City Different 2013

City Different The future of business and innovation in Santa Fe

2 0 1 3 t h e s a n ta f e n e w m e x i c a n | w w w. s a n t a f e n e w m e x i c a n . c o m

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Recycle Santa Fe al Art Festiv

nter e C n o i t n e anta Fe, NM ConAv e F a t nue . S n e v a S arcy M st e W th 1 20 th , 16th , & 17 r 15 e b m e v o N Now celebrating its 15th year!

Check out the hippest, eco-conscious weekend long art market, featuring recycled material artists.

Best place to buy your holiday eco-gifts! www.recyclesantafe.org

New Mexico’s Finest Independent Theater

Kari Stringer

Fri 7pm Trash Fashion Show $15-20 Get Tickets 988-1234 or www.ticketssantafe.org Fri 5pm - 9pm Gen. Ad $5 @door under 12 free

Sat 9am - 5pm Free Admission

THE CCA CINEMATHEQUE

Sun 10am - 5pm Free Admission

• One million served in our 30-year history • Newly renovated theater with new seats •THE STUDIO screening room ® • The most Academy Award-winning films • Partnerships with more than 150 local schools and organizations

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

Premieres

A Cat in Paris • A Separation • Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry • Beasts of the Southern Wild • Black Power Mixtape • Boy • Chicken With Plums • Chico and Rita • Buck • Eames: The Architect and the Painter • Five Broken Cameras • A Single Man • Into the Abyss • Invisible War • Jiro Dreams of Sushi • Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present • Chasing Ice • Marley • March of the Pinguins • Pina • Samsara • Shame • Volver • The Queen of Versailles • Winged Migration • What The Bleep Do We Know?

Special Programs

Sunday, November 17 4–7 pm Museum Auditorium & La Fonda on the Plaza

See the new film The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound in the museum auditorium, then enjoy a Harvey House–inspired reception at La Fonda on the Plaza. A fund raiser for the museum, with KNME-TV and La Fonda. Tickets; $80/$100 reserved seating.

Call 505-982-9543.

SF Institute’s Science On Screen • Studio Ghibli Retrospective • Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival • Santa Fe Opera’s OSCAR WILDE Series • Happy Birthday Chuck Jones! • FOLK/ART/CINEMA with International Folk Arts Market • Santa Fe Independent Film Festival • New Mexico Filmmakers Experience • Santa Fe Film Festival

CCA

CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS SANTA FE

1050 Old Pecos Trail • 505.982.1338 • ccasantafe.org

Learn more about underwriting opportunities!

Contact Jason Silverman at jason@ccasantafe.org • 505-982-1338 ex. 105 2013 cit y different 3

Preschool at 4.

Fatherless at 5.

Hungry Now.

Hunger is Closer Than You Think Northern New Mexico’s Food Bank (505) 471-1633 www.thefooddepot.org

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cover illustration William Rotsaert cover design Deborah Villa

owner Robin Martin publisher Ginny Sohn managing editor Ray Rivera editorial creative director Deborah Villa 505-986-3027

City Different PublIshed nOVeMber 17, 2013

T he fuT ur e of busine ss and innovaTion in sanTa f e

magazine editor Bruce Krasnow copy editors Cynthia Miller, Kris Ota advertising advertising director Tamara Hand 505-986-3007 marketing director Monica Taylor 505-995-3888 art department

InsIde

Elspeth Hilbert, Jeana Francis advertising layout Rick Artiaga

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The freelance workforce By roger SnodgraSS

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TipS for conTracT workerS By kaTe STalTer

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SuSTainaBle inveSTing By Bruce kraSnow

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geTTing STarTed on Si By cliff feigenBaum

advertising sales Art Trujillo, 505-995-3852 Vince Torres, 505-995-3830 Mike Flores, 505-995-3840 Wendy Ortega, 505-995-3892 Julee Clear, 505-995-3825 Matthew Ellis, 505-995-3844 technology technology director Michael Campbell production operations director Al Waldron assistant production director Tim Cramer

10 creaTive and engaged aging in SanTa fe By denniS carroll

prepress manager Dan Gomez press manager Larry Quintana packaging manager Brian Schultz

12 The journey of homewiSe By kay lockridge

distribution circulation manager Michael Reichard distribution coordinator Reggie Perez

13 homewiSe programS and projecTS By kay lockridge

web digital development Natalie GuillĂŠn santafenewmexican.com address office: 202 E. Marcy St. hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday

14 Tech-To-joBS TranSfer By roger SnodgraSS 16 permaculTure crediT union By denniS carroll

advertising information: 505-995-3852 delivery: 505-986-3010, 800-873-3372 for copies of this magazine, call 505-428-7622 or email rperez@sfnewmexican.com

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OUR NeW FReeLanCe woRkFoRCe

By RoGeR SnodGRaSS

There are 42 million freelancers in the United States today, according to the Freelancer’s Union, more than all the “autoworkers, teachers and doctors combined.”

Many freelancers or contract workers supplement a regular job with additional part-time income. Under the lingering effects of the recession, full-time jobs are scarce, and increasingly large numbers of workers are choosing to become their own microbusinesses.

Offering labor or expert services with fewer commitments, freelancers are transforming the employment marketplace. In Santa Fe, 1 in 10 workers is considered an independent contractor — and with the new health-insurance provisions of the Affordable Care Act, that number is likely to grow.

As Sara Horowitz, the executive director of the Freelancer’s Union, explained recently on Bloomberg Television, “Businesses want a flexible workforce.”

Freelancing also benefits employees, as many gain expertise and experience, and an independent contractor relationship allows them to work where they please and set schedules around family or travel.

“In Santa Fe, you do restaurants or retail as a kid,” said Raul Chico Goler, a selfemployed graphic media producer and designer. “I did restaurants for a long time. You’re working late, never have weekends, and it’s hard to take time off.”

When he started having a family, Goler wanted the regularity of a 9-to-5 job, but without the rigid constraints that meant he couldn’t leave work 15 minutes early without permission or be available when the kids had special needs.

“From what I experienced, most restaurants and retailers will do anything to prevent cutting into profits,” he said. “For me, I never expected anything from employers. With a corporate job, you might expect benefits and commitments, but I never had those expectations anyway.”

With the idea that he was already on his own, Goler took a shot at making a living in computer graphics and design, something he had studied in college and had practiced on the side. “It was a big risk, and it was a bad time,” he said. “The economy tanked, and I went back to two jobs.”

But the second time around, his business worked.

Would he go back to restaurants? “Not at all,” he said, because of the flexibility he has and the fact that he can now charge more per hour.

“We all want to work less and make more,” he said. He still lacks benefits, which were hard to find anyway, but with an improving economy and new clients, he expects benefits to follow from future growth and building a business.

Workers who operate as sole proprietors are variously called contract workers, freelancers and day laborers. Some people classify them as “1099” workers because of the Internal Revenue Service form for the miscellaneous income they receive during the year. They are a diverse bunch by nature and hard to generalize. They run the gamut of professions and industries and are more inclined to call themselves professionals, consultants, artists and the semi-retired.

Linda Strauss, a trainer and consultant in her own firm, Strauss HR Consulting, not only advises people and companies about employment but also is a contractor herself. Among the classes she has given was a piece about the fine points of determining the difference between a contractor and an employee from the employer’s perspective.

She said she decided to become a consultant after she was laid off for the second time in 12 years. There was a silver lining, as it turned out, because the layoff came with a generous severance.

“I’ve been very lucky. I have not had feast or famine,” she said. “I don’t feel that I’m going to run out of work.”

She said she does have a greater appreciation now for all the infrastructure and protection she enjoyed in a regular job. “I’m the VP of everything, including 6

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RogeR SnodgRaSS

Raul Chico Goler, independent computer graphics and web designer, works in the CoLab, a cooperative workspace at Second Street Studios in Santa Fe.

a number of things that aren’t necessarily my strengths,” she said, referring to specialties like information technology, finance and benefit management.

As a consultant, she has the flexibility that is important for her family life, but the freedom sometimes means working harder. “There is no open or closed sign on my door, which means sometimes work comes home at night or on weekends.”

One of the most solid kinds of self-employment comes to those who can follow up on extensive experience in a career field that is much in demand.

Andy Winnegar of Winnegar Consulting is an independent consultant with three decades of state and federal experience in occupational and rehab therapy.

He advises Native Americans, nonprofits, independent living centers and disabled workers on how to overcome disadvantages.

“I always said I had a nice niche, after 34 years in this field,” he said, adding that he had no plans to retire. His suggestions — probably quite valuable, considering the depth of his experience in developing employment programs for good times and bad — are practical and realistic, and appropriate for both regular and flexible workers.

“The best thing to do is to look for and get the skills that are needed, if you can,” he said. “If everybody can do the skills you have, you should probably find a skill that no one can do.”

expert aDvice FOR FREELANCERS

By Kate stalter

Whether you are hoping to supplement your full-time income or your retirement income, or launch a brand-new career as a freelancer, there are some high-level financial planning concepts to consider.

One important note: I’m a financial planner, not an accountant. The two disciplines intersect in places, but each has its own distinct objectives.

So I approach any life decision — such as whether or not to pursue freelance income — from the perspective of sketching out your larger goals, rather than first crunching the numbers on your tax returns.

I’ve been a full-time freelance writer myself, and I’m currently an adviser with New Mexico-based Portfolio. I combine both careers, which gives me a unique vantage point on the financial dos and don’ts when it comes to hanging out your own shingle.

As a planner, it’s my job to learn about what’s important to my clients. What are their goals and dreams? What are they hoping to achieve for themselves and their families?

For example, one longtime client with my firm was looking forward to the day when she could take on projects that were most aligned with her values, regardless of how much they paid, or whether they paid at all. With careful financial planning and a solid investment philosophy, she was able to achieve that goal. Today, she is a freelance consultant, spearheading some high-profile not-for-profit projects in New Mexico. She’s able to take on labor-of-love projects, because she isn’t concerned about making enough income to fund her lifestyle.

She’s been salting away money and investing for the past 10 years, with this day in mind.

Begin by asking yourself why you are freelancing. Is this a way to make some extra money on the side? Is it a way of replacing lost income?

If you are in a position to keep working at another job while you launch a freelance career, then by all means do that. It reduces pressure to ramp up your freelance revenue quickly.

In addition, you want to avoid the unpleasant reality of making early withdrawals from your retirement accounts, which can result in costly taxes and penalties. I have an acquaintance who was fed up with his job and decided to jump ship immediately to go solo. That was a mistake.

Now he’s forced to draw down from retirement accounts, taking the double whammy of taxes and penalties, and robbing himself of the chance to allow these accounts to compound during his working years.

Here are a few planning tips as you launcH your freelance career: Be realistic about business expenses. Does your new gig require any kind of equipment? New computers, cameras, even office equipment?

Will you be meeting with clients in person, or will all your business be done online and by phone? That makes a difference. Even if you will be meeting with local clients, you can save money on fancy office furniture by meeting at their location, or at a coffee shop or restaurant. For most freelancers, renting office space is a complete waste of money.

Do you really need that new iMac when you start out? Or can you make do with your year-old MacBook for a few more months, until your revenue streams stabilize?

Be realistic about personal expenses. Maybe it’s time to cut back while the new venture finds its legs. Go over your household budget carefully, and see where you can trim some fat. I’ve had some planning clients insist there is no leeway to slash expenses, but upon a careful look, there is usually some wiggle room.

There are some lifestyle choices here, of course. You often hear advice like, “Cancel the cable TV.” But if you’re a huge sports fan, you might be miserable without your daily escape to ESPN. So look elsewhere. Maybe it wouldn’t be as painful to cook at home more often, and still have access to College GameDay. Be realistic about ramp-up time. In most cases, freelance income takes some time to accelerate, so don’t assume you will immediately replace the income from your job. Unrealistic expectations could sink your nascent venture before it even sets sail. If you have to take some other part-time work to supplement the freelance income, or even keep your day job and launch your freelance business on the side, that’s a better choice than getting behind on the mortgage or borrowing grocery money from your in-laws.

Don’t let the health insurance lapse. Laws are changing, and we’re all going to need health insurance anyway, so you might as well consider this as you get started. If you’ve been on an employer’s plan, COBRA coverage can be exorbitant, so you may want to shop around. This is non-negotiable, so it’s not an item you can cross off your budget. There are plenty of ways to get group coverage, through alumni associations and even special groups formed just for freelancers. To borrow a phrase from Nike: Just do it.

After you have considered some of the 30,000-foot questions, then you’ll want to talk to your CPA about home-office deductions.

Make sure your office is dedicated exclusively to your work activities.

I heard a story of a freelancer who was storing some cases of soda for the family in his home office. When he was audited and an IRS agent visited, he lost his home-office deduction.

Also keep track of your utility bills, as a portion also can be applied to your home-office expenses. Real estate taxes and home repairs may also be taken into account come tax time. Even if all your work isn’t done from home, or if you have a full-time job in addition to your freelancing, these deductions can still come into play.

Here in New Mexico, you also have to remember the gross receipts tax. If you perform a service for a client who is based in the state, you owe New Mexico a percentage of the gross receipts reported. Add this percentage to your clients’ bills.

Many freelancers try to save a few bucks by navigating the murky world of gross receipts taxes on their own. In most cases, I recommend consulting with a CPA to make sure you get this exactly right. It’s worth a few dollars to avoid mistakes.

Finally, many people who are accustomed to working for someone else are not in the habit of paying taxes on a quarterly basis. Every month, be sure to set aside some of your earnings to pay your estimated self-employment tax.

You have to consider your leap to freelancing very carefully, but if done right, it can be a very rewarding career, both personally and financially.

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SuSTaInablE InvESTIng HOW TO MAkE MONEY ANd MAkE A dIFFErENCE by brucE KraSnow

Editor’s note: This article is being republished from the May 7 Santa Fe New Mexican. For two decades, Santa Fe’s Cliff Feigenbaum has been the sage of the sustainable-investing universe.

GreenMoney’s masthead has a simple message: “Covering sustainable business and investing since 1992.” But those who have watched the industry say it has been the interviews, articles and information from Feigenbaum and his contributors that has powered sustainable investing into the mainstream.

The soft-spoken pundit who founded GreenMoney has nurtured the publication with help from an editor in Washington State, graphic designers in California and a Web-design partner in Santa Fe who is now poised to take the content global.

Earlier this year, Feigenbaum was named as one of the top leaders in trustworthy business thought by the Trust Across America organization. And GreenMoney Journal has been honored by Utne Reader as one of the best of the alternative press for several years.

“He’s really respected in the field,” said Michael Loftin, the executive director of Homewise, a nonprofit in Santa Fe that helps with affordable homeownership. Loftin went to a sustainable investment conference in New Orleans to talk about the Homewise Community Investment Fund and saw how Feigenbaum was connected to just about everyone there.

“Who would have thought some guy from Santa Fe, N.M., would have one of the leading publications on this. You’d think it would be in New York or someplace else. But it’s here; that’s pretty cool,” Loftin said.

Feigenbaum often meets investment advisers at funds such as Calvert and Pax World who credit the publication for their careers. “I never know where GreenMoney ends up,” he said.

Feigenbaum said he is one of the investors in the Homewise fund, which aims to finance sustainable development in Santa Fe. He also seeks out credit unions and companies with his own beliefs when he invests his money.

Unlike Mother Jones, GreenMoney Journal will refuse advertising from certain businesses, Feigenbaum said.

Slow movement When water moves quickly through a field, it causes a flood; when it moves slowly, it brings life. That is the basis of the Slow Food movement and the Slow Money movement, a philosophy spirited by Woody Tasch, a GreenMoney contributor. “Just like you slow water down, you slow money down. Instead of a six-month return, you aim for a five-year return,” Feigenbaum said.

The evolution for Feigenbaum started when his father, who bought and sold dairy farms in the Pacific Northwest, went bankrupt and died of a heart attack at age 46. “I watched him struggle and how he died. I starting thinking about the impact money has on your life.”

Feigenbaum received a business degree from Whitworth College in Spokane, with minors in religion and economics. He then got a job in the business office of a major hospital and noticed that some of the 401(k) mutual funds had investments with tobacco companies.

He talked to the CFO, expressing that it was inappropriate for a health care institution to profit from smokers. His questions spawned more inquiry and that led to a column in a weekly business publication. Within a few months, he 8

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William RotsaeRt

had quit the hospital job and started to research, think and write about what was then called “socially responsible investing.” The term has since evolved into a concept now called “sustainable business and investing.”

He used membership lists from social justice groups and sent out some 2,000 newsletters. He attended conferences and started to build a following with professionals, many of whom were thinking about the same things. It was all about “the impact money has on your life and using money to create the kind of world we want to live in,” Feigenbaum said.

Interest in GreenMoney really spiked when he got a mention in Utne Reader, a compendium of thoughts and articles from the progressive press. “People were listening to what we were saying and reading what we were writing,” he said. Today, federal employees have a choice of sustainable investment options, and state pension and investment funds are among his subscribers and contributors.

The Internet reach Michelle G. Mosser, owner of Grace Communications on Second Street in Santa Fe, had a journey similar to Feigenbaum. She was working for a national advertising agency in South Florida and many of her clients had started outsourcing jobs overseas. She became more aware about profits and what she wanted from a career.

“I started to wake up to what was going on in corporate America; there was not much in sustainability and local business,” Mosser said.

She moved to Santa Fe and got involved in a group called LOHAS — Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. “I got very excited when I saw this smart marketing-based research group with common values in people — companies wanting to create a business by doing good,” she said.

It was at a LOHAS conference in Boulder, Colo., that she met Feigenbaum and saw the print edition of GreenMoney on his exhibit table.

GreenMoney Journal CALLS SANTA Fe HoMe

By Cliff feiGenBauM

Luis sÁnchez saturno

Cliff feigenbaum, founder of GreenMoney Journal

“SRI [socially responsible investing] was a very small and tight-knit community, and Cliff had pioneered a lot of those relationships with the founders of those firms who were taking ethics and cause into the investment world, and telling their story,” she said.

Still, Mosser saw a huge opportunity to reach out electronically, while maintaining the GreenMoney brand, which is long-term, more deliberate — aka slow. Though Feigenbaum has a Twitter feed, Mosser said GreenMoney is not going to publish daily and try to be all things green. It will continue to tell the big picture story, cover trends and feature in-depth writing.

“Whatever we do, we do well, but we can’t do everything well,” Feigenbaum said.

“We aren’t going to be The New York Times of green where we publish daily.

We want to sift through to the long-term trends. What is relevant to the leaders in the green sustainable movement?” Mosser said.

Still, Mosser sees a huge opportunity as global markets mature and more cultures learn to invest responsibly — and to a younger generation of investors who matured thinking and learning about sustainability. The website so far is reaching about 30,000 people, with 3,000 of those outside the United States.

A testament to that untapped potential might be an advertisement on the GreenMoney website from Antioch University for an MBA business school program in sustainability: “Triple-bottom-line concepts (people, planet, profit) are woven throughout the MBA courses,” according to the school. “Profit is not the only measure of an organization’s success.” even though he’s been writing about sustainability for more than two decades, Feigenbaum could not have said it any better.

GreenMoney Journal • 1991 — Cliff Feigenbaum’s first article on Socially Responsible Investing, co-written with Tom Kliewer, is published by the Spokane Journal of Business.

• 1992 — GreenMoney Journal is launched as a 6-page newsletter with the tagline, “Responsibility from the Supermarket to the Stockmarket.”

• 1993 — Well-known activist Paul Hawken mentions GreenMoney by name in the Socially Responsible Business issue of the Utne Reader in the fall of 1993; the pitch sparked broad interest in the publication.

• 1994, 1995 — Feigenbaum moves to Santa Fe, GreenMoney launches website, GreenMoney.com • 1999 — Feigenbaum co-authors a book, Investing with Your Values, that’s written with former Santa Fe resident Hal Brill and published by Bloomberg Press.

• 2006 — GreenMoney launches its first e-newsletter to more than 15,000 readers; it’s designed by Michelle Mosser of Grace Communications in Santa Fe. • 2012 — GreenMoney celebrates its 20th anniversary by featuring leaders looking at “The Next 20 Years of Sustainable Business and Investing.”

Whether you are a beginning investor or an experienced investor, it is important to ask yourself a couple of questions when you are considering sustainable investing: What you are willing to profit from? What types of companies do you not want to profit from?

I’ve been addressing these questions since I began writing about sustainable investing and personally investing with sustainability in mind over the last two decades.

It began when I was working at a hospital and found out that its 401(k) plans had numerous mutual funds that included tobacco stocks. It seemed inappropriate for a health institution to be profiting from companies that produce such a harmful product. Just after this discovery back in 1992, I began to write about how to make money and make a difference, to align money with values, in the GreenMoney Journal, a publication and website I started.

How do we make a difference with our money while securing our financial future?

I believe the answer is sustainable investing, and many individual investors, financial professionals and large institutional investors agree. Sustainable investing has grown rapidly and now totals more than $3.7 trillion, or 12 percent of total assets invested, as of 2012, according to the U.S. Social Investment Forum. It continued to grow even during the financial crisis, with assets up 22 percent since 2009.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to begin. In fact, one of the longest-running ethical mutual funds, the Pax World Balance fund, requires just $250 to open an account.

You can look at where you bank — local is important. I use both First National Bank of Santa Fe and Los Alamos National Bank. Also, I invest locally with an account at the Permaculture Credit Union and with Homewise here in Santa Fe. The first step in sustainable investing, formerly known as socially responsible investing or SRI — sustainable, responsible, impact — is known as negative screening.

This is when you remove companies from investment consideration (or divest from them, if you currently own them) because their business practices or products don’t fit with your values. For instance, I do not want to profit from weapons, tobacco, alcohol, slave labor or environmental pollution, to name a few of my “screens.”

The second step is positive screening, when you look to invest in companies because you believe in their business, their products and their financial fundamentals.

This is when you decide what you do want to profit from. (I want to profit from companies involved in sustainable agriculture, organic food and renewable, clean energy. Also I like companies with women in management.)

The third step is shareholder activism. The opportunity to own stock in a company or shares in an SRI mutual fund gives you the opportunity to vote on shareholder resolutions and influence how a company conducts its business. You can affect bottom-line issues, like transparency in political contributions, and accountability in the product supply chain and environmental impact.

The fourth step is impact investing, also known as community investing, in which you invest in local banks, credit unions and loan funds. You can invest here in Santa Fe, as well as nationally and internationally, to impact job creation and resources such as child care centers, education and low-income housing. This investment opportunity can transform people’s lives.

Today, sustainable investing reflects the growing desire of people to divest from companies with unsustainable or even harmful practices and reinvest in enterprises that make positive impacts on our current and future well-being, both financial and environmental. A healthy environment is not only good for business, but in the long term, key to our survival.

Sustainably investing is a way to create a better world with our money — investing toward a more sustainable world, where we can all breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat healthy food.

Is it time to rethink your investment goals? What impact do you want your money to have?

Cliff Feigenbaum, founder of GreenMoney Journal and GreenMoney.com, is the co-author with former Santa Fe resident Hal Brill of Investing With Your Values (Bloomberg Press, New York City). In 2013, Feigenbaum was named one of the top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business by Trust Across America.

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Renesan: NoT yoUR DADDy’S RETIREMENT

By Dennis CaRRoll

Luis sanchez saturno

photos Luis sanchez saturno

Ken hunt watches the opening of Otello on video during a Renesan lecture by John webber.

John webber, with the guilds of the santa Fe opera, teaches a Renesan class on italian composer giuseppe verdi at st. John’s methodist Church on september 25, 2013.

The subject under discussion in the Renesan current events class at St. John’s United Methodist Church had turned to the Mideast, and Marlene Foster just put it out there: Will Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, really be any more moderate than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

Well, that depends, said Ed Rau. He reminded Foster and the other 15 people around the adjoining tables that Rouhani would have to please, at least to some extent, the three main political factions in Iran: the mullahs, the Revolutionary Guard and the general population. “He is going to have to walk a very fine line,” said Rau, 85, a retired lawyer, Air Force pilot and military intelligence officer.

Rau and Foster are among the more than 800 Santa Feans — most over 60 — who have found inspiration, creativity and a continuing love of knowledge through dozens of classes, lectures and trips organized by the Renesan Institute for Life-Long Learning.

“We welcome people 50 or older to join, but there really is no age limit,” said program coordinator Jill Meyer. “We won’t turn anyone away.”

Renesan, which is centered at St. John’s, loosely stands for “renewing education in Santa Fe.” The volunteer-driven nonprofit has tapped into Santa Fe’s growing population of baby boomers and older adults in quest of highminded learning, creative opportunities or just something to do during the day.

“It keeps you going,” said Dianne Shindolser, 80, coming out of a Native American and Chicano literature class. “I don’t want to just sit home and watch TV all day.”

According to the 2010 census, Santa Fe has a larger proportion of its

population over 65 than both the rest of New Mexico and the United States.

Figures from The University of New Mexico show that the number of people over 80 in the city has climbed to 2,060 and is expected to jump to a whopping 6,378 by 2030. But demographers also predict Santa Fe will attract a more active, creative retirement community than places such as Arizona or Florida.

“Life-long learning helps us stay young,” said Renesan board President Virginia Martin. She said many older Santa Feans’ “brains are big, but not necessarily their pockets,” so Renesan tries to keep the classes, lectures and its occasional trips affordable. Fees generally are $10 a session.

Fees for trips, say to Taos to explore Georgia o’Keeffe’s haunts or a geology expedition to the southern Jemez Mountains, are higher, depending on all that’s involved.

“The quality of the daytime classes with low fees is a huge draw,” Martin said. She noted that a recent four-week class on what was essentially quantum physics for dummies drew 90 people. “And we hardly lost anyone over the entire four weeks,” Martin said.

The classes fill up fast — usually averaging about 30, with an occasional exception such as the 90-member physics class.

The sessions in the lecture series, which are one-time events, can accommodate close to 100 people.

“The only time we ran out of space was when Valerie Plame spoke,” Martin said. one can also sign up for tours of local but perhaps less heralded sites, such as

DemogRapheRs pReDiCt santa Fe will attRaCt a moRe aCtive, CReative RetiRement Community than plaCes suCh as aRizona oR FloRiDa.

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READINGS & CONVERSATIONS the array of public artwork created under the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s.

Martin said Renesan tries to keep in mind that many Santa Fe retirees have a difficult time staying tied to one place.

“A lot of people are in and out of town,” she said. “They go to Ghana to see the gorillas or are off with their grandchildren someplace.”

This fall’s series of lectures began Sept. 5, with a discussion led by Shakespearean expert Robin Williams on whether a woman was the true author of the Bard’s plays, and will end Nov. 14 with a presentation by performance artist Adam Harvey on the challenges of reading and understanding Irish literary icon James Joyce.

In between are nine presentations on such subjects as New Mexico’s Jewish heritage, the search for Count Dracula and geologist Jim Fassett’s lecture about dinosaurs in New Mexico that apparently survived the prehistoric creatures’ mass extinction.

Next spring’s semester will run from mid-January to near the end of April.

Renesan’s classes — which, with only mild exaggeration, could be mistaken for a small college’s curriculum — are all held in the mornings and afternoons Monday through Friday. They cover nine basic subject areas: art and culture, current events, history, literature, music, philosophy, science, social and political science, and theaters, movies and television.

If you are looking for a more hands-on curriculum, say bead-weaving, pottery, silversmithing or maybe Zumba lessons, Renesan is not up your intellectual alley.

The list of Renesan instructors reads like a dream team of retired university instructors and experts on myriad subjects who, if not homegrown, somehow found their way to Santa Fe from the four corners of the geographical and academic worlds.

“I don’t think any of [the students] had ever read any of the materials,” said Lois Rudnick, who is teaching the class on Native American and Chicano literature.

“They are looking to learn new things from [writings] they hadn’t read before.”

Rudnick is professor emerita in American studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and author and editor of numerous books and essays on American culture, including the Santa Fe and Taos writers’ communities. She is probably best known for her books on Mabel Dodge Luhan.

There are probably as many reasons people take the classes as there are people taking the classes, besides Dianne Shindosler’s remark that it beats watching TV. “I want to stay relevant,” said Paul Pitre, 79, an artist who was formerly with the University of the Americas in Mexico City. (Some of the students’ credentials rival those of their teachers.)

“It gives my day structure,” said Marlene Foster, a retired Santa Fe attorney, of the current events class.

Retired museums director Bill Holmes, sitting in a class on Chinese philosophy and the Art of War by Sun Tzu, said the classes keep him active, plus “I am learning about subjects I didn’t know that much about.”

Rick Beaubien, an instructor in the Walt Whitman-Emily Dickinson poetry class, pretty much summed it up in his advice on the proper attitude for Renesan students: “Don’t be shy. It’s OK to [share experiences] or express something that others might not agree with.”

brings to Santa Fe a wide range of writers from the literary world of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to read from and discuss their work.

LUIS ALBERTO URREA with Michael

Silverblatt

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER AT 7PM LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Luis Urrea writes about U.S.–Mexico border culture with a tragic and beautiful intimacy that has no equal.

— Boston Sunday Globe

Luis Alberto Urrea’s native Mexico has always served as the author’s muse, inspiring all 13 books that span five genres. His nonfiction The Devil’s Highway tells the harrowing story of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert. Urrea’s novels The Hummingbird’s Daughter and its sequel, Queen of America, chronicle the life of beloved healer Teresita Urrea, deemed “the Mexican Joan of Arc.” Luis Urrea grew up along both sides of the border, forever affected by its dichotomy, brutality and richness, saying, “Borders everywhere are a symbol of what divides us. That’s what interests me.”

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

ticketssantafe.org or call 505.988.1234 $6 general/$3 students/seniors with ID Video and audio recordings of Lannan events are available at:

www.lannan.org 2013 cit y different 11

Cit ydif f eren t

THE RISE OF Homewise

By Kay LocKridge

photos InsIghtfoto.com

Homewise has specialized in helping all types of families purchase a new home in santa Fe — from those with children to couples and single adults. The organization also offers applicants training on credit and home maintenance and has a loan program for middle-income homeowners in santa Fe county, even if they did not purchase from Homewise.

Homewise, an organization that began as “strictly a Santa Fe creation” called Neighborhood Housing Services in 1986, has become a national model focusing on financial health for communities around the United States.

Since 1992, when Executive Director Michael Loftin arrived, the private, nonprofit organization has held continuing conversations with the people of Santa Fe who want a full-service agency providing affordable homeownership as well as information on home improvements and financial counseling.

“This fits with our mission of helping working New Mexicans become successful homeowners with financial security, as well as strengthening families and increasing the economic and social vitality of our neighborhoods,” Loftin said.

“Our model can be replicated anywhere in the nation.”

Homewise currently serves the Northern New Mexico counties of Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Taos, Mora, San Miguel, Sandoval and Colfax. A sister organization, HomeStart, serves Albuquerque.

Loftin said the organization began working in the near-west side of Santa Fe, “improving that neighborhood for the sake of all who live there. Now, we have projects going in various developments as the city boundaries expand...”

In the last fiscal year, Homewise provided financial assistance to 161 families and individuals purchasing homes and 39 homeowners making home improvements, said Sonja Kalyani, Homewise marketing associate. Additionally, 528 individuals attended the organization’s Financial Fitness classes, 173 homeowners refinanced their homes and 29 energy-efficient homes were built.

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Homewise clients do not have to be first-time homebuyers, but their new home must be their primary residence. Over the last fiscal year, 54 percent of the homebuyers were families, 42 percent were single women or female heads of household, and 4 percent were male heads of household with children.

“What we’re selling, really, is homeownership, not merely houses,” Loftin said.

Homewise does not work alone in these efforts. More than 120 local businesses participate in the organization’s Business Campaign for Homeownership, in which they help their employees become homeowners. In addition, local banks, religious institutions, local and national foundations, other nonprofits, community leaders, and city, state and federal government agencies, as well as individuals, are stakeholders through investment in the Community Investment Fund.

“We gratefully acknowledge the active endorsement of our mission by our investors,” Loftin said. Local public employees particularly have benefited from involvement with Homewise.

A program called TeacherWise, in partnership with the Santa Fe Public Schools, encourages and enables public school employees to live and work in the City Different.

“I never saw affordable homes listed in the newspaper,” said Andrie Carmack, a secretary at Aspen Community Magnet School. “I contacted Homewise, and they showed my husband and me many homes … that were in our price range. We are proud to have a home of our own in Santa Fe.” Salazar Elementary School secretary Julie Orozco agreed, noting, “We have a

large family. Our children and grandchildren are always visiting. Having everyone together for holidays and birthday parties couldn’t happen if we lived in an apartment. Homewise helped us purchase a home that was the perfect fit for our growing family.”

Laura Rodriguez, another school district employee, added that she and her husband, Bill, “didn’t think we could buy a home in Santa Fe, but that’s exactly what we did. Homewise helped us find a beautiful neighborhood close to where we work. Now we spend less time commuting and more time with our kids.”

Homewise also helps those who own a home in need of repair with affordable financing on home improvement loans and help in locating licensed and insured contractors for the work. Support is provided through each step: the home purchase or building, repair and refinancing.

“We had such a great experience buying our home through Homewise that we decided to get our home improvement loan through them, too,” Stefanie Sundberg said. “The process was easy, and the low rates and fees saved us money.”

“Now, we’ll save even more every month on our electric bills with our new solar installation,” David Sundberg added. “Thanks to Homewise, our dream home keeps getting better.”

Financial Fitness for Life classes, a popular free program, offers financial literacy and homebuyer education to the public. The classes are held on Saturdays every other month at the Homewise headquarters, 1301 Siler Road, Building D. “I thought that buying a home of my own was never going to be a realistic goal,” said Jennifer Wilson, a single mother of two daughters.

“After attending [this class], I started to believe that I could make it happen. I applied the tools I learned in class, paid down my debt, built my savings, and now I’m so proud to say that I’m a successful homeowner.”

Homewise is governed by a board of nine volunteers, chaired by Teresa Leger de Fernandez. The 45-member staff includes administrative personnel, brokers, financial counselors and advisers, real estate agents (who do not work on commission — income goes back into the organization) and loan processing agents.

Asked what’s the bottom line for the organization’s success, Loftin didn’t hesitate: “We stick to our mission.”

Kalyani added, “There is something really satisfying about helping people achieve their goals in terms of financial stability and homeownership.”

Details The next Homewise Financial Fitness for Life class is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. Reservations are required, and individuals may register by calling Homewise at 983-9473 or visiting www.homewise.org (click on the Classes tab). Several classes will be offered in Spanish next year.

What homeWise offers Homewise’s services are geared toward individuals and families whose combined household income is $82,450 or less, although many of the services are offered in a variety of income ranges. To find out more and to access any and all of these programs, visit Homewise at www. homewise.org or call the private, nonprofit organization at 983-9473.

The purchase program offers individualized homebuyer counseling to help determine whether homeownership is appropriate; financial and homebuyer education to learn how to reduce debt and maintain financial stability while purchasing a home; down payments as low as 2 percent to 5 percent; down-payment assistance for qualified households; affordable homes throughout Santa Fe; and low-interest, fixed-rate mortgages, with no mortgage insurance.

You need not be a first-time homebuyer; however, the planned purchase must be your primary residence (not a second home or a planned rental). Homebuyer education classes, for which reservations are necessary, are offered at a variety of times and dates in both Spanish and English.

The home-improvement financing program offers loans for energyand conservation-efficient improvements at low interest rates. Such improvements cover roof repair or replacement, stucco, windows and doors, high-efficient furnaces, solar electric, solar hot water, watercatchment and drip-irrigation systems and disability modifications, among others. The home must be the primary residence with a value under $500,000. To qualify for a low fixed-rate loan, one’s income must be under $103,050.

The refinancing program includes meeting with a loan officer, who will help evaluate your current mortgage to determine whether this is the right time to refinance. If refinancing is recommended, Homewise will help lock in a low fixed rate for the new mortgage.

The Financial Fitness for Life Program offers free classes to help create financial goals, increase mortgage purchasing power, make wise financial choices in all areas of one’s life, reduce or eliminate debt, decrease anxiety around money issues, repair a credit rating, build savings for both planned and unexpected expenses and develop a budget. The classes, which are open to anyone interested in improving their financial knowledge and situation, are offered in both Spanish and English; they are held one Saturday every other month at the Homewise office, 1301 Siler Road, Building D.

2013 CIT Y DIFFEREnT 13

Cit ydi f f erent

THE Technology-To-joBs TRAIN

By RogeR snodgRass

New Mexico is the home of two national science laboratories with combined budgets of $4 billion-plus a year. While specializing in nuclear weapons and national security, Los Alamos and Sandia labs spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually in basic research and in developing technological solutions and instruments that have demonstrated the potential for commercialization.

Often these ideas require additional work and specialized support for their commercial prospects to come to fruition.

Despite steady efforts and a number of successes, no magic formula has yet been devised to turn scientists into entrepreneurs who can then brave the risks, navigate the bureaucratic hoops, wrangle the intellectual property, raise the money and execute a sure-fire startup. At the same time, the promise of wealth from technical invention and the occasional winner continue to entice public hopes for future windfalls.

This summer, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and Rep. Ben Ray Luján, both New Mexico Democrats, campaigned for a revitalized and streamlined technology transfer process. On a swing through their home precincts the two New Mexico Democrats focused on promoting and gathering support for a piece of legislation Udall intends to introduce in the fall.

“The story can’t end with research and development,” Udall said, unveiling a package of modest new measures for bridging the gap between research and creating jobs and growth in New Mexico. At an August conference in Santa Fe, Udall gathered input for his plan, which includes consolidating efforts within the Department of Energy, creating a new Entrepreneurs in Energy Corps to support startup investments and applying successful models of public-private investments for financial leverage in tech transfer.

Shortly before that, on Aug. 1, Los Alamos National Laboratory announced a new Express Licensing plan, enabling local and national collaborators to purchase nonexclusive access to specific laboratory patents and software packages within three days. Most recently, LANL officials have announced a major makeover of the tech transfer division, starting with a name change. The organization will now be known as the Richard Feynman Center for Innovation, after the Los Alamos Manhattan Project physicist who went on to share a Nobel Prize in physics. David Pesiri, who will continue to lead the tech transfer efforts, says the lab’s “stretch goal” for the next decade is to double the lab’s $2 billion annual impact in the region by significantly boosting outside business activities.

Asked to identify some current tech transfer success stories, Pesiri highlighted three businesses in Santa Fe with unique pathways to development.

iBeam Materials Entrepreneurs always think they have a “game changing” or “disruptive” idea and iBeam Materials President Vladimir Matias is no different. He laughs when he talks about “changing the world,” but he’s not quite ready to talk about it. This highly specialized company was spun off from LANL in 2011, with the loan of a complex piece of ion beam equipment and is still in its formative stages with only two employees. Matias helped 14

2013 cit y different

iBeam President Vladimir Matias

build the main piece of equipment and retired from the lab after a superconducting project that he worked on was completed. He says the company has doubled in income this year, and he expects it to double again next year.

The “iBeam” in the company name is a scientific pun based on the word “i-Beam,” which is a term for a steel beam with an I-shaped cross section that is typically used to support a heavy structure. The “i” in the company name stands for “ion,” as in an “ion beam.” Ions are atoms that have been stripped of an electron, the subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. When induced to move in an elaborate

The MAgic of ion beAMs

vacuum chamber at the same speed in the same direction, ions become a positively charged beam capable of a special magic.

“It really is magic, because we don’t understand the science,” says Matias. “It’s capable of aligning all the grains in a crystal.” The ions are used to deposit layers of vaporized coatings on perfectly aligned lattices of crystalline materials, which otherwise would have inefficient, randomly oriented grains. Most metals are considered crystals because their atoms are arranged in lattices. iBeam Materials uses the technique to produce a variety of custommade, high-tech materials, often on flat surfaces that look more like tapes or strips of foil.

High-performance electronics like light-emitting diodes, for example, depend on these crystal-aligned materials. So do superconducting devices that enable electricity to flow without resistance. Because the ions align all the grains in a crystal lattice, the material performs or is enabled at a higher level.

“Our motto is ‘high-performance devices through crystal alignment,’” Matias says.

He has drawn upon previous experience with two startups for his current business. iBeam Materials has revenue from a few global and domestic customers for whom he can do prototype manufacturing — not just small lab samples but long 100-meter pieces.

“I’m pretty much on track with the plan, although there were some hiccups last year because we didn’t have as much revenue as I thought,” he says. “It’s hard to predict what a few customers will order and therefore it’s hard to hire people.”

Now with Small Business Innovation Research grants in hand, his plan is in phase two, which is about research and development.

“When we identify the killer app, we’ll go to the investors,” he says with a smile. “That’s phase three.”

Mesa Tech Hong Cai, the CEO and President of Mesa Technologies International, is developing a biological technology that originated at Los Alamos

National Laboratory. The concept has been called the DNA dipstick.

It’s a rapid, portable and low-cost method for testing different kinds of biological questions that would normally need a large laboratory. In a doctor’s office, the issue might be whether a patient has a cold or a flu, which could be answered by a targeted DNA analysis. On a larger scale, it might help distinguish between virulent and nonvirulent strains of flu in a pandemic. “Cai has been very successful at raising money because of her focus and passion for the project,” said LANL’s David Pesiri. “She hung her shingle up in Santa Fe, began making technical progress.”

Cai’s analogy for the technology was like the cell phone compared to the land line telephone in a home. By developing portable tests, one doesn’t always need to go to a big laboratory far away, if high-quality answers are handy and accessible. Recently, she has turned her attention to a bacterial disease called citrus greening that is threatening Florida’s citrus industry. The disease is spread by fruit flies and has now been found throughout Florida. It causes oranges to turn brown and fall from the tree before they’re ripe, according to a story this year in The New York Times.

So far, the disease has not spread to citrus trees in Texas or California, but there are deficiencies in testing capabilities, delaying effective identification of the disease. So Cai has won initial FDA approval for a simple, quick-to-market solution that farmers can use themselves and that can also help validate the reliability of Mesa’s technology.

Meanwhile, the company’s efforts continue to advance in the much more complicated process of winning approval from the FDA for the targeted DNA tests, with more assistance from the company’s medical engineering people in San Diego. Meanwhile, plans are underway for ongoing collaborations with the University of New Mexico; Tricore, the state’s largest medical laboratory; and LANL. “Basically, you don’t know what you don’t know,” Cai summed up. “Go out there and face it and fix it and do it. There’s no perfect plan.”

Area 52 One of the largest and most successful tech transfer projects coming out of Los Alamos is an energy technology company with about 12 people on board, plus another six retired scientists from Los Alamos who help guide the effort. The startup company was funded by Chevron, as a part of a larger program of alliances with government labs and universities. Manny Gonzalez, who manages the alliance for Chevron, says the company makes prototypes for testing. Technology that works is used by Chevron and goes out into the market through additional spin-offs and licensing.

“It generates a lot of jobs for the local community and throughout the U.S.,” he says.

One of its most successful projects, called Inficomm, was inspired by a wireless communication system developed by LANL for the military and adapted in collaboration with Chevron for use in oil wells. Inficomm provides reliable information on pressure, temperature and flow rate of the oil, gas and water in the system at depths as great as 25,000 feet, according to the company. A related technology, trademarked as TruDepth, sends back data on oil and water levels under the ground.

“The engineers take the information and can manage the reservoir better and get more oil and gas out of the well,” says Gonzalez, adding that it improves the yield about 1.5 to 3 percent.

In an article in the company magazine, Chevron says Inficomm technology is now being marketed by a spin-off company, Production Sciences, Inc. Last year the Chevron-Los Alamos Alliance won the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s 2012 Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer for developing and commercializing the Inficomm system.

About the name, Gonzales says “Area 52” is an inside joke, poking fun at Area 51, the remote installation at Edwards Air Force base in Nevada supposed by some to be harboring UFOs and aliens. “Aliens are our symbol,” he says. “It’s about getting alien technology.”

2013 cit y different 15

Cit ydi f f erent Permaculture credit union

making a difference FROM SaNTa FE

By dennis carroll

Katharine egli

richard Belanger of Harmony farms bags lettuce at the farmers market.

Richard Belanger, a manager at the Granada del Valle farm in Los Ojos, had been struggling to protect his spinach and lettuce crops from cruel weather and hungry varmints. He was frustrated with having to tell his client restaurateurs that he didn’t have enough inventory to meet their requests.

Reluctantly, he sought financial help from the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute (the local farmers market’s nonprofit sister) and its financial partner, the Permaculture Credit Union, a Santa Fe-based lender currently engaged in a capital drive that would allow it to expand its products and services to its 1,100 members in 45 states, about 20 percent of whom are in New Mexico.

The credit union’s president, William Sommers, said the Santa Fe-based organization, established in 2000, is the only credit union in the United States that operates within permaculture’s lofty values of care of the Earth and its people, and “reinvestment of surplus for the betterment of both.”

“Basically, it comes down to environmental and/or financial sustainability,” Sommers said. “If they agree with that ethic, they can join the credit union regardless of where they live. … I have yet to see another [similar] credit union in the country.”

For Belanger, the credit union meant a $5,000 microloan to purchase and install floating row covers, shake cloths and and other materials to help his vegetables grow to maturity and ensure a full harvest.

Coral and Jeff Clark of El Pueblo, who own Refugio Verde, a sheep-products venture in the Pecos Valley, initially felt much the same reluctance.

“I didn’t want to do the debt thing,” Coral Clark said. But now, several years later, she is glad the couple borrowed $2,000 and, when that was paid off, an additional $4,000 from the credit union.

“Essentially, we have always been an out-of-the-pocket [business],” Clark said.

“We have no mortgage, no note, we save cash and we buy things outright.”

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But the Clarks only had one greenhouse for their flowers, and it wasn’t large enough to accommodate a growing business. So, they put their reservations aside and borrowed the $2,000 for an additional greenhouse and, later, the $4,000 to expand grazing pasture for their sheep. Coral Clark weaves the sheep’s wool into a variety of textiles for clothing, shawls and blankets.

Sam Baca, program coordinator for the Farmers Market Institute, said the Berlangers and the Clarks are fairly typical of the 128 small-agricultural-related business owners who have received more than $400,000 in microloans over the past four years. Borrowers must be regular vendors at the Santa Fe Farmers Market, he said.

“It’s a perfect fit for a business where a little bit of money can make a huge difference,” Baca said. In addition, it’s a good investment for the Farmers Market Institute and the credit union, he said, noting that of the 128 loans, only one loanholder has defaulted so far. The loans are secured by $200,000 in capital acquired through donations to the nonprofit institute.

Baca also said the six-member loan committee does not require credit checks or collateral. “a lot of the vendors are low- or moderate-income people who don’t have a lot of history of credit or being able to go to a bank to get a loan,” Baca said. “It’s a perfect situation for microloaning.” and that’s where the federally insured and state-chartered Permaculture Credit Union and its nonprofit sponsor, the Perma Guild, come in.

The PCU’s Web page, www.pcuonline.org, sets out the credit union’s goals of creating opportunities for “more sustainable living” through programs such as a Visa credit card, loans for high mpg electric and alternative-fuel vehicles, and microloans (several hundred dollars to $5,000) for farmers throughout New Mexico via community-oriented partnerships with the New Mexico farmers markets.

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b o t w i n

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But Sommers, the PCU’s only full-time employee, said the credit union currently lacks enough capital to act as a full-service credit union with such services as checking accounts, debit cards, online banking and shared service networks with other credit unions.

“Right now, we are mostly a loan organization,” Sommers said. The PCU has loaned out $15.6 million over the past 13 years.

PCU has launched a drive to raise $2 million in capital to support the expanded member services. Sommers recalled that in 2000, when Jane PhilliPs the credit union received Permaculture Credit Union President William G. Sommers its charter from the state, “they had no money and no members.”

“When you start with nothing, getting over the hump and having retained earnings is very difficult,” Sommers said. “And that’s the position we are in.”

Sommers, who previously ran the housing authority and community development programs for Laguna Pueblo, said the credit union is oversubscribed and must increase its capital.

The PCU is currently in somewhat of a Catch-22.

“Sound financial management calls for us to maintain a cushion of capital, or capital ratio, equal to a certain percentage of our asset size,” Sommers said.

“And that capital cushion can only be generated in one of two ways, through retained earnings or donated capital. Expanding our loan portfolio to generate more earnings isn’t possible because I can’t bring in the additional deposits needed — I’ve even had to ask large depositors to hold off because they would reduce our capital ratio. The only other alternative is capital donations, which is why we’ve kicked off the capital fundraising campaign.”

Sommers said the PCU, with current deposits of $5.1 million and $5.5 million in assets, could continue to “bump along indefinitely, but I think it’s a disservice” because the PCU can’t expand services or memberships without the increased capital. “We are hand to mouth right now.”

He’s optimistic about membership growth because it’s estimated that some 40 million Americans are “oriented toward sustainability, environmental and financial,” in some way, creating a huge potential for membership.

“There are a lot of people who would prefer to be part of our credit union, rather than somewhere else,” Sommers said. “It strikes me that 15,000 members from around the country isn’t a big stretch, if we had the capital to bring in the deposits to make the loans.”

Sommers also noted that the PCU, unlike most credit unions, is not invested in bricks, with branches spread out across a community or region.

As for the smaller loans to Belanger, the Clarks and others affiliated with farmers markets, Sommers said the credit union can do that because of its permaculture philosophy — its willingness to focus on community and environmental impact rather than making a lot of money. “We just want to be sustainable,” Sommers said. “That’s it.

“You have a small organic farmer who can’t get money anywhere, and they are starting their plants in the kitchen. … A $300 loan can transform somebody, a $3,000 loan can build a greenhouse, and all of a sudden somebody triples their output. Think of the impact.”

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Dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe, her life, and American Modernism. The Museum offers world-class exhibitions of O’Keeffe, her contemporaries, and works of living artists of distinction.

Find something of interest for everyone—jewelry, cards, decorative objects, gifts, the largest selection of O’Keeffe reproductions available, and Words/Works, an new book of O’Keeffe quotes.

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The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum offers a broad array of programs: lectures, art classes, youth and family programs, seminars, workshops, and more to inspire you and enrich your life.

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