reserved for agriculture.

Often times I engage in this discussion of what is sustainability. Sustainability was here. The Spanish with their thousands of years of cultural exchange had figured out a system of how you can exist on the land and have access to all the resources and for the plan to develop in the community. That’s why you see plazas all over. Where’s the difference between Cortez, La Puebla, Chimayo, Rio Chiquito… All of those little plazas were established because

So there had to be a situation set up. The BLM was established to manage our land, take care of our land for us until we were able to take care of it ourselves. And we keep asking them, when are you going to give our land back, especially in terms of the Santa Cruz watershed? We need that land for housing so we can free up the agricultural land. That’s something we are working on. With land commissioners we are trying to do exchanges between federal land and state land and create affordable housing on state land and give conservation easements on agricultural land to people.

It’s a complicated situation that would be simple if we had seen how this area was established for hundreds of years before it became the United States.

Sarah Grant: I definitely think they should. I think that would be one of the best investments that this country could make, to subsidize young farmers who are committed to farming for the next 5 to 15 to 50 years. One of the biggest agricultural issues that we face in this country (and there’s a lot of big issues in agriculture) is there are very few young farmers. And one of the reasons is, it is very difficult to make a living farming. If you are a regular farmers’ market shopper, you can see that from time to time you lose an old farmer; they die. That’s to be expected. But last year in Santa Fe we lost five young farmers. Most of them are moving, and they probably will continue farming somewhere else.

But they left the area because they couldn’t afford to farm here. And so, how do you make it so that young farmers can afford to farm? As far as I’m concerned, subsidies would be a really good idea.

Willem Malten: Rather than talking about subsidies, I would like to talk about community investment. That is really important, whether it is through education into farming as a viable lifestyle or also into simple processing of more value-added activities really close to the farm or really centralized, that would be good. The farmers’ market building for instance, I think that it should be a community investment. Indirectly it subsidizes farming in northern New Mexico, but I think opportunities like that we should take as a community and see the value of those.

Mark Winne: There are different ways it can be done.

Holding land in perpetuity so that it will be available to future generations for farming is one way to provide a subsidy, such as purchasing easements and development rights for that land to protect it. I also think we need to look at how to revitalize the agricultural infrastructure. So that

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paying for that. I live in Albuquerque. We’re building all over the west side where there is not water, sewer and roads so all of us that live in the city are paying for that sprawl.

And the other thing that happens with that sprawl is that it contributes to the cycle of poverty. It is not possible to live in a sprawling community without a car, without car insurance, and so there is another big chunk of your budget that you could be using to pay your rent or buy your food, and look at what is happening to gasoline. Also, sprawl is a health issue because if you don’t have transportation, you can’t walk anywhere. As soon as I moved away from a city to the West, where there was no public transportation, I gained weight immediately; it is a health issue also. Yes, you are right, in the short term the economy changes, but we can’t build houses forever.

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we can do processing, do slaughtering of animals. We have lost a lot of that over the years, so it is harder for farmers to get to the scale they need to be able to operate in order to meet consumer demand. Sometimes that infrastructure costs more than the farmer can pay, so we’ve been making some proposals to rebuild our local food system by developing or redeveloping our agricultural infrastructure.

A third way to actually subsidize farmers is to subsidize low income families who aren’t able to buy good healthy food.

If we have enough funding available for those families to go to farmers’ markets and other locations where farmers are selling their goods, it helps provide a good market opportunity for farmers and provides additional sales.

Miguel Santistevan: There are some small farms like Don Bustos,’ which are able to get those programs. …Something like the 5% of the largest farms are getting 90% of what’s coming out of the farm bill. I concur with what everyone else said. I would just like to add that those subsidies are our tax dollars. We should have the opportunity to decide how those dollars are spent. And to expand upon the idea of land… I have a dream, a wish, that in each one of these watersheds I am working, that we could get 10 acres of land and put it in a conservation easement and just know that it’s there for future farming and then develop the programs and the workforce to work that land to do food banks, seed banks, off of that land, and employ local kids connected with the schools.

Mark Winne: I think the idea that we build community wealth at the same time that we are trying to meet our own food needs… they are related, and that the idea that there is some form of community investment, as Willem suggested, is important. We don’t always have to rely on that big fix from the outside coming in and taking care of our problems, maybe creating new problems we hadn’t anticipated, taking a lot of money out of the community.

As your market study indicated, you take any small place, no matter where it is; there are a lot of food-buying dollars because everybody does buy food. I think the task is how you mobilize that wealth so that you provide additional benefits to that community while meeting your needs at the same time.

Question: I haven’t heard much on transportation. With fuel prices as they are, this would seem to drive the idea of buying more locally, or more bioregionally. What are some of the things that you all are working on that have to do with transportation issues?

Miguel Santistevan: ...We had what was called camalaches, where in the harvest everyone would get together and share the harvest. Now it is hard to have a camalache because a lot of times the people are growing the same things that are important to them, like chicos. Everybody is growing white and blue corn who appreciates chicos and they are probably not going to sell it because they are growing it for themselves or they are selling it directly to people that know they have it. …So what we are doing in the Acequia Association is, within these watersheds we are getting these

farmers together and saying, “alright now we have the growing season coming so let’s coordinate; let’s make sure we are all growing something different that we can trade at the end.” That’s a local thing that indirectly addresses what you are talking about. We’re not saying, “how do we get these farmers to market in Santa Fe?” We are saying, “How do we get these farmers to market to each other?”

It’s kind of like they did before WWII. That’s when things really started to change around here.

Audience Comment: Having been a farmer and having eaten almost exclusively from our own place, I would like to see farmers’ market buildings have root cellars and storage areas because right now Santa Fe has a market and you can get leafy greens and beets and certain things, but squashes and root crops, to get a really balanced meal, you have to have storage. Up in the Tierra Amarilla area where our farm is, people used to have root cellars and smokehouses and those kinds of things, and now they are just bulldozing them all away. One of my dreams was to have a big root cellar where anyone who was producing could get a locker. You shouldn’t have to stop eating local foods because it is winter. We didn’t. I had a root cellar that kept things until April, with no energy because it was 9 feet underground. So, I don’t think it is just about having a place where people come to shop. We need to think about the whole process.

Question: This panel has talked about the benefits of fresh foods over processed packaged foods. My concern for people today is that the skills to prepare these fresh foods and basic foods are being lost and I’m just curious as to how your organizations are addressing that.

Sarah Grant: I would say that the issues of people not knowing how to cook is getting to be an issue at farmers’ markets because as customers get older and older there aren’t new young customers replacing them. The young customers kind of cruise around and go, “well, what do I do with that?” Some of what farmers have done to try to deal with this is to put groups of foods together and then include recipes. So if you buy a salsa package, it has everything you need to make salsa including the recipe... everything you need. But it is an issue also if you go into supermarkets. I’ve worked produce departments for a long time, and 15 years ago, we didn’t have salad mix. Most people nowadays don’t buy lettuce, they just buy the bags.

And that’s just one thing. Most produce departments you go to now have whole walls of bags that have everything you need so that nobody chops, nobody in some ways has to wash… You just pour it into the pan, which is “cooking” with a little less involved than a lot of us are used to. As long as people feel like they don’t have time they are going to make choices they feel save time. Which is why packaging and processing is so much of what you buy with food. The whole Slow Food movement is based on people being amazed at the response that they get if they actually sit down and enjoy their meals.

Artwork: Glen Strock

Then we have another food security program where we are hosting seasonal resolanas. The resolana was a place where the old timers would gather on the north side of the plaza and in the winter on the south side. It was just where they would hang out and discuss what was going on in the community and tell stories and things like that. So we’ve been hosting these resolanas and getting the old timers to come out. We set up mics and just get the conversation going. It’s a potluck. We ask everyone to bring traditional food and we talk about the food that we are eating. That is where all the stories start to come out. That’s what we are doing to try to address what you are talking about.

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Miguel Santistevan: To address that question, the mentorship program that I mentioned only went to June, but once we get to August we are going to be making chicos, we are going to be having a matanza in the winter.

We have one of our mentors lined up. He almost had given up until we invited him to our conference. He got so inspired, he went home and went through the whole process of making posole, cooking the pot in the horno and all that, because he was so impressed with the youth that we had at this conference. Then he came back to me and he said, “I’m going to show your youth how to make posole.” So that’s one way we are addressing it with our mentorship program.

Traditional Agriculture Permaculture Design Course In July 2007, for the twelfth year, the Traditional Native American Farmers Association sponsored a 10-day Permaculture design course.

Instructors Clayton Brascoupe and Louie Hena of Tesuque Pueblo led a group of 25 participants from indigenous communities of Canada, the US, Mexico, Central and South America. They visited a variety of sites in northern New Mexico, where expert farmers and ranchers taught them native agricultural techniques as well as sustainable approaches to garden design, nutrition, medicinal plants, habitat restoration and appropriate technologies. The students also went rafting on the Rio Grande and attended a feast day at Santa Ana Pueblo.

The course was created to address environmental and health problems within native communities. A central tenet of Permaculture involves using the expertise and materials you already have on hand. Young leaders from past courses have gone back to their communities with important knowledge and experience that has enabled them to work on recovering local food systems. Some have continued their studies and have gone on to earn degrees and develop enterprises.

For more information, contact: the Traditional Native Farmers Association, P.O. Box 31267, Santa Fe, NM 87594; 505-983-4047; email: cbrascoupe@yahoo.com Sites pictured include: NambĂŠ, Picuris Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Embudo and Tesuque Pueblo.

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New Mexico Food & Seed Sovereignty Alliance In October 2007, the Tesuque Pueblo Agricultural Resources Department, along with the Institute for Natural and Traditional Knowledge, hosted the second annual Symposium for Food and Seed Sovereignty. These symposiums brought together internationally renowned speakers with local and regional experts to discuss traditional agriculture, food security and the rights of farmers to grow and save their native seeds. Speakers have included Onondaga faithkeeper Oren Lyons, Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Winona LaDuke, founding director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project and the late Iroquois Seneca elder, educator/ farmer John Mohawk. In 2006, Dr. Vandana Shiva, a physicist, ecologist and author from India had confirmed but was unable to attend at the last minute.

doesn’t abide by fences.)

These corporations can identify their patented genes in conventional and organic farmers’ fields and sue for patent violation, even though in most cases the farmers did not want or intend for their crops to hybridize with the GE crops. Many farmers John Mohawk have been sued and have lost their land and seed stock. Hundreds more have even committed suicide over this issue in countries such as India.

Through passing tribal resolutions, several pueblos have recently prohibited genetically engineered crops on tribal lands. In 2006, a seed sovereignty declaration created by the New Mexico Acequia Association and the Traditional Native American Farmers’ Association was endorsed by the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council and the All Indian Pueblos Council. It then went on to receive the endorsement of the National Congress of American Indians. The County of Rio Arriba also passed a resolution, and in January 2007, the Santa Fe County Commission unanimously approved a resolution in support of seed sovereignty in northern New Mexico.

In Dr. Shiva’s article, The Second Coming of Columbus, she compares the imperial conquest of the Americas – which reduced the number of natives from an estimated 72 million to 4 million In response to the resistance of in a few short centuries – to today’s educated consumers and their efforts byv global corporations to potential to pass these sorts of local hijack the world’s food supply with ordinances and resolutions, 15 biotechnology. “When Europeans Gil Vigil, former Tesuque Pueblo Governor states (including Arizona and Texas) first colonized the non-European have been “pre-empted” by the passage of “Monsanto laws” world, they felt it was their duty to ‘discover and conquer,’ in their state legislatures.

These laws take away the rights of to ‘subdue, occupy and possess,’” Shiva wrote. “It seems cities and counties to create “GMO (Genetically Modified that the Western powers are still driven by that colonizing Organism) -Free Zones” or “GE-Free Zones.” impulse to discover, conquer, own and possess everything, every society, every culture.”

In March 2007, the Food & Seed Sovereignty Alliance, As part of this effort which includes Tesuque Pueblo’s Tribal Council, the for domination, Traditional Native American Farmers Association, the New corporations have Mexico Acequia Association and others, attempted to get patented many life a memorial passed in the New Mexico State Legislature forms, including in support of indigenous farming, seed saving and food genetically engineered security. House Speaker Ben Luján and Senator Carlos (GE) crops that they Cisneros introduced twin memorials. They spoke of the have created. GE crops state’s historical debt to the many generations of farmers have the potential to who have planted and harvested native seeds. contaminate natural species through In addition to stressing “the importance of seed-saving to Miguel Santistevan with hybridization. (Pollen our communities, cultures and traditions,” the memorial, as Dr. Vandana Shiva Submitted photo

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Symposium participants marched from Tesuque Pueblo to Pojoaque Pueblo in support of traditional agriculture and native seeds.

originally written, referred to “corporations manipulating seeds, animals and wild plants through genetic engineering by cross-species manipulation of genetic material, the effect of which on the environment and on human health has not been studied adequately and is not well understood.”

Shortly before the memorials “Recognizing the Significance of Indigenous Agricultural Practice and Native Seeds to New Mexico’s Cultural Heritage and Food Security” came up for a vote, lobbyists from chemical companies went to work. At the NM Department of Agriculture’s request, Rep. Andy Nuñez of Hatch introduced amendments to the It also said, “Corporations are patenting genetic material memorial so that most references to corporations’ activities and the processes of with regard to genetic genetic modification, engineering were and corporations deleted. The New have claims on seeds Mexico Food and that prohibit farmers Seed Sovereignty from continuing the Alliance allowed seed-saving practices” the amendments of our ancestors. even though local legislators assured The memorial went them that the original on to point out language could pass. that, “Genetically The alliance felt that engineered crops victory had been have escaped into achieved by educating the environment and New Mexico have contaminated legislators on the native seeds and wild importance of plants,” and then Future leaders from the Santa Fe Indian School attended hearings for the memorial at this issue to their noted, “corporations the NM State Legislature. Photo by Louie Hena constituents and by have sued individual farmers when corporate-owned learning from whom and how resistance to the memorial genetic material has drifted to neighboring fields and would emerge. crops.” This was apparently a reference to Monsanto and other corporations who have attempted to control and The alliance is also working with the Anishinabe in sterilize (as in “terminator” seeds) agricultural systems that Minnesota in their effort to protect wild rice from GE are not dependent on their seed, fertilizers and pesticides. contamination, and with native Hawaiians to protect taro from GE contamination and corporate ownership. In Monsanto subsidizes departments of agriculture in state addition to advocating farmers’ rights to save seed that is free universities all over the US. The corporation (who has been from GE contamination, the alliance advocates consumers’ seeking to merge with another of the world’s largest seed rights to know what they are eating through proper testing companies, Delta and Pine Land) has been a major funder and labeling of foods containing GE ingredients. of agricultural research at New Mexico State University, which is a partner with the New Mexico Department of For more information, contact the New Mexico Acequia Agriculture.

Association: 505-995-9644 or www.lasacequias.org.

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Sustainable Honeybees

To bee or not to bee – That is the question!

Melanie Margarita Kirby When we think of sustainability, do insects come to our mind? Is their role in our daily lives part of our consciousness?

For those in agriculture it certainly is. Beneficial insects are often overlooked and yet routinely depended upon without society’s awareness. Our food production is possible because beneficial insects help pollinate food crops as they nourish us with their natural, medicinal, healing products.

Current agricultural practices are in a transitory phase: a phase for the better we all hope. Sustainable practices involving the care and production of beneficial insects are happening all around us in the Land of Enchantment. The Southwest Survivor Queenbee Project is an endeavor aimed at establishing a reliable honeybee stock resource that has been chosen by beekeepers for beekeepers. It is a stock that is naturally hearty, pest and disease resistant, gentle and productive. The New Mexico Dept. of Agriculture, Western SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research Education) and Zia Queenbee Co. are collaborating on this first-ever statewide beekeeping project.

NM beekeepers have chosen for NM beekeepers, the Land of Enchantment is a step ahead in preventing outside pests and diseases from killing off our bees and overtaking the region. NM is also a step ahead in promoting naturally healthy honeybees, honey and crop production.

The process begins by selecting the right breeding contenders. Honeybee hives that exhibit high production, pest and disease resistance, gentleness and endurance are selected. Mating yards are placed in suitable locations along the Rio Grande Valley. Spring begins with the honeybees in Las Cruces. Following the bloom north to Belen, Santa Fe, Velarde, Peñasco and Taos, las abejitas help pollinate our nutritious crops: desert wildflowers, mesquite, onions, apples, berries, cotton, chile, melons, alfalfa and clover.

Even all the ornamental plants in our front and backyards, on the medians and in business parking lots, provide forage for honeybees. In turn they pollinate and help spread Mother Nature’s seasonal cycles from bloom to fruit.

Knowing the nature of the honeybee and their ways is imperative. Raising honeybees is a specialization of beekeeping. Most folks think beekeepers focus mainly on honey production, yet not every year promises a harvest.

The art to keeping bees healthy and productive is rooted in genetics. Honeybees come in different races. Some races are suited for cooler climates while others are acclimated to tropical locations. By establishing a statewide genetic pool of honeybee stock that is acclimated to our diverse high altitude southwestern climate, beekeepers are able The aim is to network regional beekeepers so that an to promote their livelihoods and hobbies with naturally interchange of experience, information and practical proven practical techniques, ensuring that friendly, healthy, productive bees surround our communities. techniques can be shared along with quality stock.

Honeybees are not native to the Americas. In fact they come from Europe. As time has elapsed and lifestyles and livelihoods have changed from agricultural-based to information-based, so too have the honeybees changed. They have migrated and interbred. Their current “disappearance” in various regions is causing alarm as to the status of our natural world and the amount of toxins being distributed by humans and industry. New Mexico is one of a handful of states that has not yet experienced this phenomenon.

New Mexico is also free of various pests and diseases that have afflicted honeybees in other states. Why is that?

Grafting of selected breeder stock requires the transfer of days-old larvae floating on royal jelly into colonies that do not have a queen. The nurse bees therein care for the grafted larvae and feed them royal jelly. Looking like peanuts in their shell, they are capped and emerge 12 days later as virgin queens. Within a week, they take their mating flight and mate with as many as 12-18 drones. Although this process only happens once in their lifetime, they will be able to lay eggs for the rest of their lives (between 3-5 years).

Harvesting of queen bees follows a strict calendar, one that

Are we truly “enchanted?” Does our enchantment lie in our high elevation and lack of open water? Our soil alkalinity keeps the Small Hive Beetle at bay. NM has low numbers of Varroa and Tracheal Mite infestations. We also have not been infiltrated by Africanized honeybees like our neighbors to the west and east. Why is that?

The answer lies in our relationship with the ecosystem. As stewards of our lands, resources and health, it is imperative for us to be innovative and cooperative in our endeavors to promote life and livelihood. Eating quality foods through sustainable production and enhancement of our lands is the foundation. By rearing quality honeybee stock that Melanie Kirby explains beekeeping as Mark Spitzig and Roxanne Swentzel listen.

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Mother Nature has been crafting since the beginning. Newly mated queens are harvested and distributed to colonies in need of replacement mothers, new colony splits and those looking to diversify their stock. Diversified honeybee genetic stock promotes higher varied disease resistance and longevity of the generations.

By striving to reduce toxic chemical applications for pest and herb control, and by looking to facilitate natural cycles through biomimicry, integrated pest management and organic methods of sustainable food and fiber production, we are assisting in the perpetuation of our own existence.

We are able to experience not only the now and revere the past; we also help promote a future higher quality of life for all our neighbors and ourselves: two-legged, four-legged, finned and winged.

Zia Queenbee Company’s home base is in northern New Mexico, nestled halfway between Santa Fe and Taos along the Rio Grande. Beekeepers Mark Spitzig and native New Mexican Melanie Kirby are dedicated to learning and sharing information about conscientious reverence and management of honeybees.

Visit www.ziaqueenbees.com.

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Food Farming the Future Kenny Ausubel

build true food security. Going local is no longer going to be patted on the head as a nice aesthetic flourish or the periodic pleasure of experiencing more community in our lives. Just contemplate the fact that global warming’s impact on California’s national breadbasket, the Central Valley, could easily produce salt-water infiltration of the water table. Far greater food self-reliance is likely to become a matter of survival and resiliency in the face of a collapsing environment and infrastructure.

The snow was so deep that our big dogs were in over their eyeballs. They couldn’t even move through it, and these beasts will brave anything for their beloved walk. They had to follow in the trench-like tracks my wife and I forged using every ounce of strength just to push a few breathless feet at a time. More weird weather. Climate change kicking in.

Expect the unexpected. Expect extremes.

The only constant in nature is change, and we’re in for big turbulence. Our ability to adapt will be the make-it or break-it factor. Evolution’s path is littered with extinctions of all those who didn’t adapt. In nature the greatest source of resiliency in the face of change is diversity. In other words, hedge your bets. Employ multiple strategies. Rely on diverse sources of subsistence. Create redundancies. Have a backup.

Plan B is just the beginning.

Fortunately the weather service predicted the three-plus feet of white stuff blanketing Santa Fe and northern New Mexico. We live in the mountains outside Santa Fe, and we had stocked the fridge and pantry for days ahead. Fortunately we didn’t lose electricity, unlike many others around town.

Give thanks.

After the blizzard in New Mexico, our little community’s rural roads were cleared quickly, whereas much of Santa Fe remained buried and immobilized for as long as a week in some places. Why? Since the county doesn’t service our little mountain community, we created a neighborhoodbased snow plough operation. In other words, we got by collectively because we didn’t rely exclusively on the system.

Along with our fellow snowbound New Mexicans, we soon learned that northern New Mexico has all of three days’ worth of food on store shelves. The only ones able to move food around successfully were Wal-Mart and to a lesser extent Whole Foods. I had felt uncomfortably vulnerable visiting Hawaii knowing the islands had only three days of food and water on hand. But New Mexico? It’s likely a similar situation where you live.

Everyone checked around with neighbors to make sure folks were covered. Our true social security is woven in community, which is also what we hunger for as the highly social animals we are. Restoring community is where the dream also lives.

Bioneers launched a new project in 2007 called Dreaming New Mexico. The idea is for New Mexicans to collectively dream the place in which we want to live, to envision a positive future. As Black Elk said, “Without a vision, the people will perish.” So often we’re caught up in the daily struggles of stopping all the bad stuff from happening that we don’t step back to ask ourselves what we really want.

What are we working for? What is our dream?

In the course of our research, we learned that New Mexico is number one in the country – nice to be number one in something, right? Except in this case it’s food insecurity. We then discovered that the federal definition of food insecurity essentially boils down to proximity to a grocery store, or poverty. As Bugs Bunny used to say, “Ain’t it amazin’?!”

No mention of climate change and its effects on an inconceivably brittle, centralized agro-industrial infrastructure. No mention of rampant topsoil loss, or water shortages, already severe in the Southwest and elsewhere.

No mention of lands and waters poisoned by agricultural chemicals. No mention of the vulnerability posed by impoverished crop biodiversity, or threats from disease vectors. No mention of high oil prices and their escalating effect on food costs in a state where any definition of food insecurity means 300,000 people already go hungry every year in a population of only two million.

I’d call it policy insecurity, or more accurately a policy of deep insecurity. We have a long row to hoe to begin to

If we’re to successfully navigate the radical changes ahead, what we’re really looking at is nothing less than the redesign of our entire civilization, from the technological to the cultural. On the functional plane, that’s going to require a lot of new infrastructure, which we badly need anyway.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our current infrastructure a grade of “D” and we can expect it to be coming apart on a regular basis. This new design equally invites us to cultivate the social capital in our communities.

Successful models of human resilience consistently arise in communities with a strong social fabric, including working relationships over time.

One thing we know we’ll need is a lot more farmers and food producers. Our farmer population has not only shrunk precipitously, it has also grayed. The seeds of future farmers are our young people. They need education from an early age rooted in a strong connection to land, place and food.

They need a support system to succeed for the long haul.

Call it farming the future.

School programs starting at an early age that focus on gardening, cooking and the ecology of food are essential ingredients for farming the future. Some of the greatest signs of hope are embodied in the kinds of exemplary work and leadership shown by the Center for Ecoliteracy and the Alice Waters Foundation, practices that have spread exponentially across the nation over the past ten years. These programs also cultivate connection to community and place, which is exactly what we’re going to need to slip through this evolutionary keyhole of history.

We’re going to need big new crops of farmers and a wild diversity of approaches. We’re going to learn again how to be intimately specific to our place. It’s survival of the fittest in the way Darwin meant it: elegantly fitted to our precise time, place and food supply – perfectly adapted to local conditions and culture. Survival belongs to those who best adapt, to those who are most resilient.

It’s going to feel like pushing through three feet of snow, and it’s going to be a long and winding trek across generations. We’re already making some of the paths others can walk toward the dream, toward our many dreams. Other dreams will blaze brilliant new trails. The dreams are already within us. One day we might just awaken to find ourselves living in our wildest dreams.

May it be so.

Kenny Ausubel is the Founder and Co-Executive Director of Bioneers, which hosts an annual conference that seeks solutions to the environmental, economic and social crises facing the world.

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Yet at six billion and counting, we’re not going to feed the world exclusively from family farms. Leading-edge, highproduction models are also crucial, such as John Todd’s elegant biomimetic solar greenhouses that ecologically grow large volumes of fresh fish, vegetables and mushrooms. Such facilities are well fitted to localization and regionalization, scaling from neighborhood-based production to export markets. They can further serve as eye-opening experiential educational tools that adapt natural principles to serve human ends harmlessly.

How many young inventors are going to light up at the invitation for innovation to realize the dream of a truly sufficient, ecological and just food system? How can we support them to succeed?

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The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Prepares for the Future Sarah Noss The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007 as the state’s oldest and largest farmers market. It provides a commercial venue for 150 agricultural producers from 15 northern New Mexico counties and is considered

by USA Today and Sunset Magazine to be one of the top ten farmers’ markets in the country.

But for all its history and significance to farmers and consumers, the Market has suffered from having to move within the downtown area five or six times over the course of its existence. In 2002, after having already moved three times in ten years, the Market was told that it would have to move again when the Railyard Park would be developed. It was becoming increasingly clear to the Market’s Board that eventually the Market would be forced to the outskirts of town as development slowly filled in the remaining open spaces in the downtown area.

The Institute has come a long way since its formation, and has been quite successful in securing the future of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market in downtown Santa Fe. First, an 80-year lease was signed for a lot in the heart of the north Railyard District, guaranteeing the farmers a prime location for generations to come. After a quiet campaign which raised $2.1 million from state and foundation sources, the public campaign was launched last summer, and total fundraising for the permanent site now stands at over $3.2 million toward the $4.5 million total project cost.

In August 2007, construction began on the nearly 26,000 square foot Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Building. Completion is slated for late April 2008. The facility will contain leaseable office and retail space to generate revenue to cover all the operating costs of the building – and generate a building maintenance fund – so that rates won’t go up for the farmers.

Because buildings create more than 50% of the earth’s greenhouse gasses, the Institute is seeking Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification, a program of the US Green Building Council.

All water will be harvested from the roof. Solar panels will heat the building and provide hot water. Over the course of construction, up to 50% of construction waste will be salvaged or recycled. Recycled materials will be used in the construction, as well as local and regional materials extracted, processed or manufactured within a 500-mile radius of Santa It was at that point that the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Fe to promote local economic development.

Institute was created to serve as the Market’s nonprofit arm.

In addition to securing a permanent downtown location, its The indoor environmental quality will be improved through mission was to 1) create programs to support the region’s the use of low-emitting materials including paints, coatings, agricultural producers; 2) educate consumers; and 3) help adhesives, sealants, carpets, wood and agrifiber products. make it possible to get farm fresh food to as many people as Water-efficient landscaping will reduce outdoor use by 50%. possible.

Ambient lighting will reduce the use of electricity during daylight hours. These and other innovations will make the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market building the first LEED certified Groundbreaking for the new Santa Fe Farmers’ Market

• A microlending program for farmers is also under development through the Permaculture Credit Union. The average income of a farmer in New Mexico is $10,000 a year. Northern New Mexico farmers, where the majority of New Mexico’s small farms are located, need help to build greenhouses and buy new equipment. The Institute is now working to raise the principal for the fund and promote the program to the farmers.

Over the last five years, New Mexico has lost more than 500 farms and 200,000 acres of farmland. Some of this is due to development, and some is due to the fact that farmers are aging and selling their agricultural land to provide retirement income. The Institute would like to provide estate planning to farmers to help them plan for leaving their lands in production.

We’d like to work with land trusts to show them how to create agricultural easements. Because farmers are aging, it’s important for our food future to bring interns who can learn from the current generation of farmers. Professional development for the farmers is also important to help them create business plans to grow their businesses and learn about innovations that can help them be more productive on their farms.

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new construction in the Railyard District, and also the first of It’s amazing to see how the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market has grown and changed over the last 40 years. In 1967, a handful its kind for a farmers’ market in the country. of farmers were selling out of their trucks at St. Anne’s Church.

What everybody loves about farmers’ markets in general is the Now the Market has grown to serve more than 180,000 people annually with over outdoor, funky ambience, $2 million in sales. With the and that won’t change for the creation of the permanent Market once it moves to its site, which will create a yearnew location. It will still be round venue for agricultural held outdoors during good sales, the need for further weather, but the building infrastructure to support will also provide a 10,000 northern New Mexico square foot Market Hall with agricultural producers has big garage doors that open to become real and pressing. the outside. Some vendors The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market will want to set up indoors and the Santa Fe Farmers’ to protect their perishable Market Institute are poised produce during the hottest to move into the future to months, and the Market Coss and Congressman Tom Udall were among the enrich and sustain the food, Hall will also be a big hit for Mayor speakers at the kickoff for the new farmers’ market building. farmers, culture, land and the Winter Farmers’ Market, providing a light-filled, comfortable space from November community that are at the heart of this wonderful institution. through April when the weather is prohibitively cold and Please join us in this important and exciting work! blustery.

Sarah Noss is the Executive The Farmers’ Market Institute is also working to support Director of the nonprofit Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute. the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market in a variety of ways.

For more information, visit: • A food stamp program at the Market began in the late www.santafefarmersmarket.com/ summer of 2007. In New Mexico, Electronic Benefit institute Transfer (EBT) cards replaced paper vouchers for food stamps several years ago. Before that time, fresh fruits and vegetables were purchased using paper food stamps at several regional farmers’ markets on a regular basis. Since the change to the EBT system, food stamp recipients have not had access to the reasonably priced, fresh, locally grown produce offered at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, and Farmers’ Market vendors have been unable to market their products to food stamp recipients. In Santa Fe County, there are more than 4,000 families and 8,600 individuals on food stamps who are eligible for assistance.

Santa Fe Farmers’ Market

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Farm to Table Le Adams and Pam Roy What would the world be like if we all had to depend on food production from our local area? Last winter’s intense snowstorm gave us a taste of what happens when the food trucks don’t run. Farm to Table is a local organization that does its part to keep agricultural awareness on the front burner.

This Santa Fe-based organization’s mission is to enhance the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers in the Southwest while encouraging communities to participate in “buying local” at their farmers’ markets and stores. FTT provides innovative educational programs for farmers, consumers and children to help improve their understanding of farming, eating locally and increasing regional sustainability. FTT focuses on linking local production to local needs by improving communities’ access to nutritious, affordable, locally grown, culturally significant foods. FTT works in three areas: educating children about where their food comes from by providing hands-on experiences and local produce for school food; helping to improve marketing opportunities for farmers and ranchers; and, food and agriculture policy initiatives.

Farm to School and Farm to Cafeteria

Poor eating, sedentary lifestyles, overweight people – these are current concerns of health providers, the media, and just plain folks. Almost 30% of children in New Mexico are overweight, obese or at risk for being overweight. Nutrition-

related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease are occurring in a younger population. Eating in an unhealthy way affects discipline and the ability to learn in school.

FTT’s Farm to School Program in New Mexico is working with numerous organizations to help alleviate this problem.

With some children eating two of their daily meals at school, the logical place to start working on this problem is in our school cafeterias. Being able to provide locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables to children is one solution. Healthy children also mean lower medical expenses for parents and the state.

There are about 1,035 Farm to School/Cafeteria programs in 35 states at this time. Programs and organizations such as Farm to Table have been recognized nationally as leaders in this work. The Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Taos school districts are purchasing NM grown fresh fruits and vegetables seasonally. More than 100,000 schoolchildren are benefiting.

Resources that you can request are the Farm to School in New Mexico Report, a FTS Directory of Farmers and School Food Service, and a general FTS Video to share with your community.

Food and Agriculture Policy

Farm to Table initiated the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council in 2002 to provide a forum for a broad-based group of organizations, agencies and individuals to work on food and agriculture issues. The Policy Council’s membership includes representatives from the fields of health, social services, agriculture and environment.

New Mexico suffers from the first or second highest level of food insecurity in the nation. Although agriculture is the third largest state industry, few legislators or the general public understand the links between food insecurity, health and agriculture. To further address these issues, Farm to Table and the Policy Council partnered with the NM Task Force to End Hunger and the NM Tribal Extension Task Force to find out more about rural communities’ ability to access fresh, nutritious, affordable and culturally significant foods.

As a result, Farm to Table and partners will be working with rural communities to implement Farm to School/Cafeteria programs, strengthen farmers’ markets, provide marketing programs for farmers and ranchers and develop grocery store and transportation options.

Southwest Marketing Network

A third program area of Farm to Table is a regional partnership called the Southwest Marketing Network. The purpose of the Southwest Marketing Network (SWMN) is to improve the economic viability of limited resource farmers, ranchers and organizations in the Southwest.

Farmers and ranchers are provided with business management tools, marketing strategies, technical and financial assistance, crop insurance information and peer examples needed to improve their marketing success. The ultimate purpose of the Network is to increase the viability of farms, ranches and food enterprises. To do this, Farm to Table and the SWMN provide training and technical assistance programs and assist communities in program development. An example is a partnership with the New Mexico Tribal Extension Task Force to assist Native American communities in the development of farmers’ markets. The SWMN also provides quarterly newsletters to 3,400 participants and an annual conference with workshops and tours.

For more information about Farm to Table contact: Le Adams and Pam Roy, Co-Directors or Tawnya Laveta, Program Associate.

Le Adams (r) is the Program Director of Farm to School/Cafeteria and Pam Roy is the coordinator of the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council. Both are steering committee members of the Southwest Marketing Network. Farm to Table staff have years of experience in farmers’ market development, and organizational and program development. They can be reached at 505-473-1004.

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New Mexicans benefit from the Policy Council’s advocacy for policies like better school nutrition and increased business opportunities for farmers. As part of its Farm to School/ Cafeteria efforts, the Policy Council worked with a broad based group of agencies, organizations and legislators to pass legislation in 2005 that ultimately led to removing junk food from schools. Currently, the Council is working on legislation to provide additional funds for New Mexico schools to buy fresh fruits and vegetables for lunch and snack programs. The legislation encourages the purchase of New Mexico- grown produce, thus benefiting the farm economy while providing children with healthier choices.

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Native Foods Summit

and the Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University.

In May 2007 more than two-dozen farmers, ranchers, educators, conservationists and historians came together at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe for a two-day event sponsored by Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT). RAFT is a consortium of seven nonprofit organizations dedicated to preserving some of America’s disappearing foods. The organizations include: Slow Food USA, The Chef ’s Collaborative, Seed Savers’ Exchange, Native Seeds/SEARCH, the Cultural Conservancy, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

About 63% of historically documented American crop varieties have disappeared from cultivation, RAFT says, not only diminishing potentially life-saving crop biodiversity but also losing the important cultural legacies tied to the growing, harvesting and eating of these foods.

RAFT is working to establish stronger links among Native American farmers, ranchers, fisherman and foragers on one hand, and consumers, Native American chefs, caterers, their hotels and museum cafeterias on the other.

It was appropriate that the event was held at the Institute for American Indian Arts. The four-year tribal arts college is planning to launch its Native Foods in Culinary Arts Project in the fall of 2008. A new building with classrooms and cafeteria is under construction. An IAIA press release

says the school “is focused on revitalizing the cultural knowledge and methods of growing and preparing food integral to Native American life. The partnership with RAFT and exposure to leaders in the native food movement at this event is a natural fit with the aspirations the college has for its native culinary program.” Tomas Enos, Ph.D., adjunct professor of Ethnobotany, said that the curriculum has been designed and some Native gardens have been planted on campus.

For more information, contact RAFT: www.slowfoodusa.org/raft

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On the first day, the Native Foods Summit featured talks by local and national food conservancy activists, chef demonstrations, food sampling and information and sales booths. The second day was a Native Food Producers’ retreat, where the group explored regional strategies for strengthening of native foods and marketing. Sourcing practices to foster the sustainable production of native foods on tribal lands was one of the topics of discussion.

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Santa Fe River Update Mayor David Coss This past spring, when Santa Feans enjoyed months of consistent flows in the Santa Fe River, it was a reminder of what a healthy river offers our community. Kids played, families picnicked and people from all neighborhoods walked our river’s banks. During those several months, the river seemed active and very much alive.

months. While there are still many challenges to work through as we strive for sustainable water policies in Santa Fe, this 1,000 acre-feet will be the first designation of water to a river anywhere in the state.

Last March, we reestablished the Santa Fe River Commission to provide recommendations on flows in the river, the River Trail, corridor restoration, storm water effects, community education and budgeting. We received broad continued on pg. 108

Connecting our city from Upper Canyon Road through La Cieneguilla, a healthy Santa Fe River will reestablish our namesake landmark, be a place for our families to gather and be an indicator not only of the state of our watershed but also the health of our community.

In the past year, the city of Santa Fe and our community have taken some long awaited steps toward restoring the Santa Fe River. I proposed that 1,000 acre-feet of water be dedicated to the Santa Fe River by Spring 2008 through adoption of the city’s Long Range Water Supply Plan. This means that we will have enough water to keep riparian vegetation alive in stretches of the river during the summer

Like Money, Like Water:

Investing in the Santa Fe River David Groenfeldt

(L-R) NMHU Professor Emeritus Gerald Jacobi, Water Resources Coordinator Claudia Borchert, SF River Commission Chair Max Coll, Mayor Coss and Members of the SF River Commission visit the watershed

Since the 1940s there have been periodic calls to keep the river flowing year-round. But our citizens became accustomed to seeing the river go dry and accepted the conventional wisdom that storing all the water in the reservoirs was the only sensible way to manage a river in a dry climate. Meanwhile, the rest of the world began to recognize the long-term benefits of healthy rivers, particularly in dry climates like ours. The arid countries of Australia and South Africa adopted laws in the 1990s mandating that an environmental flow be maintained in their fragile rivers. The European Union followed their example in their new water law of 2001. Here in America, most of our neighboring states, including Texas, Colorado and Arizona have taken steps to protect a minimum flow in their rivers.

Water is like money; it needs to circulate, to flow. Stagnant water loses its vibrancy, becomes polluted and breeds disease. Moving water is cleansing, purifying, liberating.

There is a message here for our river. Our Santa Fe River also needs to flow. It needs to be itself. And just like money that circulates through a community, from the grocer to the plumber to taxes and to schools, bringing But New Mexico has remained virtually silent on the issue more benefits as it moves, so too our river needs to flow in of protecting riparian health, other than for meeting the order to bring us the benefits that it has to offer. nationally mandated Endangered Species Act. Fortunately, the city of Santa Fe has the flexibility to set its own water Last April 2007, our Santa Fe River was designated as the policies, since we have legal rights to most of the water in most endangered river in America by American Rivers, a the Santa Fe River. We, the City Different, can choose a national river advocacy group. Our river was awarded this different path. distinction because of our habit of impounding 100% of its water in city reservoirs, leaving no water at all for the river itself. We have become the nation’s poster child for unsustainable water management. continued on pg. 109

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Water

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Santa Fe River Update – continued from pg. 107

and enthusiastic interest in the Commission, showing that In June, the teens on this ¡YouthWorks! crew showed me Santa Fe is truly ready to take on the task of restoring this their work and taught me about their methods. As we resource. walked along an arroyo, I watched them pick up trash that they may not have noticed six months ago. But today, they We continue to commit to two significant ongoing feel ownership over their parks and river. They care about collaborative river projects with the County. The Santa the wellbeing of their environment and are working hard.

Fe River Trail Corridor Project is well underway and This collaboration has shown how committed our youth can will provide, by this coming January, a complete design be when given the right tools, support and opportunity. for river restoration and the River Trail between Camino Alire and Siler Road. Additionally, the Army Corps of Since early spring, the crew has removed more than Engineers Santa Fe River Watershed Study will provide us 300 bags of debris, disposed of bio-hazardous waste and with important water management information, focused managed vegetation within the Santa Fe River watershed. primarily on storm water effects on the river, and it will open Using natural materials, they are building bioengineered up opportunities to federally fund improved storm water erosion control structures that maximize water infiltration. management projects in the Santa Fe River watershed.

This new way of thinking will prevent the type of erosion that was exacerbated Additionally, we by cement structures recently launched built in the river in the council-initiated past decades.

Santa Fe River Fund, a way for residents to While this project contribute donations marks the renewal toward the purchase of physical river of water rights for the restoration efforts, it river. These donations also helps these young will be matched dollar people learn to respect for dollar by the city. their environment, More information earn GEDs and obtain can be found on your job skills that will open utility bill coupon or on more doors. the city’s website The Santa Fe River Commission (www.santafenm.gov) by following the “Santa Fe River” This momentum to restore our river shows what can be link under “Hot Topics.” All community members, whether accomplished when young people of all walks of life come they are a utility customer or not, can make regular or one- together – when city, county and community organizations time donations. collaborate – when we integrate education and workforce development – when we address public safety by providing We continue to provide funding for the Adopt the opportunities to our youth – when we tie the well being of River Program, coordinated by the Santa Fe Watershed our environment to the well being of our social fabric.

Association and the city’s Parks, Trails, Open Space and Watershed Department. This program pairs business We are institutionalizing, for the first time in our city’s sponsors interested in funding river maintenance with history, a holistic approach to restoring our river. Our community members who volunteer to regularly maintain community is ready to see the river. To become a sponsor or to volunteer, contact the healthy plant and wildlife Santa Fe Watershed Association at 820-1696. habitat reestablished. We are ready to secure the riverbed The city expects to spend $1.5 million dollars on the river and banks to reverse existing in the next year, nearly three times the amount budgeted damage and prevent future last year. Making the river a top priority for the 2007 deterioration. We are ready State Legislative session, we were successful in receiving to see the river’s flows expand $700,000 dollars for the river between Camino Alire and across its bed rather than Frenchy’s Field Park. With these and other expenditures, carve a deepening ravine. you can expect to see significant progress on the River Trail We, as a community, are and associated river restoration and stabilization projects. ready to come together across neighborhood lines and Perhaps the most exciting and inspiring river related governmental jurisdictions accomplishment this year is the City’s collaboration with to create a living Santa Fe ¡YouthWorks! This youth conservation corps project is River.

Mayor Coss – submitted photo precisely what is needed to provide our young people with a future in Santa Fe while including them in building that future.

From Hoarding to Investing

to treat wastewater as far upstream as possible and then release that water into the river. Collectively, these and other measures could provide plenty of water to restore regular flow in our Santa Fe River.

Instead of hoarding the water in our reservoirs, we can invest that water in a way that will do the most good for the most people (and nature) for Mayor David Coss’s the longest time. We use proposal for 1000 acre that hoarded water until feet for the river in 2008 it is depleted. This gives is an important signal us about 40% of our total that our city’s water city water needs. Then we policies are making a longpump water from our local overdue shift towards aquifers for another 30% sustainability.

But and groundwater from reforming our policies the Buckman area for the requires a shift in the remaining 30%. If we way we as a community invest a small flow of water conceptualize our river, from the reservoirs, instead our watershed and our of hoarding every drop, use of water. The Santa we would be recharging Fe River died because we our local aquifer, while at assumed there was no the same time providing other way of meeting our a minimal flowing river water needs. The city’s new for our community. With water policies that aim for a bit of water, our river sustainability must be well would benefit not only understood and supported its own aquifer, which it by the whole community needs to do, but would in order to be sustainable also benefit us, the people through the inevitable of Santa Fe, as well as droughts of the future.

The new Camino Alire bridge over YouthWorks rockwork along the Santa Fe River the Nature of Santa Fe – the trees and shrubs along the river that provides habitat for wildlife, Australia is facing the worst drought in recorded history, yet their laws protecting the environmental status of rivers and the water that provides habitat for bugs and fish. (even ephemeral streams) remain in force, mandating that By investing water in the river, our reservoirs would have at least pulses of water be delivered periodically to safeguard greater effective storage capacity. When the rains come and plants and aquatic life. We the snows melt, there would be more room in the reservoir need a similar commitment to store it and we would have fewer episodes of high volume to safeguard the long-term emergency dam releases. Instead, we would have a smaller health of our Santa Fe River. but steadier flow in the river, which is more effective for Whether our commitment recharging the groundwater, and more beneficial to our comes from legal mandates, community’s quality of life. The returns to our water environmental ethics, or investment would be healthier aquifers, a flowing river and long-term economic selfinterest, we need to start more effective storage capacity in our reservoirs. looking at our river in a Along with this water investment strategy for our river, we new way in order to pass also need to establish some other supportive strategies: (1) on a sustainable water a conservation strategy to use less water in our homes and future to our children. gardens, (2) a water harvesting strategy to capture and use the water that falls on our rooftops (this could amount to David Groenfeldt is the equivalent of a 3rd city reservoir, at a fraction of the Executive Director of cost, and without the need for new water rights), (3) an the Santa Fe Watershed submitted photo infiltration strategy to maximize groundwater recharge Association. 505-820from storm events, and (4) a wastewater reuse strategy 1696, www.santafewatershed.org

Water Conservation

Total water use in Santa Fe has decreased significantly in the last ten years, from more than 11,000 acre-feet per year to 9,600.

Three major city construction projects – the Railyard, civic center and southside library have been designed as models for water

conservation. All three incorporate a mix of water conservation and water harvesting strategies.

The city of Santa Fe’s Water Conservation Office offers rebates for water efficient washing machines and hot water recirculators.

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Like Money - continued from pg. 107

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In a good water year, the city of Santa Fe gets most of its water from the 17,000acre watershed, which is fed by melting snow and rainfall. This is the source of the Santa Fe River, which flows through the Nichols and McClure reservoirs and then is pumped to the city’s treatment plant for processing. In August 2007, the reservoirs were about 85% full, compared to 2002, when they hovered around 20% for much of the summer. But even with two wet summers and a snowy winter, municipal wells are being pumped and the deep aquifer is still low.

The city is adopting a new water supply plan for the next 40 years. Claudia Borchert, the city’s water resources coordinator, explained that the plan focuses on three main alternatives: finding new water rights, increasing water conservation and reusing effluent. It is hoped that, for the most part, Santa Fe will be able to sustain itself by using surface water, largely made up of springs and snowmelt, instead of drawing from wells, which slowly lower the aquifer level.

Conservation and tree-thinning efforts to reduce fire danger in the watershed are continuing. The watershed has been closed to the public since 1932 in order to preserve its ecology and protect against vandalism or terrorism.

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Santa Fe Watershed

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Acequias: Cultural Legacy and Grassroots Movement Paula Garcia Driving down a rural highway in northern New Mexico, you are certain to come across a valley with acequias. Unless you are deliberately looking for an acequia, you might not see one. But someone with a sensitized eye could see the green ribbon of farmland, cottonwoods and willows.

You might notice the kitchen gardens, occasional crops of corn, grain or vegetables, or the more common fields of pasture or alfalfa. Simple in their design, earthen acequias move water from a common source, a spring or a stream, through a delicate network that feeds fields that have been nurtured for generations. These humble, community-based irrigation systems are integral to a land-based way of life that has sustained families in New Mexico for centuries and have inspired many newcomers to embrace the acequia culture.

Acequias are part of an ancient legacy of water civilizations. Their roots extend back thousands of years to the arid-land peoples of present-day India “Acequia Madre” by Glen Strock and the Middle East. The word acequia is of Arabic origin meaning “bearer of water” or “that which quenches thirst.” The acequias of the presentday southwest combine Moorish tradition inherited by Spain with the irrigation and agricultural techniques of the Americas. The food traditions associated with the acequias are a rich expression of the synthesis of peoples and cultures that have sustained them over the ages. Along with ancestral Pueblo and tribal water harvesting and irrigation structures that endure as part of New Mexico’s landscape, acequias further shaped the landscape and formed the basis for settlements of mestizos, genizaros and mexicanos (collectively referred to as the Indo-Hispano people).

In the United States, acequias are unique to New Mexico and Southern Colorado, although in other areas of the present-day Southwest, remnants exist as artifacts from an earlier era. Their resilience in New Mexico and Southern Colorado can be explained in part by the fact that acequias continue to be vital to the spiritual and material existence of the communities of the region. Thousands of families continue to derive all or part of their subsistence or livelihood from their ranchitos, small-scale farms and ranches. More importantly, acequias endure in large part because of attachment to place, the miracles made possible with water and the cultural longing to continue ancestral practices and pass them on to future generations.

The deep cultural place acequias have in our communities can be explained to some extent by their communal roots.

Generally, acequias were established as part of the community land grants under Spain and Mexico (although some were established during the territorial period, they continued to be founded on the same principles). Under that system, the communal or collective ownership of property was well-established and a concept that was inherently compatible with the lifeways of land-based people.

Families owned their suertes (the long lots that comprise today’s smallscale farms and ranches) and the remaining lands, vegas (meadows/wetlands) and montes (mountains), were for the use of all the community. Before the advent of barbed wire fence, livestock grazed throughout the mountains and valleys as a herd under the watchful eye of a shepherd.

Acequias were established within this worldview, and the notion that water is a community resource permeates modern-day acequia practices. The Indo-Hispano villages faced tremendous challenges to survive in such a water scarce environment. Bringing water to crops by constructing an acequia was one of the first priorities of establishing a community. Water scarcity was an ever-present challenge.

Over time, these communities evolved unique customs of distributing water based on the fundamental principle that water was essential to live and that it had to be shared for the common good. Today, this practice, which is referred to as the repartimiento or reparto, is one of the most

it made rural communities subject to having their water rights base eroded at the hand of a water market that favors the movement of water to entities and regions with greater economic power.

The communal view of land and water was confronted with Manifest Destiny through westward expansion of the United States, which culminated in the US war against Mexico. Although the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the agreement between the US and Mexico that marked the end of that war in 1848, guaranteed the rights of the Mexicans who remained in the ceded territories (including New Mexico), the vast majority of mercedes or common lands were expropriated through privatization of incorporation into the US federally-owned lands. This loss remains vivid in the collective memory of the Indo-Hispano people of the region.

Throughout most of the state, acequia customary practices continued uninterrupted for several decades after statehood despite these sweeping changes in water law. This changed in the 1960s. Acequia parciantes (irrigators and water right owners) were named as defendants in water right adjudications. Two decades later, acequias organized themselves into regional associations to unify for common defense in these lawsuits filed by the state. These acequia leaders were on the forefront of preventing the forfeiture of water rights by the state due to errors in mapping and of defending acequia water sharing customs. It was an exceptional effort and an important chapter in the land and water rights movement in New Mexico that is often overlooked.

Although elders have passed on, many of these leaders continue to defend acequias in these seemingly endless adjudications.

For the acequias, the course of history has unraveled differently.

Although acequias are also communal institutions, they remain largely intact. The water rights or derechos owned by families were attached to their suertes or ranchitos In the 1980s acequias and were not expropriated became active on another in the 1800s, as were many front: protesting water of the community land transfers. Pressures to move grants. The Territorial Water water from agriculture to Code of 1850 codified the new development began to basic principles of acequia mount with unprecedented governance including the population growth and democratic election of the urbanization. Acequias in mayordomo and the practice their respective communities of sharing the water among were actively engaged in acequias that share a stream filing protests to applications system. However, later water to transfer water rights codes and eventually the out of acequias. Like the laws enacted with statehood leaders defending acequias in changed the nature of acequia adjudication, those resisting water rights in fundamental Acequia photo by Miguel Santistevan the commodification of ways: • Prior appropriation vs. custom: Water law in the water asserted that water was vital to community survival western United States is based on this doctrine, which is and integral to the cultural heritage of the state. Results were summarized as “first in time, first in right.” For acequias mixed, but it was clear to those seeking to transfer acequia it was a mixed blessing. It seemed to conflict with the water rights, such as developers, that acequia leadership repartimiento but it also conferred a relatively senior status, would be vocal in their defense of their culture and way of and therefore an implied protected status, of acequia water life. rights. Fortunately for acequias, water sharing customs are still recognized in state law, and these customs exist even In the 1990s the acequias came together to form the Congreso de las Acequias, the federation of regional associations of within the statewide framework of prior appropriation.

• Transferability of water rights: According to acequia acequias that form the governing body of the New Mexico custom and tradition, acequia water rights are attached to Acequia Association. The Congreso includes regional the land, and the right to use water is conditioned on having delegations from 22 different regions of the state where good standing in the acequia by meeting responsibilities acequias are organized (or in the process of organizing) for cooperative maintenance. However, the water code associations of acequias at the watershed level. Over 500 and later case law explicitly defined acequia water rights acequias are represented by these regional delegations. as transferable. This left acequias vulnerable to a piecemeal dismantling of the collective attributes of water and labor In the 2000s, acequias sought to restore greater recognition needed for the ditch to function. In the broader sense, of acequia governance in state law and actively mobilized

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enduring characteristics of the acequias. It is the day-to-day embodiment of the belief that water is life. It is a living example of a community-based response to the scarcity of a precious, life-giving resource.

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to challenge the commodification of water. Since then, the New Mexico Acequia Association has effectively mobilized to define and pass several pieces of legislation:

• The Nuestra Cosecha project includes an intensive food system assessment based on numerous interview and community meetings as well as statistical information. Findings of the food system assessment will be presented at policy roundtables and will serve as the basis for making policy recommendations aimed at improving the economic viability of small-scale farming and ranching.

• Water Transfer Regulation: The transfer of water rights is a wellestablished concept in state law. In order to restore some local decisionmaking, state law was amended in 2003 to recognize the authority of acequias • The Sembrando Semillas project is to institute a decision-making process geared toward creating a new generation for water transfers out of acequias. of acequia parciantes who have a strong This new law is a historic affirmation feeling of querencia (love of place) and of the importance of retaining local Photo by Miguel Santistevan who have the ability to be advocates for decision-making over water. the acequias in years to come. The project engages youth • Acequia Water Banking: This law, passed in 2003, in hands-on learning experiences with traditional farmers authorized acequias to operate “water banks” to promote and ranchers serving as mentors. The youth produce digital conservation and shield water rights from loss for non- storytelling pieces about their experiences. use. Water rights not in use are documented and then incorporated into the irrigation schedule for the other Additionally, the NMAA is engaged in strategic alliances users. Water rights “banked” in this way are shielded from on issues of great concern to farmers and ranchers. One is the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance, a the “use it or lose it” provision in state law. collaboration with the Traditional Native American Farmers • Acequia Easement Enforcement: Acequias have historic Association to increase the cultivation of foods that are rights-of-way that must remain accessible to continue spiritually and culturally meaningful to our communities to function as community-based systems. The law was and to protect native seeds from genetic engineering. amended in 2004 to provide enforcement tools acequias Another collaboration is Communities for Clean Water, which includes several groups that advocate cleaning can use to protect their easements. up and preventing contamination by • Acequia Governance Los Alamos National Education and Laboratories.

Training: In 2007, the State Legislature Our ancestors might not appropriated funds for have imagined the extent education on acequia of work done today just governance to aid in to protect the acequias. the implementation Through their dedication of recently passed laws to collective work and and to update acequia governance, our current bylaws, the governing generation inherited documents required of a remarkable legacy each acequia.

Los Hermanos Penitentes performed a water blessing on Acequia Day unique to the presentday Southwest. But even Also, during the 2007 at the 2007 NM State Legislature. legislative session, the NMAA hosted the first ever Acequia more important than the advocacy and movement building Day at the New Mexico State Legislature. Over 500 acequia are the parciantes that are living the culture by irrigating their parciantes and supporters attended a water blessing ceremony. crops and continuing the cultural and spiritual traditions The day was memorialized with SM 35, sponsored by Phil intertwined with the acequias. All of those efforts collectively Griego and a special certificate from House Speaker Ben make up today’s acequia system. But not forgotten are those Lujan recognizing the significance of acequias. Since then, who for countless generations the NMAA has formalized the Acequia Governance Project, with their energy, prayer, laughter, the purpose of which is to retain local ownership and control and work left their imprint on the land. of water rights by strengthening local acequia governance.

All of these activities are a manifestation of the deep commitment on the part of acequia leadership to address the root causes of the greatest challenges facing the acequias. While most of this work has focused on water rights, recent initiatives of the New Mexico Acequia Association address other fundamental issues including the need to strengthen and rebuild local food systems and to engage younger generations in agriculture.

Paula Garcia is Executive Director of the New Mexico Acequia Association. For more information, call 505-995-9644 or go to www.lasacequias.org.

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Water Quality Water Purification Options Stephen Wiman

Drinking Water Availability

We are all aware of how precious water is in Santa Fe. Figure 1 illustrates how precious fresh water is on Earth.

Although about 71% of our planet is covered by water, 96.5% is saline ocean water. Only 3.5% of Earth’s water is fresh, but about two thirds of it exists as icecaps and glaciers and most of the balance as ground water. Rivers, which constitute only .0002% of all water on Earth, are globally the biggest source of water for human consumption but not an option for supply here in Santa Fe. The Sangre de Cristo Water Division draws its supply in about equal parts from ground water wells and surface reservoirs.

The Hydrologic Cycle Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center The first step in the decision process is to find out what is in your water and then match the filtration to the water contaminants, your personal preferences and your budget.

If you are on a public water system and you’re concerned about more than taste and odor, consult your water Distribution of Earth’s Water Source: U.S. Geological Survey provider’s Annual Water Report or Consumer Confidence Report. In general, governmental regulation makes public system water much easier to treat than well water. There What’s in Your Water? are no guidelines for water quality in private wells used for Along its course from sky to surface lakes, reservoirs, rivers domestic consumption and a comprehensive lab test from and groundwater aquifers, water comes in contact with an EPA-approved testing laboratory is before consumption air, soil and rock and, depending on complex chemical and to set a baseline for potential future changes in water reactions, absorbs some minerals and even man-made chemistry. substances. See Figure 2, the Hydrologic Cycle. Some minerals actually impart a pleasant taste to the water and Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, enforceable EPA many consumers prefer mineral water (Total Dissolved water quality standards apply to public (municipal and Solids not less than 250 parts per million) or spring communal) systems and to private wells serving facilities, water. But some minerals may be potentially harmful to which are used by the public, such as restaurants. our health. There are numerous ways to remove nuisance Depending on previous test results and potential violations and non-harmful contaminants from both well water and of the regulations by public systems, a regular schedule is public system water. established for monitoring contaminant reduction.

When selecting a filtration system, look for certification by the National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF) to ensure materials quality, system performance and contaminant reduction. Don’t be misled by the occurrence of the NSF logo on a product as the logo itself may indicate that only a single component part is NSF-certified. Look for certified appliances by manufacturer and find contaminant testing protocols on the NSF webste (www.nsf.org) under Drinking Water Treatment Units. Be wary of laundry lists of self-proclaimed contaminant reduction and rely on trusted NSF-certified independent testing for contaminant reduction.

Of all these filtration methods, reverse osmosis (RO) is the most effective, least understood and most controversial.

Reverse osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate two solutions containing different amounts of dissolved contaminants. Water passes through the membrane under pressure from the dilute to the more concentrated solution until chemicals reach balanced concentrations on each side of the membrane. But in reverse osmosis, the pressure is applied to the concentrated (contaminated) side and water moves to the dilute (treated) side and is collected in a storage tank. Rejected contaminants on the concentrated side are washed away as wastewater. The efficiency of the RO is a function of a number of factors including specific contaminant in the feedwater (influent), But just because a public water system is EPA-compliant temperature and pH. does not mean that at some times, and at some places within the distribution system, the water never approaches Reverse osmosis systems remove a variety of ions and or exceeds the EPA’s MCL (Maximum Contamination metals as well as some organic chemicals, some bacterial Level) for specific water contaminants. Whether you are on contaminants and some pesticides. Again, water testing is a private domestic well or a public water system, the same the key. RO systems will not remove dissolved gases such as methods apply for purifying water. Nuisance contaminants hydrogen sulfide, which imparts the classic rotten egg smell. (such as iron and manganese staining or odor from RO systems will remove arsenic, but only Arsenic V and hydrogen sulfide gas) pose no great human health threats not the more toxic Arsenic III, the presence of which can and are usually treated at the point of entry. But the water only be identified by arsenic speciation. When high levels of which you use for drinking, food preparation and cooking total arsenic are measured, the use of dedicated tanks with arsenic-specific resin may be appropriate. Although RO is typically treated at the point of use. is well documented to be effective in removing uranium, NSF does not certify for uranium reduction. RO does not remove coliform bacteria. In most cases, RO is used in Filtration System Choices for Drinking Water tandem with other systems to set up a series of barriers for Household drinking water filters fit into five general contaminant removal. categories: carafes, faucet-mounted filters, countertop filters, undersink filters and reverse osmosis drinking One criticism of reverse osmosis-filtered water is that it is water systems. See the May 2007 Consumer Reports stripped of essential minerals. This is a hollow argument for consumer advice and recommendations. All these because people generally do not know what nutrient methods, if properly configured, have the capability of minerals are present in their drinking water or even depend removing disinfectant (chlorine) odor and taste, which on minerals in drinking water for dietary purposes. Most are the most common consumer complaints; but their water treatment companies use a crushed limestone (calcite) overall contaminant reduction capability is limited. continued on pg. 118

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Distillation is another and very effective but impractical option, as household distillers have small capacities and use considerable energy to process water.

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filter after the RO to impart a pleasant taste in the water.

Some parents complain that RO removes fluoride added to water for dental health purposes. This is true, but water fluoridation is a controversial issue and today most children under dental care receive whole-mouth fluoride treatments.

But the most valid criticism of RO is that anywhere between 3.5-5 gallons of water are rejected for every gallon of pure water produced. Actually, many inexpensive, non-certified ROs have much higher rejection rates and are extremely wasteful. The most efficient RO systems have permeate pumps and use about 3.5 gallons to produce one gallon of product water. Reject water is not “lost,” but simply moves along its course in the hydrologic cycle. In some cases, the RO reject water may be redirected for irrigation purposes.

bottle purchases or banning it from public meetings. Some restaurants are switching from promoting bottled water to serving water filtered on the premises in sustainable and reusable (glass) containers. When you buy bottled water, and sometimes it may seem the only practical option, consider the carbon footprint of your actions and choose local brands over exotic imports from Europe and tropical islands, which require the consumption of massive quantities of fossil fuels for packaging and transportation.

Stephen Wiman is a geologist (M.S. and Ph. D.) and owner of Good Water Company in Santa Fe. His primary interest is in using water chemistry to determine the most sustainable Bottled Water methods applicable for treating For some consumers who are cognizant of the waste specific water purification involved in the production of RO water, the answer is to issues. He may be reached at buy bottled water, have 5-gallon bottles delivered to their 505-471-9036 or homes or offices, or refill plastic bottles from dispensers in skwiman@goodwatercompany.com. grocery stores. The irony of this rationale is that RO is the goodwatercompany.com submitted photo most widely used purification processes in bottling water and federal bottled water regulations (under the FDA) are less stringent than tap water regulations facing public water supplies (under the EPA) according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) and Food and Water Watch. Some 25-40% of all bottled water is actually sourced from municipal systems (NRDC). Under pressure from consumer watchdog groups, the biggest water bottling The Rio Grande Return is a new web-based business and companies are now disclosing the tap water source of their non-profit organization developed to create a sustainable “purified water” (one of several “food” classifications of funding stream for the conservation and restoration of the bottled water; FDA).

Rio Grande, its traditional agricultural lands and farming practices.

Plastic Water Bottle Disposal

Purchasers of bottled water are also supporting the plastic industry. In addition to the numerous reports that some plastics are believed to leach potentially harmful chemicals into the water in bottles, some 86% of all single-serving plastic bottles are not recycled and end up in our landfills (according to CRI, the Container Recycling Institute), where they also may leach harmful chemicals into the environment.

These neglected containers also end up as litter along our roadsides and waterways. Plastic bottle recycling rates are actually declining nationwide relative to rapidly increasing consumption, except in states with deposits on recyclable beverage containers. CRI also notes that just supplying Americans with plastic water bottles for one year consumes more than 47 million gallons of oil, enough to take 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

The Carbon Footprint of Bottled Water

Everyone has an opinion of the quality of tap water. And it is easy to find out what is in your municipal tap water. It is a growing trend that local governments are banning plastic

It is designed as a gift exchange: a gift from the Rio Grande’s local farmers and producers is, in turn, a gift back to the river in the form of protection and conservation. Consumers may purchase a gift or gift packages that includes local products such as chile and blue corn ristras, salsas, organic jams, lavender soaps and lotions, local cider, Chimayo chile, Questa honey, etc. The gifts can be delivered to the recipient’s doorstep for special occasions such as holidays, birthdays or anniversaries, and special packages can be purchased to be delivered seasonally or every month for a year.

A tax-deductible conservation certificate is included with the gift. The donations and the profits will be returned to the Rio Grande to protect its habitat, its agricultural lands, its agricultural heritage, and most importantly, its continual flow. This project will help educate people about the importance of protecting our agricultural lands, our rivers, and the cultures that have historically developed in relation the Rio Grande and its waters.

Orders from the Rio Grande Return can be made at www.riograndereturn.com.

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An Interview with Miguel Chavez

The indoor space in the Civic Center has pretty well been defined and identified. It’s 2,500 square feet. And it will not be your typical gallery space, but more of a venue to promote… if we’re producing quality work, then we need to get it out to market. We shouldn’t depend on the market Santa Fe City Councilor and only to come to us. So we’ll have our venue space in the Civic Center to promote and sell the work, you know, display as Master Craftsman well as sell. We’ll also have space in there for demonstrations SSF: You have been a proponent of Santa Fe artisans and on how and why we do the work the way we do it. It doesn’t authentic regional crafts as a way of supporting culture and matter if it’s somebody weaving, or doing tinwork, furniture; economic development. we can be demonstrating all of those art forms. You have that interaction so that it’s not only a product and a commodity We should be supporting continued on pg. 122 the local artists and craftsmen in the region that are carrying on that tradition, and in a similar fashion to what the farmers are doing carrying on that tradition. Those that have made the commitment to their art form, to their craft, to their trade, contemporary, traditional, Hispanic, whatever; those individuals are a big reason why we are who we are. If it weren’t for their dedication and their sacrifice, we wouldn’t be a “Creative City,” we wouldn’t have the ingredients that we have. There’s no dearth of talent: creative talent, visual, performing, whatever…it’s all here.

It shouldn’t be too hard to develop programs that are using quality and the authenticity as part of the guidelines to qualify people to be in vendor programs that the city is working on. We have the Angelou Economic Development Plan and the Cultural Arts and Tourism Management Plan that addresses cultural and heritage tourism. We have the Railyard Plan…They all suggest developing policy and venue space to promote local art. We have the Internet, we have the International Folk Art Market, and we promote art that’s produced in different parts of the world. And Santa Fe’s a draw in helping people sell their work, which is fine, but we need to also promote the local artists and craftsmen on that same level.

SSF: Which is why you’ve been pushing for space in the railyard and elsewhere?

Space in the railyard…We’ll have space in the new Civic Center, and hopefully we’ll have indoor and outdoor space in the railyard. I’ve been suggesting that we have programs for local artists and craftsmen, similar to the farmers’ market where there are fair weather programs and you set up outside and sell your work under tents and it looks like a flea market.

Whether you’re selling produce or fine quality artwork, I think that if we’re going to be serious about being a “Creative City,” and about being on the international stage (that we are on already), don’t you think that we should have some indoor space to promote local arts & crafts? Again, promoting the quality work.

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Economic Well Being Business, Finance

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It’s produced locally, ok? So I am supporting the blacksmith, the trade. The copper top, again, it’s not traditional but it was made locally so I’m supporting the sheet metal shop that made the copper top. The material that I’m using was all harvested in northern New Mexico or southern Colorado. So instead of our mills cutting down trees and selling only vigas, they let me hand-select, and so I pick out furniture grade material, which gives their material a value-added component because they can charge a bit more, and I’m willing to pay for But see, in this process of developing and discussing who is it because it says it’s authentic in the design and the execution going to use the railyard, the plaza and the alameda, what of the construction and everything, the carving. are the public benefits, what was the intent originally in that arts and cultural district? There have been five or six different There is a place within economic development for promotion arts organizations that have surfaced as potential users of the of local arts and crafts that are produced and promoted within a framework and within guidelines that promote quality and outdoor and indoor venue spaces. authenticity. That’s what we’re promoting. If we stay true ...Some people have been confusing this with the to that, and we’re not just a product or a commodity to be Arts Incubator…the Arts Incubator would be more bought and sold… There’s a reason why we’re producing comprehensive, more costly, more extensive, and it would be what we’re producing, and there’s a certain way that we do it. similar to a Business Incubator where you have shared office If the city and these other programs can help promote that, then we can stimulate that economy, and I think that’s a big space and meeting space and you have a reception area… part of who we are. And if we can’t get behind it, I think we’re going to have another missed opportunity.

SSF: What about the concept of the “Santa Fe Brand”? to be bought and sold; it’s the individual understanding what that individual artist is going through and supporting that person, right? So there is value added to the piece; it’s not just something that you find produced…now everything’s produced in China… Well, we have some stuff in this area, it’s one of the pockets of the region I think that can be similar to the handmade in America products like in the Appalachians and other parts of the United States.

And for whatever reason (and I don’t mean this in a negative way), the gallery system just is not going to be able to accommodate it all. It can’t. If I produce a piece like this in my shop, I have my overhead down next to nothing. I’m selecting my own material and producing the quality. If I take the piece to a gallery downtown, and I have it priced out of my shop at $375 and I’m barely getting by…they mark it up 100%. Who is going to buy it? So to keep the quality and to keep it affordable is going to be a challenge, but if you can’t do both, then you’re not going to have the sales. You have to strike that real fine balance. That’s always a struggle.

But I think that because of who we are, and because of our name recognition and our reputation, if we can put the best product that we have out there, it seems to me that we will have support. Making those connections, I think that’s exciting if we start doing more of that.

Santa Fe City Councilor Miguel Chavez’s city office phone is 955-6816, We don’t really know what that brand is going to look like email: miguelmchavez@msn.com. or what it’s going to say… What tells someone that this is He has a web site showcasing his woodwork: authentic and that it’s a quality piece? Now is this traditional? Chavezwoodworks.com. (referring to the sideboard/buffet he built) It’s kind of borderline. It has a copper top. You would never see that in traditional. At a certain period of time in New Mexico you wouldn’t see iron, right? So, you have some flexibility… But if we or the city through our programs had a certificate, a letter, a universal sort of logo that we could attach… a certificate of authenticity…

SSF: Which is what they’re trying to establish with the Native American art.

Right. So we would want to do the same with some of the work that we are producing in the area. The ironwork.

Second Best for Artists and Creative Types

Santa Fe as an Arts Destination

Santa Fe the 4th Most Popular Travel Destination

Santa Fe’s art market has fallen from second to third place in the country, according to the latest economic census, but Santa Fe continues to rank with cities many times its size. According to UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, New York and San Francisco edged out Santa Fe in the 2002 economic census.

New York had $1.4 billion in art sales, San Francisco $142 million, and Santa Fe $114 million. Results from the next economic census will not be available until 2011.

Santa Fe has been named the country’s second best place for artists and creative people, behind only Los Angeles, according to a Top 10 list by Sterlings Best Places and Businessweek.com. The publications compiled the list by identifying areas with the highest concentrations of artistic businesses.

Also considered were the percentage of people between the ages of 25 to 34, population diversity and the concentration of museums, orchestras, dance companies, theater troupes, library resources and college arts programs.

Santa Fe was named as the top US arts destination among cities with fewer than 100,000 residents in the June, 2007 edition of American Style Magazine.

The design and lifestyle publication made its determination through a reader poll. Readers were impressed by the city’s 250 or so galleries.

For 2007, Travel & Leisure magazine’s readers ranked Santa Fe as the 4th most popular travel destination in North America after New York, San Francisco and Chicago. Santa Fe had been 5th in 2006. The magazine said, “Ages old and New Age, rich in art and artsy in attitude, deeply charming and more than a little eccentric, New Mexico’s magnetic colonial city draws all kinds of pilgrims.”

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Santa Fe as an Art Market

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Business What Can A Dollar Buy You in Santa Fe? A Lot of Social Capital Vicki Pozzebon If you’ve heard about the Santa Fe Alliance, you’ve heard about how a dollar spent locally stays locally. But do you know how much of your dollar actually stays in your community? 45 cents. 45 cents of every dollar you spend at a locally owned, independent business stays right in our own community. This dollar is spent on local payroll, taxes, advertising, services to keep the business in good shape, services to keep you shopping there, and then it goes back into our tax base to support our schools, our libraries, our first responders...

What about those big stores where I have to get it all in one place to save gas, you ask? You might be saving a few pennies in gas and saving yourself some time and convenience, but in reality what you are doing is giving about 85 cents of your hard-earned Santa Fe dollar to a corporate headquarter somewhere outside of our community. Big box stores and chain retailers contribute approximately 13 cents to our local economy. What’s the difference? The local store makes all their own decisions, can offer good benefits, high-paying wages and uses local advertising venues. Plus, they contribute to our community with volunteer hours and donations to our nonprofit organizations. The big box retailer or chain store typically uses a workforce of parttimers, relies on corporate marketing departments, and has fees to pay to their headquarters. Donation requests often take several months to get through many levels of management only to be turned down for not fitting in with the store’s budget year or donation policy.

What does shopping locally have to do with sustainability?

Not only can you help sustain the local economy; you can help a nonprofit too. The fact that Santa Fe is rich in social capital - the number of nonprofits in our community and the extent to which the community contributes to and participates in those nonprofits – is thanks in large part to our local businesses that contribute thousands of dollars a year and hundreds of hours of volunteer work. Without social capital we risk losing the cultural activities and social services our diverse community relies upon. Social capital can also be described as the social fabric that enriches our lives. The neighborhood business that serves as the meeting

place and political chat room, the local bookstore where you bump into friends; these are all part of our social capital.

We don’t go to the Gap to meet friends (ok, maybe we need that friend to tell us how great we look in those jeans) and we don’t hang out at the lunch counter at the Big Box to catch up on the week’s city politics. Chain stores and big boxes are stripping away our social capital little by little, making us drive to the edge of town where we are instantly isolated and must now pick up everything on our list so that we don’t feel inconvenienced by our chores.

What can we really do? Try shifting just 10% of your budget to locally owned businesses. Challenge yourself the next time you need cleaning supplies and groceries.

Can you buy your cleaning supplies at the local hardware store? Or maybe there’s a locally owned store that sells only cleaning supplies. (They just might have green products as well.) Can you try the local co-op for your fresh groceries?

Wouldn’t you prefer an apple picked this week in northern New Mexico to one shipped from overseas, covered in wax so that it lasts the trip and the weeks in your fridge? Maybe purchasing dessert for your dinner party would be more delicious coming from the bakery on the corner instead of the case at the grocery store. Did you know that buying local produce and fresh meats from our bio-region will contribute to a localized economy? The Alliance’s Farm to Restaurant Project promotes local restaurants that purchase farm fresh items for their menus, bringing localized agriculture directly to your fork.

Instead of writing that $50 check to your favorite nonprofit at the end of the year, the Locals Care loyalty card lets you give back to your nonprofit of choice every time you swipe the card at over 120 participating merchants. Are there rewards for you and your favorite nonprofit? You bet. You can buy a meal for you and a friend at a café, take a train ride with visiting family, place an ad for your bodywork business in the local monthly magazine, get your accounting in order and buy yourself some jewelry. Even your daily latte can help sustain our community. Every time you swipe your card you get reward points to redeem later at the business of your choice in the network. You might even have some cash at the end of the year to give to another nonprofit. Now that’s community.

In just one year, the Locals Care program has boosted our economy at local businesses with over 2.1 million in sales, given back over $45,000 to over 100 nonprofits and given rewards points to thousands of shoppers. The card is totally free to you - all you have to do is remember to use it when you see the Locals Care sticker in the window of an Alliance member business. Rewards. Local. Smart. Economy. Who knew all those things could go together to sustain Santa Fe? We did!

Vicki Pozzebon is the Executive Director of the Santa Fe Alliance, a membership organization promoting local business and community. For more info visit: www.santafealliance.com

The United Way of Santa Fe County, assisted by the release of $1.5 million from the federal Economic Development Administration, is helping to establish a well-equipped community kitchen that caterers and small businesses can share to legally prepare food for resale. The Santa Fe Community Kitchen, which will be managed by the United Way, is to be located at the intersection of Rodeo and Paseo de Pueblos on a portion of the County Fairground property. It will include a demonstration classroom, a production bakery, a fruit processing facility and two production kitchens.

The facility will be able to accommodate a variety of small businesses. The kitchen is designed for quantity food production and will contain commercial bottling and canning machines, food dehydrators and other professional equipment. It is hoped that by providing a venue for “value-added agriculture,” the facility will help connect growers and producers.

Besides providing support for budding entrepreneurs, the community kitchen project will also focus on training workers in food product production.

Partners in the project include SCORE, the Santa Fe Community College, the County Extension Service and the Santa Fe Economic Development, Inc. to provide support in the areas of business and educational development.

Additional funding is being sought for the project’s infrastructure and operational costs. The Santa Fe County Commission has become a co-applicant to the federal grant for the material costs of the building.

For more information about this project, contact Gigi Carlson at 982-2202, ext. 102.

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Santa Fe Community Kitchen Workforce Development Program

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Cool Cities Campaign Communities all over America are responding to the threat of global warming with smart energy solutions.

These “Cool Cities” are taking decisive actions to reduce heat-trapping emissions, lower energy bills, save taxpayer dollars and protect our environment.

The Santa Fe-based Northern Group of the Sierra Club encourages businesses to participate in this campaign and gain the cost saving and environmental benefits of being a Cool Business.

Considering the possibilities of the following “Top 10” list is a great place to start: 1. Be Bright About Light – Buy Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures, (which consume at least two thirds less energy), and install timers or motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when they’re not needed 2. Maximize Computer Efficiency – Setting your computer to “sleep” during short breaks can cut computer energy use by 70% 3. Print Smarter – Print of both side of the papers, print in draft mode and avoid color printing whenever feasible 4. Go Paperless When Possible – Store documents on-line or on your hard drive 5. Ramp Up Your Recycling – Place recycling bins in high-traffic areas and provide information about what can and cannot be recycled 6. Close the Loop – Purchase office supplies and furniture made from recycled materials 7. Watch What (and How) You Eat – Provide filtered drinking water to reduce bottled water waste and provide reusable dishes, mugs and silverware 8. Rethink Your Travel – Consider increasing videoconferencing and conference calls to reduce employee travel 9. Reconsider Your Commute – Encourage carpooling, biking and city transit options and where feasible, offer telecommuting options for employees 10. Create a Healthy Work Environment – Use nontoxic cleaning supplies and buy furniture, carpeting and paint that won’t off-gas toxic chemicals For other Green Business information, please visit the Resources for Business available on the following web site: http://riogrande.sierraclub.org/santafe/cool_cities.asp

Yolanda Archuleta

“Five years ago, this began as a modest program,” said Arth, who is also the Rag Rug Festival Producer. “We had about seven artisans showing their rag rugs in the courtyard of my house in Santa Fe’s Railyard District. The next thing we knew, we were adding cashiers to deal with the crowds.” Rag Rug Festivals provide needed sales outlets for New Mexico’s women. The festivals are an important, sustainable economic development initiative. Artisans keep 100% from sales of their beautiful rag rugs and other fine crafts. No commission is expected.

In a time of tight money, women continue to scramble to put food on the table – this in a state where 50% of women live in rural areas and survive on less than $10,000 per year. Difficult, you say? We say it’s absolutely unacceptable. After reading this research from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that tracks data and outcomes for children and families, the New Mexico Women’s Foundation (NMWF) decided to roll up its sleeves and do something about it.

Founded in 1988, the NMWF supports organizations and programs that create economic opportunities for women and girls. In 2003, the NMWF established the Women’s Cottage Industries Program to provide a way for women and girls to have a more abundant life. This program helps women achieve strength and independence by encouraging development of their talents, skills and leadership abilities, often while staying at home to raise their children and still earn a living. We do this by developing women’s creativity and helping them establish cottage industries, which generate income. This program has promoted positive social change for thousands of women and girls in New Mexico. “We are all about helping to create economic opportunities through cottage industries such as catering, crafting fiber arts, pottery, jewelry and other crafts or service businesses in their homes or communities,” said Frieda Arth, Board President of NMWF. In addition to seed grants, NMWF provides education and onsite assistance to grantees through our Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Learn™ services. “Although it’s under development, WE Learn™ will provide a way for women to have a resource at their fingertips through our WE Learn™ Toolkit and onsite help from professionals and experts who have already started their own businesses,” said Arth. Some examples of these services include organizing space for work and product displays, providing furnishings and equipment, teaching fundraising techniques and initiating strategic planning. Arth adds, “By bringing these resources to women in their own communities, we experience the richness of cultural diversity and learn about local social and economic conditions.”

In an innovative approach to helping women sell their crafts and other artistic products, we produce festivals in community museums, which provide environments for peer-to-peer learning and personal skills development. This gives them an opportunity to reach a broader number of customers. Festivals with a rag rug theme are held annually each summer in Santa Fe, the weekend before Indian Market, in Las Cruces at the Farm

After every Rag Rug Festival, the artisans comment on the value of being in a nurturing environment where they can sell their goods and make contact with customers in a meaningful way.

Diane Bowman, Director of Española Valley Fiber Arts Center, says of the festivals: “Rag Rug Festivals have been a wonderful gift to the fiber arts community. We work with many women who are struggling to survive as artists, and for them, the festivals have made a significant financial difference. As the director of an organization providing education to women artisans, I consider these events to be not only great income opportunities, but also a time for learning from and networking with other artisans, as well as good experience in presentation and interacting with the public.”

A major goal of NMWF through 2008 and beyond is to create more economic opportunities for women by reaching out to our state’s 211 community museums and encouraging them to include Handmade in New Mexico products in their gift shops. Such collaboration is sure to be of benefit to artisans and museums.

NMWF grantee organizations must show how they help women become entrepreneurs, promote and develop women’s leadership abilities and create programs that allow women to stay in their communities and produce services or products that help them earn income for their families. We work to ensure that these outcomes are achieved and the organizations provide sustainable services to their communities.

Yolanda Archuleta is Executive Director of the NM Women’s Foundation, based in Santa Fe. Grant guidelines may be obtained by calling (505) 983-6155, online at www.nmwf.org, by e-mail at nmwomenandgirls@aol.com.

EVFAC’s Loom Center photo: NM Women’s Foundation

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Rags to Riche$

& Ranch Heritage Museum in March and at the Farmington Museum in November.

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The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

with political, social, and environmental challenges in their home countries. The market not only offers them a chance to receive international recognition for their work, it also gives them the opportunity to learn how to make their skills economically viable over the long term.” Just prior to the event, a 2-day intensive Training and Building Markets Program, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, coaches the artists to move toward sustainability for their families and communities. A Trade Buyers Showcase also allows The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market connects retailers to place large-quantity orders from participating traditional artists directly with American buyers. A panel vendors. of expert jurors selects the artists. The market supports folk arts rooted in community and cultural traditions that are The market itself does not receive any profits from sales of in danger of being lost. the artists’ work. The organization is sustained by charitable contributions and grants from the NM Department of In July 2007, the two-day event featured artists from 41 Cultural Affairs, the Museum of NM Foundation, the countries in 118 booths and attracted an estimated 20,000 Museum of International Folk Art and the city of Santa Fe. locals and visitors. Performing artists from various countries added The four-year-old market may be a musical component and booths one of the reasons that Santa Fe was with international foods, including designated as one of UNESCO’s northern New Mexican specialties, Creative Cities, the only North catered to peoples’ appetites.

American city to be so honored.

The SFIFAM has become one of Sales were reported to be brisk. the premiere markets of its kind in Translators were on hand to the world, and one of Santa Fe’s top assist artists who are not fluent in summer attractions. It takes place at English to answer questions about Milner Plaza on Museum Hill, near the traditional arts and crafts on the Museum of International Folk display.

Art, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, the Museum of Spanish As many of the vendors represent Colonial Art and the Wheelwright cooperatives and associations of Museum. artisans, the economic impact is enormous, affecting thousands For more information: more in villages and communities 505-476-1189 or around the globe. According to a www.folkartmarket.org SFIFAM press release, “Many of the market’s artists grapple daily

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Finance From SRI to Sustainable Investing Joe Keefe

• When it comes to financial performance, SRI’s posture has been defensive, even apologetic – “you don’t have to sacrifice performance.” Sustainable investing takes a more proactive stance: the full integration of ESG criteria into investment decisions is a strategy for identifying bettermanaged, more forward-thinking companies with better long-term financial prospects.

• SRI’s historical definition was essentially non-financial.

Unlike other investment approaches, there was no common financial perspective other than the defensive, performance-neutral posture referenced above. Sustainable investing, by contrast, does have a financial perspective: ESG criteria are performance criteria, and sustainable investing can make a case for being a superior long-term investment strategy.

Over the next 15 years, I think we will see a transition from the • SRI’s message is counterintuitive – shrinking the universe old world of socially of potential investments based on moral judgments is responsible investing widely believed to penalize performance. Sustainable to the new world of investing, on the other hand, makes intuitive sense – sustainable investing. By strong ESG performance characterizes better-managed, sustainable investing, I more innovative companies that are better positioned mean the full integration than their less enlightened competitors to deliver longof environmental, social term performance. and governance (ESG) factors into financial • SRI is apolitical – although it’s “investing with values,” analysis and decisionthose values are nowhere defined. They can be liberal or making. This transition is conservative, secular or religious and include such issues critical if our industry is as alcohol, gambling, tobacco, corporate governance, to broaden its market and maximize its impact on corporate diversity, genetically modified organisms, contraception behavior, on financial markets and on global society itself. and abortion, usury, pro-gay rights, anti-gay rights, Burma, Internet privacy, you name it. SRI takes a neutral The transition from “socially responsible” to “sustainable” stance with respect to these value choices, meaning there investing isn’t just semantics. While it is to some degree a is no uniform perspective or common goals that unite question of framing, framing is more than just words – it’s “social” investors (though they often collaborate on definitional – and I believe such a re-framing is necessary if shareholder and public policy initiatives where they are our industry is to reach its potential. There are also substantive in agreement).(1) Sustainable investing, by contrast, is distinctions between socially responsible investing, as explicitly progressive: it holds that the best companies historically framed, and the more contemporary notion (and the best investments) are those that act in the of sustainable investing. Socially responsible investing is public interest; that serve all their stakeholders, not just largely understood as an alternative investment strategy for shareholders; that do not externalize their costs onto those who choose to invest with their values. Sustainable society; and that pursue wealth creation strategies focused investing, I believe, has the potential to be a transformative on the long term. Moreover, government (i.e., the public) investment strategy that revolutionizes investing itself – at has a positive role to play in regulating corporations and a time when market capitalism must of necessity undergo markets to redress social imbalances and optimize social a sustainability revolution equal in significance to the outcomes. industrial revolution that ushered in the modern period.

Let me be more specific about the differences, as I see them, between socially responsible and sustainable investing: • Historically, socially responsible investing was defined negatively – the exclusionary screening of “sin stocks” and problematic industries from investment portfolios. Sustainable investing, by contrast, is defined positively: investing in companies that meet positive environmental, social and governance ( i.e., sustainability) criteria. It’s about what you do invest in, not about what you don’t invest in.

• The market for SRI – as historically framed – is necessarily limited; it is a narrow, niche market. Sustainable investing, by contrast, has potentially broad, mainstream appeal.

Although the conventional wisdom is that socially responsible investing has grown rapidly, in my view it has grown very slowly, and this slow growth is due in part to the way it has been framed and presented to the public.

I believe there is a much broader market for a socially engaged investment approach if: • it is defined positively rather than negatively; • its perspective on performance is proactive rather than continued on pg. 133

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defensive; • it defines itself as a financial discipline rather than as something else; • its premise makes intuitive sense; • it focuses on investing in progressive, forward-thinking companies; and • it takes a sustainability message to a broad, mainstream market rather than a quasi-religious, values-based message to a narrow, niche market.

values based on the premise that “you don’t have to sacrifice performance” in order to do so.

Sustainable investing, by contrast, is a financial discipline.

It’s about performance. It’s about aligning ESG performance with financial performance – combining rigorous financial analysis with equally rigorous environmental, social and governance analysis in order to invest in forwardthinking companies with sustainable business models.(2) Moreover, as ESG research and analytics become more robust, rigorous and quantitative, sustainable investing will lend itself to sophisticated attribution analysis that I believe will demonstrate its superiority as a longterm investing approach. Given an equal playing field, companies that integrate strong ESG performance into their business models will be more likely to outperform their less enlightened competitors over the long term. I am convinced of that, and sustainable investing, in a sense, is based on that premise.

The case for sustainable investing is compelling. A growing body of evidence demonstrates positive links between ESG performance and financial performance. See, e.g., Marjorie Kelly’s article, “Holy Grail Found: Absolute, positive, definitive proof CSR pays off financially,” Business Ethics Magazine, (vol. 18, no. 4, Winter 2004), summarizing recent meta-studies demonstrating a positive correlation between corporate social performance and financial performance. A recent UNEP FI Report, “Show Me the Money”, concluded with CRA RogersCasey commentary stating, “[W]e were impressed by the quantity of reports that showed a strong The Sustainability link between ESG issues, profits, business activities and, ultimately, stock prices.” Revolution is coming.

There is mounting empirical evidence that companies with better corporate It will be felt in governance practices carry less risk and architecture and outperform poorly governed companies over time; that companies with strong urban design, energy environmental performance carry less risk and outperform environmental policy and tax policy, laggards over time; that companies with transportation and good workplace practices enjoy higher productivity, higher morale, lower water use. turnover and increased profitability.

Therefore, wouldn’t an investment approach that seeks out such companies for investment – and, once invested, actively engages those companies to improve their performance even further – be in a position to make a strong case that it is simply a better, smarter way to invest over the long term?

I think so. But SRI by definition can’t make this case. As an alternative investment approach for those “investing with values,” it defines itself largely through negative screens emphasizing what it doesn’t invest in rather than what it does invest in. Moreover, its agnosticism with respect to “values” results in social screens that are all over the map – and silly arguments about what constitutes a “socially responsible” company (e.g., Joe Nocera’s recent article in The New York Times). There is simply no singular lesson that can be derived from the performance – good, bad or ugly – of SRI funds. There is no commonality, - nothing to measure. (I think that’s one reason there are so many studies of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and of companies’ ESG performance, but so few studies of SRI.)

Not that it’s only about money. I am not saying that the only way to judge an investment approach is whether it produces higher returns, or that growth at any cost is a value our civilization should continue to espouse. (Indeed, it will be our undoing unless we change course.) So, although it’s essential for any investment approach to make a compelling financial case – and sustainable investing (unlike SRI) is able to do this – I think the concept of sustainability is actually much richer than this. In fact, I think the notion of sustainability implies a new conception of wealth and may even offer a solution to the crisis of capitalism. Why? Because it insists on an alignment of financial outcomes with environmental, social and governance outcomes – not with “values” mind you, but with outcomes. The sustainability imperative requires that corporations and markets behave differently; it demands that wealth-creation strategies be made, well, sustainable – that we no longer tolerate poverty and injustice and environmental degradation as the necessary byproducts of market capitalism.

Every few generations, market capitalism undergoes a period of transformation – Populism, the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Great Society. These great periods of reform yielded child labor laws, the minimum wage, the eight-hour day, workers compensation laws, unemployment insurance, antitrust and securities regulations, Social Security, Medicare, the Community Reinvestment Act, the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Environmental Protection Agency, etc. All of these reforms were essentially public and stakeholder attempts to address the worst excesses of corporate capitalism. The next great period of reform will be the Sustainability Revolution, and it will be greater than SRI really isn’t a financial discipline at all, but rather the any of these – indeed, it will be akin to a second industrial marrying of various financial disciplines with various revolution that transforms human society itself. continued on pg. 135

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Fron SRI to Sustainable Investing – continued from pg. 130

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The Sustainability Revolution is coming. It will be felt in architecture and urban design, energy policy and tax policy, transportation and water use. Our task over the next 15 years is to make sure it is felt in investing as well, and that our industry plays a leading role in ushering in this great transformation. SRI paved the way, but it now needs to transform itself. Sustainable investing – the full integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into financial analysis and decision-making – is the natural successor to SRI, and our goal should be nothing less than the transformation of investing itself.

Article Notes: (1) This neutrality – really agnosticism – with respect to values can be seen on the Social Investment Forum’s web site, www.socialinvest.org, where socially responsible investing is defined as “integrating personal values and societal concerns with investment decisions.” Under this definition, political and social conservatives who wish to integrate their values and societal concerns into investment decisions through conservative screens and shareholder activism would presumably be practicing “socially responsible investing.” If this is so, then I’m not sure what our industry is all about.

(2) Traditional SRI exclusions can still play a role, of course, in a sustainable investing approach. At Pax World, for example, we exclude tobacco, weapons manufacturers and companies who’s main line of business is gambling. Other firms may apply other exclusions based on differing value judgments. I simply believe the industry as a whole can accelerate its growth and impact by adopting an ESG or sustainability-focused approach, and that values-based exclusions should be understood as additive or collateral to the primary financial focus, which should be on sustainability.

Joe Keefe is President and CEO of Pax World Management Corp. and Pax World Funds (www.paxworld.com). This article was originally published in the GreenMoney Journal’s special 15th Anniversary ‘Visionaries’ issue (Summer 2007). GreenMoney Journal is an award-winning socially and environmentally responsible investing and business publication based in Santa Fe. For more information, go to www.greenmoney.com.

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Fron SRI to Sustainable Investing – continued from pg. 133

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Being Green from the Inside Out Kimberly Keil To truly be “Green” and live a sustainable life means more than just buying a hybrid car or tossing a few cans in the recycle bin; one must look inside themselves and evaluate their core values and ethics. Given the powerful roles of money and business, both in society and our daily lives, it is surprising that so little attention is given to the social, ethical and moral dimensions of money.

Every day I speak with my clients about the ways in which it is possible to reach financial goals and dreams without compromising ethics and values. I teach them the basic tenants of Socially Responsible Investing: Screening, Shareholder Activism, Community Investing and how they align with the tenants of sustainable living. I impress upon them the understanding that living sustainability requires both intention and action. No matter how small or insignificant the effort may seem, it will add up and make a huge difference.

are good for the soul too. Community investing can be as simple as a $50 micro-loan to a woman in Africa to buy chickens to produce eggs, sell them and support her family, or it can be a Community Credit Card that donates a percentage of every transaction back into the local economy. Check with your financial advisor if this kind of investment is appropriate for you before investing.

A long held belief of those outside the SRI movement is that you will give up return for investing this way. However, there are studies out there refuting that claim in detail. And as I tell my clients, for every article that you read about the good or bad of something, there is another telling the opposite of the story. If you are well diversified and in appropriate investments, there is no reason why you can’t get competitive market returns.

Since some people don’t have investments outside of their retirement plans, keep in mind you can ask your employer to include some SRI options in your 401k plan or other retirement plan if you don’t already have them. Saving for retirement is a must these days, as I know I don’t want to work until I’m 80, even if my health is good until then.

Kimberly Kiel, AIF® is President of Kiel, Ltd., providing financial services through Horizon Sustainable Financial Services and Cambridge Investment Research. Ms Kiel’s primary focus is on guiding and educating consumers in making financial decisions based on their values and goals.

She has successfully incorporated her investment knowledge with her belief in the power of social change through personal action.

Also, a great way to live sustainably and effect change on a larger scale is with Socially Responsible Investing (SRI).

This means investing in things we want to support and avoiding those things that offend us, like alternative energy vs. big environmental polluters. You can do it yourself.

There are many resources out there on the web or you may Securities offered through work with an advisor, but there are three main areas of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/ focus to consider.

Dealer, Member FINRA, The first is screening. You can be as general or as detailed SIPC. Investment Advisor as you like with screening, but remember, if you screen out Representative, Cambridge Research too much there may be nothing left to invest in, as there Investment Advisors, Inc., a Registered really are no perfect companies out there. Here is where we can apply our core ethics and values to screen for what we Investment Advisor. Horizon Sustainable Financial believe in and screen out what offends us.

Services is not an affiliate The second part of SRI is shareholder activism. If you or subsidiary of Cambridge Research. are using some of the more active SRI mutual funds out Investment Horizon was previously there, they are doing this on your behalf. Every year the known as First Affirmative SRI industry is getting better and better results on the resolutions they file. Remember, as a shareholder in a Financial Network. company, you have the right to ask them to clean up their acts when it comes to the future of the planet. After all, not spending billions of dollars on environmental cleanup down the road is good for the bottom line. If you own individual stocks, be sure to read and vote your proxies or ask your manager about participating in filing a resolution of your own.

Finally, I encourage clients to look at community investing opportunities for a small portion of their investments. These often have lower returns than traditional investments, but

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The Built Environment Design, Energy, Transportation

Ben Haggard The most powerful instrument for shifting the way we humans inhabit our planet is not solar technology. It isn’t recycling programs or eco-industries. It isn’t organic farming. It isn’t biological wastewater treatment. And it isn’t green products and materials, although these are all good ideas.

The most powerful tool by far is the unrealized potential of the human mind itself.

The built environment—buildings, roads, power grids, parks, farms, ports, all the ways we structure nature to enable our chosen patterns of life—directly impacts the earth. That’s why rethinking our built environment is one of the central strategies for addressing local and global problems of climate change and ecosystem collapse.

Unfortunately, most of this rethinking works on what exists. It starts with the same assumptions that got us into the mess: Can we substitute renewable energy for petroleum? Can we reduce carbon emissions? Can we find new uses for our trash? Can we come up with model technologies or model buildings or model eco-villages in one part of the world and export them everywhere else? In other words, can we go on doing what we are doing now, only better?

It’s the wrong question—or it’s a too narrowly defined set of questions. What if some of our vast resources of human creativity were directed to coming up with and working on higher orders of questions?

For example: • What contributions are humans called on to make to local ecosystems and to the planet as a whole?

• How do we build and live so that soil, water, air, plants, animals and people increase in health and capacity for life as a result of our presence?

• What enables communities to commit to healthier lives, land and water, and how do we grow the will to do that in our community?

• What is the essence of our city of Santa Fe and our

Santa Fe River watershed? What special qualities make it unique, different from any other place in the world? And how do we preserve and nurture those qualities so that we can live out our purpose as a community?

• From nearly unlimited potential solutions and technologies, how do we choose only those that will foster life—for people, the living land and the uniqueness of our city?

Aldea de Santa Fe was designed as a “New Urbanist” community in a suburban setting. All homes are within walking distance to a central plaza.

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Questions like these offer a framing context for how we • At bare minimum, everything we build, and everything pursue the profound shifts that all of us will need to make we do within what we build, must feed the earth and in the near future—shifts in how we lead our lives, build all living things (including people) within the earth. Our our communities and relate to the natural world. We can work, our food, our homes, our transportation systems, continue to see natural phenomena as a set of problems all have to live up to this standard. Of course, looked to be solved. Or we can see nature as our family of origin. at through the current way of seeing the world, this is One way of seeing engages the mind of the intellect. The impossible. Yet everything that surrounds us in our world other includes the mind of the heart. was created by people who saw the world in a particular way. If we can envision and if we have the will to act on As long as we continue to approach nature as an outsider, our vision, we can change the world that we’ve made. it makes sense to ask questions about how to reduce our • In addition, everything we do and build must contribute impacts. But as soon as we see nature as our home and to the vitality of what makes our place unique in the world. our selves, we can begin to wonder how to increase our It must feed that deep essential quality that draws us to impacts—in a positive direction. Not only do we have a want to live here in the first place. No more roads and responsibility to clean up the messes we’ve made (dead zones malls and neighborhoods plopped down from Anywhere, on land and sea, a radically disturbed atmosphere, etc.) We USA. In the current world view, this proposal is generally also have a responsibility, like every other living creature, to seen as elitist—an issue of rich vs. poor, as though making contribute to the wellbeing of the whole household. We’ve Santa Fe bland and unrelated to its unique landscape were been acting like a kid who refuses to clean up his room and a benefit to ordinary people. But Santa Fe was created trashes the kitchen and den as well. No wonder big mama and sustained for generations by ordinary people, people Earth is considering kicking us out of the house. who understood and valued the special beauty, earthiness and limitations of this place.

Our problems are solvable and the solutions simple, but • Finally, we must remember that we as individuals and as a community need to serve a purpose larger than our they require working from a new mind:

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 140 The Zocolo condominiums were designed by architect Ricardo Legorreta.

own narrow interests. This is how nature works and how great cultures are grown and sustained. Jaime Lerner, the former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil—arguably the most advanced ecological city in the world—once said that every great city has a vocation. As we work to grow the future of Santa Fe, we must ask ourselves what the vocation of our great city is. Who are we at our best and what is the world calling us to become at this time of rapid and unpredictable global change?

Ben Haggard is an author, design consultant and lifelong resident of Santa Fe. He is a co-founder and principal with Regenesis, a Santa Fe-based ecological design group that works throughout the U.S. and beyond. For more information, please visit www.regenesisgroup.com. submitted photo

Santa Fe streetscape with coyote fence

Permeable Pavement

A new type of concrete pavement is being tested for the first time in Santa Fe. 6,300 square feet of permeable or pervious mix was used on a new parking lot in Alto Park to see how it would do. The idea is to allow rainwater to soak into the ground and help recharge the aquifer.

Permeable concrete has actually been around for 80 years but has become popular recently in some places because of concerns about groundwater depletion. It is basically gravel and cement without the sand that is in conventional concrete. Water penetrates it faster than it would the ground, and it dries quickly. The rate of absorption depends on the quality of the soil beneath.

Permeable concrete is somewhat more expensive than conventional: $9.17 per square foot compared to $6.60 to $7.10 for asphalt.

However, since it’s permeable, it does not require extensive drainage systems.

The Santa Fe River Commission has discussed the possible benefits of the material for paving adjacent to portions of the Santa Fe River.

City Councilor Patti Bushee is seeking further testing of the product at additional sites in Santa Fe.

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Design Design Matters in SF

Design Week Santa Fe ‘07 moves the City Different into the hub of an expanding international design revolution.

It acknowledges and supports our selection as one of eight international participants in a new UNESCO program called “Creative Cities.”

What is design revolution and what does it mean for Santa Fe? Historically, the peoples of the Southwest have combined materials, aesthetics, cultural vocabularies and Barbara Walzer / Design Week Santa Fe experience to shape useful, beautiful designs. These objects eventually found their way to the marketplace. Santa “Design is about creatively exploiting constraint,” says a Fe, from its humble beginnings as a small outpost in the principal in the design firm Inflate. “Ah, the future of design Spanish Empire, has always served as a trading center. It is is about seduction,” says English designer Matthew Hilton. no stranger to cultural exchanges of infinite variety. Its wares Seduction and constraint, allure and its limits… The and ideas are widely traveled. chronology of design and the future we face are contained in these words. These are some of the ideas explored at From its earliest days Santa Fe has also suffered from Design Week Santa Fe. the contradictions The third annual event, inherent in the October 11-17, 2007, consumption of is sponsored by the natural resources. The city of Santa Fe at the region’s native peoples Santa Fe Indian School. created traditions of The location reminds sustainability because us of the region’s they had to. Even so, roots in indigenous whole communities design and its debt to disappeared pueblo cultures. presumably because Multiple venues hosted of environmental a fashion show, a juried degradations and furniture competition, diminished assets. So a business expo called Merle Lefkoff facilitates a roundtable discussion with (l-r) Mayor Coss, Honolulu it is natural that today, “B(u)y Design,” a Mayor Jeremy Harris, Architecture 2030’s Ed Mazria and Ben Luce of Break the Grip. Santa Fe has stepped curated exhibition titled forward to take a “Pura Belleza” and a three day conference on “Design Matters.” leadership position in the contemporary struggle to balance Community dialogues at the Chavez Center and El Museo the spiraling abundance of beautiful things with the cost of Cultural de Santa Fe gave Santa Feans the opportunity to making and owning them. expand on conference topics.

Although everything is designed one way or the other, While the conference serves to position Santa Fe as an twenty years ago, if you used the word design, many people international think tank for design, other activities focus might have assumed you were referring to architecture or on selling design products. Exceptional local products to interior design. In the 21st century, design has become be featured range from the Eclipse Jet, winner of multiple an expansive concept encompassing cars, computers and ribbons from Business Week’s annual product design awards, camping gear. The explosion of interest in the multiple to a car seat console, winner of a fields of design can be traced to several factors. Certainly Sandia Laboratory Michael Graves, with his inexpensive but attractive product award. designs for Target, helped lead a movement to make design accessible and moderately priced. Designers have Many S an

ta Fe D esign W eek 200

continued on pg. 145

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Historians Orlando Romero and 2007 keynote speaker Tom Chavez (l-r)

cross-pollinated with new media, using fashion, graphics and even music.

Designers now easily use an international visual vocabulary.

Cultural exchange takes place in seconds, not years. New technology has affected product design and utilitarian everyday objects from cell phones to fire extinguishers are now expected to be beautiful. Socially conscious designers are realizing their creations have the potential to make life easier for millions. The number of design schools has increased, and design is serious business. Exhibitions, conferences, publications and blogs proliferate.

Although there are many design conferences around the world, most focus on specific products, or are designated as “green” and rarely, attempt to talk across design disciplines. Design Week Santa Fe offers the experience of including everyone at the table. Virtually every panel includes designers from different disciplines and across cultures in every meaning of the word. Whether small business or corporation, artist or product manager, whether advertising agency or ad critic, everyone has a stake in the future. Design Week Santa Fe is provocative, challenging, thoughtful and respectful. Together we explore the possibilities of creating the common language necessary to build strategies for a sustainable future.

Design Week Santa Fe ‘07 poses questions throughout the conference. What is beautiful? What is well made? What is useful? How much do we really need? How can design make a difference? From young local designers to international business leaders, speakers and attendees participate in intriguing conversations and lectures examining how design is an effective tool for resolving challenging and sometimes conflicting issues.

The city of Santa Fe’s Economic Development initiative chose to focus on design because of the local abundance of small design firms here and the businesses that serve them.

Ours is a special climate of beauty, initiative and artistic entrepreneurship. Initially a small event begun in 2005, Design Week Santa Fe has been developed to nourish, promote and grow these businesses. A new youth program with mentorships and workshops exposes Santa Fe’s young people to an expanding range of opportunities in creative and lucrative fields. Design Week also offers the very real potential of attracting a new kind of visitor to Santa Fe. Barbara Walzer is Creative Director of Design Week Santa Fe. She may be reached at 505-577-2282. For more information: www.designweeksantafe.com

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Design Matters in Santa Fe – continued from pg. 142

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Green Codes Are Coming Kim Shanahan

In 2006 the city of Santa Fe decided it was time to institute green building “codes” and began activities toward that end.

Almost simultaneously, the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association (SFAHBA) formally adopted the Build Green New Mexico Guidelines (more on that later) and formally endorsed the voluntary goals of the “2030 Challenge,” an initiative created by Santa Fe architect Ed Mazria that is literally changing the built world.

“People get ready there’s a train a-comin’/ You don’t need The city’s efforts began with Mayor Coss assembling an no baggage, just get on board” - Curtis Mayfield, 1964. informal “Green Team,” comprised of senior members of the Land Use, Legal, Planning, Water and Affordable Housing At the 2007 Board of Directors meeting of the National Departments. The city also adopted by resolution the US Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the president Conference of Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement that of the association warned directors from every state that calls for all new buildings to match the goals of the “2030 arguing about the science of global climate change is over Challenge” and be 50% more energy efficient immediately and that green building is coming. He likened the situation and to move to the goals of zero energy consumption by to passengers watching the train leaving the station. They the year 2030. The train was picking up speed… better start running if they want to catch up.

Meanwhile, the SFAHBA began to seriously analyze the These words marked a tidal shift for the NAHB and Build Green New Mexico (BGNM) guidelines and its were celebrated by New Mexico builders in attendance as administrative program created by the HBA of Central New vindication for the long struggle to be heard at the national Mexico (Albuquerque) to certify the voluntary measures. level. Unfortunately for the uninformed builder, a more The guidelines had been developed by the NAHB to have apt metaphor may be that of a damsel tied to the tracks a national scope after studying various green programs with the train a-comin’ while a few Dudley Do-Rights are that had sprung up in progressive communities across the scrambling to untie the knots, which are very tight and country. Indeed, Albuquerque’s already existing program was an influential model. very complicated.

continued on pg. 148

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Green Codes are Coming – continued from pg. 148

Proficiency with the guidelines became even more urgent when the State of New Mexico enacted legislation that said achievement of the BGNM gold level made a home eligible for significant state tax credits – up to $9,000 for a 2000 square foot house.

In 2007 city staff and homebuilders recognized their mutual goals and convened a Green Building Code Task Force to create green building “codes.” “Codes” is bracketed by quotation marks to indicate what they are being called, while understanding these are not your father’s codes. In fact, they are like no others codes have ever been.

Codebooks are thick, detailed and prescriptive, meaning the language is in the nature of, “shall do this” and “shall not do that.” The standard body of codes has been developed over decades of trial, error, innovation and industry analysis.

Green codes, on the other hand, are brand new concepts and have almost universally been “performance” based, meaning a measurable target of achievement is set and then a menu of prescriptive elements is made available to choose how to get to the target. Within the menu of prescriptive choices it is common to make some mandatory, and therefore technically prescriptive, but they alone are not typically weighted enough to reach desired target levels.

This paradigm shift in code definition has been difficult for many stakeholders to grasp, especially given the complexities of choices and trade-offs. The better definition is to think of them as mandatory “programs” rather than as the strict definition of historical codes.

After tossing around “prescriptive” versus “performance” codes, the task force decided the flexibility of a Santa Febased performance code allowed for more creativity and innovation and was more desirable than a prescriptive approach. And it provided the means to keep raising the bar of energy efficiency over time, in keeping with the goals of the 2030 Challenge.

Within each of the seven categories is a variety of measures for builders to choose. Each choice is assigned a point (or points) and a minimum number of points are required from each section to achieve a cumulative score. The score is judged to be bronze, silver or gold level. The more points gathered, the higher the score and the better the building.

The BGNM guidelines are regionally appropriate for Albuquerque but are not entirely suited to Santa Fe because of a fundamental difference in our climate. Whereas Albuquerque is considered a cooling climate: meaning more energy expended to cool buildings, Santa Fe is considered a heating climate; more energy required for heating. And while many other principles remain intact, that difference is significant. When one looks at the national thermal map, the dividing line winds around the upper Midwest then dips down in a loop around Santo Domingo Pueblo before heading back north deep into the western Rockies.

Cold as we may be, we are getting hotter. PNM reports steady annual increases in summertime electrical demand by our market as homeowners opt for electrical airconditioning. Long-time Santa Fe builders attest to that rising expectation among clients.

Santa Fe’s mandatory minimum levels are likely to be more stringent than the baseline of BGNM. In the energy section, for instance, the BGNM bronze level is considered to be 15% better than the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Santa Fe is looking at 30% better than IECC 2006 with a fast track to 50% and better right around the bend. That is a train bearing down.

The complexities of sorting out what is right and appropriate and weighing the values and costs of all the prescriptive details is daunting and exhausting. Fortunately, members of the task force, made up of city staff, homebuilders, building science experts, energy and water experts and community members have been up to the challenge. As a working group meeting weekly, they are diligently under The task force also decided the guidelines of BGNM way to meet their goal of having a fully developed green were as good as any to start from and began analyzing the building code program ready for City Council review by document line by line to regionally adapt it to the Santa Fe January 2008. area micro-climate and to give credit to traditional Santa Fe design and construction techniques, many of which The task force has also recognized that their work will not be complete with just that deliverable. Next up are precede the arrival of Europeans on the continent. green programs for remodeling and retrofitting existing The guidelines, as do most similar programs, address a buildings, to be followed by green building in historical number of areas of concern, not just energy efficiency. districts, green codes for commercial buildings and green codes for land use and subdivisions.

There are seven guiding principles of the program.

1. Lot design, preparation and development 2. Resource efficiency 3. Energy Efficiency 4. Water Efficiency 5. Indoor environmental quality 6. Operation, maintenance, and homeowner education 7. Global impact

The “codes” will be stringent, flexible and doable. And they will likely become more so over time. Builders are in for a shock if they don’t know how to get to where they need to be. The city is likely to deliver a wake-up call in 2008 to our local building industry, and it is incumbent on the sustainable community to help show the way with pragmatic, practical and affordable solutions.

Kim Shanahan, builder of the Vistas Bonitas Subdivision is a member of the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission and is on the Green Building Code Task Force. He is President of the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association for 2008.

Santa Fe’s New Civic Center The new civic center construction reflects Santa Fe’s leadership in both green design and greenhouse gas reduction. The building is being constructed to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating, a national standard for developing highperformance sustainable buildings.

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“Now I’ve been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come…

And I believe it could be, something good has begun.” Cat Stevens – Peace Train

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Historic vs. Green Santa Fe’s 1934 Villagra building, designed by John Gaw Meem as a Depression-era New Deal project, is the first historic building in the state to be certified (gold) by the Green Building Council’s Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. LEED-certified buildings use a third less energy and up to 50% less water and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 40%. The Villagra, which is home to the Attorney General’s office, also has state-of-the-art lighting sensors to dim and brighten electric lights based on the amount of sunlight coming through the windows. It has an overall energy savings of 31%.

Contractors initially proposed replacing the building’s distinguishing large wood-framed windows, but the original windows were restored in the renovation. A thin, transparent film was applied to the glass to cut down on heating and airconditioning costs.

An effort to replace the windows at City Hall with more environmentally friendly panes has met resistance from those who prefer adhering to the building’s historical design.

The Historic Design Review Board is grappling with what kind of refurbished windows to allow.

There have also been cases in historic Santa Fe neighborhoods where homeowners wanting to retrofit solar heating panels have lost their fight against the Historic Design Review Board, whose mission is to maintain the architectural and visual integrity of the area.

Current national standards set by the US Green Building Council do not address historic buildings. The state Historic Preservation Division is developing energy standards for historic buildings in partnership with the American Institute of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and other preservation groups. They have held seminars to discuss green design, lighting systems, window restorations and alternative energy sources such as fuel cells, wind turbines and innovative heating and cooling systems.

Canyon Road, Santa Fe

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The Triangle District Project Naomi Woodspring These days most people associate the term sustainability with buildings, resources the realm of the made world, the built environment and the resources it takes to maintain and advance technologically. But sustainability also applies to people, culture, community and our ability to build and sustain neighborhoods and the interdependent relationships that those neighborhoods are founded on. Santa Fe, like almost everywhere else on the planet, is experiencing an ever widening gap between rich and poor, and many Santa Feans cannot afford to live in the city where they have a deep family history. These economic markers do not define a sustainable community.

Concern and a sense of urgency brought together the 4 co-directors of the Triangle District Project Group, Alia Munn, Lisa Adler, Roy Wroth and Naomi Woodspring. The Triangle District Project (TDP) is aimed at maintaining the last affordable neighborhood within the city limits and revitalizing the neighborhoods within the Triangle. The Triangle District is the area bounded by Cerrillos Road, St. Francis Drive and St. Michaels Drive. The District consists of several distinct residential neighborhoods together with the commercial districts that form their edges. The Triangle District neighborhoods are home to a mix of people who reflect the real Santa Fe. Built by working class families, mostly in the 20th century, the neighborhoods are distinct in character but share many common values, including cultural continuity, respect for diversity, optimism and selfreliance.

often under-valued in revitalization efforts. These include cultural continuity, pride of place and stability of tenure, communication and personal relationships, awareness of community assets and appreciation for diversity of skills and perspectives.

The District is facing the fate of neighborhoods throughout Santa Fe. Residents are offered seemingly high prices for their homes; they sell, forcing residents to be dislocated.

Because only 43% of residents in the Triangle own their own homes, the neighborhood is even more precarious.

The loss of the last city neighborhood that maintains the diverse character of Santa Fe and also the affordable housing stock would be an incalculable loss to the community at large. Put another way or to put a face on the District, it is a place where young families can afford a rental, elderly people can stay in the home where they raised their families, single moms can afford decent housing large enough to accommodate their family, newly arrived immigrants can afford to live as a family, business entrepreneurs can afford storefronts or office space and it is possible that your next door neighbor is very different from you.

Community building at the intersection of Hopwell and Espinacitas St.

The obvious next step in a neighborhood revitalization effort is the creation of a central place, a community center or resource center. The need for a Triangle Resource Center evolved out of the strategic projects in various stages of implementation by the Project Group. The rich and diverse socioeconomic groups in the neighborhoods, both residents and business people, will come together through the work of the TDP Group in a common meeting area, the resource center.

The Triangle District is a microcosm of Santa Fe’s economic and social challenges, book-ended by the seemingly conflicting threats of multi-generational poverty and gentrification with its attendant dislocation and fragmentation. The distinct communities within the District face challenges ranging from aging in place issues to under-employment, job and housing security, social isolation and violent crime. The The TDP is replicating efforts that have been successful Triangle District Project seeks to address core issues in the in other cities. J. L. McKnight and J. P. Kretzman of the composition of community cohesion and optimism that are Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University have written, “…historic evidence indicates that significant community development only takes place when local Hopewell-Mann neighborhood, 2007 community people are committed to investing themselves and their resources in the effort. This is why you can’t develop communities from the top down, or from the outside in. You can, however provide valuable outside assistance to communities that will then actively develop their own assets.” Community centers or resource centers are at the heart of successful projects.

• The community will place an increased value on education realizing that education performance increases the quality of life for Santa Fe residents and makes the community better able to retain a talented workforce. TDP Resource Center has partnered with the Santa Fe Community College to provide Adult Basic Education classes, literacy tutoring and ESL classes.

• First Community Bank will provide financial literacy classes.

• Department of Labor will provide additional classes and job counseling.

• New Mexico Community Development Loan Fund will provide information and counseling.

• A Job and Service Bank will be established.

• Meeting space will be provided to the Triangle Merchants Association.

• Intern programs will be coordinated in collaboration with SFCC and College of Santa Fe. • Department of Labor will provide counseling and information to local entrepreneurs.

• TDP will be a city of Santa Fe outpost. Starting with the availability of some basic forms like business licenses, Santa Feans will be able to pickup forms at the Triangle District Resource Center. We hope over time the number of city services will increase.

View of proposed Plaza from Hopwell St.

The concept of the Resource Center is to bring residents together to meet and operate the site. Hours of operation are largely dependent on resident volunteers, interns, and the TDP Group. Behind the concept of the center is the idea of Protagonista residents of the District can become change makers, protagonists in their own lives. The center is about responsibility and action rather than providing assistance to the neighborhoods. The center is slated to open in September. We believe that the Resource Center is bringing Santa Fe one step closer to being a sustainable community.

Naomi Woodspring is a Community Change Strategist who holds an MA in Clinical Pyschology. Ms. Woodspring moved to northern NM in 1971 and became interested in the ideas of sustainable community. She is the sole proprietor of the consultacy firm, Solution Development. She may be contacted at 505-989-1644 or by email: woodspring@zianet.com.

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Triangle District Resource Center will serve various community functions:

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A Vision for the Alvord School Community – Sustainable by 2012 Brian Skeele

A Sustainable Way of Life Becomes the Curriculum

walking a senior’s dog, to helping them move into the Sage Cottage Cluster where more assistance is available on a sliding scale. This program is one example of many where students get practical self-esteem building experiences as they find their place in the circle of life in the Alvord community. Advanced classes give older students “aging in place” and assisted living care certification. Both are skills for jobs in demand around Santa Fe and beyond.

Other “Life As Curriculum” classes include pre and Early Childhood Development, relationship and emotional intelligence skills building programs and the “Homes to the Homeless” program, where mobile citizens learn life and job skills as they transition from the streets to homes.

Imagine. Alvord School has become the first sustainable Food-Community, Connection, Curriculum community center demonstration site in Santa Fe. Where enrollment had been dropping for years, by 2012, Alvord and Cooking Health, nutrition and cooking are all coordinated around is the heart of a reinvigorated environment! the local agriculture program, “Yards to Farms”. The Alvord The entire community is experiencing a wide range of kitchen has an expanded program that uses food to teach and benefits since neighborhood residents, the city, local service create a more sustainable lifestyle. “Farms to Schools” and providers, nearby businesses, parents, students, teachers “Yards to Farms” bring regionally grown food to the plate, and the school’s administration decided to work together increasing local food security while lowering the shipping to create mutually beneficial facilities. Benefits include job distances. Children now have a personal connection with creation, an increase in city revenues, a pedestrian friendly their food as they regularly take working fieldtrips to farms lifestyle, safe streets for children to play, a huge jump in in the region and integrate classroom learning with handstest scores, a much lowered dropout rate, a big increase in on growing. Several homes and commercial facilities in the workforce housing and a less consumptive, more affordable neighborhood have constructed attached greenhouses, so lifestyle that allows Santa Feans to live lighter on the food production is a year-round occurrence in the Alvord community. planet.

The Alvord Café and Bakery has transformed the former school kitchen into a great place to get good food. The facility is used around the clock, with the “Alvord Assembled Not only is the school’s curriculum drawing enthusiastic Meals,” two different meal share plans, and the evening reviews in pre-K to 8th grades; classroom facilities have music scene where kids and adults get together and have been extended into the evenings, offering a lifelong learning a lot of fun playing music. Culinary and baking skills are environment. Students are drawn to hands-on learning taught to all ages, and the meals feature local and regional where socially, economically and ecologicallly sustainable organic produce, dairy, fruit and meats. principles are taught and practiced throughout the school and the surrounding neighborhoods.

The “Alvord Assembled Meals” program, especially appreciated by working parents, is a profitable service Alvord’s social sustainability curriculum includes the offered to the community. Parents get together at appointed “Alvord Grows Together” program, where students learn times and put together wholesome meals for their families how to provide elder care, from running errands such as for the coming week. The meal share plans are another

Kids and Neighbors are Mutual Beneficiaries

Alvord School mural

continued on pg. 157

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affordable service that gives great value to the community.

Folks who have similar dietary preferences organize evening meals, taking turns shopping, cooking and cleanup, giving the others several nights “off” each week and at the same time creating a natural sense of a mutually beneficial community.

Working Together to Get to Zero a Carbon Emissions Lifestyle

water and energy systems. Water is captured, recycled and reused throughout the community. All the savings have allowed the neighborhood’s population to grow without the need for any new water. Recirculating pumps and the biomass district heating, augmented with solar collectors, have also been an amazing conservation program.

The “Gone Green” Neighborhood Renovation program continues to transform energy inefficient homes into zero emission homes.

The “Whole Home Audit” documents the existing water and energy consumption of each home as well as the homeowner’s financial status and comes up with a comprehensive plan that works for the owners as well as the surrounding neighbors.

Single-story homes often have been granted zoning variances to allow the neighborhood to go mixed use. Commercial and residential additions and resulting revenue streams are tailored to fit, ensuring a retirement plan that gives great comfort to each household.

The local residents not only get to retire in familiar surroundings, but in many cases, their home’s equity is converted into The waterpark and their retirement funds and the neighborhood gets a mixed- many opportunities everyday science. use community.

The resulting walkable pedestrian-friendly streets are alive and safe with neighbors out and about. Kids bicycle everywhere and families enjoy the affordability of viable one-car families. Mass transit, the train and car-share services are affordably available to all, and based on usage, are highly successful.

The “Gone Green” program has evolved into a local bank where the neighborhood gets to invest in their community.

Loans for solar hot water and electricity have transformed the utility bills. Alvord demonstrates and teaches classes on the latest energy and water-saving devices and strategies.

Neighborhood homes have wireless meters installed on all water and energy appliances and each home has an electronic screen readout, so residents see their usage. Usage is way down, and neighbors meet regularly to brainstorm with students on what new strategies to implement next to reach their much anticipated goal of a zero carbon emissions lifestyle.

Four mini laundromats have been incorporated into the community.

Parents and students can have a latte, read or go shopping at the corner general store while their clothes are being washed in the conveniently located facilities with state-of-theart highly efficient machines. Waste heat is used to warm attached greenhouses.

“If it Ain’t Fun, it Ain’t Sustainable”

Students of all ages have learned that working together with the whole community, coming up with inspired ideas on how to live more affordably and lighter on the planet, is fun. The north side of Alvord School had a Community Design Day. A recreational waterslide was created utilizing the rooftop of the 2-story addition. In the winter, a used snow-making machine, donated by the Santa Fe ski basin, turns the waterslide into “the Luge,” a great playground for everyone. snow playground are the source of for classroom curriculum, hands-on

Beautiful “Living Machines,” water recycling tanks, demonstrate how bacteria and microorganisms purify water. Attached greenhouses provide essential composting, soil studies and crop production opportunities. The solarrecharged neighborhood electric cart collection service gives teens an opportunity to make money by driving household food scraps to the community composting bins.

Locally Created Services and Products – the Sustainable Economy Emerges

As homes and business were renovated into zero emission buildings, more space was created for residences, services and commercial usages. A network of used clothing stores trades across town with other recycle stores. The attached clothing repair shop teaches sewing and clothing design.

Bicycle sales and repair, a computer lab, a graphics design shop and café, a library and bookstore, a woodshop/ metalshop and an eBay store have all opened with help from the Business Incubator Loan Fund. Entrepreneurs of all ages are encouraged with micro-loans, business The school led the way by planning and redesigning its skills training programs and affordable facilities, to create

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A Vision for the Alvord School Community - continued from pg. 154

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products and services that evolve into locally created jobs.

Mentors and apprentices share their love for teaching and learning. With the abundance of affordable housing, young adults can stay in their community and the long traditions of Santa Fe’s cultures are sustained.

together to create a sustainable lifestyle where lifelong learning becomes a way of life, and life becomes the curriculum. The results?

A lifestyle that’s good for people, good for the planet and good for the Video documentary labs and a soundstage have created a polar bears! facility that beams the learning experiences of the entire community to the rest of the world. There is a large demand Brian Skeele is a general contractor, for information on how to live sustainably, and Alvord has visionary and educator of sustainable led the way. neighborhoods. For more information on how to get involved in making this What we’ve learned is that an amazing abundance, a wealth vision a reality, visit www.2010turnaround.com. beyond money is available to all when a community works

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Transformation of the Santa Fe Railyard

The Railyard Plaza, west of the park, will feature a water tower, fruit orchard, shade structure, smaller park areas and a permanent home for the Farmers’ Market, as well as space for local artisans to display their work.

The Santa Fe Railyard Park and Plaza will feature a 10-acre park plus 2-acres that includes a plaza and a network of walk-bike trails in the heart of Santa Fe. The design concept for the park blends a naturalistic landscape with constructed features for a new community gathering place. Bordered by Paseo de Peralta, Guadalupe Street and Cerrillos Road, the park will include a sloped area for performance events, a children’s playground, picnic areas and meandering walkbike trails that will link to a planned citywide trail network.

Under and aboveground parking structures are being built.

The Santa Fe Railyard West near Baca Street is undergoing a transformation as well. New infrastructure is being put in to serve 16 business parcels on approximately 13 acres.

However, Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation Director Richard Czoski has said that Railyard West will not be crowded with buildings. Owners of an 11,700square-foot warehouse on Cerrillos Road plan to remodel it into a live-work commercial area with 10-15 spaces ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet. Other live-work spaces in the area are also being created. The thriving Baca Street arts area will benefit from a new parking lot.

The Trust for Public Land, which facilitated the city’s purchase of the 50-acre railyard site and has raised a portion The Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation is of the park and plaza’s costs from private donors, continues overseeing a $12.5 million Railyard redevelopment project to seek funding to complete the project. (More info: 505funded by the city, state and federal grants and loans from 988-5922, www.railyardpark.org or www.tpl.org.) the New Mexico Finance Authority.

Railyard Rainwater

Rainwater collected on roofs of buildings will irrigate the 10-acre Railyard Park (being developed by the Trust for Public Land) as well as landscaping in the Railyard commercial districts. The water will be channeled into cisterns and pumped out for irrigation. The rooftop runoff should provide almost two-thirds of the water needed to keep the native or drought tolerant plants thriving.

Because “surface runoff” from parking lots, sidewalks and other water-impermeable surfaces belongs to the state, it has to be channeled into an underground retaining pond made up of 3,000 feet of 5-foot-diameter, high-density plastic pipe. The moderated drainage will be released directly onto the pavement of Alarid Street, then Camino Sierra Vista, then St. Francis Drive, where it will enter a storm sewer that will channel it into the Santa Fe River.

A construction crew works on a system of underground culverts to store rainwater runoff at the Santa Fe Railyard.

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The Artyard – A Sustainable Building Project in the Santa Fe Railyard Mitch Davenport In December 1995, the city of Santa Fe purchased the Santa Fe Railyard. This followed more than a decade of community input asking that the development of the property be an asset and benefit to the community and that it honor the history of the area. In February 2002 the Santa Fe Master Plan and Design Guidelines were approved.

In addition to the above-stated goals, the Master Plan embraced the principles of environmental sustainability.

That same month, Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation entered into an agreement with the city to manage the development of the property and one year later issued a Request For Proposal for parcels designated for live/work buildings.

From the very beginning we envisioned this as an opportunity to create a sustainable infill project like our other two projects in Santa Fe: The Lofts on Cerrillos Road and the Marquez Place Lofts. However, we were determined to take the concept even further with the ArtYard Project.

We are working towards a certification of New Construction LEED Gold: one of the first new construction mixeduse buildings in New Mexico to reach that level of high performance, energy and water efficiency, use of sustainable and recycled materials and indoor air quality. In addition to the LEED Gold certification, the buildings will be more than fifty percent energy efficient than a typical building of the same type. This will qualify the building for state of New Mexico Sustainable Building Tax Credits.

Some of the more innovative design features of the buildings are:

Greywater and Roof Water Harvesting – All water from the buildings from all fixtures except toilets and kitchen sinks will be captured and treated with aerobic bacterial generators and ozone, then pumped back into the building so that every toilet flush is with harvested water. There will also be a roof water harvesting system, which will supply irrigation to the xeriscaped landscaping.

Wiv Company and its sister The Lofts LLC, development and general contracting companies, issued a proposal and were awarded the project. Our intention is to have 51 percent of the residential, commercial and retail spaces occupied by art-related businesses. The ArtYard on the Santa Fe Railyard will provide all kinds of artists, including those involved in the visual, performing, graphic and culinary arts, with a comfortable, energy-wise and aesthetically pleasing place Varied Glazing Based on Exposure – We have mixed the types of glazing in the exterior doors and windows in order in which to live and work. to maximize the heat gain/loss depending on the exposure of

Site Waste Management – We will organize our waste management to minimize building waste going to the landfill. Lumber, concrete, drywall, paper products and more will be collected separately in order to be recycled or re-used.

Solar Ready – Unfortunately, some of the community were opposed to solar collectors on the roof, and so we were unable to install them. However, we know that things change over time. We will have roughed in all the plumbing lines and supports necessary so that if in the future the collectors are approved they can be installed with a minimum of impact.

Energy Efficient Equipment – All appliances will be Energy Star. Air conditioners and boilers will be some of the most efficient available.

Material Use – We intend to use low or no VOCs products wherever possible. Volatile Organic Compounds are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapour pressures under normal conditions to significantly Site Selection – We selected a remediated brownfield vaporize. infill site. By doing so we are developing on a rehabilitated damaged site and reducing pressure on undeveloped Alternative Transportation – Our project is located within land. By choosing infill we help minimize car travel and walking distance to bus and rail lines. This will minimize encourage community interaction. the use of automobiles.

Hybrid Parking – We will be offering either designated The ArtYard Project is just one of many projects that are preferred parking spaces for hybrids or discounted (or free) the result of years of research and building innovation parking for hybrids. by thousands of designers, engineers and builders. We are proud to be part of the growing movement toward Bicycling – We will establish covered, protected bicycle sustainable building and look to a bright “green” future for racks and a shower/changing facility for some of our Santa Fe. commercial tenants/owners. Our project is also located next to a county-wide planned bicycle path.

Mitch Davenport may be contacted at The Lofts LLC, 3600 Cerrillos Road, Suite 718, Santa Fe, NM 87507 505-474-3600

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the windows. South and west facing windows have a varied type of treatment from the north and east facing windows because they are exposed to very different heat and light exposures. When we need heat gain in the winter we get more, and when we need less UV in the summer we get it.

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Featured Greenbuilt House This home in Pecos was designed by Baker-Laporte and Associates and built

as a collaboration between Prull and Associates, the general contractor, and the EcoNest Building Company. This was the first home built at Birds of a Feather Retirement Community for the founder, Bonnie McGowan. The development features community design, clustering homes to protect open space, forest management practices, community-wide sewage treatment and water re-use.

The McGowan home features passive solar collection, active solar radiant floor heat and hot water, EcoNest system clay/straw walls and timberframe structure with clay plasters.

The main house is 2,300 square feet. It is joined by a timber-framed breezeway to the guest home and garage. It was designed and built to healthy house specifications. Non-toxic, natural finishes were used throughout. Many local artisans worked on the house and the local community participated in building the clay/straw walls.

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Top: Th e timberframe, built by the EcoNest Building Company, is from sustainably harvested white fir supplied by Quality Wood Products, Chama, New Mexico L-R: A room for two Amazonian parrots was carefully situated with a good vantage point of the kitchen. Formaldehyde-free cabinetry was built by Wood Design.

View from the kitchen to the dining room shows the Tulikivi with see-through firebox and additional bread oven The bathroom features formaldehyde-free cabinetry, FIR (far infra-red) detoxification sauna, stone counters and floors, and “Oceanside� recycled glass tile tub surround. A soaking tub overlooks spectacular mountain views.

Bottom: S olar array by Cedar Mountain Solar for domestic hot water and radiant floor heating

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Energy Clean Energy in NM Joanna Prukop

Increased climate change activity, the global energy situation and renewable energy opportunities prompted Governor Richardson and New Mexico’s leaders to initiate clean energy bills during the 2007 legislative session. Two bills represent landmark clean energy legislation: the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority Act (NMRETA) and the increased Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). These bills now signed into law position our state to competitively develop our vast renewable solar and wind energy resources and export New Mexico’s clean energy to other states. Through diversification we gain stability—these laws help us do that.

NMRETA is a newly created quasi-governmental entity.

It is the nation’s first Renewable Energy Transmission Authority created to develop electric transmission with an emphasis on renewable energy development for export to out-of-state markets. Under NMRETA, at least 30% of a transmission project’s energy must be renewable derived electricity; up to 70% may be from other sources. NMRETA focuses on electric system transmission infrastructure planning, financing, construction and operation. It will provide revenue bonding authority to finance projects, which could involve owning or leasing the facilities, and charge participating entities fees to service the bond debt and recover administrative costs.

submitted photo

NMRETA will have an eight member board consisting of the New Mexico State Treasurer, the State Investment Officer, three members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the House, one member appointed by the President Pro Tem of the Senate, and the Cabinet Secretary for the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) will be a non-voting member.

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

No other state has an authority that focuses on developing new transmission projects to promote renewable energy generation. It’s an innovative and bold move to stimulate clean energy production and create high paying jobs, capital investment and greater economic development in rural areas. New Mexico’s grid, which is near full capacity, will New Mexico is a true national leader in all aspects of benefit substantially from improved transmission reliability. energy efficiency, conservation, clean energy development The NMRETA will also fund energy storage and the associated environmental and economic projects such as compressed air storage for benefits. Leadership in clean energy is a true test wind power. of responsibility. New Mexico is taking the lead, embracing energy conservation and efficiency measures, and working to make clean energy available to New Mexico and neighboring states.

NMRETA plans to identify projects and issue Requests for Proposals to construct and operate facilities. The New Mexico Public Regulations Commission will approve any projects that relate to in-state retail rates or reliability. NMRETA projects will be exempt from state gross receipt and compensating taxes.

Joanna Prukop is Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department. submitted photo

Scientists believe that in New Mexico, global warming is already leading to more heat, less snow and more wildfires.

The West has seen larger temperature increases than any other part of the United States. In some areas temperatures have already risen by 2°C over the past century — much more than the average change globally of +0.5°C. Large western wildfires have increased significantly, and the wildfire season has grown by 78 days over the past three decades. Evidence now links this increase to the effects of human-induced global warming.

NM Taking the Lead on Global Warming

Over the coming century, a further rise in temperatures will cause snows to come later in the year, melt sooner and fall only higher on the mountains, causing snowpack and water resources to decline. One scientific study predicts water resources in the Colorado River Basin to decline by 40%. This is particularly concerning for New Mexico. In the coming few years, many cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe will rely on snowpack as a major source of water.

Declining snowpack and water resources will present a major challenge for our state.

The solution

There is scientific consensus that we must quickly act to stabilize global warming pollution if we are to limit temperatures from rising above dangerous levels. Leading scientists like James Hansen from NASA have stated clearly John Fogarty, MD MPH that we will miss this target if we wait even a decade for strong This year marks a turning point in human history. We action. To stabilize carbon dioxide levels below dangerous have arrived at a clearly marked crossroads. Our defining levels we must dramatically increase the efficiency of our buildings and vehicles and expand our use of renewable challenge, our greatest opportunity, is now. energy such as wind and solar. We must turn away from The climate appears to be snapping in ways that make the use of fossil fuels such as coal and dramatically reduce Vice President Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth outdated. emissions, starting right now.

In May 2007, we learned that the Arctic icecap is melting much faster than expected and is now about 30 years ahead State and local leadership of predictions made by the Intergovernmental Panel on To date there has been no substantive federal action on Climate Change. Two other global studies determined that global warming, and in the absence of national efforts, ice at the Arctic may disappear within a mere thirteen years, cities and states have been leading the way in providing and the Southern Ocean, a massive storehouse for carbon bold solutions. There are now 290 American cities and dioxide from the atmosphere, may be losing its capacity to twenty-seven states working on climate action plans. buffer global warming gases.

Santa Fe in particular has taken a leading role. In June 2006 This crossroads is brightly lit. We cannot fail to see it. And the city passed a resolution affirming its commitment to we cannot miss the turn. We must act now to create a new reducing global warming emissions and joined the Cities direction for energy in our country and protect our society for Climate Protection initiative. The City Council and Mayor Coss also passed a groundbreaking law calling for all and future generations from dangerous climate change. new city buildings to be constructed using 50% less fossil fuels and be carbon neutral by 2030.

The problem

Until recently, it was possible to believe that global warming was not real or not caused by humans. But the truth is now clear: people cause global warming, and people must fix it, beginning immediately.

In 2005 Governor Richardson issued targets to reduce emissions in New Mexico by 75% by 2050, and he created a Climate Change Advisory Group (CCAG) to make recommendations for immediate reductions in emissions.

In December 2006 the CCAG released a report with 69 continued on pg. 169

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Pollution from our cars, trucks, buildings and power plants is creating a “carbon dioxide blanket” of heat-trapping gases around the earth. This blanket is getting thicker, and temperatures are rising.

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about energy and global warming. policy recommendations that – if adopted and implemented • Place a moratorium on all new coal fired power plants.

– would reduce emissions from an expected 70 million Coal plants emit tremendous amounts of global warming metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide to 34 MMT pollution, and once a coal plant is running it will continue by 2020. These policies include mechanisms to reduce to emit pollution for 50 years. One new plant would global warming emissions from oil and gas processes, an wipe out all of the gains from the expansion of renewable energy resources, a state clean cars above initiatives combined. standard, low greenhouse gas emitting building codes and an expansion of organic and locally grown foods (http:// John Fogarty is a family physician www.nmclimatechange.us/). who has worked for ten years with the Indian Health Service. He Governor Richardson issued an Executive Order that directs serves on the national board of seven state agencies to implement 21 of those policies, Physicians for Social Responsibility which is a step in the right direction, but much more needs and is the Co-Director of New to be done.

Energy Economy in New Mexico.

New Energy Economy is helping to coordinate the efforts of individuals, Next steps in New Mexico and organizations that are New Mexico is in a unique position to advance global groups committed to creating the solutions to warming policy as the first state with an economy based global warming.

You can learn more about the campaign at heavily on the fossil fuel industry to seriously address global www.ourchildrenourfuture.net. warming. The solutions to global warming also could be a huge benefit to New Mexicans. More efficient vehicles and buildings will help consumers and taxpayers save money at the gas pump and on heating bills. The development of solar and wind resources will create new jobs and new economic opportunities for many communities in the state.

New Mexico could become a major leader in the effort to solve global warming by adopting and implementing the following: • Improve building efficiency by setting new codes that would require all new buildings and major renovations to use 50% less fossil fuels.

• Expand the state’s renewable energy standard so that 30% of electricity comes from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020.

• Improve the efficiency of electricity use in New Mexico by 25% – a significant reduction that has been shown to be cost effective.

• Implement a clean cars program that would increase vehicle efficiency by more than 30% within the next decade.

• Improve the quality of our food supplies so that 25% of food eaten in New Mexico is locally grown and 25% is organically grown by 2020.

• Use “best management practices” to capture global warming emissions from the oil and gas industry, starting immediately.

• Create an Office on Global Warming to help with the implementation of programs and to educate the public

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New Mexico Taking the Lead on Global Warming - continued from pg. 167

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Energy Independence for North America Conference in SF The North American Institute (NAMI) is a Santa Febased tri-national, non-profit, “post-partisan” organization dedicated to fostering greater cooperation between Canada, Mexico and the United States on issues of common concern.

A NAMI press release states, “North America’s energy security remains uncertain. Canada, the United States and Mexico all rank high as energy producers and consumers.

At the same time, they are highly dependent on traditional energy sources. So far, little has been done to integrate their energy policies for maximal regional efficiency, for greater independence from non-renewable fuels, and from worldwide dislocations.” To address these issues, on May 29-30, 2007, NAMI hosted a conference at Bishop’s Lodge in Santa Fe entitled Energy Independence for North America: An Alternative Future.

Tim Douglas, President of NAMI and Mayor of Bellingham, WA

As one of the first communities to adopt the 2030 Challenge to reduce the carbon footprint from municipal construction (www.architecture2030.org), as endorsed by the US Conference of Mayors, Santa Fe was an appropriate location for NAMI’s conference. Mayor Coss gave a welcoming address. Among the many speakers were Juan Manual Solana, the Consul General of Mexico, Rick Stephenson, the Consul of Canada, Tim Douglas, the President of NAMI and Mayor of Bellingham, Washington, and Dr. Paul Maxwell, Director of the Bi-National Sustainability Laboratory.

The conference brought together prominent movers and shakers from business, government and scientific Edited Highlights of the presentations at NAMI’s communities of the three countries to discuss tri-national trilateral symposium may be viewed online at needs for energy independence, global warming and www.northamericaninstitute.org. alternative energy. Common areas of systemic interaction among the countries include energy, climate, water, wildlife, first peoples, citizen participation, trade and migration.

Heating vs. PV Boaz Soifer

In many circumstances, solar heating systems are the most cost-effective application of residential-scale renewable energy. These systems may pay for themselves in as little as Cedar Mountain Solar project on Old Santa Fe Trail three years, and when financed, can generate positive cash flow as soon as they are installed. However, in some cases solar heating systems may take much longer to pay for 3.

Size of Home themselves.

Larger homes and smaller homes alike require similar infrastructure such as mechanical room piping, domestic Below is an explanation of some of the variables that affect hot water storage and system controls, while solar collectors, the cost of a solar heating system. Systems having a longer heat distribution and boiler size are scaled to the building. return on investment may still be worth the investment and The result is that systems for larger homes tend to cost less will also have significant environmental impact. per square foot of heated area or collector, or per unit of conventional fuel offset.

1.

Heat Distribution System

Solar hydronic heating can be used with any hydronic heat distribution system. This is a system that uses water rather than air or steam as the heat distribution medium. In most residential applications, the options are radiant floors or baseboards, though forced-air systems can also be adapted.

4.

Summer Heating Loads

Systems that can be used year-round have the benefit of offsetting fuel year-round. For example, some systems heat radiant floors in winter, swimming pools in summer, and domestic hot water year-round. Such a system is often more cost-effective than a system that only heats a radiant floor, Radiant floors can be installed in thermal mass such as offsetting fuel only in winter. concrete or stone (called in-mass systems) or in a crawlspace underneath a wood floor (non-mass systems). In-mass radiant 5.

New Construction vs. Retrofit floor systems work best with solar heating because the mass In new construction applications, there are several economic can be used for solar heat storage collected during the day advantages over retrofits. In new construction, the cost of for distribution at night, and because in-mass radiant floors the solar component of the system can be rolled into the work best at lower fluid temperatures. construction loan. In such cases, the cost-effectiveness of the system is measured by comparing the monthly debt service Integration with non-mass radiant floors and baseboards for the solar premium with the average monthly fuel savings. requires solar heat storage media such as water to be added It is sometimes possible by this method to generate cash flow to the system, increasing system complexity and cost. A with the solar heating system.

2,500 square-foot non-mass radiant floor or baseboard system would require about 500 gallons of water storage to Also, in new construction projects there is no requirement work effectively. To integrate this storage into the system, for re-piping the mechanical system, as in retrofit situations. additional pumps and controls are also required and system This is a labor-intensive and costly part of the project in maintenance costs are increased. Non-mass systems also require more conventional fuel to boost fluid temperatures. retrofits.

On-grid or Off-grid For these reasons, integration of solar heating into in-mass 6. radiant floor systems is typically more cost-effective than Systems where utility power exists are less costly than in offgrid situations. This is because special pumps and controls other heat distribution alternatives. are used to reduce the electrical consumption of the heating system in off-grid homes because this reduces the required 2. Heating Fuel Being Offset Most homes in New Mexico are heated with natural gas, size and duty-cycle of the electrical power source. In off-grid propane or electricity. Currently, natural gas costs half as homes, a rule of thumb is that $1 spent on efficiency saves $5 much or less compared with propane or electricity for heating. on the cost of the solar-electric system required for off-grid Therefore, solar heating systems that reduce propane or power. Therefore, the increased cost of an off-grid heating electrical consumption are more cost-effective than systems system with high-efficiency pumps and controls is justified offsetting natural gas. A system offsetting natural gas may because it reduces the cost of the solar-electric system. still be a good investment, depending on other variables, and it certainly still has considerable environmental benefit.

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Cost-effective Solar Projects

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7. Distance from Cedar Mountain Solar’s offices

City of Santa Fe Increases its ‘Green’ Fleet

This article intends to convey some of the variables that affect system cost. It must be noted that only if a sound design strategy is implemented and quality components installed, is the buyer of a solar heating system likely at all to reap the benefits of his or her investment.

In June 2007, Santa Fe’s Planning and Land Use Department received five new alternative-fuel trucks for the department’s permits, inspections and enforcement staff. The trucks are additions to the city’s alternative-fuel fleet, which already consists of more than 50 vehicles. The vehicles are marked with green signs that say, “This Vehicle Uses Alternative Fuel.” The new 2007 Chevrolet Silverado flexible-fuel/ ethanol pickups help reduce greenhouse emissions and can go 268 to 341 miles on one tank of exclusively alternative fuel. Twenty-five Santa Fe Trails busses are already powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas.

Of course, when we install a system in our own backyard the cost is lower than when we install a system two hours away because of fuel and travel costs. In addition, the lifecycle cost of a remote system may be higher because of maintenance and service work required later in the system’s lifespan.

With all these variables in mind, you can start to determine whether a solar heating system may be right for your home.

A typical home system offsetting propane or natural gas can offset tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year and save hundreds or thousands of dollars in energy costs. A site assessment by a qualified, professional system designer is the next step.

Boaz Soifer is co-owner of Cedar Mountain Solar, winner of the city of Santa Fe’s 2007 Small Business of the Year Award. submitted photo

Allan Sindelar

As longtime photovoltaic (PV) installers, we are routinely asked about the “payback” for solar power. In some respects, this question is a vestige of the first wave of interest in “alternative energy” following the oil shocks of the Carter years. Back then, solar heat and solar hot water were promoted on the basis of generous tax credits and dollar payback. This thinking – that solar energy somehow needed to pay for itself to justify its existence – has persisted since that time.

Any one of these factors can make a PV installation a “good” or “bad” financial investment. Financial payback can vary from immediate, when enough of these factors are favorable, to one hundred years or more where there is cheap utility power and no incentives in a cloudy climate. This variation can be seen as an indictment of a financial structure that values immediate rate of return over long-term social and planetary health.

Payback can be looked at in several different ways: energy, economic and environmental.

One of the most persistent ideas is that solar panels require more energy to manufacture than they produce during their lifetime. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, “Based on models and real data, the idea that PV cannot pay back its energy investment is simply a myth.” The payback for complete systems using common multicrystalline PV modules is four years for systems that use current technology.

It will drop to two years for technology coming onto the market.

We have been able to determine, using conservative assumptions, that in Santa Fe a typical two-kilowatt residential PV system installed today will recoup 82% of the total original investment in eleven years. A commercial seven-kilowatt PV system will recoup 99% of the original investment in that time, due to more favorable tax laws.

The NREL report assumes that a PV system has a 30-year life. “PV is clearly a wise energy investment that affords impressive environmental benefits,” the fact sheet concludes.

“During its projected 28 years of clean energy production, a rooftop system with a 2-year energy payback and meeting half of a household’s electricity use would avoid conventional electrical-plant emissions of more than half a ton of sulfur dioxide, one-third a ton of nitrogen oxides and 100 tons of carbon dioxide. PV is clearly a wise energy investment that affords impressive environmental benefits.”

The economic payback on an investment in a PV system is harder to measure, as it is subject to many factors acting together.

These include:

• the cost of a line extension, if utility power is not readily available; • the structure and value of local financial incentives, such as tax credits and rebates; • utility regulations, such as feed-in tariffs and net metering laws; • utility rate structures, such as tiered rates (that is, rates that start low and rise as more electricity is used) and time-ofuse metering; • predictions of future increases in utility rates; • local climate and solar resources, which affect the amount of kilowatt-hours produced relative to investment; • the PV system’s performance, which is generally a result of the quality of design, installation and monitoring; • whether the PV installation is residential or commercial,

Several other myths that we hear about solar power are used to support a “stay the course” approach that emphasizes conventional energy such as coal and nuclear power. To respond to such objections as “solar is intermittent” or “we can’t scale up fast enough” we need only look to cloudy Germany. Germany’s feed-in tariff and related laws permit homeowners and farmers to connect their solar power systems to the grid, and it pays them a fair price for their electricity.

The policies have created the biggest markets for renewable energy so far in the world and have enabled independent players to secure sufficient financial resources for investing in new renewable energy technologies and production sites.

Germany installed an astounding 100,000 solar systems in 2006, following back-to-back record-setting years of 2005 and 2004.

All of us make investment choices each day. Those investments can favor a sustainable future or they can support the status quo. An investment in efficiency (the first and best investment) and/or a renewable energy system provides the ability to live comfortably without mining energy or emitting greenhouse gases.

We don’t ask the same questions when we contemplate purchase of a couch or a car. We invest thousands of dollars into a vehicle that plummets in value the moment it leaves the dealer’s lot. We then follow that with huge investments in fuel, oil, maintenance and repairs – not to mention the “investment” in fighting wars in foreign lands to keep the pipeline open.

continued on pg. 176

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Demystifying Solar Energy

which is tied to tax structures; • whether the cost of financing the PV system is included; • whether the cost of the PV system can be amortized into a mortgage; and • whether the increase in the appraised value of the property can be quantified.

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When we compare investments in clean and conventional energy, we must question the assumption that with energy, cheaper is better. Some kinds of energy are better than others.

The current costs of fossil and nuclear power do not begin to include their long-term environmental costs. Our children’s children’s children will get to pay that bill. Renewables are cost effective right now. They are being asked to compete on an uneven playing field. Fossil and nuclear fuels are heavily subsidized, and neither is paying the environmental costs associated with them. Add to this the fact that our reliance on fossil fuels has long been referred to as a giant pipeline of dollars out of our country, while dollars spent on renewable energy remain at work in our local economy. We have calculated that about 60% of the investment in a PV system stays within New Mexico.

For further information on these topics, check out these resources: • For a well-written introductory guide titled “How to Go Solar in New Mexico”: http://www.nmccae.org/ Downloads/Go_Solar_Guide.pdf • For information on New Mexico state tax credits and deductions: www.cleanenergynm.org • For information on PNM’s incentive programs: http://www.pnm.com/customers/pv/program.htm The payback issue was explored in more detail in a feature article in the February/March 2002 issue of Home Power magazine. The original article can be accessed at http://www. positiveenergysolar.com/pdf/HP_87_Payback_on_PV.pdf

submitted photo

artwork: Glen Strock

Allan Sindelar is founder and president of Positive Energy, a full service renewable energy dealership serving all of New Mexico. Allan is on the Technical Committee of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners and the Advisory Board of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association. He and his family live without utility power, south of Madrid, New Mexico. E-mail: allan@ www.positiveenergysolar.com

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The Benefits of Biofuels Charles Bensinger

and transportation costs, thereby raising food prices for the consumer while use of less expensive biofuels can help stabilize transportation costs, thus stabilizing food costs.

Oil as a cause of major wars

In the 1940s, the need to capture oil wells in the Dutch East Indies was a key reason for the Japanese buildup of its military and subsequent attack on Pearl Harbor. This occurred because the U.S. had embargoed oil supplies to Japan prior to WWII, thus crippling the Japanese economy. Hitler needed to seize oil from Romania and Russia, as Germany, like Japan, had no domestic oil supply.

Many believe that the U.S. is engaged in a similar bellicose pattern with its military involvement in the Middle East, Both ethanol and biodiesel production grew dramatically specifically in Iraq. The need for oil has been the root in the US during 2007, and the biofuels industry will cause of more major international conflicts than we are continue to expand during the coming years. Many new willing to admit. Because biofuels can be produced and biofuels production facilities are owned by farmer’s co- processed almost anywhere, they are not something oilops and local entrepreneurs, thus creating a decentralized addicted emperors, dictators and presidents will likely take us to war over. Let’s keep this in mind fuel industry in stark contrast to the when we next fill up with biofuels or Big Oil super-concentrated industry petroleum fuels. ownership and price control paradigm.

Not surprisingly, Big Oil is seeking to Fuel security prevent competition to its monopoly All crude oil must be processed in product – petroleum – by launching only a few large refineries, most of a relentless negative campaign against which are located near the Gulf of biofuels.

Mexico in Texas and are consequently highly vulnerable to hurricanes and/ To be sure, it’s important to consider or terrorist attacks. Every biodiesel the full range of environmental or ethanol plant is its own refinery. and social impacts associated with This means that biofuel production any transportation fuel. But it’s and refining is nicely decentralized also important to recognize the throughout the U.S., thus providing fundamental Law of Ecology: there the country with a far more robust is no free lunch. Energy generation and secure fuel production and and vehicle transportation will always distribution system than presently entail some amount of deleterious exists for petroleum products. impact on the environment.

However, we need to do our best to Presently, New Mexico has one small minimize these impacts. The process biofuel producer, Rio Valley Biofuels, of acquiring petroleum products located in Anthony, New Mexico. A causes vast amounts of permanent Charles Bensinger fills up with E10 15 million gallon per year biodiesel environmental destruction, human submitted photo pain and suffering, and is implicated as a primary cause plant owned by Blue Sun and Ares Corporation will open of numerous major international conflicts. Almost anyone in November of this year in Clovis. In Carlsbad, an algaecan produce biofuels, thus allowing decentralization of to-biodiesel demonstration project is underway, and a a nation’s fuel production system and allowing local and cellulosic biomass to ethanol facility is planned for northern independent control of fuel resources. Local and regional New Mexico by developer B&E Biofuels of Taos. This year, biofuels production keeps money in the local economy and the New Mexico Legislature passed a requirement that supports local self-sufficiency. These are very good things. by 2010 all state vehicles and schoolbuses must contain at least 5% biodiesel and by 2012 all diesel sold in New Mexico must contain at least 5% biodiesel. It’s a small but Food vs. fuel debate The protein in corn and soybeans is not used to make good first step in bringing the benefits of biofuels to more fuel. Only the starch and oil content is utilized for fuel New Mexicans. production. The food value is preserved and fed to livestock for meat and milk production. Corn and soy Charles Bensinger is Biofuels Program Director for Renewable farmers are finally receiving a fair price for their products Energy Partners of New Mexico, a nonprofit organization while Congress has capped the amount of corn that can whose mission is providing non-fossil fuel alternatives for New be used for ethanol production. Any additional ethanol Mexicans. Bensinger manages and oversees two biofuels stations must come from cellulosic sources such as municipal solid in Santa Fe, and is currently working to produce biofuels from waste (garbage), animal manures, sewage, used tires and cellulosic and algae feedstocks. He can be contacted at: 505other waste products. High oil prices increase fertilizer 466-4259. The website is www.RenewableEnergyPartners.org Biofuels provide us with a renewable alternative to petroleum fuels. Biofuels are better for engines, better for the environment and better for national security. Santa Fe is fortunate to have biodiesel and two grades of ethanol fuels available to the public. Any vehicle can use at least one of these fuels without modification. New biofuels stations are planned for Cuyamungue, Taos and Los Alamos in 2008.

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Transportation

New Santa Fe Transportation Hub

The Rail Runner Express:

The new Department of Transportation hub on the 25-acre state-owned tract on Cerrillos Road between Cordova and Alta Vista is planned as an “intermodal center.” Rail Runner riders will be able to transfer for Santa Fe Trails buses, taxis and other transportation. The headquarters complex is part of a state plan to partner with a private developer to build residential and commercial spaces along with the bus and train stop and government offices.

The extension of the Rail Runner Express commuter rail line is projected to reach Santa Fe by the end of 2008. The $117 million contract to build railroad tracks between Waldo Canyon and Santa Fe was awarded to a joint venture of Twin Mountain Construction II Co. and the HERZOG Group, who also has a contract with the state to operate Rail Runner service between Belen and Bernalillo. The total $400 million cost of the project will be met by a combination of state highway and severance tax bonds, highway bond premiums and bond investment earnings. NM officials learned early in 2007 that the state was unable to meet the requirements for $75 million Gov. Richardson’s administration had planned on to help pay for the extension into Santa Fe. The governor has asked the state legislature to allocate $35 million, and the state is reportedly (at this writing) still seeking federal funding.

The new complex will displace Santa Fe Southern Railway’s freight-unloading station, which is relocating to the south end of town. The railroad, which mostly hauls lumber and pipe, previously relocated from the downtown railyard.

The Santa Fe Southern Railway’s 18-mile spur between Santa Fe and the main tracks at Lamy mainly offers tourism excursions from the old passenger terminal downtown. In 2005, SFSR sold the rails (to be upgraded) and right of way to the state Department of Transportation for the Rail Runner. Santa Fe County and the city of Santa Fe maintain easements along the rail line for use as a hiking and biking trail. artwork: Peter Aschwanden

Connecting Santa Fe and Albuquerque

The Santa Fe route will run from La Bajada up through Waldo Canyon and enter the I-25 median just north of the interstate rest area. From there it will use 12 miles of the median to reach Santa Fe. Besides stopping at the new Department of Transportation hub at Cordova and Cerrillos Roads, and probably at the Railyard downtown, other stops are being debated. It is likely that there will be one where Richards Avenue crosses below I-25 or near the NM 599/I25 interchange. The city is conducting an independent transit-oriented development study to see how the train will impact traffic in Santa Fe.

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Regional Trails System Being Developed Trails help New Mexicans connect with their land, as well as the heritage and stories related to that land, ensuring the intertwined well-being of people and nature far into the future.

Why Trails?

• T rails link people to their neighborhoods, neighborhoods to their communities and communities to each other.

• Trails are community assets, providing economic, environmental, social, health and spiritual benefits.

• Trails provide access to natural areas, keep children in touch with nature and promote a stewardship ethic.

• Trails provide healthy alternative forms of transportation.

• Trails offer easy, free recreation for all.

The Santa Fe Conservation Trust has been working to implement their vision of a “green infrastructure” – a network of permanently protected natural lands in and around Santa Fe County.

The Trust has convened a “Trails Summit” of key trails groups (city, county, state, federal, NGO and recreational) to, in part, support the development of a regional trails system and improved public access, including a comprehensive hiking and biking trails map. No such map–or comprehensive regional trails plan–has existed.

The Trust hopes to have a usable map and major trails inventory available to the public by early 2008 and will make this information available as on its web site.

Volunteer to Care for Trails The Trust will be starting a trails stewardship program this fall, pending funding. Trail users, landowners, youth and adult volunteer groups are invited to care for and improve trails wherever needed. The Trust will also sponsor trailsoriented programs for the enjoyment of the community.

Hike & Bike Trail A hike & bike trail is being built along the Acequia Madre and will extend from the Santa Fe River at Patrick Smith Park on Canyon Road, pass behind the NM School for the Deaf and end at the Montoya Family Compound on Agua Fria. The Acequia Trail will ultimately connect to the Rail Trail behind the South Capitol Complex on Alta Vista Street, according to the Railyard Master Plan.

For more information, contact the Santa Fe Conservation Trust: 989-7019, email info@sfct.org or write P.O. Box 23985, Santa Fe, NM 87502.

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SSF 2007-2008 ADVERTISERS LISTING For a full resource listing of other sustainable businesses and organizations, or to be considered for inclusion or advertising in the next edition, please see our web site: www.earthcare.org (“*F2R” indicates “Farm to Restaurant”)

ADVERTISING & MARKETING FlavorGrafix Graphic and web design, marketing, advertising, fundraising, branding & product development: 1235 Siler Rd, Suite D SF, NM 87507: 316-0883 www.flavorgrafix.com; pg. 10 Grace Communications Marketing where profitability and sustainability are linked 1807 Second St. Suite 22, SF NM: 87505: 438-8735 www.gracecom.ws; pg. 170 Mind Over Markets A marketing / business development, helping socially responsible companies: 1807 Second Street Suite 45 SF, NM 87505: 989-4004 www.mindovermarkets. com; pg. 14 Pronto Signs & Graphics Locally owned and operated: 1225 Parkway Rd, SF, NM 87507: 989-7396; pg. 172 Studio X Web design, site hosting, e-commerce, databases: 1520 Paseo De Peralta, SF, NM 87501: 438-0505 www.studiox.com; pg 182

AGRICULTURE Farming & Gardening Emerald Earth Store Naturally remediate harmful toxins and restore nature’s microbial balance and more: 1807 Second St., Ste. 30, SF, NM 87505: 983-4014 www.emearth.com; pg. 20 SF Premium Compost Local compost, mulch, red worms: 1923 San Ildefonso Rd SF, NM 87505: 3103971 Sfcompost@yahoo.com; pg. 137

Plants, Herbs, Seeds Pawnee Buttes Seed Seed for all your needs. Working with nature to establish sustainable vegetation: PO Box 100, Greeley, CO 80632: 970356-7002 www.pawneddbuttesseed.com; pg. 168 Plants of the Southwest * Sponsor * Nursery, drought-tolerant United States native plants and seeds, advice, and more: 3095 Agua Fria St., SF, NM 87505: 4388888 www.plantsofthesouthwest.com SF Greenhouses full-service retail greenhouse and tree nursery that specializes in waterwise (“xeric”) plants: 2904 Rufina Street, SF, NM 87505: 428-7374 www.santafegreenhouses.com; pg. 9 Tropic of Capricorn Nursery Landscaping and green products: 86 Old Las Vegas Highway, SF NM 87505: 9832700 www.tropicofcapricornsantafe.com; pg. 134

BUILDING & DEVELOPMENT Building Materials Adobe Man Providing adobe bricks for construction: 1525 C. de Baca Lane, SF, NM 87505: 986-3995; pg. 55 Bioshield Paint Company Offers natural paints and no voc products: 3215 Rufina, SF, NM 87507: 438-3448 www.bioshieldpaint.com; pg. 153 Brother Sun Windows, doors, and natural light: 2907 Agua Fria Rd, SF, NM 87507: 471-5157 www.brother-sun.com; pg. 192 Come on Home.Biz An online directory designed for your building and home improvement projects: 5 Bucking Horse Ct., SF, NM 87508: 4748388 www.comeonhome.biz; pg. 103 Coronado Paint & Decorating Decorating center for new construction and remodeling projects, offering nontoxic materials: 2929 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87507: 473-5333 www.coronadodecorating.com; pg. 135 Dahl Wholesale Plumbing & Heating Water catchment, heating and plumbing supplies: 1000 Siler Park Rd, SF, NM 87507: www.dahlplumbing.com; pg. 29

The Firebird High efficiency clean burning renewable fuel woodstoves and fireplaces, drip irrigation and rain water harvesting: 1808 Espinacitas St., SF, NM 87505: 983-5264 www.thefirebird.com; pg. 143 Hal Burns Power Systems A generator sales and service company.

Back up energy for your off-the-grid home: 14 Camino Charro, SF, NM: 4711671 www.halburnspowersystems.com; pg. 64 La Puerta Originals * Sponsor * Produces beautiful, hand-crafted, oneof-a-kind custom doors, rustic and contemporary furniture and accents from architectural antiques and old wood: 4523 State Rd Hwy 14, SF, NM 87507: 9848164 www.lapuertaoriginals.com; pg. 125 Las Comunidades Renewable resource building products.

Posts, vigas, roughsawn lumber, and beams: PO Box 1234, Vallecitos, NM 87581: 505-629-4213 LasComunidades@ gmail.com; pg. 63 Mountain Valley Lumber Sustainably harvested wood from NM and Colorado area. Frequent deliveries to SF. Dry vigas, latillas and dimensional lumber: 719-655-2400 www.mountainvalleylumber.com; pg. 2 SF Habitat for Humanity Restore Recycled building materials, hardware and more. Supports SF Habitat for Humanity: 1143 Siler Park Lane, SF, NM 87507: 473-1114 www.santafehabitat.org; pg. 40 Sierra Pacific Windows Window company that maintains healthy forests and provides wood products: 1612 St. Michael’s Drive SF, NM 87505: 9921475 www.sierrapacificwindows.com; pg. 151

Designers & Builders ADC Referral Providing excellent designs, building methods, and energy and resource efficiency: 5 Bucking Horse Ct, SF, NM 87508: 474-8388 www.adcreferral.com; pg. 145 EcoNest Design dream eco-homes. Also offering teach seminars and workshops on ecohomes: P.O. box 864, Tesuque, N.M. 87574: 505-989-1813 www.econest.com; pg. 97

McDowell Construction Precision construction, healthy homes specialists, sustainable building: 1409 C Luisa Street, SF, NM 87505: 505.982.5238 www.mcdowellsantafe.com; pg. 64; 159 Palo Santo Designs A general contracting firm specializing in green design-build projects, natural homes, nontoxic materials, natural wall systems, and solar: 108 ½ Huddleson St, SF, NM 87501: (505)670-4236 www. palosantodesigns.com; pg. 85

Lofts, The Mixed-use communities with studios for artists, offices for small businesses and residential units: 3600 Cerrillos, Ste. 718, 1012 Marquez Place, SF, NM 87505: 4743600 www.thelofts.com; pg. 42 SF Community Housing Trust Assists with affordable housing: P.O. Box 713, SF, NM 87504: 989-3960 www.santafecommunityhousingtrust.com; pg. 146

Landscaping Cassidy’s Landscaping Locally owned and operated professional, year round, landscape and irrigation company: 3901 Agua Fria, SF, NM 87507: 474-4500, www.cassidyslandscaping.com; pg. 126

Prinzivalli Masonry All phases of masonry, including custom masonry heaters, fireplaces, wood-fired ovens and stonework: 7A Los Hornos Rd, Lamy, NM 87540: 690-1929 www.prinzivallimasonry.com; pg. 161

Down to Earth Restorative landscaping.

Gardens, Permaculture, Xeriscaping and more: P.O. Box 32311, SF, NM 87594: 983-5743 www.getdowntoearthlandscapes.com; pg. 12

Robert West Residential and commercial builder offering sustainable building options: 95 Los Hornos Rd, Lamy, NM 87540: 4663806 www.rawestinc.com; pg. 156

Dryland Solutions Hand-built, light on the land methods for the restoration of healthy ecological communities: 607 Salazar Street, SF, NM 87505: 577-9625 www.drylandsolutions. com; pg. 110

SF Area Home Builders Association Representing a wide array of professionals in addition to Builders and Developers: 411 St. Michael’s Drive, SF, NM 87505: 982-1744 www.sfahba.com; pg. 150 Sarcon Construction Beautiful, high-quality, efficient, lowmaintenance, and healthy: 1400 S. St. Francis Drive, Ste C, SF, NM 87505: 4744700 www.sarcon.net; pg. 58

Dryland Permaculture Institute Permaculture courses and workshops: www.permaculture.org; pg. 49 Gardening from the Heart Ecofriendly landscape design and installation: 509 Valverde SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108: 505-681-1376 gardeningheart@gmail.com; pg. 177

Housing

San Isidro Permaculture & Landscaping Design services, land consultation, water catchment, grey water systems, native seed & land restoration: 1517 Camino Sierra Vista, SF, NM 87505: 983-3841 sanisidroperm@hotmail.com; pg. 177

Homewise Helps modest-income New Mexicans become successful homeowners, and many other service: 1301 Siler Rd, Bldg D, SF, NM 87507: 983-6214 www.homewise.org; pg. 97

SF Permaculture Design and installation ecological landscape company whose work with Mother Nature: 551 West Cordova Rd, Ste. 458, SF NM 87505: 424-4444 www.sfpermaculture.com; pg. 176

Verde Authorized distributor or NuDura – Insulated concrete forms; 474-8686; pg 191

Lena Lofts - Artisan Group Multi-use community for business and residential/work, native landscaping and renewable energy resources: 2240 W. Alameda, #7, SF, NM 87501: 983-7248 www.artisanhomes.com; pg. 141

Real Estate Anne Ward A SF Land and Homes Healthy Home Consultant and Green Realtor: 1533 Borrego Pass, SF, NM 87507: 577-4542 annekat@msn.com; pg. 95 DeVito Properties Realtor, sales, sensible land use, site solutions, sustainability, experience with co-housing, the truth: 1000 Paseo De Peralta SF, NM 87501: 946-0436 or 9841003 www.DeVitoProperties.com; pg.

101 La Pradera Custom Home and Homesites in Balance with Nature: 995-1274 www.lapraderasantafe.com; pg. 194 Natural Homes – Oshara Village Healthy and safe with sensible conservation of water, energy and land. Sustainable living: 946-2158 www.osharavillage.com; pg. 155 Tai Bixby, Realtor Experienced co-housing realtor; Offering homes in Oshara Village, SF’s new sustainable development: 505 Don Gaspar SF NM 87501; 577-3524 www.taibixby. com; pg. 19, 3 Villa de Sophia Eight Ultra High Efficiency green high performance condominiums for sale: 6702533; pg. 151 Vista Bonita Green affordable houses for sale. Save money, water and Energy: 992-2750 www.vistasbonitas.com; pg. 147

BUSINESSES, PRODUCTS Automobiles, Auto Repair Beaver Toyota-Scion Offering Toyota hybrids: 1500 St. Michael’s, SF, NM 87505: 868-845-2103 www.beavertoyota.com; pg. 86 Hal Burns Truck and Equipment Diesel and RV mechanics. We do Biodiesel conversions: 14 Camino Charro, SF, NM: 471-1671 www.halburns.com; pg. 150 Premier Motorcars of SF Offering Honda hybrids and environmentally-friendly Subaru: 4480 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM: 471-7007 www.premiersantafe.com; pg. 15

185 SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008

Kreger Design/Build Creates fine custom homes; Single-family residences are our passion! AIA Architect & NM Contractor. 2006 & 2007 Green Builder Award: PO Box 9503 SF, NM 87504: 660-9391 www.KregerDesignBuild.com; pg. 143

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 186

Cleaning Supplies & Services One Hour Martinizing Dry Cleaning We’re clean, green and no perchloroethlyene.

Green Earth Cleaning: 5 locations in SF: 982-9259; pg. 131 Tiny Tots Environmentally friendly diaper service and personal laundry: HC70 Box 390, Pecos, NM 87552: 204-1653/757-2281; pg. 126

BUSINESSES, PRODUCTS contd.

Clothing, fabrics Double Take at the Ranch Consignment stores, carrying elaborately embroidered vintage cowboy shirts, boots, funky old prints, one-of-a-kind jewelry: 323 South Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 820-7775; pg. 110 Nearsea Naturals Organic cotton & organic wool fabrics, a collaboration between several workat-home moms, a work-at-home dad in a solar-powered facility: P.O. Box 345, Rowe, NM 87562: 877-573-2913 www.nearseanaturals.com; pg. 168 SF Hemp Sweatshop-free hemp and organic cotton clothing for men, women, children & baby; fair-trade wools and silks and more: 105 E. Water St., SF, NM 87501: 9842599 or 995-0916 www.santafehabitat. org; pg. 123 SF Quilting Quilting and sewing supplies, oriental batik and southwest fabrics cottons, silks and rayons patterns & classes: 3018-A Cielo Ct, SF, NM 87507: 473-3747 www.santafequilting.com; pg. 40 Sense Clothing Active, spa, and travel wear: 900 W San Mateo Rd # 300, SF, NM: 988-5534 www.senseclothing.com; pg. 171

Furniture Casa Natura Healthy beds, bedding, clothing and more: 328 Sandoval St, SF, NM 87501: 8207634 ww.casanaturainc.com; pg. 65 Double Take at the Ranch Consignment store carrying lots of funky and high quality furniture. Recycled Furniture: 323 South Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 820-7775; pg. 110

Mexico Lindo Furniture Furniture from authentic, centuries old woodcarving mastery: 1098 S. San Francis Dr., SF, NM 87505: 820-9898 www.mexicolindofurniture.com; pg. 31 Sachi Organics Organic products and beds: 523 W. Cordova Rd, SF, NM 87505: 982-3938 www.sachiorganics.com; pg. 134 Stephen’s Consignments Consignment with antiques, furniture, art, estates, and appraisals: 2701 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87507: 471-0802 www.stephensconsignments.com; pg. 27

Health Products Milagro Spa and Herbs Handmade herbal products and natural treatments from wild native and organic plants: 1020 Canyon Rd, SF, NM 87501: 820-6321 www.milagroherbs.com; pg. 163 Rowans Leaf Herbal Bulk organic herbs, tinctures, vitamins/ supplements, essential oils, homeopathy, flower essences and more: Located in the Village at El Dorado: 466-6740; pg. 21

EarthStone International Innovative products for the home: 888-994-6327 www.earthstoneintl.com; pg. 144 Fuel Freedom International – Santa Fe Reduce your gas mileage; 995-9871; pg 33.

High Desert Guitars Fine acoustic guitars, Mandolins, Banjos, Vintage instruments, Amplifiers: 111 N. Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 983-8922 www.highdesertguitars.com; pg. 170 Horton Family Maps Your street guide for all dedicated roads of SF County and Espanola, Los Alamos and Taos proper: 473-2853 or 753-8062; pg. 97 Mobile Sharpening Service Sharpen knifes, shears, or any blades.

Service door to door or at the Farmers Market 577-4491; pg. 172 Moon Rabbit Toys Real toys for unreal times: 112 W. San Francisco Street, SF, NM 87501: 9829373 www.moonrabbittoys.com; pg. 163

Pet & Animal Supplies

On Your Feet Complete shoe store and more. Sanbusco Center, SF: 983-3900; pg. 168

Critters and Me Suppliers of natural pet foods, supplies and information: 1403 Agua Fria, SF, NM 87501: 982-5040; pg. 159

Paul Rivers Bailey Singer extraordinaire. www.myspace.com/paulriversbailey; pg. 191

Feed Bin SF @ Ranchway Offering Ranch-Way Mill products: a full line of animal feeds, from blocks to grain mixes, pellets, cubes and Bird Seed Blend: 1202 W Alameda St, SF, NM 87501: 9820511 www.ranch-way.com; pg. 95

Rapid Refill Ink Locally owned and operated.

Remanufactured Inkjet and Laser Toner Cartridges: 510 N. Guadalupe, Suite L, SF, NM 87501: 989-8890; pg. 177

Tulliver’s Pet Food Emporium High-Quality Natural Dog and Cat Foods and supplements and a variety of pet supplies: 807 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 992-3388 www.tulliverspetfood.com; pg. 58

Reflective Images Ethically made and sources jewelry and wedding rings. 912 Baca Street, SF: 888733-5238 www.celticjewelry.com; pg. 102

Other

SF Mountain Sports Outdoor & sporting equipment and more: 607 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87501: 988-3337 Sfmtnspts@aol.com; pg. 35

Amanda’s Flowers Locally owned and operated, offers exquisite, custom designs, arrangements, bouquets, and gift baskets: 1606 St. Michael’s Drive, SF, NM 87505: 4739212 www.amandasflowers.net; pg. 159

Wiford Gallery Featuring the visionary wind sculptures of Lyman Whitaker. Photography, Paintings, and Sculptures. 403 Canyon Rd SF, NM 87501: 982-2403 www.wifordgallery.com; pg. 75

Big Jo’s True Value Hardware Locally owned and operated hardware store: 1311 Siler Rd, SF, NM 87507: 4372255 www.truevalue.com/bigjo; pg. 136

Youth Service Providers (also see Education)

Bioneers Promotes environmental solutions and innovative, social strategies for restoring the earth and communities.

6 Cerro Circle, SF, NM 87504: 877BIONEERS www.bioneers.org; pg. 14, 132

Berimbau Academy of Capoeira & Bikanda Gallery of Art, Dance, Music & Healing Offering Capoeira the Afro-Brazilian Martial Art; Afterschool programs. 2778 Agua Fria, 13A, SF, NM 87505: 4744884; pg. 182

Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety Issues concerning the consolidation of U.S. nuclear weapons activities in NM. 107 Cienega, SF, NM 87501: 986-1973 www.nuclearactive.org; pg. 40

Earth Care International A local nonprofit organization educating and empowering young people to create a thriving, just and sustainable world.

Offering in school and after school programs. We also put out this guide. :?)

1235 Siler Rd, Suite D, SF, NM 87507: 983-6896 www.earthcare.org

Quivira Coalition Economic, ecological and social health emphasis for public and private land stewardship: 1413 Second Street, Suite 1, SF, NM 87505: 820-2544 www.quiviracoalition.org; pg. 135 SF Community Foundation Connects donor interests with community needs; supporting nonprofit organizations in SF and five other northern NM Communities. 516 Alto Street, SF, NM 87501: 988-9715 www.santafecf.org; pg. 77 SF Mountain Center Provides experiential and adventure-based programs for children, youth, families and groups: P.O. Box 449, Tesuque, NM 87574: www.santafemc.org; pg. 40 SF Watershed Association Balancing human uses with natural resource protection and restoring the heart to our community: 1413 Second St., Suite 3, SF, NM 87505: 820-1696 www.santafewatershed.org; pg. 21 Southwest Learning Centers, Inc. Educational/Cultural non profits, est.

1972; Center for Indigenous Arts and Cultures that Publishes books on Native American biographical profiles; the annual Native Roots and Rhythms Festival: P.O. Box 8627, SF, NM 87504: 989-8898 www.nrrfestival.com: www. indianartbooks.com; pg. 106 United Way of SF With Innovation Comes Lasting Change: 982-2002 www.uwsfc.org; pg. 59

Warehouse 21 Where the youth of SF enjoy music, theater, culture, and art: 1514 Paseo de Peralta, SF, NM 87501: 989-4423 or 9891583 www.warehouse21.org; pg. 179

CONSULTANTS, MISC. Regenesis Group Partnering people and their place to regenerate ecosystems and the human spirit: 320 Aztec St, Ste B, SF NM 87501: 986-8338 www.regenesisgroup.com; pg. 171 Women with Wings Offering whole life and whole business coaching for women: 1807 Second Street – Suite 45 SF, NM: 231-2342 www. womenwithwingscoaching.com; pg. 21

ECONOMY & FINANCE Financial Services Canyon Lending Group Debrianna Mansini Mortgage loan company from start to finish; 502 W. Cordova Rd, SF, NM 87505: 629-4431 www.canyonlending.com; pg. 122

Horizons Sustainable Financial Service Formerly First Affirmative Financial Network of SF. Investment services for socially and environmentally conscious investors nationwide: 1751 Old Pecos Trail, Suite D, SF, NM 87505: 982-9661; pg. 41 First National Bank of SF Local bank serving the financial needs of New Mexicans: 2020 Rosina Street SF, NM 87505: 992-2043 www.fnb-sf.com; pg. 77 Guadalupe Credit Union Financial cooperative offering a broad range of financial services: 3601 Mimbres Lane, SF, NM 87507: 216-0485 www.guadalupecu.org; pg. 118 Knight Financial Limited Social responsible investing: 115 La Posta Rd, Suite D, Taos, NM 87571: 505-751-3388; pg. 64 Locals Care Helps locally owned businesses thrive, supports nonprofit organizations: 551 West Cordova #191, SF, NM 87505: 983-2581 www.locals-care.com; pg. 36, 37 Los Alamos National Bank * SPONSOR * Offers a variety of home loan options, a fast application process, and the best rates and fees: 301 Griffin Street, SF, NM 87501: 954-5400 www.lanb.com; Inside Cover NM Educators Federal Credit Union Member owned we provide a full range of financial services: 800-347-2838 www.nmefcu.org; pg. 53 SF Alliance Farm to Restaurant Program Promoting Independent business and community: 989-5362 www.santafealliance.com; pg. 27 State Employees Credit Union Open to anyone who works for or has retired from any state, city or county agency: 813 St. Michael’s Drive, SF, NM 87505: 954-3402 www.secunm.org; pg. 179

Canyon Lending Group – Mitch Mortgage loan company from start to finish; 502 W. Cordova Rd, SF, NM 87505: 204-0833 www.canyonlending.com; pg. 137

EDUCATION

Donald S. Kinney, CPA Tax return preparation and planning to help you conserve your financial resources: 474-6733 www.beanplanter.com; pg. 16

Academy for the Love of Learning Supporting the rebirth and renewal of learning and education in America: 1012 Marquez Place, Suite 308ª, SF, NM 87505: www.aloveoflearning.org; pg. 158

187 SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008

COMMUNITY & SOCIETY Community Organizations

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 188

Education contd.

ENERGY (RENEWABLE)

Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center Place to learn, experience, and share methods for sustainable living. Public workshops: 505.780.0535: ampersandproject@yahoo. com; pg. 68

ADI Solar Sells solar equipment, educates, informs, and consults on all solar installations: 290 Arroyo Salado, SF, NM 87508: 422-3088 or (877) 789-2452 www.adisolar.com; pg. 58

Camino de Paz School A Montessori middle school located 20 miles north of SF on five acres of organic farm: P.O. Box 669, Santa Cruz, NM 87567: 986-2000 www.caminodepazschool.com; pg. 12 EcoVersity EcoVersity is a sustainability educational and community center: 2639 Agua Fria, SF, NM 87507: 424-9797 www.ecoversity.org; pg. 144 Earth Care International A local nonprofit organization educating and empowering young people to create a thriving, just and sustainable world.

Offering in school and after school programs. We also put out this guide. :?)

1235 Siler Rd, Suite D, SF, NM 87507: 983-6896 www.earthcare.org Northern NM College A 4-year public college offering environmental science and sustainability courses: 921 Paseo De Onate, Espanola, NM 87532: 505-747-2100 www.nnmc.edu; pg. 169 SF Community College Training programs for students related to green industries: 6401 Richards Ave., SF NM 87508: 428-1617 www.sfccnm.edu; pg. 111 SF Waldorf School A K-12 independent school: 26 Puesta del Sol, SF, NM 87507: 983-9727 www.santafewaldorf.org; pg. 73 SEED Graduate Institute Indigenous wisdom and modern knowledge, experiential and academic learning: 1700 Artisco Drive, Albuquerque, NM 87105: 505-792-2900 www.seedgraduateinstitute.org; pg. 63 Southwestern College Graduate studies in counseling, art therapy, and grief counseling: 3960-ABC San Felipe Rd, SF, NM 87507: 877-471-5756 www.swc.edu; pg. 171

Cedar Mountain Solar A full service provider of solar energy systems: 1285-J Clark Rd, SF, NM 87507; 474-5445 www.cedarmountainsolar.com; pg. 28 Renewable Energy Partners Promotes the use of utility-scale renewable energy for electrical generation and to further the use of renewable transportation fuels: 466-4259 www.renewableenergypartners.org; pg. 179 Positive Energy Designs, installs, upgrades and services renewable energy power systems. A fully licensed and bonded electrical contractor: 3225A Richards Lane, SF, NM 87507: 424-1112 www.positiveenergysolar.com; pg. 156

FOOD Grocery Stores La Montanita Co-op *F2R A food store owned by member shoppers.

Food for people not for profit: 913 W. Alameda, SF, NM 87501: 984-2852 www.lamontanitacoop.com; pg. 52 Whole Foods Market A food store committed to sustainable agriculture: 753 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 992-1700 www.wholefoods.com; pg. 115

Restaurants Annapurna Vegetarian Restaurant Ayurvedic cuisine and chai house: 905 W. Alameda, SF, NM 87501: 988-9688; pg. 134

Bumble Bees Baja Grill Fun, Fresh, Flavorful, Friendly, Fast Casual at two locations in SF: 820-2862 Southside on Cerrillos: 988-3278 www.bumblebeesbajagrill.com; pg. 131 Café Pasquals *F2R Serving free range and organic fares and wines. 121 Don Gaspar (Corner of Water Street): 983-9340 www.pasquals.com; pg. 25 Cloud Cliff Restaurant *F2R Local restaurant serving eclectic, nourishing and thoughtful food, freshly prepared: 1805 Second Street, SF, NM 87505: 983-6254 www.cloudcliff.com; pg. 170 Cowgirl BBQ & Western Grill *F2R A bar and grill with reasonably priced and tasty Southwestern, Tex-Mex, barbecue, and southern fare: 319 S Guadalupe St., SF, NM 87501: 982-2565; pg. 82 El Farol *F2R Tastes of Spain, SF and Mexico with a unique blend of art, dance, flavor and aroma: 808 Canyon Rd, SF, NM 87501: 983-9912 www.elfarolsf.com; pg. 137 Il Piatto *F2R Inviting Italian restaurant: 95 West Marcy St, SF, NM 87501: 984-1091 www.ilpiattorestaurant.com; pg. 191 Joe’s Diner *F2R Restaurant focused on local and organic foods, big shopper at Farmers Market: 2801 Rodeo Rd, SF, NM 87507: 4713800 www.joesdinerandpizza.com; pg. 49 La Boca Serving authentic Spanish tapas. 72 West Marcy, SF, NM 87501: 982-3433; pg. 145 La Casa Sena *F2R Cozy upscale dining and patio garden, American Southwest Cuisine: 125 East Palace, SF, NM: 988-9232; pg. 86 La Mancha Restaurant and Bar *F2R We are committed to supporting local farmers, we serve only humanely raised meat and seafood from sustainable sources: At The Galisteo Inn: 466-8200 www.galisteoinn.com; pg. 141

Aztec Café *F2R Coffee house serving organic foods and participants in the local Farm-toRestaurant program: 315 Aztec Street, SF, NM 87505: 820-0025 www.azteccafe.com; pg. 41

Le Zodiac *F2R Simple French cuisine in SF: 311 Old SF Trail, SF, NM 87501: 984-8500; pg. 33

Blue Heron Restaurant at Sunrise Springs *F2R Natural, organic, local food: 955-0028 www.sunrisesprings.com; pg. 135

Mu Du Noodles *F2R Locally owned, evolving restaurant that creates wonderful healthy and tasty Asian foods: 1494 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 983-1411 www.mudunoodles.com; pg. 89

Maria’s Restaurant Locals’ favorite. New Mexican cuisine: 555 W. Cordova, SF, NM: 983-7929; pg. 132

Plaza Café Southside Locally owned, local food: 3011 Cerrillos, SF, NM 87507: 424-0755; pg. 83 Second Street Brewery *F2R Menu is authentic international pub fare: 1814 second Street, SF, NM 87505: 9823030 www.secondstreetbrewery.com; pg. 182 Tree House Pastry Shop & Café *F2R An all-organic, vegetarian pastry shop and café. 3095 Agua Fria Rd, SF, NM 87507: 474-5543 www.treehousepastry.com; pg. 64 Whole Body Café *F2R Wheat, dairy, & sugar free, & selections for vegan, raw, & other diets. Over 90% organic ingredients, favor locally grown produce: 333 Cordova Rd, SF, NM 87505: 986-0362 www.bodyofsantafe.com; pg. 77 Zia Diner *F2R An innovative diner located in a classic southwestern deco warehouse: 326 S Guadalupe, SF, NM 87501: 988-7008 www.ziadiner.com; pg. 159 *F2R = Member of SF Alliance Farm-ToRestaurant program

Other Foods Farm to Restaurant Program = *F2R Connecting local Restaurants with Local Food. Project of Santa Fe Alliance: 9895362 www.santafealliance.com; pg. 103 SF Cider Company Organic Sparkling Cider made from Fresh Apples: 55 Encantado Loop, SF, NM 87508: 986-8600 www.santafecider.com; pg. 40

GOVERNMENT SERVICES City Services City of SF Convention and Visitors Bureau; pg. 85 Economic Development Division; pg. 79 Water Conservation; pg. 132 Community Services; pg. 177 Parks, Trails and Watershed; pg. 110, 190 Public Works, Santa Fe Trails; pg. 55 200 Lincoln Ave, SF, 87501: 955-4200 www.santafenm.gov

State Services NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Reliable supplies of energy, and energy efficient technologies and practices: 1220 South St. Francis Drive, SF, NM 87505: 476-3313 www.emnrd.state.nm.us; pg. 45

HEALTH & WELLNESS Health Services FrequenSea - Mia Rue Robins Supporting Sustainable Health. Bio Available Nutrition: 989-3701 www.myforevergreen.org/miaruerobins/ pg. 21 Exploring Health Lymphatic decongestive therapy: 1488 St. Francis Drive, SF, NM 87505: 982-0044; pg. 149 Lakind, Simon, and Kirkland, DDS Socially and Environmentally sensitive dentist. 400 Botulph Lane, SF, NM 87505: 988-3500 www.santafesmiles.com; pg. 55 Scher Center for Wellbeing Body centered tools for Healing, Awakening, and Transformations: 1602 Fourth Street, SF, NM 87505: 989-9373 www.schercenterforwellbeing.com; pg. 99 Southwest C.A.R.E. Center AIDS-care, Research and Education Center serves HIV positive residents of NM. 649 Harkle Rd, Suite E, SF, NM 87505: (888) 320-8200 or 989-8200: www.southwestcare.org; pg. 171 United Blood Services Please donate your blood today. Rodeo Plaza - Suite B-10 2801 Rodeo Rd SF, NM 87505: 1-800-333-8037; pg. 179 Zyto Limbic System Assessment Mia Rue Robbins Resolving health issues, highest quality natural and organic problems: 983-3701 miaruerobins@aol.com; pg. 19

Remedies Skin Care Clinic Natural skin care consultations and products; latest technological treatments combined with ancient holistic solutions: 807 Baca St., SF, NM 87505: 983-2228 www.remediesofsantafe.com; pg. 176

LAND STEWARDSHIP, RESTORATION Commonweal Conservancy Conservation-based community development organization.

117 N Guadalupe St, Ste. C, SF, NM 87501: 982-0071 www.commonwealconservancy.org; pg. 174 Holistic Management International Works with people around the world to heal damaged land and increase the productivity of working lands: (505) 8425252 www.holisticmanagement.org; pg. 33 Rangeland Hands We offer turnkey, design-build services from assessment through implementation for watershed restoration projects: 46 SF County Rd 84A, SF, NM 87506: 505455-7525 or 505-470-3542 rangehands@ msn.com; pg. 149 Soil Secrets Products restore the natural process of the “Soil Food Web”: 9 Gilcrease Lane, Las Lunas, NM 87031: (505) 550-3246 www.soilsecrets.com; pg. 71

LEGAL SERVICES Heard, Robins, Cloud & Lubel LLP Environmental lawyers representing both individual and corporate clients in a wide range of disputes: 300 Paseo De Peralta, Suite 200, SF, NM 87501: 986-0600 www.heardrobins.com; pg. 119 Lopez, Sakura & Boyd LLP * Sponsor * Specializing in Environmental and Water Law: 200 West da Vargas Street, Suite 3 SF, NM 87501: 992-0811 www.nmfirm.com

Recreation, Spa, Misc.

MEDIA

Los Poblanos Inn & Cultural Center Bed and Breakfast, Organic Farm, Conference Center: 4803 Rio Grande N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87107: 505344-9297 www.lospoblanos.com; pg. 81

Green Money Journal * Sponsor * Socially Responsible Investing: Gaining Momentum: P.O. Box 67, SF, NM 87504: 988-7433 www.greenmoney.com

Organic Skin Care Body treatments, facials, waxing and more.

Truly organic: 1925 Aspen Drive, Suite 201B, SF, NM 87505: 474-4310; pg. 73

SF New Mexican * MAJOR PARTNER * Provides news, opinions, entertainment, sports, outdoors, events, health, classifieds, guides, business and subscription: 1368 Cerrillos Rd, SF, NM 87505: 983-3303 www.freenewmexican.com; Back Page

189 SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008

Over Easy Café *F2R Committed to local and organic: 2801 Rodeo Rd, SF, NM 87507: 474-6336 www.overeasycafe.net; pg. 168

SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008 190

Media contd.

TRANSPORTATION

SF Reporter Presents in-depth stories often overlooked or uninvestigated by the daily press and in-depth cultural coverage in a city with a vigorous arts scene: 132 Marcy Street, SF, NM 87501: 988-5541 www.santafereporter.com; pg. 183

Creative Couriers SF’s all-weather eco-friendly bike delivery service: 920-6370 www.creativecouriersLLC.com; pg. 14

Sun Companies Sun publishes inspirational, motivational, and leadership books: P.O. Box 5588, SF, NM 87502: 471-5177 www.sunbooks.com; pg. 129 The Message Company Conferences for the spirit and a book publisher: 4 Camino Azul SF, NM 87508: 474-0998 or 474-7604 www.bizspirit.com; pg. 19

RECYCLING SERVICES Buckman Rd Recycling Center & Transfer Station Accepting many recycling materials: 424-1850; pg. www.sfswma.org; pg. 181

SF Southern Railway SF to and from Lamy on BioDiesel: 410 S. Guadalupe Street SF, NM 87501: 9898600 www.sfsr.com; pg. 1 The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Automobile manufactures committed to alternative fuel automobiles: www.DiscoverAlternatives.com; pg. 70

WATER Rain Catcher, Inc. Water harvesting, rain catchment systems, waste water re-use, permaculture and sustainable landscapes, erosion control, restoration, passive solar and green building. 2053 Camino Lado, SF, NM 87505: 501-4407 www.theraincatcher.com; pg. 48

The Good Water Company Earth friendly solution to improve the quality of water in your life. 2778 Agua Fria, SF, NM: 471-9036; pg. 83 Water Lady, Inc, The An inline catalytic water conditioner that de-scales pipes, boilers, evaporative coolers, etc. Salt/chemical free. Save 2040% on irrigation water: P.O. Box 91604 Albuquerque, NM 87199-1604: 660-4162 www.waterlady.biz; pg. 44 Water Management Associates Develops and implements water management and conservation solutions that are sophisticated, practical, and affordable: 1730 Camino Carols Rey, Suite 206, SF, NM 87505: 983-6599 www.waterma.com; pg. 162

191 SUSTAINABLE Santa Fe 2008