Earth Care 2011 Sustainable Santa Fe Guide

Santa Fe2011

A RESOURCE GUIDE BALANCING CULTURES, ECONOMICS & ECOLOGY

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE 1


2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE4


42 REWEAVING THE FABRIC OF LIFE by Joel GlanzbergHow can we approach problemswithout our solutions creating moreproblems? How does nature regener-ate and create wealth? A designer ofliving environments reminds us thatour greatest resources lie not outsideof our everyday orbits, but right hereat home. It just takes envisioning ourwatersheds, community and localeconomy as our lifeboat.

92 AMERICAN FRUIT: Looking for the Sublimeby Deborah MadisonA piece of fruit that is “utterlyenough” shouldn’t have traveled far.You must be patient for the season, ormight have to climb to the treetop topick it. This is what an esteemed chefand the author of Seasonal FruitDesserts lies awake pondering, alongwith our world’s weightier dilemmas,like global warming and cultural col-lapse. Interestingly, the solution to allthese issues depends in large part onthe same thing: returning to a localfood system.

110 BREATHING ROOM by Will BarnesWhat is it about playing in the dirtthat makes the deepest, lifelong im-pressions? An ecologist and middleschool science teacher observes thepower of nature’s classroom to trans-form the lives of his students and won-ders, “Who’s teaching whom?”

128 A Rare Second Chance: Can the Mexican Gray Wolf Help Us Learn to Live in Balance?by Michael Robinson Reintroduction of this slight desertlobo to our southern bioregion hasbeen met with both panic and thrill.The panic may bubble up from amythology deep within our psyche, orit may be that we see this predator asa competitor for game or livestock.But as protected wolves in the north-ern Rockies have demonstrated, theyplay an important role in restoringecosystems—to the benefit of both humans and wildlife.

SCATTERINGTHE SEEDby William deBuysA norteño relates a story told to him by a neighbor aboutthe old days in Truchas. The tale is deceptively simple,however, because at its root is humanity’s responsibility toone another and to all creatures. In fact, our very survivaldepends on cultivating this generosity.

SUSTAINABLESanta Fe [FEATURES]


Phot

o by

Will

em M

alten

[SECTIONS]8 From the Co-Founder

12 From the Editor

14 2010 Sustainable Santa Fe Award Winners

15 Sustainable Santa Fe Plan

140 Advertisers Index

CULTURAL COMMONS20 Abundance

By Dionycio Padilla

22 Three Poems for EsaiBy Jimmy Santiago Baca

24 The Boy DreamsBy Nolan Eskeets

26 Remembering Our Original InstructionsBy Charleen Touchette

28 Growing Up I Was DiconnectedBy Beata Tsosie-Peña

30 A Conversation in the ParkBy Marita Prandoni

32 Una Conversación en el ParqueBy Marita Prandoni

34 More Than a Fair Exchange: Santa Fe's Time BankBy Jennifer Guerin

38 Locals Value More Than Tech-Know-HowBy Brian Ortiz

40 Nothing New HereBy Vicki Pozzebon

SOLUTIONS RISING46 It Takes a Sustainable Village

By Kathy Holian

50 From Throwaways to TakeawaysBy Margo Covington

53 How to Make a Home for BeesBy Pablo Navrot

54 First Precycle (Don't Generate Trash), Then RecycleBy Regina Wheeler

56 Sparkling Clean Doesn't Have To Be Environmentally MeanBy SSFRG Staff

58 A Plastic-Free PrimerBy A. Kyce Bello

59 How to Make Your Own Bulk and Veggie BagsBy SSFRG Staff

62 Dancing with the Carbon BombBy Randy Sadewic

68 The Power to Change: The Benefits of Establishing a Municiple Energy UtilityBy Sergio Gonzales and Jorge Martinez

72 With Simple Energy Literacy, Everyone Can Make a DifferenceBy Spencer Haynsworth

74 Santa Fe’s Green Building Code: Stepping up to the Challenge to Reduce CO2 EmissionsBy Katherine Mortimer

78 Going SolarBy Taylor Selby and Renee Frank

80 For the Love of BikingBy Nate Downey

82 Viewpoint from the Inside: The Copenhagen 2010 Climate ConferenceBy Ken Hughes

86 Car Idling Gets You NowhereBy SSFRG Staff

88 Annual Bike Cruise Showcases City’s Newest Trails and ConnectionsBy Tim Rogers

90 Ripples in Still WaterBy Zane Fischer

LOCAL FOOD94 Holding Quart:

The First Funky Butte Ranch Zero Carbon-Mile Dairy Product Manifests as a Microbiology Experiment in My StomachBy Doug Fine

96 Redefining Organic By Willem Malten

98 A Climate-Change Survival Strategy: Growing Food Year-Round By Roque Marquez

100 Closing the Food Gap through Food Policy Councils By Rubina Cohen

102 Nutritious Food: Everyone's BirthrightBy Sherry Hooper

106 Earth Care's Locavore GuideBy SSFRG Staff

EDUCATION112 Youth: Forging the Social Transition

Using Their Own IngenuityBy Bianca Sopoci-Belknap

113 Amy Biehl Community School: Designed with the Future in MindBy SSFRG Staff

114 Colegio Sin Fronteras: A Place for Com-munity Learning and Social DevelopmentBy Shelley Cohen

115 Sustainability Programs in Higher Education: Surging by Popular DemandBy Jessica Rowland

116 Colegio Sin Fronteras: Un Lugar para Aprendizaje en Comunidad y el Desarollo SocialBy Celia Medina

118 Educational Success for All Students: Youth Speak Out!By Kristen Krell

120 School Gardens: Nourishing Lives, Nurturing LifeBy Erin O’Neill

122 SF School Gardens GuideBy SSFRG Staff

124 Cooking With Kids: Empowering Children in the KitchenBy Lynn Walters

126 Green and White Fettuccine with Tomato Basil SauceRecipe from Cooking with Kids

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE132 New Mexico’s Headwaters:

Our Lifeblood By Bryan Bird

136 The Pecos Wilderness: Where a Force of Nature Inspires a Force for NatureBy Cinny Green

138 Gardens Gone Wild: Santa Fe Botanical Garden Remembers Its Roots While It Grows Its FutureBy Erin Sindewald


Welcome to the newly refreshed2011 issue of Sustainable Santa Fe:A Resource Guide brought to youby Earth Care. It connects you topractical ideas, cultural traditions,and emerging innovations—show-casing some of Santa Fe’s besthomegrown approaches to ourever-evolving, global quest for sus-tainability.Earth Care views sustainability

broadly, by considering the eco-nomic, cultural and environmentaldevelopment of communities. Forus, this involves tapping into thewellspring of creativity in a highlyunder-utilized and under-valuedresource—our young people. AtEarth Care, we’ve witnessed timeand again young people’s naturalcapacity for creativity, problemsolving and innovation. In fact, re-search has shown that we are allborn with these skills, but in about98% of us, our capacity to come upwith lots of possible solutions to aproblem is deteriorated by the timewe reach the age of 25. Yet this di-vergent thinking is the drivingforce of sustainable development.Without the creative genius of ouryouth, we could not get there fromhere.In 2009 Earth Care charted a

dynamic strategic plan to ensureyoung people have a place to usetheir creative energy to mobilizethe community. We are focusingon four areas of development thatwe believe can leverage the mostchange towards sustainability,while offering the greatest oppor-tunity for youth to propel theirown lives forward: food andhealth, education, civic participa-tion and social entrepreneurship. I am pleased to say that we have

strengthened our community-widepartnerships in support of this


EARTH CARE UPDATE | BY: CHRISTINA SELBY

work. This year we are launching the Youth Food Cadre AmeriCorpsprogram to engage young professionals in building a sustainable and justlocal food system—one that addresses the needs of our environment andof our community’s most vulnerable populations. This program—in col-laboration with the Santa Fe Alliance, Santa Fe Farmers Market Insti-tute, Cooking with Kids, City and County of Santa Fe, Santa Fe FoodPolicy Council and the Santa Fe Public Schools—will engage youth ages5 to 25, through service-learning, internships and job training and oppor-tunities. More than learning how to grow healthy food, these young peo-ple will learn the skills to grow vibrant community, advancing the Cityand County’s sustainable development plans.Our flagship program, Youth Allies for Sustainability, continues to

help young people ages 13 to 19 to find their voices and hone their skillsas social entrepreneurs. By their own design, youth are developing origi-nal sustainable development projects. Our Sustainable Schools programalso continues to work with students, teachers and schools in pushing theboundaries of what a healthy school community looks like, and howschools can lessen the burden they place on our natural resources whileexpanding the community’s vision for a sustainable future.At Earth Care we are continuing to deepen the positive impact young

leaders have on our community. In the words of a wise elder, MichaelMeade, “We are in a culture that idealizes youthfulness and rejects actualyouth.” But here again, Santa Fe is truly the City Different. These youngpeople have found numerous allies among you. This work cannot bedone without YOU: our community partners, teachers, mentors, elders,volunteers, businesses and friends who believe young people are theleaders of today and can make a valuable contribution in our community.When you read Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide, you are notonly learning about the ideals of living a life in balance with our environ-ment, but you are also supporting the hands-on work of young peoplewho are making that ideal a reality. Thank you, Santa Fe, for reading and believing!

.......................................................................................................................................................

Christina Selby is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Earth Care.

For more information visit www.earthcare.org or call 505-983-6896.

Letter from Our Co-Founder


ABOUT THE STAFF AND ARTISTS

Contents COPYRIGHT ©2010 Earth Care, a nonprofit educational organization. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. 1235 Siler Rd., Suite D, Santa Fe, NM87507. Phone: 505-983-6896 Fax: 505-983-2622; [email protected]; www.earthcare.org

ANGELA HARRISPUBLISHERAngela is Earth Care’s Outreach & Development Coordina-

tor and the Sustainable Santa Fe Resource Guide Publisher.

She was born and raised in Santa Fe and received her BA

in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University

of California at Santa Cruz. Angela was one of the first

teens to participate in Earth Care’s programs in 2003.

MARITA PRANDONI EDITOR Marita grew up in Montana and New Mexico and has

lived in Santa Fe since 1982. Formerly the managing ed-

itor at EcoHearth.com, she authors the Small Earth blog

at EcoHearth. She is passionate about exploring differ-

ent cultures and worldviews, especially through the win-

dow of language. Fluent in German, Spanish and French,

she is now learning Italian.

TODD YOCHAMART DIRECTORBorn in southern New Mexico and raised in south

Florida, Todd grew up “under his mother’s drafting

table.” He returned to New Mexico with his dog, Clyde

(lovingly referred to as “Tuff Dog”) and has been in-

volved with print design for the last 21 years. He and his

family currently reside in Cerrillos, NM, where a wooden

Santa Fe Southern boxcar serves as an office. Todd’s

work can be seen at www.tuffdogstudio.com.

BRIAN ORTIZYOUTH INTERNBrian is a senior at the Academy for Technology and the

Classics. He was born in Albuquerque, grew up in Santa

Fe, and plans to major in Sustainability in college. Brian

has interned at Earth Care with the Sustainable Santa Fe

Resource Guide project since June 2010.

JADE LEYVACOVER ARTISTJade’s experience as a painter has taken her on an ex-

ploration of the beauty of the world around us and

within us. A painter, photographer, potter and more, she

is rapidly making a name for herself as one of the

Southwest’s most original artists. Hailing from Mexico

City, Jade now calls New Mexico her home. At times

whimsical, celebratory and reflective, her work reflects

influences from Pre-Colombian to postmodern. Her

newly published book, A Little Bird Told Me / Me lo dijo

un pajarito, is not simply a retrospective of her paintings

up to 2010, but a treatise on the central themes of her

work: love, unity, and our fragile relationship to Mother

Earth. Jade is available for commissioned work and her

artwork is available for gallery showings and art shows.

www.jadeleyva.com.

JENNIFER ESPERANZAPHOTOGRAPHERJennifer is a fine art, portrait, editorial and social justice

photographer. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is

the mother of Emily & Gabriel, two very artistic kids.

Her work has been published in SHOTS, The Sun Maga-

zine, Light of Consciousness, National Geographic Ad-

venture Magazine, The New York Times and many other

publications. www.jenniferesperanza.com,

www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferesperanza

TAMMY MAITLANDPHOTOGRAPHERTammy’s passion for photography is rivaled by her love

of travel, music, children, volunteering and sunny days

spent outdoors. She is employed as a teacher and gar-

dener. www.flickr.com/photos/tammymaitland/

PRINTING THIS MAGAZINEThe paper in this magazine was made primarily from residual wood fiber(used wood). More than 70 percent of it comes from suppliers whohave achieved sustainable forest management certification and and is El-emental Chlorine Free. It has been printed with vegetable-based inks.


Publisher: Angela Harris

Editor: Marita Prandoni

Art Director: Todd Yocham

Youth Intern: Brian Ortiz

Photographers: Jennifer EsperanzaTammy Maitland

All photography courtesy of Earth Care unless otherwise noted.

Advertising Angela Harris Salespeople: Mike Rohner

Ashley SarracinoTaylor SelbyZach Taylor

Earth Care Staff: Angela Harris – Outreach & Development Coordinator, SSF Guide Project Manager.

Eden Radfarr – Youth Allies Program Coordinator

Ashley Sarracino – Co-Executive Director

Christina Selby – Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director

Lora Sheldon – Business ManagerBianca Sopoci-Belknap – Associate Director, Youth Programs

Earth Care Board Todd Lopezof Trustees: Colin Keegan

Steve DilgMercedes DowningNolan EskeetsJason EspinozaJoe GarciaShawn KatzNicole RassmusonTaylor SelbyChristina SelbyTom Wolinski

Earth Care Beaver ToyotaSponsors: Heard Robins Cloud & Black, LLP

Los Alamos National Bank

Special thanks Don Rehorn, Michael Cochran, Brian Rivera, Willem Malten, Karen Rencountre, Tristan Farzan, Miranda Gray, Erin O’Neill, Pablo Navrot, Bianca Sopoci-Belknap, Lynn Walters, Sam Hitt and Katie Macaulay for additional fine artwork and photography.

SUSTAINABLESanta Fe

.......................................................................................Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide is owned by Earth Care, anonprofit organization. All proceeds support the education and em-powerment of youth and teachers in our community. We appreciateall the work that volunteers, contractors and staff members have putinto this and prior publications. We hope you enjoy the changes inthe Guide as we continue to upgrade it in quality each year. Our sin-cere thanks goes out to the community of Santa Fe and to all com-munity members and businesses who have participated in the Guidethrough the submission of articles and advertisements.

Specializing in solar design and installation in Santa Fe.

It’s not always easy to do the right thing. Let us help. We’re NABCEP and SEI-solar certified, with over 25 years of electrical

and construction experience here in Santa Fe. Give us a call today

for a free consultation.

Web: bellasolar.net Phone: 505 660 6220Email: [email protected]


FROM THE EDITOR | BY MARITA PRANDONI

I would like to thank Earth Care for the opportunity to fashion this guide, andmore importantly, for including me in their lively, youth-powered organization.In German there is an expression that often follows a chilly handshake: coldhands, warm heart. At Earth Care, it should be “calloused hands, warm heart.”Earth Care’s presence in the community demonstrates that working to secure ajust and sustainable future is not just a fringe idea. Daily, in classrooms, busi-nesses, on service-learning projects, and as youth advisors on the City’s Sustain-able Santa Fe Commission, Earth Care’s Youth Allies launch little revolutions,fearlessly busting up tired conventions while weighing in on important decisionsabout their future.It was not my vision that created this edition of Sustainable Santa Fe, but each

contributor’s distinct walk of life and their willingness to share their perspectivesand ideas. These stories, poems and articles weave just a swatch of the vast and tex-tured tapestry of our evolving cultural landscape. I hope you will find them informa-tive and captivating, and know that you are part of a remarkable community. .......................................................................................................................................................

Marita Prandoni is an SSFRG staff member. Please see “About the Staff and Artists,”

page 10.

NATURE AND CULTURE: The Two Are Inseparable

The array of stories, poemsand articles gathered in thisguide represent some of thediverse voices of our commu-nity, our pueblito pequeño, asone of our contributors callsSanta Fe. They are widelyknown and little knownneighbors, and they speak forchildren and youth, forebearsand elders, farmers and teach-ers, wolves and goats. Theyalso speak for the landscape—the neighborhoods, water-sheds and wilderness—andhow our relationship to ourplace determines our physical,cultural and spiritual nourish-ment.

Wat

erco

lor by

Don

Reh

orn

“Neces

sary

Reflection”

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE 1 3


COMMUNITY TRIUMPHS | BY: SSFRG STAFF

Affordable Green Housing: ¡YouthWorks!, the Santa Fe AreaHome Builders Association, and Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity for theOshara Habitat House.

Renewable Energy Project: the ¡EnergyWorks! project, which was acollaboration between ¡YouthWorks!, The Housing Trust, and Randy Gris-som of Santa Fe Community College. Eight youth completed over 225 en-ergy efficiency installations/audits for working class families, while studyingto get their GEDs.

Water Conservation Project: Ten Thousand Waves for cleaning andrecycling the water in their tubs and for their laundry facility.

Solid Waste Reduction Project:Mexica Calderón for Santa FeFood Not Bombs.

Alternative Transportation Project: Chainbreaker Collective fortheir Bicycle Restoration Center, which trains individuals to repair andmaintain bicycles as a transportation source that is economically feasibleand environmentally friendly.

Food Systems: The Santa Fe Alliance for their Regional Food andFuels Project, which focuses on development of local sustainable foodand energy economies by linking local producers and consumers.

A Perpetual Spark of Inspiration: The late Rose Simmons forher work while a teenager to organize her peers on behalf of animalrights and the environment.

The Sustainable Santa Fe Commission and its Youth Advisory Boardpresent the annual Sustainable Santa Fe Awards on Earth Day.

2010 Sustainable Santa Fe Award Winners

On April24, 2010,after a dayof serviceat TheCommu-nity Farm,

the Sustainable Santa Fe Com-mission’s Youth AdvisoryBoard presented their 2010awards. The Youth AdvisoryBoard, members of the Sus-tainable Santa Fe Commission,Congressman Ben Ray Lujan,Mayor David Coss and CityCouncilor Chris Calvert all ex-pressed their support of thework of the Commission,Youth Advisory Board and thewinners of this year's awards.

Education Program Development: The esteemedand recently deceased LouSchreiber for his constant dedica-tion to the Sustainable Technolo-gies Center at the SF CommunityCollege.

Sustainable Education Project: Green Fire Times, amonthly publication covering“News and Views from the Sus-tainable Southwest”.

Youth-led Project: VictoriaAtencio and Santa Fe IndianSchool for the “Honoring MotherEarth” yearlong project.

Green Building: Faren Dancerfor the Emerald Home, which pro-duces all its own electricity andachieved an unprecedented HERS(Home Energy Rating System) indexof minus 2.

above left: Javier Gonzales weatherizes windows as part of the ¡EnergyWorks! project, winner of the Renewable Energy Project Award

above right: (l-r) Jan Atencio, Victoria Atencio, and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan pose with the Youth-led Project Award for Victoria's Senior Honors Project,Earth Appreciation Week, at the Santa Fe Indian School.


SustainableSanta Fe Plan

In 2008, the City Council unanimouslypassed the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan. Itoutlines goals in the areas of waste, water,transportation, greenhouse-gas emissions,education, food and more. Many achieve-ments in sustainable practices are de-scribed throughout this guide. You canread about the full plan atwww.santafenm.gov.

An employee orientation program informscity workers on conserving energy in theirdaily operations wherever possible. Exam-ples are turning off computers, not idling ve-hicles, and reducing unnecessary printing.

The City of Santa Fe has received a grantfor $500,000 and another for $781,600to implement energy efficiency retrofits.Twenty-three of 52 City buildings will getlighting retrofits; some of the 52 are newerbuildings, so they don’t need retrofits. Formore information contact Nick Schiavo at955-6693.

The City has entered into nine contracts topurchase renewable energy sources. Aone-megawatt photovoltaic project cover-ing six acres will break ground at theWaste Water Treatment Plant in Fall 2010.

See specific ach ievements high-lighted throughout this magazine.

CULTURALCOMMONS20 Abundance22 Three Poems for Esai24 The Boy Dreams26 Remembering Our Original

Instructions28 Growing Up I Was Diconnected30 A Conversation in the Park32 Una Conversación en el Parque34 More Than a Fair Exchange:

Santa Fe's Time Bank38 Locals Value More Than

Tech-Know-How40 Nothing New Here

16 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

SCATTERINGThe SeedBY WILLIAM DEBUYS

Max Cordova told me this story about the old days in Truchas, when peopleused to grow a lot of wheat. Flour and bran were among the goods thatTrucheños would trade to their cousins in Chimayó and Santa Cruz forchile, melons, and other crops. Up at 8,000 feet where Truchas perched onthe west slope of the Sangres, growing chile and other warm-weather foodswas a poor gamble, but grains flourished on the llanos that spread aroundthe village.

Sowing those broadfields of wheat, oats andrye required a lot of laborin pre-mechanized days. Itwas hand work, andeveryone—men andwomen, children of allages, abuelas y abuelos—took part. Everybody car-ried a bag of seed. Theyspaced themselves more orless evenly and walked thefields, scattering the grain. The point Max was get-

ting to with his story wasthat they recited a chant asthey did their work, one

phrase with each step, andwith each step and eachphrase they made oneswing of the arm to broad-cast the seed. It went likethis:

Para nosPara vosPara los pajaritos De Dios.

Para nos: for us, says thesower of seed, who stepsand swings his arm, andthe grain lands on the darkplowed earth;

Para vos: for you, he (or

she) steps and swings thearm again;

Para los pajaritos de Dios:for the little birds of God, andanother step and a swingof the arm, as the magpiesand finches dart in behind. And then start over with

a step and a swing, Paranos…Of course in English the

chant doesn’t rhyme andin more modern-soundingSpanish, without nos andvos, it loses a good deal ofits charm. But quaintnessis not its message. The


CULTURAL COMMONS

It was handwork, andeveryone—menand women,children of allages, abuelas yabuelos—tookpart.

© M

icha

el D

onne

lly

chant expresses a bundle ofvalues, and the point ofMax’s story was that thesevalues are important—no,essential—to people’s ca-pacity to live with eachother and the land. The reason the crop was

sown and the cycle ofgrowth initiated was, yes,for “us,” the farmers of thefield, the family, the kinand close friends. But itwas also for “you”—allthose who more remotelypartook in the life of theharvest—the rest of thepeople of the village, thepeople of other villageswhere chile and melonswere grown, all those whodwelled in the circle ofnourishment and suste-nance to which the fieldand its crop contributed.

But most telling was thatthe circle included morethan just people. The pajar-itos de Dios also shared inthe life of the field, andthey deserved a portion ofits bounty. What they con-sumed was not waste; it wastheir due. Part of thefarmer’s obligation was tolend a hand toward thesupport of all creatures.Here is where the story

gets really interesting.Max’s point was not aboutnailing one more duty to thelong list of things we expectfrom farmers. In the dayand place of the story, virtu-ally all people were farmers.The chant and its require-ments belonged to everyperson, without distinction,and everyone sowed onekind of field or another.

Para nosPara vos….(Irrespective of your line

of work, you are growingsomething)

Para los pajaritos de Dios.

......................................................William deBuys is

a writer and con-

servationist based

in Northern New

Mexico. His books

include Enchant-

ment and Exploitation, River of

Traps, and The Walk, and range

from memoir and biography to envi-

ronmental history and studies of place.

1 8 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

Part of thefarmer's obliga-tion was to lenda hand towardthe support ofall creatures.

© J

enni

fer Esp

eran

za

Photos courtesy of NM State Archives.


CULTURAL COMMONS

Rich Black EarthMy heartIs a treasure chestOf composted leafy memoriesAnd moldy dreamsThey have built upYear after yearInto rich black soilTo grow poemsBouquets of flowersTo set on your bedside tableOn cold winter nights.

***

Corn DanceDelicately etchedOn the cliff's red faceA corn plantIf you listenYou can still hearAncient drum beatsEchoingKeeping timeTodayWith the dancing green cornIn the fields below.

***

On The Way To The FieldsYou blushed and pretendedThat you didn't see meThis morningNow I knowThat it really was youWho knockedOn the door of my dreamsLast nightLookingOver your shoulderBefore you enteredMaking sureNo one was watching........................................................................

Dionycio Padilla is a

teacher at EJ Martinez El-

ementary and began culti-

vating its educational

garden more than two

decades ago. He is also a

writer, artist and beekeeper in Villanueva, NM.

ABUNDANCEBY DIONYCIO PADILLA


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NSPh

oto of fi

eld at

El R

anch

o de

las G

olon

drin

as ©

Tam

my

Mai

tland


CULTURAL COMMONS

Esai collects dreamsin the nest of his palmfarm sweet blackberry juicestains his hands and lips.

Were he able to speak about the blackberries,Esai would simply say God.

He wakes from his afternoon siesta,flapping legs and hands,a bluebird perched on the birch branch of mother’s arm

ready to raidcornfieldsin his father’s heart.

* * *

You stand up nowHolding onto the cupboard handle or my hand.

Coming out of the burrow of blanketsSitting on your haunches back straight as a squirrel,

You scan the bedroom, Left right down upthen dive into me,embracing my face, small arms and handsfeel so good on me,

Then you robustly hug your motherWith the same bearish delight—

There is so much delight in youSo early, So much relish for life radiates from your gestures,So much faithfulness and confidence

in life’s inherent goodnessNot to harm your open heart and lovely soul,You smile on each person you meet, Laugh as if laughter pollinated Plants to unfurl,And all around us flowers blossom.

As if laughter were a way of making youAny animal you wanted, when you smiledYou the horse galloped through a meadow, When you smiled you the sparrowBalanced on the branch outsideWhen you smileYou your soulFliesLike a sunrise over the landscapeTouching all things equally with light.

* * *

Esai, celebrate your mixed-blood— Ibericos, Phoenicians, Celts, Visigoths, Romans, Moors,Olmecs, Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs and Incas,Seeds buried in your bone marrowflourish a forest in your blood— in the rainforest of your black hairsacred quetzal birds caw, and ancient origins of Indio/Arab/Jewish riversmix as they rush through you,mimicking tears of one tribe, laughter of another, in you a thousand lives celebrate and mourn, your heart the size of a pomegranate seed,

quenched bothto rise up in rioting blossoms and fiercelybow before the dawn’s splendor:

On hands and kneesYou scuttle around the house,Growl like a jaguar, your brown-hazel eyes peek around the kitchenarchway,

flash behind the bedroom French doors,you scamper on all fours like a young prong-deeras I chase you, nonsense words giggle out fromyour throat

a flock of egretsExploding across the living room, Swoop into the dormant fireplace, vanish up

the chimneytoward the sky.

In the sunroom, sunlight pierces the shadows


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

THREE POEMS FOR ESAIBY JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA

© J

enni

fer Esp

eran

za

© J

enny

Dow

ning


CULTURAL COMMONS

quivering to reveal your jaguar jawsclamped around a yellow rubber duck—

Tribal infant,you raise your arms to the sky,standing up against the couchtesting your stance, your balance shaky,

your small rose-leaf hands release from the couch clap a thankfulness prayer, your eyes dart at meand I smile at you, now changed into a tawny fawnalert ears twitching for dangerbefore you incline your sleek neck and sip waterfrom the river of life running between us.

Later in the morning, In the bathtub, about to cry, choking breath back,almost-tears transform into a cough then change to awhineAnd ended up as laughter— .

..................................................................................................................Born in Santa Fe in 1952, Jimmy Santiago emerged

from a childhood and youth affected by abandonment, an

eventual drug conviction and prison time, to become a

multiple award-winning author and poet. Baca has de-

voted his post-prison life to writing and teaching others

who are overcoming hardship.

These are included in the collection Breaking Bread with the

Darkness: Book 1 The Esai Poems, published by Sherman Asher

Publishing, Santa Fe, in Spring 2011.


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

Since time immemorial, the Navajo people have blessedtheir path with a holy substance, corn pollen. It is finelyground and carried in medicine pouches to be sprinkled asprayer offerings.

During World War II, the Navajo Nation was found tohave the largest concentration of uranium deposits in theUS. Navajo men were employed to extract and refine uranium for nuclear weapons production. The residualproduct of this process is known as yellowcake, a fine yellow dust that is highly radioactive.

Placed side by side, corn pollen and yellowcake look almost identical.

There is a story that says in the beginning,The People were given a choice about which to carrythrough life.

Corn pollen, with the power to bless,or yellowcake, with the power to poison.The People chose corn pollen,the People chose beauty,the People chose life.

There is another story, one of a boy who dreamed of his father.

The father carves through mountainsides, excavating uranium.

Radioactivity permeates his body.His medicine pouch hangs at his side, empty.He has betrayed the choice of the ancient ones.

At home, Mother works on a traditional rug,Sister plays outside, And the Boy meticulously stitches his own medicinepouch.

Father returns from the mines, tainted.With lips poisoned by sheets of radiation breathed over them,he kisses Mother.She inhales the yellowcake rising from his clothing.She will develop lung cancer.

With contaminated arms,he embraces Sister.She swings from Father’s venomous hands before sittingto dinner.

Her kidneys will fail.

Father mines every day for four years,unaware of the parasitic poison housed in his organs.He will die of stomach cancer.And the government will discount his death—and thousands more—as incidental.

In his dreams, the Boy sees the truth.

Rain pours intodynamite-blasted fissures in the land,mixing with yellowcake to become lethal community reservoirs.

Livestock from nearby farms bathe in that same waterand families fill their buckets to sustain themselves.The contagion spreads.

Elders stagger from behind hills,gasp for air through thick, industrial smoke, clutch at their skin as it tears—revealing dying vital organs—

shriek at Father to remember the original choice.Mangled fetal fingers reach from beneath the soil,drumming the song of the seventh generation,crying for a return to the way of balance.

Father’s pick connects with the rock again and again and again,

as yellowcake cascades down the mountainside.The Boy offers trembling handfuls of sacred yellow cornpollen to the boiling air.

He whispers his prayers to the sky,pleading for a cleansing rain, one that will reveal the footsteps of ancestors who walked in beauty.

..........................................................................................................................© 2008 Nolan Eskeets, SFIS Spoken Word, All rights

reserved.

THE BOY DREAMS BY NOLAN ESKEETSSFIS SPOKEN WORD TEAM

© A

nne S

tave

ley

© W

olfg

ang St

audt


CULTURAL COMMONS

While mystics meditate,fast and pray to experiencethis intelligence—and sci-entists observe and meas-ure it withinstruments—indigenouspeople understand itthrough daily life acrossthe seasons in an intimaterelationship with air, waterand Earth.Western scientists won-

der how indigenous peopleacross the globe knewabout microcosmic andmacrocosmic structureslong ago without using mi-croscopes and telescopes.This does not surprisethose who know that peo-ple living close to the Earthare natural scientists whouse all their senses to ob-serve, adapt, invent and re-

member to improve theirlives and ensure survival. As a child, I took com-

fort in the natural world.Though my people wereforced to assimilate andconvert, the rituals of theChurch never inspired meas much as the power of athunderstorm, the colors ofdawn or the blessing of arainbow. The forest with itstowering trees, dappledlight and burbling streamssodden with the heavyscent of wet Earth was farmore like home than mymother’s spotless suburbanmanufactured house.Remember, our true

mother is Mother Earthand our father is FatherSky. In many indigenousceremonies worldwide,

prayers are offered toEarth, our mother whogives us food, clothing,shelter and all we need.These are not emptywords. They are an accu-rate description of our fun-damental relationship withthe Earth that pr ovideseverything.North American Indian

teachers tell us to remem-ber our original instruc-tions. These were handeddown through oral tradi-tion and recorded in in-digenous art to teach us tolive in balance with theEarth and all our relations,which include not only ustwo-legged, but also thefour-legged, winged, swim-ming, crawling, insect,plant and stone people.Living in balance requiresrespect, love and sharing.It calls for the disciplineand wisdom to refrain fromtaking more than we needand being responsible forthe waste we produce. Our original instructions

are based on common senseand the deep realizationthat our actions can upsetthe balance of the world—and that we are responsibleto restore harmony so alllife can thrive. These in-

structions are for everyoneeverywhere, not just for In-dians. The Earth is sendingmessages with Earth-quakes, hurricanes and vol-canic explosions. After toomany years of neglect, nowis the time to see and hearher—and to bring ourwords and actions backinto harmony with theEarth and all our relations.

This essay first appeared on EcoHearth.com, a wind-poweredecology website providing interna-tional, independent views on allthings environmental.

......................................................Charleen

Touchette is Que-

becois, Acadian

and Metis of

mixed blood

French and

Canadian First Nation ancestry and

grew up bilingual in French and

English. An artist, author, activist

and mother of four, she lives in the

mountains near Santa Fe, where she

is the New Mexico Coordinator of

Martin Luther King III’s Realizing

the Dream Initiative.


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

REMEMBERING OURORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS BY CHARLEEN TOUCHETTE

The Earth is always sending messages. All we have to do is to look and lis-ten to understand what she says. The most important message is that loveis the intelligence connecting all life. Light energy vibrates throughout theuniverse. It is a tangible reality experienced by mystics and seers, anddescribed by quantum physicists. It is seen in all systems from the micro-cosm of subatomic particles to the macrocosm of planetary systems andgalaxies.

“Illu

min

ated

Anc

esto

rs w

ith B

eehi

ves”

by

Cha

rleen

Touc

hette

© C

ody R.


CULTURAL COMMONS

Growing up I was disconnectedSome things were not discussedAmong people who valued hard work and employmentOne-sided silence through years of schoolingI learned about the nuclear ageFrom movies and propaganda and Bradbury field tripsThe glorified versions of a history that happened in myown backyard

In our state of EnchantmentPristine open spaces and a populationNot respected by a higher nationStill living off the land as the industrial age passed them byOnly to get thrust into nuclear realizationBeneath a missionUrgent and thick with intensityBeneath a shroud of secrecy

I was not yet bornThe day scientists feared for our skyThoughts of atmospheric ignitionAnd that everyone would dieI was not yet born when the Jemez was takenHomesteaders relocated, not of their volitionUranium miners on the road to perditionBeloved mountains, occupied before I could praise themDisconnected from ancestral knowledgeIn three generationsClan animals vanishedEven as the jobs began to appearUnprotected hired hands from the valleyA job was nothing to fearIt was a welcome exchange in hard times

I wasn’t yet bornThe day silver ash rained down for daysAnd a plume of poison drifted over state linesRadioactive fallout, on cisterns of drinking waterOn crops and livestock, who all miscarried that yearThe people were lied toAnd went about life as usualWhile the truth fledWith bread over their mouths

To keep from breathing air they knew was foulAnd the world was changed foreverA month later, 80,000 people were killed instantlyJustified atrocity named enemyAnd the book was closed on Trinity

Even though it was our own citizens who were bombedChildren born into an experimental populationWith a cancer rate way higher than the average nationEntire families still sick and dyingStill crying, for the elders they lost too soonI – was born into military healthcare, mixed blood anddesert beauty

Free from the shame of colonized blameMy grandfather employed by SandiaMy down-winder grandmothers who birthed babies andtaught me songs

While washing tainted laundry and making pots from localclay

I wonder now, can Earth decay?Eating the elk my uncles brought down Breathing fire smoke from trees that drankFrom discarded waste placed…anyplace

Today – my daughters are bornInto single driver car twice daily paradesDependence on industrial weapon economic charadesThe sound of bombs explodingAs we pray to the sun in morningsWill my cornmeal prayersProtect them as they play in ditchesCarrying water from a source three miles away from tri-tium releases?

What did my oldest get exposed to?As I breathed in smoke from a tech area burned 3 timesover

What kind of poisonCan penetrate the walls of my womb?What stories were silenced, and why, and from whom?

The truth must be toldFrom the people who lived it


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

GROWING UP I WAS DISCONNECTEDBY BEATA TSOSIE-PEÑA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER ESPERANZA “FOUND FEATHER”

Dedicated to the women of Las Mujeres Hablan, and those working for justice in their communities, with special thanks to Tina Cordova

Who dwell in this place that houses our spiritRespectfully, I pray, for past, present and future soulsto be at peace someday

For clean earth, air and waterSo my children can playSplashing and laughing as we tend to our gardensBeneath the loving gaze of our sacred mountainsFree of fear from invisible poisonFree to hear, undisturbed and clear, the birds sing inthe morning

As we continue to questionAnd speak our points of view

Let us share the stories anew that have never been toldAnd release the pain not even a century oldNo longer shamed by accusations of ignoranceLet our diverse voices be our deliveranceNo breath here is unimportantWe are free to prayEach in our wayFor justice, strong leaders, and supportive institutionsA foundation for our expectationsAs we welcome in this time of healingFor the goodOf all future generations

..................................................................................................................Beata Tsosie-Peña is from Santa Clara Pueblo and works

for environmental health and justice with Tewa Women

United, one of seven NGOs in Northern New Mexico that

comprise Las Mujeres Hablan. Her poem was published in

a report for the Los Alamos Historic Document Retrieval

and Assessment Project, Center for Disease Control and

Prevention (LAHDRA Project, CDC).


CULTURAL COMMONS

How long have youbeen in Santa Fe?Gerardo: Eight years.

And how did you gethere?Gerardo: I arrived undermy own steam, from ElSalvador to Guatemala,then to Mexico and thenthe US. I came by bus,truck, hitchhiking and byfoot.

How did you enterthe US?Gerardo: Simply by foot. Ijust walked across.

Why did you leaveyour country?Gerardo: It’s difficult toearn money in my country.I’m a campesino, and in thecity where the jobs are,they don’t want to givework to campesinos.

Isn’t it difficult to getwork here too?Gerardo: If I’m lucky, Ican earn $400 a week inconstruction, as a plastereror painter. It’s tough nowand at best I earn $200 perweek.

Is it possible to payyour rent?Gerardo: No, I don’t havean apartment at the mo-ment. I sleep in the shelter.

Have you experi-enced discriminationhere?Gerardo: Yes, many times.At the MVD, a person toldme I shouldn’t be driving ifI couldn’t speak English.

Pedro, how longhave you been inSanta Fe?Pedro: In the US 21 years.In Santa Fe just threemonths. I spent 17 years inCalifornia and four years inArizona.

How was life in California?Pedro: At the time I wasthere, the governor passedProposition 187, which de-nied immigrants education,access to health care, andother public services. So itwas bad. Even though mi-

A CONVERSATION IN THE PARK BY MARITA PRANDONI

I went one afternoon to DeVargas Park to visit with the workers who appear everyday—looking for the chance to work. There I met up with Gerardo, from El Salvadorand Pedro, from Oaxaca, Mexico.


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

©D

aBin

si


CULTURAL COMMONS

grant workers pay taxevery time they buy some-thing, the reason given wasthat we didn’t pay taxesand so we weren’t entitledto receive public services.

And Arizona?Pedro: Equally bad. Ingeneral, people don’t re-spect immigrants and aresuspicious of us. But thereare good and bad people inevery society. It’s impor-tant to be able to use yourhead to contribute to soci-ety, but also to have abili-ties with your hands. Eversince the passage ofNAFTA, we have been los-ing the opportunity to earnwages and survive in Mex-ico.

What type of workdo you do?Pedro: Handyman work ortile work.

And why did youcome to Santa Fe?Pedro: To avoid the newArizona law.

How’s it going?Pedro: I like it better here.After I arrived, I went tothe plaza. There was musicand people were dancing.It was like arriving some-where where the cultureflourishes with differentnationalities. It’s like a littlevillage here. In my villagein Oaxaca, if you go to theplaza, you also find musicand friendly people. If youdon’t have a place to sleep,you can ask someone andthey’ll say, “Sure, I can finda bed for you until youhave a home.”

What percentage ofthe workers wouldyou say actually getwork in any givenday?Pedro: About ten percent.

And if someone doesn’t get work dayafter day, does any-one else notice?Pedro: Yes, we look out foreach other. If we see that,we offer that person moneyfor food or bring him food.

Do you sometimesbuy cheap fast foodto get by?Pedro: No, almost never—maybe if it’s an emergency.Usually we eat fruit, veg-etables, rice and meat pre-pared at home.

Would you prefer tolive here or in Oax-aca?Pedro: In Oaxaca. In mycountry, if I had a little plotof land where I could growsome corn, I would livewell off the land. There aremountains and rivers too.And the people are kind.This is what it means to meto be rich. You need onlyfamily, friends, a roof, somecorn and clean water.

¿Cuánto tiempo llevaviviendo en Santa Fé?Gerardo: Ocho años.

¿Y cómo llegó acá?Gerardo: Llegué por mispropios medios, de El Sal-vador a Guatemala, despuésa México, y luego a los Es-tados Unidos. Me vine enautobús, camión, pidiendoaventón a extraños y a pié.

¿Y cómo entró a losEEUU?Gerardo:A pié. Simplementecaminando crucé la frontera.

¿Porqué salió de supaís?Gerardo: Es muy dificilganar dinero en mi país. Soycampesino y si hay oportu-nidades en la ciudad, no lequieren dar trabajo a loscampesinos.

¿Es también difícil en-contrar trabajo aquí?Gerardo: Si tengo suerte,puedo ganar $400 por se-mana trabajando en cons-trucción, haciendo enjarre opintura. Ahora es muy difi-cil y si me va bien, gano$200 por semana.

¿Es posible pagar larenta así?Gerardo: No, no tengoapartamento ahora.Duermo en el shelter.

¿Há sido discriminadoalguna vez aquí?Gerardo: Sí, muchas veces.En el departamento de mo-tores y vehículos una per-sona me dijo que no debomanejar si no hablo inglés.

Pedro, ¿Cuántotiempo lleva viviendoen Santa Fé?Pedro: En los EEUU llevo21 años. En Santa Fé solotres meses. Estuve 17 añosen California y cuatro añosen Arizona. ¿Cómo era la vida parausted en California?Pedro: Cuando estuve allá,el gobernador pasó la Pro-posición 187 que niega a losinmigrantes ilegales la edu-cación, acceso a servicios desalud y otros servicios pú-blicos. Entonces esa era unasituación muy mala. A pesar

UNA CONVERSACIÓN EN EL PARQUE BY MARITA PRANDONI • Muchas gracias a Jade Leyva por su ayuda con la traducción.

Fuí un día al parque de DeVargas para hablar con los trabajadores queaparecen cada día buscando la oportunidad de trabajar. Ahí conocí a Ger-ardo, de El Salvador y también a Pedro, de Oaxaca, México.


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

© T

amm

y M

aitla

nd

de que el inmigrante pagaimpuestos cada vez quehace una compra, nos dije-ron que no pagamos im-puestos. Entonces noconseguimos el derecho arecibir servicios públicos.

¿Y en Arizona?Pedro: Igualmente malo. Engeneral, la gente no respetaa los inmigrantes y siempreexiste la sospecha. Pero haygente mala y buena en cadapaís. Es importante poderusar bien la mente para con-tribuír a la sociedad, pero estambién importante tenercapacidad con las manos. Elproblema es que desdeNAFTA, perdimos la posi-bilidad de ganar para sobre-vivir en México.

¿Qué tipo de trabajohace?Pedro: Trabajo general yazulejo.

¿Y porqué vino aSanta Fé?Pedro: Para evitar de lanueva ley en Arizona.

¿Y como le estáyendo acá? Pedro: Me gusta más aquí.Cuando llegué y fuí a laplaza, había música y mu-chas personas bailando. Eracomo llegar a un lugardonde florecen culturas y di-ferentes nacionalidades. Escomo un pueblito pequeño.En mi pueblo Oaxaca, si vasa la plaza, también hay mú-sica y la gente es muy sim-pática. Si no tienes una camadonde dormir, le puedes pre-guntar a cualquier persona yte ofrece, “Hay una camadonde vivo, ahí se puedequedar hasta que encuentreun hogar.”

¿Qué porcentaje depersonas consiguentrabajo en un día tí-pico aquí?Pedro: Como un diez por-ciento.

¿Y si una persona noconsigue trabajo enmuchos días? Alguienlo nota?Pedro: Sí, cuando notamosque esto le está pasando aalguien, nos ayudamos losunos a los otros y a esa per-sona le ofrecemos a dinero ocomida para ayudarlo.

¿Usted compra aveces comida rápidaporque es más ba-rata?Pedro: No, casi nunca. Solosi es una emergencia. Peronormalmente comemos fru-tas, vegetales, arroz, y carneque preparamos a casa.

¿Prefiere la vida aquío en Oaxaca?Pedro: En Oaxaca. Si tu-viera un pedacito de tierraen mi país, donde pudieracultivar un poco de maíz,podría vivir muy bien. Haytambién lindas montañas yríos. La gente es muy ama-ble. Para mí, eso es ser rico.Solo se necesita una familia,amigos, un techo, maíz yagua limpia.


CULTURAL COMMONS

Enter the Santa Fe TimeBank, the City Different’sbest-kept secret, and theone you’ll be telling yourfriends about before theycan say, “I need someone toclean my arroyo.”In short, the Time Bank

is comprised of a group ofpeople—connected in per-son by monthly planningmeetings and online byCommunity Weaver soft-ware—who offer their timeand services to each otherin exchange for “time dol-lars.” This currency ofhours earned can be“spent” with other TBmembers on any number ofservices offered on the timebank exchange. Finally: a visionary, alter-

native, local economy—with teeth.

After attempting a simi-lar initiative in early 2009,Stella Osorojos, a localDoctor of Oriental Medi-cine, teamed up with digitalartist Deborah Fort andAdrianne McCurrach, anindependent film and webdesigner who had discov-ered the Time Bank move-ment while working in LosAngeles. The team did theirresearch and launched thecurrent chapter in January2010 with about 20 partici-pants. Their ranks havegrown quickly to a bankwith over 60 actively trad-ing members and morejoining each month. “It’s not just a bunch of

hippies trading chickens,”says Joa Dattilo, a SantaFean who did, in fact, usetime bank hours to clean

up an illegal dumpsite inthe arroyo by her houselast winter. Santa Fe’s timebank has met scores of sim-ilarly practical needs formembers, such as weedingand planning gardens, con-sulting for businesses, andpreparing food for thosetemporarily laid-up by ill-ness or injury. It has also helped small

business owners grow theirown clientele by tradinghours for an introductionto their services. Currently,McCurrach and the leader-ship team are preparing toinvite local businesses tojoin the time bank as well.“Think of it,” she says,“someone gets a teethcleaning and the dental of-fice has their websiteworked on. A plumber uses

time dollars for paintingand help with developingan advertising strategy. Amechanic has someone helpthem organize or decoratetheir office, or getacupuncture.”Many alternative local

currencies (like the now-fa-mous Ithaca Dollars inNew York) resemble amore traditional monetarysystem in that services of-fered on the exchange arepriced based on their “mar-ket value” and must betraded accordingly—onehour of web site design, inother words, may be“worth” four hours clean-ing a sick neighbor’s house. In contrast, the time

bank concept holds thatevery person’s time is ofequal value, no matterwhat service they are pro-viding. Edgar Cahn, timebank inventor and co-founder of the NationalLegal Services Program,refers to this as “co-pro-duction” and notes that it iswhat makes time bankstools of real social change. Members of a time bank,

says Deborah Fort, “sharea common goal: to honorthe parts of us that aren’thonored by the marketeconomy. . . .We respect


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

MORE THAN A FAIR EXCHANGE: SANTA FE’S TIME BANK BY JENNIFER GUERIN

It’s a familiar scenario in Santa Fe: You are moving and need help.

You thought you could do it alone, but there are more boxes than you anticipated, and theback of your never-say-die Subaru is less roomy than you thought. Your best friends arewilling to lend you an afternoon or evening, or even two. You need them, but you don’t wantto put them out. You’d offer to pay them for their help, but that seems insulting. What’s agood citizen to do?


CULTURAL COMMONS


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

and recognize that all of ushave something to offerthat is valuable to the com-munity in different ways.” McCurrach agrees: “This

is key and the componentthat has the power to makehuge, attainable, practicalchange in our local com-munities and thus in ourglobal community. We getto know our neighbors. Wereduce the need to earn[money] and we matchunmet needs with un-tapped resources.” Bob Keeton, a Santa

Fean with an interest incommunity building, hadalways come away fromconversations about alter-native currencies feeling abit cold, precisely becausethey focus on “anotherpiece of paper in [his] wal-let.” Keeton, whose maininterest is to build the kindof relationships that cansustain a society throughdifficult times, sees theTime Bank as meeting thatcritical need. It “‘back-doors’ the community com-ponent,” he says, “becausein order for the time bankto be successful, we have toget to know each other.” Margaret Kuhlen has re-

cently returned to Santa Feafter nine years in Port-land, Maine, where theHours Exchange program

has over 600 members. Forher too, the communitybuilding that emerges froma Time Bank is its maindraw. In a world where wetend to live isolated livesand feel uncomfortableasking for help, even fromour neighbors, she ex-plains, “The virtual neigh-borhood actually seeds thecommunity.” Kuhlen is referring to

the Community Weaversoftware that is key to thetime bank’s success. Ac-cording to the Time Bankwebsite, the movementuses the internet—“thattouchstone of modernlife”—to reintroduceneighbors to each otherand the joys of doingthings for each other in re-ciprocal relationships.”With CW, members createsimple online profiles,browse services offered byother participants, and posttheir own needs and avail-ability. Time bank hoursare also logged and spentonline. Interested Santa Feans

can explore the work offounder Edgar Cahn atwww.timebanks.org, orjoin the Time Bank by log-ging on to http://commu-nity.timebanks.org/ andclicking on the link to theSanta Fe Time Bank.

......................................................Jennifer Guerin

teaches a research

and presentation

class to twelfth

graders at the

Santa Fe Indian

School, where she has worked for the

last 10 years. She tries to live light

and dream big with her family on

the south side of town.

Phot

o co

urtesy

of t

he T

ower

Gal

lery

, www

.rox

anne

swen

tzell.n

et

below: “Sharing” by Roxanne Swentzell


CULTURAL COMMONS

I often wonder how I amsupposed to demonstratemy interpersonal skillswhen all I can do to applyis put my information in anemail form and send it off,never being sure if my in-formation will ever even beread. How am I supposedto call a business and askthem if they received myonline application? Do Isimply say, “Did you get

that thing I sent ya?” I imagine the person

charged with hiring sittingat a desk with hundreds ofapplications, just glancingat them all and takingdown phone numbers. Iimagine calling that personto see if he or she has re-viewed my application. Butwhen sitting at home tryingto put my personality andcharacter into a little para-

graph, as though I weresetting up a profile on adating site, I can’t. I, forone, would feel more com-fortable with the experi-ence of handing myinformation to an actualperson, rather than sendingit over the internet where itcould possibly be accessedby thousands, togetherwith a mess of applicationsfrom thousands of others. A pattern emerges with

this internet craze.Domino’s, Starbucks, Al-bertsons—they’ve all gotthose translucent vinylposters on their windowsstating they’re looking forhelp. I realized that thisproblem is just anotherfacet of the dehumaniza-tion that corporations giveoff without even thinkingtwice. At a local businesson the other hand, there’susually a sign telling methat I’d better be ready tosit there and fill somethingout with a pen. I would feel more confi-

dent (and thus statisticallybe more likely to succeed)if I had the opportunity tointeract with actual peopleinstead of a computerscreen. I would very muchlike to find a local job thatis locally owned, ratherthan work for a facelesscompany. I would like to

see my boss every day,doing his or her part on-the-ground, as much asevery other person in theorganization. My few friends that got

jobs have found them withlocal businesses. They allfilled in paper applicationson the spot and gave phonenumbers of references tocall. They were able to givea glimpse of who they wereto a person, not a machine.I would like that for myselfand everyone else in mygeneration. I recently applied at two

local businesses. Their in-teractions with me con-firmed that people trulyvalue a dedicated appli-cant, rather than someonetrying to sum up himselfand sending it off by emailin hopes of receiving a po-sition.......................................................

Brian Ortiz is an

SSFRG staff

member. Please

see "About the

Staff and

Artists," page 10.

LOCALS VALUE MORE THAN TECH-KNOW-HOW BY BRIAN ORTIZ

As teens like me climb aboard the job and responsibility train, I often notice howseldom people interact with one another. Frequently, I walk up to a business, butrarely see an “apply within” sign anymore. All I see is an “apply online” posterwith a little cartoon picture of a computer mouse plastered to the window, turningall applicants back to their homes to spend more time in front of a screen.


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS

I realized thatthis problem isjust anotherfacet of thedehumanizationthat corpora-tions give offwithout eventhinking twice.

© A

nony

mou

s900

0 (w

ww.fl

ickr

.com

/pho

tos/an

onym

ous9

000/

4280

2548

56/)


CULTURAL COMMONS

With more than 85 centsof your hard-earned dollargoing out of state for theiraccounting services, HRoutsourcing, marketing,and corporate headquar-ters—not to mention thatthe national chains arepublicly traded—wouldn’tyou rather think communityfirst, before you buy? In northern New Mexico

over 60 cents of a dollaryou spend at locally owned,independent businessesstays right here, giving backover and over again in ourcommunity. Makes eco-nomic sense to me. To my friend, it’s still a

matter of price and conven-ience. I suggested that sherecycle some old cardboardboxes, cover them in prettyfabric and use them as stor-age containers. “Oh, mygrandmother used to dothat!” She was delighted atthis reminder that genera-tions before us have beensmarter and more conser-vative with their money.Back then, a $45,000 housewas paid off with one in-come. Vegetable gardens

were plentiful in yards allover town. Most likely,your neighbor was a localbusiness owner from whomyou purchased hardware orother supplies. Credit cardswere used in emergencysituations, not to financefurniture, or to pay off yetanother credit card. We’ve moved so far

away from conscious deci-sion-making at the registerthat we prefer to open thelocal newspaper not to readthe news but to see whatdeals and coupons arebeing offered. But whatI’m witnessing is that withthe disconnect comes a re-connect—a replugging intoour community. Look around Santa Fe

while you walk your dog,ride your bike, drive yourcar. Neighborhood commu-nity gardens are poppingup at parks all across ourCity of Faith. The Santa FeFarmers Market now hasfour markets a week in sea-son. Local businesses areopening up every day.More restaurants haveopened in the past year

than in the past five years,many with the commitmentto buy from New Mexicofarms, creating a regionalfood flavor. Solar panelsare being installed onhomes all over town. As I walked out my front

door one Sunday after-noon, my neighbors weregathered in the street chat-ting about how to deal withwater run-off on our neigh-bors’ property. “Time tocollect it! We all need it,we should share it,” oneneighbor declared as achicken strayed from hisbackyard coop to join thecrowd. I don’t live in arural neighborhood; I livedown the street from SantaFe High School. To me,this is not only community,but community in action,thinking community first.And it’s nothing new—it’sa return to what we knewin the past and whatworked. It’s what we de-fine as a local living econ-omy—ensuring thateconomic power resides lo-cally to the greatest extentpossible, sustaining vi-brant, livable communitiesand healthy ecosystems inthe process.Reaching deeper into our

community economy; edu-cating consumers on thepower of local purchasing;supporting initiatives forlocal ownership; greeningour businesses; supporting

climate change initiativesand health care reform; lo-calizing our food purchas-ing; and creating energyindependence—these arethe ways we create astronger local economy.Every time we buy vegeta-bles directly from a farmer;order a NM beef burger ina restaurant; turn off alight; conserve water; andput up a solar panel, we aremaking our Santa Fe com-munity even stronger.That’s a local living econ-omy—putting your moneywhere your house is. Santa Fe has weathered

the recent economic stormwith relative calm, digginginto its community re-sources rather than lookingfor outside stopgaps to sur-vive. What has always in-trigued me about Santa Feis its strength of character,its richness in makingthings uniquely local, itsability to see that relation-ships between neighborsand co-workers are whatmakes a community, thatthinking community first isthinking local first. Ourcommunity holds the key tosustainability, and commu-nity alone is sustainable. ......................................................

Vicki Pozzebon is

the Executive Di-

rector of the

Santa Fe Al-

liance, a non-

profit organization

working toward building a local liv-

ing economy through community,

local ownership and advocacy. Visit

www.santafealliance.com for more

information.

NOTHING NEW HEREBY VICKI POZZEBON

Everything old is new again, so the saying goes. In a recent conversation with a friend, thesubject of purchasing some rather useful but not entirely necessary items came up. “It justcosts less at Big Box Mart,” she said. My retort? “What else did you spontaneously buy whileyou were there?” They suck us in with end-cap aisle items, loss-leaders and “great deal”prices. But the truth is, big box stores hurt our community in the long term.


CULTU

RAL C

OMMO

NS


CULTURAL COMMONS


SOLUTIONSRISING46 It Takes a Sustainable Village50 From Throwaways to

Takeaways54 First Precycle (Don't Generate

Trash), Then Recycle58 A Plastic-Free Primer62 Dancing with the Carbon Bomb68 The Power to Change: The

Benefits of Establishing a Municiple Energy Utility

72 With Simple Energy Literacy, Everyone Can Make a Difference

74 Santa Fe’s Green Building Code 78 Going Solar80 For the Love of Biking82 The Copenhagen 2010

Climate Conference86 Car Idling Gets You Nowhere88 Annual Bike Cruise

Showcases City’s Newest Trails and Connections

90 Ripples in Still Water

REWEAVING

THE FABRIC OF LIFEBY JOEL GLANZBERG

For many years, following torrential summer rains, homeownerswould call asking to have structures built to address flooding anderosion problems on their property. I would try to help them, onlyto find that the water that was causing the problems came fromneighboring upslope land or from erosion eating its way uphill tothem from below. Trying to address these issues within legal prop-erty boundaries was like asking a doctor to cure a patient’s heart dis-ease, but limiting their treatment area to a small patch on the leftforearm.

Whether in our bodies,the landscape or ourcommunities, we need tolook at the workings ofentire systems.

No matter how we cut itup, every part of the Earthis connected to all of theland around it, just asevery part of our body isconnected to every otherpart. Though we commonlyisolate things in order tostudy them, they can onlyfunction, or live really, inrelation to other things.Whether in our bodies, thelandscape or our communi-ties, we need to look at theworkings of entire systems. In his book The Gift of

Good Land, Wendell Berrytells us that we solve prob-lems in one of three ways.The first approach makesthe problem bigger: the soilis compacted, so we get abigger tractor to plowdeeper; in turn, the greaterweight further compactsthe soil, so we get a biggertractor. We can see thismisguided approach ineverything from foreignpolicy to childrearing. The second problem-

solving approach is to de-fine the problem sonarrowly that we solve it,but create other problemsoutside of the defined area.We have an energy short-age so we develop and mar-

ket compact fluorescentbulbs that use less energy,only to find that they con-tain mercury; we have nosystem to alert consumersto this fact or an appropri-ate recycling strategy. Sowe’ve traded an energyproblem for a heavy metalspollution problem. Thoughthey use just a fraction ofthe energy of incandescentbulbs, we have approachedthis problem in isolation ofthe entire system and havenot broken out of a patternof abuse. This approach iseverywhere, from the can-cer-causing smoke from in-cinerated medical waste, tothe miscarriages caused byagricultural and landscap-ing fertilizers. They are allcollateral damage.The third approach to

problem solving is to de-velop solutions that solvemultiple problems at once,which Berry coined “solv-ing for pattern.” His exam-ple is the home garden: Itprovides exercise, nutri-tion, an opportunity towork with others, connectto the land, save money,learn and teach, save en-ergy in food transport. Inthis approach many

unanticipated advantagesalso occur. My favorite example is

from Tree People, a non-profit in Los Angeles.When they started plantingtrees with school children,they found that attendanceincreased, as did test scoresand graduation rates. Un-planned teen pregnancywent down. Why? Kidswanted to come to schoolto see the tree they hadplanted. They soon foundthat they could accomplishsmall but miraculousthings, and started to takecare not only of their trees,but themselves.

“Tug on anything at all andyou’ll find it connected to every-thing else in the universe.”

Although John Muirtold us this a century ago,we are still only beginningto realize its implications.The health of my land is in-timately connected to theentire watershed it lieswithin. Our health cannotcome from any single ther-apy, but is based on every-thing we eat, drink, breath,see, think and remember.

In fact, it cannot be sepa-rated from the health ofour family (genetically orexperientially), humancommunity or ecologicalcommunity. A friend re-cently compared a “sustain-able home” in anunsustainable communityto a non-smoking table inthe smoking section. Wecan only address problemson the community scale.This is true of economic,ecological, social, hydrolog-ical, educational issues—infact everything, as JohnMuir said. This may seemoverwhelming, but as withthe garden or plantingtrees, well directed, smallchanges can have multiplebenefits, and the same pat-terns are true for all ofthese issues.The number one killer of

children in the world isdysentery. It is not an ab-solute lack of water or foodthat kills them, but thespeed at which it movesthrough their little bodies,with the help of aggressivepathogens. Their bodiescan’t absorb the water and


SOLUTIONS RISING

© T

ristan

Far

zan

nutrients that they need tolive. Our intestines snakeback and forth to ten timesthe length of our bodies sothat they can absorb all ofthe richness in our foodand water. The same is truefor water in a watershed ormoney in a community. Itis the speed of movementthrough the system thatmatters.In a desertified water-

shed, the rain that fallsruns off quickly, carryingaway the topsoil that couldfeed plants to catch andhold the water. Like thesick child, as soon as thewater comes in, it runsright through withoutdoing any good. Similarly,in our simplified localeconomies, no matter howmuch money comes in, ifwe are sourcing our food,clothing, energy, buildingmaterials, entertainmentand other needs from afarit flows through and awayjust as quickly as it camein, without enriching ourlocal economy.

Why is one dollar spentat a local business worththree dollars in the localeconomy? Because it is ex-changed several times lo-cally before it leaves.Engineering and Newton-ian physics have taught usthat there are concreteamounts of resources to bedivided up. The reality isthat those amounts, whencycled through webs of ex-change, are in effect unlim-ited in wealth generation.This is how banks can lendout five times the amountof money that they have ondeposit and generate inter-est; it is increased continu-ally through cycling. So thekey to health and wealth isto reweave the fabric of thelandscape or communitythrough recreating localexchanges of resources—whether water, food,money or information. In Hawaii there is a say-

ing: Hahai No Ka Ua I KaUlula’au. The trees bringthe rain. As a child, I wastaught that the water cycle

consisted of water evapo-rated off of the oceanfalling on the land and run-ning off into the sea to beevaporated again. But in a healthy system,

the rain falls upon plantsthat absorb the kinetic en-ergy of the falling rain, pro-tecting the open soil belowfrom compaction. Theplants direct the flow downtheir bodies, some of therain gently falling upon thecushion of leaves, needles,or other live or decompos-ing plant material, onlythen penetrating the soil,where fungal roots calledmycelium soak it up. Rainalso fills the pores betweenthe soil particles and isdrunk-up by plant roots.The plants breathe it outonly to be re-condensed onthe surfaces of leaves to fallagain to the Earth. Also,the trees and other plantsbreathe out cool moisturethat easily re-condenses tofall again as rain. It is theweb of exchange fromwhich we live.

We see this almost dailyin summer: A storm comesin from the Gulf of Mexicoand blesses us with rain.The next day dawns clear,with perhaps some smallclouds on the peaks. As theday progresses the cloudsbuild, fed by the moistbreath of the trees until latein the day when it rainsagain. This continues dayafter day. Each storm is in-creasingly the rain that fellbefore.

......................................................Joel Glanzberg is

a teacher and

designer of living

environments with

a focus on the eco-

logical impact of

human endeavors and activities. He is

cofounder of Flowering Tree Permacul-

ture Institute www.floweringtreeperma-

culture.com and is a partner in

Regenesis. His new book is entitled

Changing Our Minds: How We

See the World Determines How

We Live in It.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G©

Bia

nca

Sopo

ci-B

elkn

ap

I moved here nearly 30years ago. In that time, amultitude of new roofshave popped up, dottingthe once nearly pristinelandscapes from the Galis-teo Basin to Las Cam-panas. People say you can’tstop growth. However,even now, it is possible tomanage growth in a waythat protects the beauty ofour landscape, as well asthe integrity of its ecologi-cal health.Sprawling developments

are expensive and ineffi-cient. All subdivisions re-quire roads, electric lines,water and disposal systemsof some sort for solid and

liquid waste. The morespread out the develop-ment, the greater the sheerquantity of infrastructureneeded, and the fewer theopportunities for efficiency.For example, installing thepipes for community water-treatment systems is tooexpensive for all but themost upscale (or compact)subdivisions, making waterreuse impractical. Most im-portant of all, develop-ments in the rural areasalmost always use ground-water from wells. It is ex-pensive to hook them up tothe County water systemunless they happen to benear a main water line.

Moreover, aquifers arenow already being over-used in most areas of theCounty.The new Santa Fe

County Sustainable LandDevelopment Plan(SLDP) will help us planfor a future that will neces-sarily be different than theway that we have been de-veloping for the last 40 or50 years. It was initiallycalled the Growth Manage-ment Plan, but we soon re-alized that “managinggrowth” is quite distinct inemphasis and goals from“sustainability.” Sustain-ability can mean manythings, but in the SLDP it

implies becoming more ef-ficient and more self-re-liant. A great deal of thought

has been put into basicslike water conservation,agricultural revitalizationand energy efficiency, withchapters in the plan specifi-cally devoted to these top-ics. But sustainability alsomeans being able to answerhow we will pay for thebasic services and infra-structure that the people inthe County need. If there is development,

we need to encourage thetype that makes sense,namely, in areas that aregenerally close to town (for


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

IT TAKES A SUSTAINABLE VILLAGEBY KATHY HOLIAN

Santa Fe is prized for its beautiful skies and its wide-open spaces. Many people who havecome here want to live in these expansive spaces that once seemed so limitless. Well, of course,nothing on Earth is limitless. Our beautiful vistas are gradually disappearing under therelentless development of one subdivision after another. Most popular in the rural areas havebeen subdivisions with 2.5 to 10-acre lots, which also is the surest path to maximal fragmen-tation of the landscape.

Photo

Court

esy o

f San

ta Fe

Coun

ty

The more spreadout the develop-ment, the greaterthe sheer quantityof infrastructureneeded, and thefewer the opportunities forefficiency.


SOLUTIONS RISING

shorter commutes) andcloser to services and exist-ing infrastructure. ThePlan calls for mechanismsto provide financial incen-tives to people owning landin rural areas to keep itfrom being subdivided, i.e.fragmented. For example,we can give landownersthe means to sell Transfersof Development Rights todevelopers so that they canprovide for higher densitiesin the growth areas. Also,affordable housing will beestablished in areas wherethe costs of everyday life—above and beyond thehouse payment—are not sohigh.The Plan also placesimportant emphasis on thesustainability of social capi-tal, whereby we aim to en-courage real communities,

rather than just places forpeople to sleep at night.The concept of CommunityPlanning Organizationshas been established sothat communities can cometogether to plan for theirown unique vision, witheach locale being able toapply zoning in uniqueways. In addition, the Planencourages communities toestablish amenities, such aslocal stores, commercialenterprises where localpeople can work, and live-work spaces for home busi-nesses.In a sense, our vision is

to “go back to the future”— self-contained villages inthe open space and agricul-tural lands that surroundthe larger capital city ofSanta Fe.

.........................................................Kathy Holian

began her four-

year term as

Santa Fe County

Commissioner for

District 4 on

January 1, 2009.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

above: Watercolor rendering of Trenza in the Galisteo Basin by Elizabeth Day of Austin, TX

The concept ofCommunity

Planning Organi-zations has been

established so thatcommunities cancome together to

plan for their ownunique vision

Ten Gallons a Day

Santa Fe resident Louise Pape useson average ten gallons of water perday—just one-tenth of the averageAmerican. Her reason given to Na-tional Geographic in the April, 2010issue is, “I conserve water because Ifeel the planet is dying, and I don'twant to be part of the problem.”

www.tengallonsaday.org


SOLUTIONS RISING

People are coming to-gether to see how we canvalue what we’ve beenwasting. Like good garden-ers who compost the gar-den wastes into fertilizerfor next year’s crop, thereare those who are resource-ful enough to make prod-ucts out of what we’rethrowing into the landfill.It may sound a bit odd torecycle everything, butmany cities like Albu-querque and Los Angelesare planning to do justthat—to close their land-fills entirely by 2030. In addition to the long-

term successful re-use or-ganizations like Goodwill,our local Habitat for Hu-manity store resells usedconstruction materials.Construction and demoli-

tion wastes can add up toas much as 50% of whatgoes into our landfills inNew Mexico. Santa Fe Community

College has successfullycompleted the first year ofone of the nation’s firstBiofuels Certificate Pro-gram at Santa Fe Commu-nity College. The programenables students to explorethe economic practicality ofconverting various carbon-based wastes to valuableliquid fuel and other value-added co-products such asnutraceuticals, plastics andanimal feed. Among otherthings, students collect oilfrom our local restaurantsto make biodiesel that runsone of the instructors’ cars.SFCC’s biofuels instruc-

tor, Charles Bensinger, also

manages the nation’s firsttriple-biofuels dispensers inSanta Fe currently avail-able to motorists. The bluepumps are easy to spot—atthe corner of Cerrillos Rd.and Baca St.Green Production Re-

course, a small, woman-owned business collectsrecyclables from movie setsand donates them to theBuckman Recycling Centeror others who can use thematerials for other things.“Sets for Pets” makes dog-houses out of the lumberfrom sets that have beentorn down. In Sandoval County, a

commercial composting sitehas been running for fiveyears that is making com-post by the train-car-sizedcontainer at a time. Repre-

sentatives from overseasare visiting this unique op-eration to see about model-ing this composting methodin their countries.http://www.composter.com/Recycle Santa Fe Art Fes-

tival hosts an annual art fairof work by locals who havemade beautiful things out ofmaterials that might haveotherwise gone into thelandfill. Each November, intime for Christmas giftshopping, they hold a funfair at El Museo Cultural. Imagine the entire US

Gross Domestic Product,defined by Wikipedia as “ameasure of a country'soverall official economicoutput. It is the marketvalue of all final goods andservices officially madewithin the borders of acountry in a year.” Thinkabout all the materials andenergy that go into makingup the market value of allthat stuff we sell thatmakes up the GDP. Whatpercentage goes into stuffthat is sold, and what per-centage of materials andenergy is waste or “unin-tended product” ?

FROM THROWAWAYS TOTAKEAWAYS BY MARGO COVINGTON

The groundswell of sustainable activities—like the community gardens that the youth of EarthCare have helped catalyze—connect us to this place, to foods of the ancestors of this place,food security, composting and re-using, microbes, water, soil and each other.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

left: Trash Fashion ContestWinners, November 2009.

Imag

e cou

rtesy of

Katie

Mac

aulay

(www

.katie

maca

ulay.c

om)


SOLUTIONS RISING


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

According to a scientificstudy, only six percent isactually sold. The remain-ing 94% is wasted. Wecould double the US GDPand improve our quality oflife if we implementedmore energy efficiency andrepurposed another 6% ofour materials, rather thanmaking them into throw-away products like exces-sive and single-usepackaging. Waste-As-Value Links

(WAV-Links) is the projectI’ve started to link produc-ers of waste and consumersof waste with businessideas and solutions. We’redeveloping an Idea Bank, athink tank of solutions, anda community map of linkedbusinesses. Our vision is tocatalyze economic develop-ment toward infinity, ener-gized by zero-wastedesign. After all, naturedoes it. So can we!

We’re looking for volun-teers: Students, retirees oranyone who’d like to im-prove our local economy byfreely sharing creativity andideas. Would you like tohelp a zero-waste entrepre-neur solve a technical prob-lem? Contact me if you’dlike to collaborate:[email protected] or 505-982-0044. ......................................................

Margo Covington

is an internation-

ally recognized

25-year pioneer

in thriving sys-

tems design and

sustainable entrepreneurship.

1IN THE UNITED STATES…”TONS OF ACTIVE MASS RAW MATERIALS (NOT INCLUDING

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS) PER PERSON IS EXTRACTED FROM U.S. TERRITORY BY

THE ECONOMY. ROUGHLY 75% IS MINERAL AND NON-RENEWABLE WHILE 25% IS, INPRINCIPLE, FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES. 6% OF THE TOTAL IS EMBODIED IN

DURABLE PRODUCTS. THE OTHER 94% IS CONVERTED INTO WASTE RESIDUALS AS

FAST AS IT IS EXTRACTED. . . . "THE TONNAGES OF WASTE RESIDUALS ARE ACTUALLY

GREATER THAN THE TONNAGES OF CROPS, TIMBER, FUELS AND MINERALS (BECAUSEAIR AND WATER CONTRIBUTE MASS TO THE RESIDUALS)" "THE ANNUAL ACCUMULA-TION OF ACTIVE MATERIALS EMBODIED IN DURABLES...IS PROBABLY NOT ABOVE ...6% OF THE TOTAL." AYRES, R.U., KNEESE, A.V. 1989 "EXTERNALITIES, ECONOM-ICS, & THERMODYNAMICS," IN ARCHIBUGI & NIJKAMP, EDS, ECONOMY AND ECOL-OGY: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. PP 109-117. KLUWERACADEMIE PUBS,NETHERLANDS

To advertise in the next Sustainable Santa Fe: A Resource Guide call

983-6896


SOLUTIONS RISING

HOW TO: Make a Home for BeesBY PABLO NAVROT

Bees that don't produce honey can function as ef-fective pollinators. We can foster native beespecies in the Santa Fe area by simply constructinga home for their young.

Drill a series of holes in a block of preservative-freewood using a 5/16-inch drill bit. These should bedeep holes—between 3 to 4 inches into the block.Using water as a lubricant will make this task eas-ier. A piece of masking tape wrapped around thedrill bit can signal when to stop drilling anydeeper. Do not drill completely through the block.

The front of the block where the holes have beendrilled must be mounted in a vertical position andoriented to the east or south. Chose a location pro-tected from rain at least three feet above theground.

Bees use mud, leaf or grass to seal a cell contain-ing an egg and pollen. One drilled hole can con-tain numerous cells. The bee larvae can hatch,pupate, and emerge in as little as three weeks. Inthe Santa Fe region, most bees remain in their cellsuntil the following year.

................................................................................................................Pablo Navrot is a landscape designer who participates

in several community gardening and urban agricul-

ture efforts.

© P

ablo N

avro

t

Where can I get a re-cycling bin? Is it free?City of Santa Fe residentscan pick up recycling binsat 1142 Siler Road and theyare free.

How do I recycle if Ilive in the County? The County accepts recy-cling at their transfer sta-tions. The Buckman RoadRecycling & Transfer Sta-tion accepts the widest rangeof material for recycling.

How much does itcost per month for abusiness to recycle? Businesses in the City ofSanta Fe can recycle bycalling 955-2200. Pricevaries depending on thetype and amount of service,starting as low as $32 permonth. Recycling costs ap-

proximately half as much assimilar trash services, sooften companies can realizea savings.

Can my child’s schoolor my school recyclefor free?Schools can receive recy-cling services at no cost.The City can provide pre-sentations and other assis-tance to set up the program.

What is “Pay as YouThrow”? Pay as You Throw (PAYT)means that everyone paysfor the amount of trash thatthey throw away. This typeof program encourages re-duction and recycling. TheCity implemented PAYT inJanuary 2010 by charging amonthly fee for an extratrash cart and requiring bag

tags, which cost $1.50 perbag for extra bags to bepicked up.

Why is cardboard especially importantto recycle?There is a plant in Grants,NM that exists solely to re-cycle cardboard into morecardboard. It’s local andsaves trees—very importantfor our planet right now.

What happens to recycled glass? We are challenged to find

end uses for glass; rightnow it is stockpiled. Glass isground into a sand-likeproduct and anothercoarser product. They com-pete with materials like dirtand sand, which are plenti-ful and relatively inexpen-sive. The City ofAlbuquerque is workingwith a Santa Fe company,Earthstone International, toset up a plant in Albu-querque to use their recy-cled glass in a nontoxicproduct called White FoamGlass, which replaces theneed to mine pumice. Theproject started a coupleyears ago and costs Albu-querque around $1,000,000,but it is not yet operational.If this plant ever needsmore glass than Albu-

querque recycles, thenSanta Fe may be able tobring glass there.

What other things dothe City and County re-cycling stations accept? The Buckman Road Recy-cling & Transfer Station ac-cepts the widest range ofmaterials including fluores-cent light bulbs, greenwaste, batteries, scrapmetal, books, carpetpadding and electronics. The County’s seven Trans-

fer Stations, with a few ex-ceptions, take: Freon-freeappliances, scrap metal, alu-minum and steel cans, alu-minum foil, motor oil (5 gal.maximum per trip), batter-ies, corrugated cardboard,newspaper, mixed paper,phone books, plastic (1 & 2bottles), glass (bottles andjars), tires (8 per month withpermit) and yard waste.

FIRST PRECYCLE (DON’T GENERATETRASH), THEN RECYCLE Regina Wheeler, the City of Santa Fe’s Solid Waste Director, answered these questions for Sustainable Santa Fe:

According to the EPA, 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable. Yet only 32.5% ofdiscarded materials are recycled. The average American throws away 4.6 lbs. of garbage perday. New Mexico’s recycling rate in 2008 was 12%. Converted into CO2 reductions, that’s liketaking roughly 116 thousand passenger cars per year off our roads. Recycling creates fivetimes as many jobs as landfilling.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

© T

imot

hy T

akem

oto

© J

oost J

. Bak

ker IJ

mui

den

Sustainable Santa Fe Plan

All Santa Fe Public Schools haveFREE recycling pick up.

For businesses, recycling costs$28.28 per month plus $4.97 permonth for each 90 gal bin. When abusiness recycles, they can decreasethe frequency of their trash pick-up,resulting in meaningful savings ongarbage disposal costs.


SOLUTIONS RISING

Sparkling Clean Doesn’t Have To BeEnvironmentallyMean

Many consumer prod-ucts contain powerfulperfumes and chemicalsthat can exacerbateasthma and other healthconditions. These chemi-cals compromise our im-mune systems andpollute our water. Theantibacterial Triclosan,for example, is an ingre-dient found in manycommonly used liquidsoaps, toothpaste, de-

odorant and cleaning products. It has been scien-tifically shown to form carcinogenic dioxins inwater and is also an endocrine disruptor—a sub-stance that mimics hormones and disrupts the hor-monal processes—altering reproductivedevelopment in both humans and animals. Onceit enters our water source, we are all downstream.

Here are some inexpensive and safe ingredientsfor cleaning:

• Biodegradable Dish Soap: Most any surfacecan be safely disinfected with a squirt of dishsoap and water.

• Baking Soda: Use it to de-grime ovens, polishbathroom tile and fixtures, and deodorize justabout anything, from the refrigerator to yourmouth.

• Vinegar: Use it to shine floors, remove under-arm odor from shirts, and disinfect toilet bowls.

Contrary to what advertisers tell us, tiny organ-isms play a vital role of in the health of ecosys-tems. The human body, an ecosystem in itself,hosts at least ten times as many bacteria ashuman cells, mostly doing important work like di-gesting nutrients, converting sugars, synthesizingvitamins and inhibiting the growth of pathogenicbacteria. And without these friends, our immunesystems would be struggling.

—SSFRG staff


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G


SOLUTIONS RISING

Last fall, my husbandand I decided to take afour-month “plastic fast” inwhich we wouldn’t acquireanything made of or pack-aged in plastic. This wasborn out of our desire towalk our talk more fullyand to discover our capac-ity to live simply. Wewanted to lessen our wasteas a symbolic act of solidar-ity with the oceans, whichare increasingly being de-stroyed by plastic garbage(the UN estimates thatthere is the equivalent of46,000 pieces of plasticfloating in every squaremile of ocean) and reduceour exposure to toxic ph-

thalates, PCBs and Bisphe-nol-A found in productsfrom toys to canned food.But most of all, learning tolive without plastic seemedlike the most accessibleway to reduce our partici-pation in the “disposableculture” that threatens todispose of the planet. Wewanted to learn to live in away that causes less harmto the Earth.At first, it seemed daunt-

ing. A quick survey of ourkitchen revealed that closeto 90% of our (organic)food came in some form ofpackaging. Even bulk foodand produce came home inplastic bags. I assure you, Iam far from being the eco-warrior you might expectof someone who quits plas-tic. But with a willingnessto make what I couldn’tfind available commer-cially, I gathered almosteverything we needed.After all, until about sixtyyears ago, our ancestorsdid just fine without it. Ibegan to discover the unex-pected abundance of goingwithout. To stop buying plastic

cold-turkey would havebeen stressful. Instead, we

prepared by weaning our-selves slowly over a three-month period. Despite theinevitable challenges, I wasdelighted to find that wellbefore our official startdate, I’d managed almosteffortlessly to cut our plas-tic waste significantly. Themost important step wasdeveloping the awarenessthat I wanted to find a newway to live, and a convic-tion that the old way wasno longer acceptable. Thedisposable way of life I’dthought an indisputablefact of modern living hadproved to be a ruse—one Iwas more than happy todispose of. Here are some ways I’ve

found to cut back on plastic:

Befriend the bulkaisle.I’d always bought rice

and beans from the bulksection, but when I forcedmyself to concentrate mylist on that little section ofthe store, I discovered itsalmost limitless bounty.Why did the rest of thestore exist if I could geteverything from noodles tobaking soda to earl grey teato shampoo without a sin-

gle scrap of personalwaste? I lay awake severalnights trying to figure outhow to get the bulk itemshome without plastic bagsbefore thinking of draw-string cloth bags. Somehealth food stores sellthem, but in little time andfor less than $10 (and withno notable sewing skills), Imade a couple dozen bagsin sizes ranging from enor-mous-bunch-of-kale topoppyseed. Reuse yourplastic bottles and jars forliquid items.

Look for alternativepackaging.After becoming en-

chanted with the bulk aisle,it occurred to me thatmany of the things Ineeded—milk, ketchup,juice and even yogurt—were also available in glassjars. While we could argueabout the pros and cons ofglass or paper vs. plasticpackaging, ditching petro-chemically derived plasticis still an important firststep. Slowly though, tripsto the grocery store becamean adventure in zero wasteshopping.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

A PLASTIC-FREE PRIMERBY A. KYCE BELLO

“Once our personal connection to what is wrong becomes clear, then we haveto choose: we can go on as before, recognizing our dishonesty and living withit the best we can, or we can begin the effort to change the way we live andthink.” – Wendell Berry

© A

. Kyc

e Bello

(l - r) Autumn Billie and Yesenia Diaz sew cloth bags as partof Youth Allies’ Seam Rippers project.


SOLUTIONS RISING

HOW TO:Make Your Own Bulk and VeggieBagsFor 8 washable bags, purchaseor recycle 2 yards of lightweightcotton.

• Fold the yardage lengthwise inhalf and tear down the fold.

• Repeat. This should give you 4long, even strips, roughly 11in. wide.

• Fold and rip or cut in halfeach strip across the width.

• Fold each rectangle in halfand press. Each should be 18in. long.

• Sew both edges along thelength, creating a sack. Pressthe seams flat.

• With the bag inside out, foldout 1/2 in. of the top edgeonto itself twice. Press flat.

• Reserving a 1/2 in. openingwhere the fold meets the verti-cal seam on one side, sew thetop border 1/16 in. along thebase of the fold, creating adrawstring tunnel. Be sure totie off the threads on eitherend, or backstitch 1/8 in. tolock the stitching.

• Attach a medium safety pin tothe end of a 30-in. ribbon orcord. Feed it through the tun-nel of the upper edge. Removethe pin, turn your bag outsideright, and draw it closed.Voilà!

For bulk grains, legumes, coffee,flour and sugar, the bag’s open-ing will need to be secured witha twist-tie or rubber band.

—SSFRG staff

Select choice pro-duce—in season. I no longer buy the pre-

bagged five-pound sacks ofpotatoes, apples or onions,and skip the styrofoamtubs of mushrooms.Berries—frozen or in plas-tic clamshells—have beencrossed off our shoppinglist, and we count the daysuntil they come into seasonlocally. And the cottonbags double for storage, re-quiring only a misting ofwater to keep leafy vegeta-bles fresh.

Make it from scratch. Despite the lofty envi-

ronmental reasons to re-

duce plastic waste, my realmotivation was much morepersonal. I wanted to learnto live like my great-grand-mother had—to leavemodernity behind anddelve into these “lostkitchen arts.” Unwilling tobuy the plastic packagedfoods we previously reliedupon, I embarked on learn-ing to make more fromscratch: bread, crackers,pasta, tortillas, cheeses,sour cream and yogurt. Ithas been a personal revolu-tion to turn my home into aplace of production ratherthan pure consumption.

Just Say No. The Plastic Pollution

Coalition has a pledge folkscan take to reduce theirplastic waste. The first stepis refuse. I’ve found thatthere are almost always al-ternatives, if only we seekthem out. You can find toi-let paper wrapped in paper,sponges made from naturalcellulose (or old washcloths), corn chips in apaper bag from the burritostand, and bring homecheese and lunchmeatsfrom the grocery deli inyour reusable containers.Try a plastic-free day orweek, and see how the les-sons learned translate into

lasting changes. In themeantime, don’t be afraidto Just Say No. And seehow “no” becomes a greatbig “yes” to a life unpack-aged and reoriented to asustainable rhythm. ...................................................

A. Kyce Bellolives in SantaFe with herhusband anddaughter. Herblog, Old

Recipe for a New World, is in turn a practical, philosophical, poetic and personal log of her family’sjourney to living with lesswaste and more joy. http://oldrecipe.wordpress.com


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

It has been a personal revolution to turn my home intoa place of production rather than pure consumption.

© A

. Kyc

e Bello


SOLUTIONS RISING


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

The Carbon Bomb: ALook Back in HistoryOne of these big events

occurred 50 million yearsago and is called the Pale-ocene-Eocene ThermalMaximum or PETM.1 Dur-ing this period, there was adramatic increase in car-bon. The trigger for this isspeculated to have startedwith the collision betweenthe Indian continent andAsia. This caused a slow re-lease of carbon that accu-mulated and reached atipping point, generatingan explosive release of car-bon from Earth’s reser-

voirs—about 3,000 billionmetric tons (gigatons). Thiscarbon bomb was a resultof decayed organic matterstored in the ocean floorand frozen tundra. Duringthe PETM period, therewas no polar ice, so sealevel was 75 meters abovetoday’s level with averageglobal temperatures soar-ing 10˚f higher. This globalwarming jolt took about100,000 years to reabsorbback into the carbon reser-voirs. Just to put this intoperspective, the magnitudeof this carbon release wasalmost four times more

than is present in our at-mosphere today. Or it isequal to all of the carbon inoil, gas and coal if wechoose to burn it. Todaythere is an estimated 5,000gigatons of carbon storeddue to a long period of sta-ble climate conditions. Thisevent warns us that carbondioxide is the leading causeof significant climatechange. If our planetreaches the tipping pointand another carbon bombis released, we could facerunaway global warmingconditions.

The Human FactorHuman history, which

spans only 200,000 years, iseven more remarkable. Asa species, our populationhas swelled and our activ-ity dumps over 8 gigatonsof carbon dioxide into ouratmosphere every year.This represents about onepercent of the total 800 gi-gatons contained in our at-mosphere. Over the past100 years alone since webegan burning fossil fuels,we have generated over300 gigatons. [Figure 22]About half of this carbonhas been absorbed into theocean and land biosphere,but as these carbon sinksbecome saturated, this rateof absorption is decreasing.The other half accumulatesin our atmosphere for cen-turies. If we pursue the cur-rent course and burn everylast drop of oil, coal andgas, we will create the car-bon equivalent of thePETM event, that in turncould trigger the carbonbomb releasing the 5,000gigatons of stored carbon.All of this could happenwithin a hundred years,which is more than 10,000times faster than the

DANCING WITH THE CARBON BOMBBY RANDY SADEWIC

I was sitting in the middle of the White Sands National Monument and there was anunmistakable silence—a peaceful one. This natural wonderland took 250 million years toform over Earth’s five billion-year history. This is just one of many works of naturalbeauty we can enjoy. Then there are the unseen stories of our planet’s incredible historyburied in ice or at the bottom of the ocean that are equally impressive. These events revealimportant lessons and warnings about our climate. Mass extinctions of living systems,melting of ice caps and release of large amounts of carbon into our atmosphere have beenthe unpleasant outcomes.

© H

iros

hi T

akat

suki

Evolution of Man


SOLUTIONS RISING

PETM event. [Evolutionof Man Cartoon]

What the ExpertsHave LearnedBy studying the Earth’s

history, modeling the cli-mate, and observing cli-mate changes, scientistshave now found compellingevidence that the current

warming is caused by hu-mans.2 Recently, Dr. JamesHansen, the former direc-tor of NASA Goddard In-stitute for Space,established that the carbondioxide level goal should beno higher than 350 partsper million (ppm) which isbelow the current level of387 ppm.3 [Figure 23] He

insists this is the safe pointat which we can avoid thepotential triggers for glacialmeltdown and warmingoceans that leads to an ex-plosive release of carbon.He identifies several impor-tant points in addition tothe PETM research: theArctic sea ice has meltedfaster than models pre-

dicted, indicating a veryclose correlation betweenice melt and global temper-atures; mountain glaciersare disappearing, eventu-ally leading to rivers run-ning dry in the summerand devastating vast agri-cultural regions that de-pend on year-round water;a fast shift of warmingfrom the subtropical re-gions poleward bound thatis too fast for species to mi-grate; and ocean acidifica-tion and warming that arekilling our coral reefs,which hold a substantialportion of the marinespecies.

What Are the Solutions?Shift the entrenched tax

incentives away from fossilfuels to renewables; transi-tion taxes on income tothose activities that are en-vironmentally destructive;and target an 80% carbonreduction by 2020.4 Twopolicy options being consid-ered specific to climatechange are Cap-and-Tradeand a Carbon Tax. Cap-and-Trade would requiregovernments to set a limit,The advantage of this ap-proach would be to mini-mize the costs of meetingan emissions target, sinceeach company decides howto comply at the lowest pos-sible cost. The disadvan-tage is that prices fluctuatedue to uncertainty in sup-ply and demand, resultingin a disincentive for busi-nesses to make long-terminvestments. The Carbon Tax sets a

price for carbon. The disad-vantage is that carbon emis-sions might not be reducedto the desired levels if the


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

FIGURE 22

FIGURE 23


SOLUTIONS RISING


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

price is not high enough.As an example, a price of$10 per ton of carbon diox-ide in the US using 2007emissions would be worth$73 billion. For the con-sumer at that carbon taxprice, it would mean about8.4 cents higher gasolineprices. What is done withthis money is another matter.Possible options would be torefund the money to taxpay-ers or use it to fund energyresearch and development.Dr. Hansen proposes impos-ing a rising carbon tax be-cause countries and specialinterests haven’t been ableto agree on emission targets.Each country has reached adifferent level of economicdevelopment and fossil fuelefficiencies, making a univer-sal carbon cap difficult to ne-gotiate. Dr. Hansen andLester Brown direct carbonreduction efforts squarelyby recommending we stopall new coal-fired powerplant construction and closeall of them by 2030.

What Should We Do?Support immediate ac-

tion toward climate poli-cies at the national, stateand local level and take in-dividual action to reduceour carbon footprint. Theaverage New Mexicanhousehold generates overeight tons of carbon diox-ide a year just for home en-ergy. Simple, inexpensivemeasures go a long way,such as reducing home en-

ergy use through energy ef-ficiency measures like high-efficiency fluorescent bulbsor power strips to cut offphantom loads. Buyinggreen tags—also known asRenewable Energy Certifi-cates—is another way tooffset your carbon. Moreexpensive measures in-clude replacing appliancesand investing in clean re-newable energy. As webegin to realize we aredancing with the carbonbomb and we race downthe path to policies and ac-tions, let’s focus on the ulti-mate goal for the humanrace—making a completetransition from fossil fuelenergy use to energy con-servation and renewable re-sources.Organizations active in

climate change work inNew Mexico include theNM Environmental De-partment EnvironmentalImprovement Board(EIB), New Energy Econ-omy and 1 Sky. ......................................................

Randy Sadewic

is a Co-owner of

Positive Energy,

a solar electric

integrator, and a

Board member of

New Mexico Solar Energy Associa-

tion. He and his wife Nao have

tracked and offset their household

carbon footprint since 2000.

1ZACHOS, JAMES, MARK PAGANI, LISA SLOAN, ELLEN THOMAS, AND KATHARINA

BILLUPS, “TRENDS, RHYTHMS, AND ABERRATIONS IN GLOBAL CLIMATE 65 MA TO

PRESENT”,SCIENCE 292 (APRIL 27, 2001): 686-932 CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE AND POLICY, EDITED BY STEPHEN H. SCHNEIDER,ARMIN ROSENCRANZ, MICHAEL D. MASTRANDREA, AND KRISTIN KUNTZ-DURISETI3 STORMS OF MY GRANDCHILDREN, THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COMING CLIMATE CA-TASTROPHE AND OUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE HUMANITY, JAMES HANSEN4 PLAN B 4.0 MOBILIZATION TO SAVE CIVILIZATION, LESTER BROWN.


SOLUTIONS RISING

If we had more control ofour energy supply, how-ever, we could truly be-come a leader insustainable community de-velopment. A publiclyowned energy utility thatprioritizes conservation ofclean and efficient energycould address our most sig-nificant source of carbonemissions. We would beable to cultivate and maxi-

mize our renewable energypotential. In addition, oneof the most substantial,quantifiable, and immedi-ate benefits of a nonprofitand publicly owned energyutility would be the eco-nomic stimulus that wouldresult from locally spentand circulated dollars.Such a utility could be ac-countable to both our citi-zens and our environment.

Research indicates thatthe effects of climatechange in New Mexicohave already taken hold.Projected climate changeimpacts include: averageair temperature increasesof 6-12°F; intense stormevents and flashfloods; snow falling moreoften as rain; riparianecosystems experiencingdecline, with a reduction in

species diversity; andforests likely to experiencemore catastrophic wild-fires. Climate change im-pacts communities of colorand low-income communi-ties disproportionately.When natural resourcesare disrupted, access toclean water, air, food andhealth care is diminished,raising issues of environ-mental justice. Traditional


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

THE POWER TO CHANGE: BENEFITS OF ESTABLISHING AMUNICIPAL ENERGY UTILITYBY SERGIO GONZALES AND JORGE MARTINEZ

The City of Santa Fe is a budding culture of sustainability and renewable energy. Withprogressive green building codes and a successful farmers market, it is clear that we areestablishing a cleaner and healthier economy and environment.

By the time we receive energyfrom power plants, over 65%

of the energy stored in thefuel has been lost.

© M

arcin

Wicha

ry


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

subsistence systems (farm-ing, grazing, hunting) arelikely to be severely im-pacted by climate changeand local extinctions ofplants and animals integralto the cultural and spirituallife of Native American andtraditional communities.1

Currently, coal-firedpower plants produce themajority of our energy.Coal releases more carbonper unit of energy than anyother source. Once we arein control of our energy in-frastructure, we can transi-tion from dependence onfossil fuels and create anew energy paradigm.New Mexico is an oppor-tune place for renewableenergy projects. Our stateis ranked second in the na-tion for solar energy poten-tial, and twelfth in windenergy.2 Unfortunately,however, we have not capi-talized on these renewablesources under the currentsystem run by privatelyowned utilities. Further, byinvesting in renewable en-ergy and decentralizing ourpower system, we couldimprove efficiency in ourhomes and businesses andreduce the price we pay,our consumption, and thecost to our environment.Presently, our nation’s

electric infrastructure iscomposed mostly of cen-tralized power systems thatproduce energy at distantpower plants that are thendistributed through highvoltage transmission lines.This system is highly ineffi-cient and is in dire need ofchange. By the time we re-

ceive energy from powerplants, over 65% of the en-ergy stored in the fuel hasbeen lost.3 By transitioningto a decentralized powersystem, people could pro-duce energy on theirrooftops or at nearby en-ergy parks, requiringshorter distances for trans-mission. Toxic greenhouseemissions would be re-duced, land would besaved, energy would beconserved, and the nega-tive health impacts wouldbe averted. A public utility owned

and operated under a non-profit structure wouldserve only Santa FeCounty and would be di-rectly accountable to us—not to out of stateshareholders. ProfessorJohn Kwoka Jr., author ofPower Structure: Ownership,Integration and Competition inthe U.S. Electric Utility Indus-try, explains the benefits oflocal utilities.

Distribution may be per-formed better by enter-prises rooted to thecustomer community….Such proximity may yieldgreater knowledge of localcustomer needs and agreater sense of responsi-bility for addressing thoseneeds.

The people in charge ofoperating our utility wouldbe members of our commu-nity and would be morelikely to act in our best in-terest. Other public utilitiesoften have boards, trusts,or other advisory groups

comprised of citizens to in-sure that the utility acts inthe community’s best inter-est. If Santa Fe had its ownpublic utility, the boardand elected officials wouldalso be responsible forusing our utility as an en-gine of economic develop-ment.In 2009, Santa Fe ac-

counted for approximately$12.4 million of PNM’srevenue.4 About 80% ofthat $12.4 million($9.92million) immediatelyleaves our communitysending money to distantshareholders. If that moneywere to stay in our commu-nity and our city govern-ment, it would easilycompensate for the $5 mil-lion budget deficit in thepublic school system in2009 or address some otherstruggling public service.The publicly owned utilityin San Antonio, for exam-ple, provides as much as25% of the city’s annualoperating budget. Santa Fecould create countless newgreen jobs within the city,and also stimulate produc-tion of other jobs withinthe local private sector ofsustainable energy throughlocal contracting, purchas-ing, and distribution of re-newable energy products.With such environmental

disasters as the BP oil spilland the threat of climatechange, it is clear that wemust make the transition toclean, renewable energy.We have the potential tochange the status quo. Theestablishment of a publiclyowned energy utility in

Santa Fe would createjobs, ensure a healthier en-vironment, and strengthenour local economy.

......................................................Sergio Gonzales

is a freshman in

the BA/MD Pro-

gram at UNM

and looks forward

to becoming a

doctor, writer and advocate for future

generations.

Jorge Martinez is

a senior at Santa

Fe Preparatory

and hopes to pur-

sue history and

the performing

arts.

1HTTP://WWW.NMENV.STATE.NM.US/AQB/CC/POTENTIAL_EFFECTS_CLIMATE_CHANGE_NM.PDF2HTTP://WWW.NMSITESEARCH.COM/EE/EE_1_7_1.HTM3HTTP://WWW.CENTERWEST.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/PDF/ENERGY.PDF4HTTP://FILES.SHAREHOLDER.COM/DOWNLOADS/PNM/970605422X0X363800/5BE7107C-2E06-4088-BD30-D7580E6F5A63/2009_ANNUAL_REPORT.PDF

SustainableSanta Fe is distributedby bicycleand biketrailers 80%of the time,and by car20% of thetime. Creative

Couriers LLCis striving todeliver thisguide 100% carbon-freeby late 2011.


SOLUTIONS RISING

There are two distinctpaths toward achieving en-ergy efficiency in the home.One is associated with thebuilding’s construction ormaking energy-savinghome improvements, andthe other is addressing the

household members’ en-ergy use. Since manyhouseholds lack the fi-nances to invest in remod-eling or retrofitting theirexisting homes, changingour behavior is the most at-tainable, no-cost step to-

wards energy efficiency. Everyone understands

the importance of develop-ing alternative energy likesolar, wind and geothermal,but the decisions we makeconcerning our personalenergy consumption are ar-guably more critical to re-ducing our dependence onfossils fuels. Behavioralpsychologists have shownthat by influencing howpeople interact with tech-nology, we can reduce ourenergy consumption na-tionally by 20 percent in 20weeks. What is missing is aconcerted effort to providethe necessary educationand literacy that not onlyanswers the question ofwhy we should set goals toreduce our energy con-sumption, but how. In 2010, the PNM Fund

awarded nearly $250,000in grants to nonprofits likeThe Housing Trust to re-duce their organization’senergy use, enabling themto invest more money intomission-based programs.The Housing Trust haschosen to parlay its energysavings into a new SavingEnergy First! Program.This free energy literacyclass gives individuals theessential tools to become

energy efficient at home.The class presents easy,cost effective solutions toachieve household energyefficiency, such as how toanalyze utility bill usagefigures; upgrade old appli-ances; service home sys-tems to keep them runningefficiently; and deal withphantom loads. In the case of phantom

loads, when a person un-derstands that an appliancethat is switched off but stillplugged in continues toconsume energy, he or shecan make an informed deci-sion to conserve that en-ergy. These phantom loadsare relatively small, but be-cause of the sheer numberof appliances we keep con-tinuously plugged in, theirenergy usage can equalnearly 10% of our total res-idential consumption. De-vices and appliances likecell phone chargers, VCRs,DVD players, TVs, mi-crowave ovens, and com-puters all have phantomloads.If you are interested to

know how much electricityyour appliances are usingat any given time, youcould invest in an appli-ance watt meter for around$25. Or you can use online

WITH SIMPLE ENERGY LITERACY, EVERYONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCEBY SPENCER HAYNSWORTH

In determining the affordability of a home, the focus is often on the monthly mortgage orlease payments. But the expense of monthly utility bills is a critical factor to long-term hous-ing affordability. Because some households spend over 15% of their income on energy to heat,cool, illuminate and power their homes, it is important to find ways to free up finances thatcan help pay for food, clothing, and other essentials.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

The

Plu

ghea

ds by

Bob

be B

esold


SOLUTIONS RISING

resources that providecharts with average phan-tom loads for appliances.And with some basic math,you can determine howmuch your phantom loadsare costing you. Remem-ber: 1 kilowatt equals1,000 watts and the aver-age household is chargedaround $0.09 per kilowatt-hour by PNM. For exam-ple, a computer uses 7.5watts when it is turned off,which is 0.0075 kilowattsor $0.000675 per kilowatt-hour. In a year, that com-puter uses $5.91 just bybeing plugged in. If youhave 25 of these energyleaks in your home, youare unnecessarily spending$147.75 a year! The best way to eliminate

these phantom loads is toconnect devices to powerstrips that can be turned offat one switch. Centralize allyour chargers into a charg-ing station on one powerstrip. When you recharge acell phone, flip the poweron and then flip it off whenyou’re done. Plug all sel-dom used office appliances,like fax, printer, scanner,etc., into a common powerstrip and only turn it onwhen needed. Create apower strip for your en-tertainment centerthat you turn offwhen not inuse. (Note:TIVOwill

not record and the TV re-mote won’t work if they areunplugged). Always turnoff the power strip whenyou go on vacation.Yearly, our nation

wastes about 43 billionkilowatt-hours of energyon phantom loads. That isroughly $3.33 billion wecould keep in our ownpocket books, while savingthe atmosphere over 25million tons of CO2 emis-sions. With such minorchanges to every house-hold and business’s energyconsumption, and by at-tending the HousingTrust’s Saving EnergyFirst! class, you can makea difference—both by sav-ing money and mitigatingclimate change.......................................................

Spencer

Haynsworth is

the Development

Program Man-

ager at The

Housing Trust, a

nonprofit affordable housing organi-

zation, in Santa Fe, NM. She man-

ages the design and construction of

a range of projects and programs

with a commitment to sustainability

in low to moderate income commu-

nities.

© B

rian

River

a

Implementation of thecode has not occurredwithout some controversy.The 34-page checklistseemed daunting and somebuilders didn’t realize thatthere were minimum pointrequirements in each cate-gory. They also found itdifficult to go beyond codeminimum requirements forinsulation to achieve theHERS Index rating, ascoring system establishedby the Residential EnergyServices Network. (Thus, ahome with a HERS Indexof 70 is 30% more energyefficient than a home builtto minimum building coderequirements). The feed-back from the buildingcommunity has helped us

to streamline the codewhile maintaining the sameor greater CO2 emission re-ductions going forward. In addition to the current

single-family residentialcode, codes are being writ-ten for remodels and addi-tions to residentialbuildings, commercialbuildings and historicbuildings. This family ofcodes will ultimately ad-dress all buildings in theCity of Santa Fe. Thanksto our experience adminis-tering the residential code,the new codes will be coor-dinated so that movingfrom one building type toanother should be fairlyseamless.Santa Fe has long been

known for its historical ar-chitectural style, which in-cludes time-tested greenbuilding methods. Adobe,for example, is an efficient,nontoxic, natural materialthat is readily available anddoes not require the de-struction of an ecosystemfor its production. Also,straw-bale, rammed earthand other ecological con-struction methods havebeen popularized in ourarea. As a result, some ofthe most respected expertsin a range of aspects ofgreen building live andwork in Santa Fe, andmany have been very gen-erous with lending their ex-pertise to thesecode-writing efforts.

One lesson we’ve learnedis that the first priorityshould be to consider thebuilding envelope—the en-ergy performance andstructural integrity of abuilding. If the building it-self is well built with goodinsulation, quality windowsand mass used strategically,the energy savings will lastthe lifetime of the building.Next is the selection of en-ergy-efficient equipment,including lighting, heatingand cooling, water heater,water fixtures and appli-ances. Finally, adding en-ergy generation—solarcollectors (either to heatwater for domestic use orradiant heat, to heat air, orto generate electricity),wind turbines, or ground-source heat pumps that arepaired with clean electric-ity generation—will greatlyreduce greenhouse gasemissions.In Santa Fe, the green-

house gas emissions fromelectricity are about threetimes that of either naturalgas or propane for thesame unit of energy. This isbecause most of the elec-

SANTA FE’S GREEN BUILDINGCODE: STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGETO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONSBY KATHERINE MORTIMER

According to Santa Fe’s Architecture 2030 group, buildings are the major source of globaldemand for energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gases. To address thisproblem, the City of Santa Fe began implementing its residential green building code, whichrequires a minimum energy savings of 30% over a standard code built home. As of February24, 2010, 112 homes have been permitted under the new code, resulting in a cost savings onenergy bills and an avoidance of about 420 tons of CO2 emissions, the same as taking 150cars permanently off the road.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

© F

aren

Dan

cer

left: Roof Mounted Photovoltaic Arrays


SOLUTIONS RISING


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

tricity supplied to our gridcomes from burning coal.So unless you are generat-ing electricity throughsolar or wind, choosingnatural gas or propaneover standard electricitywill reduce emissions, eventhough at current prices itmay cost more eachmonth. The relative costswill fluctuate over time asthe cost of electricity, natu-ral gas and propanechange. But saving oncosts to our environmentfor future generations willbe the ultimate pay-off inthe long run.

......................................................Katherine

Mortimer has a

Master’s in

Environmental

Planning and

over 25 years of

experience. She currently leads the

sustainability efforts for the City of

Santa Fe, including development of

the green building program.

© F

aren

Dan

cer

© F

aren

Dan

cer

above: Appropriate overhangs shade south facing windows from the summer sun

above: Canale Rain Chains direct roof water into underground cisterns


The Residential Green Building code,passed in 2009, applies to all newsingle-family residential construc-tion, including affordable housing. Ithas saved immediate out-of-pocketexpenses.

Homewise has provided $750,000in low-cost loans to income-qualifiedpersons to increase weatherizationand other key factors.


SOLUTIONS RISING

In order to make the bestinvestment, we did ourhomework on solar manu-facturers and local in-stallers, evaluated variousoptions, and crunched thenumbers. Now, I’m eager toshare the things I’velearned about photovoltaicsolar systems and the com-panies that install them.

Lesson One - Maximize Energy Efficiency FirstSave money by doing anenergy audit on your homebefore sizing your solar sys-tem. An audit will tell youwhere you can realize en-ergy conservation and re-duce the amount of energyyou need from a system.Taking measures to reduceyour energy consumptionincludes replacing incan-descent light bulbs withmore efficient CFLs orLEDs, reducing your phan-tom electrical load from en-

tertainment centers andcomputers by using powerstrips, or replacing an oldinefficient refrigerator witha new Energy Star model.The installer can then de-sign a smaller system thatwill accomplish your goal ata much lower cost. Forevery $1 spent on energyefficiency, you can save be-tween $3 and $20 on theupfront cost of your solarsystem!

Lesson Two - Get aSystem Tailored toYour NeedsSelect an installer who willpay attention to your truegoals. You don’t want acookie-cutter solution. Thebetter installers will askwhat you want to achievewith your solar system andhelp you to meet thosegoals in the most cost-effi-cient way. For example, ifyou have a large lot or someacreage, a good installer

will let you know aboutground-mounted optionssuch as: fixed array, dualaxis tracker, or a pole-mounted, static array. Makesure the installer does a sitevisit before you sign any-thing. You don’t want to behit with any surprisechange orders.

Lesson Three - Experi-ence and ProfessionalCredentials CountLet’s face it: Now that taxcredits and renewable en-ergy certificates have madesolar energy an affordablesolution for homeowners,many new solar installershave appeared on the scene.As the number of installersgrows, it is more importantthan ever to be an informedconsumer. Ask how longand how many solar sys-tems the installer has de-signed and installed. Askfor references and checkthem out. You want a qual-ity job by someone who hasthe experience and expert-ise to make your system ef-ficient, reliable, safe andaesthetically pleasing. The North American

Board of Certified EnergyPractitioners (NABCEP)offers certification that re-quires passing difficult

written tests and lead fieldexperience. While there arecompetent installers outthere who are not certified,there is a lot to be said forthe installer who takes theextra time to become certi-fied and demonstrates pro-fessional competence. Findout how many licensedjourneymen electricianswork for the company, andverify that the people work-ing on your system are em-ployees and notsubcontractors.

Lesson Four - OutputDetermines PaybackShopping by price alone canbe a big mistake. A solarsystem rated at the samekW (kilowatt) size can pro-duce significantly differentoutput over the course of ayear. Solar modules comewith an STC (StandardTesting Conditions) rating.STC is a standard way tomeasure the output of asolar panel under a standardtesting environment, such asa constant temperature of77 degrees. How often is it asteady 77 degrees in SantaFe? If you don’t like theweather here, wait five min-utes. The output over timedepends on how the solarpanels are engineered, man-


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

GOING SOLAR BY TAYLOR SELBY AND RENEE FRANK

My family is on a long-term quest to manifest sustainability values through our lifestyle andthe functioning of our home. One exciting development over the past year has been our invest-ment in solar energy. After four years of making our landscape edible and implementingenergy efficiency, we “bit the bullet” and installed a photovoltaic, grid-tied solar system. TheSelby Solar Power Plant became operational in September 2009 and just one year later, wedecided to double our system. Since the initial installation, we have been getting checks fromPNM every month like clockwork. Our son has a solar powered trust fund. With our systemexpansion, we are now “banking” energy with PNM to use, once we purchase an electric vehicle.

ufactured, designed and in-stalled. Try to look beyondthe sticker price. The cheap-est up-front investment willlikely not be the best returnon investment. If you wantto get the biggest solar bangfor your buck, look at howthe system will performover time or kW-h (kilowatthour) per year—not theSTC rating. Ask how yourinstaller came up with theannual kW-h projection,and if he or she can back upthe claim.

Lesson Five - DesignMattersA properly designed solarsystem can generate signifi-cantly more power than onedesigned by a novice. Oneof the main things to lookout for is shading. Shadefrom a tree, parapet, moun-tain range or TV antennaon just one module can shutdown the output from asmany as 11 modules. Theangle (tilt) and direction(azimuth) will impact youroutput. Additionally, the in-verter is a key componentof every grid-tied solar sys-tem. Complex mathematicalcalculations determinewhich inverter should beused with which modules,and how many modules itcan support. The wrong in-verter can lead to signifi-cant output loss or couldeven shut your systemdown at various times ofthe year. Make sure yourinstaller explains his/her de-sign considerations.

Lesson Six - Ask a Lotof QuestionsInstalling a photovoltaicsystem is a big investment.Moreover, it is a major ad-dition to your home andlifestyle. You’ll want to

learn as much as possibleabout the installers as wellas the systems and compo-nents they use. Ask aboutquality and efficiency rat-ings, reliability and war-ranties offered, and howlong the equipment manu-facturers have been in theindustry. Some productsare from start-up compa-nies that have only beenaround for a couple ofyears. It would be impor-tant to know if a productwith a 25-year manufac-turer’s warranty was madeby a manufacturer who hasonly been around a fewyears! Who’s to say theywill still be in business ifyour component needs to

be replaced? In the end,after having your questionsanswered, trust your gutfeeling to find an installerwho is the best fit for you. With the world-wide

repercussions of climatechange reverberatingthrough our daily lives,there has never been a bet-ter time or place to take thetechnology plunge andmake the decision to gosolar! With a 40 percent taxcredit for the total cost ofthe system, no gross re-ceipts tax on solar productsor installation, free energyfrom your system (with Netmetering), and RenewableEnergy Certificates paid byPNM for all the energy

produced by your solar sys-tem for 12 years, the returnon investment for solar sys-tems has never been better.And, it is the right thing todo for our planet.......................................................

Taylor Selby

works as an Ac-

count Executive

and Partial

Owner of Positive Energy Solar and

is Board Member/Co-Founder of

Earth Care.

[email protected]

Renee Frank works as a New Mexico

Realtor in Las Cruces with certifica-

tions in energy efficient and environ-

mentally responsible features of real

estate. [email protected]


SOLUTIONS RISING

With the possible excep-tion of edible gardening,there’s no more positive ex-ample of sustainability thanbicycling. I’m noOlympian, but I am 20pounds lighter than I waswhen I started bike com-muting five years ago. Ibike everywhere: to mylandscaping projects, kids’schools, errands, and to

many social and culturalevents. Thanks to the coolbike straps on the RailRunner, several times I’vecycled to Albuquerque fora morning meeting or anafternoon consultation.Although many of my

clients love it when I showup on a bike, I don’t knowthat I’ve made money as acyclist. But over the years

I’ve surely savedlots of cash in termsof gas, car maintenance,speeding tickets, and park-ing fees. Biking almostevery day also gave me fivewonderful years not payingfor a gym membership.I’ll refrain from claiming

to have found religion, butmy spirit has certainly beenelevated ever since getting

into purposeful (as op-posed to recreational) cy-cling. Like a morning rainin the desert, there is a sur-


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

FOR THE LOVE OF BIKINGBY NATE DOWNEY

Modern culture’s much-needed paradigm shift will come when enoughpeople recognize sustainability’s overflowing smorgasbord of incentives.Greener lifestyles must be fun, and they should make or save youmoney. If our sustainable choices don’t turn us into gold-medal ath-letes, they should at least make us happy, healthy and strong.

© R

olan

d Ta

ngla

o


SOLUTIONS RISING

prising inspirational energy that youget from two-wheel travel. Sometimesit comes from within, and other timesit’s generated by the smiles, waves,thumbs up, and hefty measure of re-spect that large numbers of drivershave for cyclists. Merely coasting downhill can instill

an uplifting power in the soul, but anin-your-face wind in the middle of along, steep incline can do even morefor the human spirit. Here, life be-comes more meaningful as you realizeyou can conquer the impossible. Dur-ing those magical “I did it!” moments,you feel free from your addiction tooil, and that’s a pretty heavenly feel-ing these days.

Whatever your motivation,here are three important cy-cling tips:

Be visible. Wear bright colors, em-ploy hand signals, and always uselights at night.

Take to the streets. I spend about98% of my bike time on streets ascompared with sidewalks. On thestreet, a bike is visible; on the side-walk it’s not. Fences, walls, shrubs,trees, parked cars and signage allmake sidewalk biking more danger-ous than street biking. Choose quietresidential streets when possible andtake up an entire lane when you can’tgive cars at least five feet with whichto safely (and legally) pass you. Avoid

super-busy streets when sharrows(share-the-road arrows), bike lanes orsmooth shoulders are lacking.

Know where you stand. At some in-tersections, in order to get a red lightto turn green, your bike has to be inthe right place. If there happens to bean icon of a bicycle painted at an in-tersection, standing at that spot willusually make the light change. If, at ared light, you see a pair of large rec-tangular pads embedded in the as-phalt, put your weight and your fronttire on the forward-most portion ofthe rectangles (right on the “X”where they intersect). This shouldalso trigger a green light, so that youcan easily go on your way.At the potluck of life, there are

choices. For those who understand it,biking toward sustainability is not achoice anymore. It’s a knee-jerk reac-tion to the natural desire for a betterworld. It’s almost as if planet Earthneeds us to enjoy life to the fullest. For-tunately, doing this is tons of fun! ..............................................................................

Nate Downey is president of

Santa Fe Permaculture, Inc.

(www.sfpermaculture.com), an

ecological landscape-consulta-

tion, -design, and -installation

firm he started in 1992. He is the

author of the newly released Harvest the Rain, avail-

able at www.harvesttherain.com and from local book-

sellers.

© J

enni

fer Esp

eran

za

At the potluck of life, there are choices.

A Swedish presentationat the EU pavilion toutedboth Stockholm, named theEuropean Commission’s2010 Green Capital due toits Climate Positive Devel-opment Program, andMalmo, just across the spitfrom Copenhagen, whichhas been transformed froma graying industrial city toa green oasis. Half of allsolar power generated inSweden and 40% bike-to-work or school is inMalmo. Its 110-megawattoffshore wind farm powers60,000 homes. Biogas madefrom food waste powers

many of the city’s buses.No wonder Malmo can seeclearly all the way to car-bon neutrality by 2025.Rio de Janeiro made a

hefty pledge to reduceemissions, based on aBright Green Initiative ithas begun in collaborationwith IBM. Since 70% ofthe world’s people will livein cities by 2050 and 67%of all carbon demand is citydriven, low carbon modelsare huge. South Africa ispartnering with Brazil,their largest trade partnerin South America, to opti-mize shipping routes, and

is redirecting roundaboutInternet service that previ-ously went through Lon-don.A presentation on build-

ing energy efficiencypraised the Vauban homesin Freiburg, Germany thatare in effect power plantsdisguised as living quarters,producing more energythan used by the residents.Frankfurt is setting a 90%energy-use reduction goalfor the renovation of exist-ing homes. Singapore hasadvanced ways to naturallycool buildings, using stair-cases and apartment build-

ing landscaping to cool aircurrents. A session on transporta-

tion featured the Bridgingthe Gap Initiative(http://www.trans-port2012.org) to integratetransportation into the cli-mate change negotiationsand subsequent agree-ments. Michael Replogle,who co-founded with methe Institute for Trans-portation and DevelopmentPolicy (http://itdp.org/) 25years ago, offered ten prin-ciples for sustainable trans-portation:

1. Start with the pedestrian. 2.Connect suburban andurban centers with highquality transit.

3. Link bicycling to transitwith continuous net-works, and secure park-ing at intermodal centers.

4.Market incentives toswitch costs of drivingfrom fixed to variable, in-ducing less driving withless ownership.

5.Design complete streetsthat serve all users andmodes.

6.Manage motor vehiclespeeds.

7.Offer innovations suchas real-time ridesharing.

8. Provide people-orientedpublic spaces.

I had the great fortune to attend the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate ChangeConference as part of a 40-person group sent by the Sierra Club. We split up toattend from among hundreds of sessions; I chose urban related sessions and offerhere a few insights from a smattering of these sessions.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

VIEWPOINT FROM THE INSIDE:THE COPENHAGEN 2010 CLIMATECHANGE CONFERENCEBY KEN HUGHES | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KEN HUGHES

City of Santa Fe -

Convention and

Vistor Center

Full Page Ad

Page 83


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

9. Plan, regulate, financeand operate real estateand transport options.

10.Re-engineer freightmovement.

The South Korean am-bassador noted that mostemissions in large Asiancities come from vehicles,and they have doubled mo-torcycle use in the last fouryears. Mitigation in trans-portation has huge poten-tial, using policies such ascongestion pricing. Themodel of building moreroads for more cars, as

done in South Korea, isself-defeating. The French ambassador

shared that Paris does notallow offices to be builtanywhere except next to ametro stop, and no parkinggarage can be built for thatoffice building. The Costa Rican ambas-

sador stated that his na-tion’s 2021 goal of carbonneutrality hinges on trans-portation: “We’ve hit awall” in figuring out whatto do. All fuel is importedfor its road-based system,constructed on the advice

of multilateral lendingbanks. The car is a statussymbol used to deliver amessage of identity. Thegovernment seeks to in-crease public transit rider-ship from 8% to 90%. Munich, Tokyo and Vi-

enna are cities noted forboth high car ownershipand high quality transit sys-tems.Naturally, the session on

cycling in Copenhagen wasled by its mayor. The city’smission to be an eco me-tropolis means being theworld’s best bicycling city,the green/blue capital andthe climate policy center.Thirty-five percent of resi-dents see themselves usingthe fastest and most flexi-ble form of transportation,which happens to be thebike. The city spends $30per resident per year onbike infrastructure, with5,000 parking standsplaced in 2008 alone. By2015, 90% of residents will

be able to walk 15 minutesto a park, five minutes bybike, to reach public spaceswhere litter is removedevery eight hours. The2025 goal: carbon neutral,with cars running on wind-generated electricity. In short, while the US

Senate spins its wheels,communities can truly bethe bottom-up approach tolead us toward a low car-bon future—sooner ratherthan later. ......................................................

Ken Hughes is

Conservation

Chair for the Rio

Grande Chapter of

the Sierra Club.

He also chairs the

club’s national committee on building

healthy communities.


SOLUTIONS RISING


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

Idling: When your car en-gine is running but the caris not in motion

Miles per gallonwhen idling: Zero

Idling a car contributesto global warming and airpollution, which is bad forour health. It wastes gasthat could be put to betteruse, like getting from pointA to point B. By turning

off our engines, we can re-duce CO2 emissions andpollution while savingmoney.

Facts About Idling1. Ten seconds of idlinguses more fuel thanrestarting your engine.

2. Contrary to the beliefthat constantly restartinga car will damage the en-gine, there is actually

very little impact on thecar’s battery, starter,motor, etc.

3. Idling is not an effectiveway to warm up your en-gine. An idling engine isnot operating at peaktemperature, causing in-complete fuel combus-tion. This results in fuelresidue condensing onthe cylinder walls, con-taminating oil and dam-aging enginecomponents. In extremecold, the best way to heatup your engine is to wait30 seconds for the oil tocirculate, and then setthe car in motion.

4. No idling laws exist onthe books in 18 states,(Environmental Protec-tion Agency Website:2009) but we don’t needto wait for lawmakers tostart cutting down on un-necessary car idling andpollution.

Turning off the engine towait longer than it takes ata typical stoplight—whether for roadwork, apassing train, in the drive-thru, or while you drop offyour recyclables—can savewear and tear on your en-gine, our atmosphere andyour wallet.Keep public spaces free

of car exhaust so we can allbreathe a little more easily.This message is brought toyou by Earth Care’s YouthAllies who will provide afree sign for businesses orschools that are willing topost a sign at their drive-thru asking patrons to turnoff car engines while wait-ing (call 505-983-6896 orvisit www.youthalliesnet-work.org for more informa-tion). ......................................................Data from The Hinkle

Charitable Foundation

www.thehcf.org/antiidlingprimer.html

CAR IDLING GETS YOU NOWHEREBY SSFRG STAFF

Do you have an idea for the2012 Sustainable Santa Fe:

A Resource Guide? Call 983-6896.


SOLUTIONS RISING

A key strategy is to keeptrips short by identifyinglocal destinations that meetyour needs and figuringout safe and convenientways to get there. If youdecide to walk, see howpublic transportation mighthelp increase your range. If

you decide to bicycle, youmay eventually find thatmost of what you need iswithin a reasonable cyclingdistance from where youlive or work, particularly ina smaller city like Santa Fe.Whether you are a sea-

soned “gear-head” or a

novice toting kids to theplayground, bicyclingaround Santa Fe is gettingeasier. More streets thatneed bike lanes are gettingthem. The network of urbantrails is blossoming into a“critical mass” capable ofconveying cyclists to almost

any part of the city. In be-tween are a variety of low-traffic roads well known tolocal cyclists as safe, effi-cient and comfortable waysto get around. All threekinds of routes are featuredon the Santa Fe Bikewaysand Trails Map, available atbike shops, libraries andother locations, or on-linethrough the Santa Fe Met-ropolitan Planning Organi-zation (MPO)(http://santafempo.org/).Aiming to get more

Santa Feans out onto thisgrowing bikeway system,the third annual CrawfishCruise set out from SecondStreet Brewery on the Sat-urday after Bike-to-WorkDay last May, with roughly35 participating cyclists ofall ages. Traveling on bikesranging from serious roadand mountain machines totagalongs, trailers and tra-ditional single-speeds (withcoaster brakes), the grouptraced some of previousyears’ routes, but includedseveral pieces of pavedurban trails that were pre-viously unavailable.Along for the ride were

Councilor Patti Bushee,who chairs the City’s Bicy-cle and Trails AdvisoryCommittee (BTAC), andKeith Wilson, the MPOplanner responsible for

ANNUAL BIKE CRUISE SHOWCASES CITY’SNEWEST TRAILS AND CONNECTIONSBY TIM ROGERS

When you hear “sustainable transportation,” you may think of important strategies like moreefficient vehicles, renewable fuel sources, or public transportation. But the most environmentallyfriendly form of transportation is self-propelled. Walking and bicycling can help address a widevariety of society’s ailments at the personal, community and global level.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G


SOLUTIONS RISING


The following trails were completed in 2009: • Arroyo Chamiso Trail extension

at Rodeo Rd., adjacent to NavaAde neighborhood

• The Acequia Trail, which goesfrom Baca Street Railyard to St.Francis Dr.

• The Rail Trail, which goes fromRabbit Road to the Santa FeDepot near Montezuma St.

Currently in design or underconstruction:• The Museum Hill Trail will extend

the Arroyo Chamiso Trail northand east of St. Francis Dr.

• The Arroyo Chamiso Trail exten-sion underpass at St. Francis andZia Rd., which will go northalong St. Francis Dr. to St.Michael's Dr.

• A crossing at Cerrillos Rd. and St.Francis Dr. near the end of theAcequia Madre Trail. Plannersare considering an above-gradepass, on-grade pass, or a below-grade tunnel.

For more information contact Bob Siquieros at 955-6977.


SOLU

TIONS

RISIN

G

integrating bicycling andwalking into the City andCounty’s joint Metropoli-tan Transportation Plan(MTP). Getting elected of-ficials, local governmentstaff, and citizens out on bi-cycles together is a key wayto raise awareness of theopportunities and obstaclesfor local bikeway develop-ment. Next steps for theMPO include the develop-ment of a “Bikeways Mas-ter Plan” for the Santa Femetropolitan area that willpromote the use of nation-ally-accepted engineeringstandards, best practicesbased on local, national andinternational models, andproper planning and priori-tization of future invest-ments in local bikeways.From Second Street

Brewery, cyclists took theRail Trail north to a “se-cret” connector to the WestRailyard site, then fol-lowed trails and quietstreets along the old Ace-quia Madre down to theback of Ashbaugh Park.After a jaunt over to thenewest additions to theRiver Trail, and then amile’s ride upstream, thegroup was only a fewblocks from cold lemonadeat the Brewery’s new Rail-yard location. Those notdistracted by the FarmersMarket returned along theRail Trail to the originalSecond Street Brewery,where they were treated toa lunch discount.Once again, there was

interest in doing the nextcommunity cruise soonerthan next year. So, withthe support of SecondStreet Brewery and theSanta Fe MPO, the first“fall edition” of the ride

was scheduled for Nov. 6,2010. The rides will con-tinue next year too, soplease come along on theFourth Annual CrawfishCruise to be held on theSaturday after Bike-to-Work Day in May 2011.More details athttp://santafempo.org ......................................................

Tim Rogers is a

transportation

planning con-

sultant specializ-

ing in

non-motorized

modes. He has worked to improve

conditions for bicyclists and pedes-

trians in communities throughout

New Mexico and is currently under

contract with the Santa Fe Metropol-

itan Planning Organization to de-

velop a "Bikeways Master Plan" as

well as initiatives for pedestrian

safety and safe routes to school.

Ripples in Still WaterZANE FISCHER

The mainstream media may hammer us dailywith the stagnant state of our economy, but inlocal communities around the country, entrepre-neurs and innovators are more willing than ever tomake waves. If communities are lucky, as we arein Santa Fe, the city government will be engagedin (gently) rocking the boat.The City's Business and Quality of Life Committee

formed two sub-committees in 2010—one to exam-ine needs related to the current economy and an-other to plan for the development of a robust futureeconomy. Implementation strategies are still beingdeveloped for the two groups' action plans but pre-liminary reports to BQL and the City Council havedemonstrated that key focus points will include en-couraging entrepreneurship, offering resources forthe growing class of “1099 nation” (freelance)workers, and facilitating the transition of businessleaders from one generation to the next.Such broad goals can sound like vague hyper-

bole, but in this case clear plans are forming andboth private and public sector financial support isaligning. A few factors have combined to make now an

ideal time to push for experimental but holistic ap-proaches to building the economy. First, challeng-ing economic times breed innovators andentrepreneurs, much as still water attracts an influxof opportunistic plants: when times are tough, boldideas gain more traction. Secondly, governmenthas been made keenly aware of the weaknesses—and strengths—in the local economy and its con-nections to the social and cultural network of thecommunity. Finally, Santa Fe has a number of or-ganizations willing to engage government and pri-vate citizenry both on multiple fronts.To get the lay of the land and figure out how you

can be involved, check out the following websites:

• Santa Fe Economic Development santafenm.gov

• MixSantaFe.com• SFComplex.org• CreativeSantaFe.org• SFAI.org• SantaFeInnovate.org• SantaFeChamber.com• SantaFeAlliance.com• SFBI.net..............................................................................................................Zane Fischer is a multiple award-winning columnist and web editor forthe Santa Fe Reporter weekly newspaper. He currently volunteers on thejoint Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce/City of Santa Fe public/privateinitiative to create networking and entrepreneurial activities for youngprofessionals. He also sits on the City of Santa Fe’s Business and Qual-ity of Life “future economy” subcommittee.


SOLUTIONS RISING

It’s 2:00 AM and I’m lying awake thinking about fruit, in particular Amer-ican fruit, how disappointing it is and what it takes for fruit to be sublime.This is the kind of thing I ponder in the wee hours—this and global warm-ing, fire, drought, flood, the tyranny of cell phones.

Recently I made a frangipane and peach galette, a dish I enjoyed at aSlow Food brunch in Chico, California one June. The cook, Marianne,hosted the brunch in her almond orchard. It was one of those dessertsthat’s so amazingly good that you are willing to make a complete pig outof yourself in front of others. Clearly it had to have a page or two in thebook I was writing, Seasonal Fruit Desserts. Here we might not see peaches until late July or even August, or we

might not see them at all. When I asked one peach grower at the farm-ers market if he’d have fruit one year, he sighed, “Maybe two bushelsout of 600 trees.” A prolonged, cold spring and/or a late freeze can ef-fectively nix a fruit crop, though devastation is never uniform in NewMexico. I lost all my apples, quince and pears to a cold June night, butpeople just up the road didn’t. Farmers complain of loss, but still some-thing shows up at the market. When there’s no local fruit, my recourse for recipe testing becomes

the supermarket, my least favorite source for fruit. I don’t want to dis-parage the supermarket, but it is consistently disappointing. Fruit isrock hard and it has no perfume. Names are reduced to simplistic col-ors—red plums, white peaches. Shoppers drop this pretty but dead fruitinto plastic bags without bringing it to their noses first to read its prom-ise because there’s nothing to read. I wanted to make Marianne’s tart so I could include it in the book.

The peaches I bought at the supermarket looked gorgeous. Smooth, withnectarine-like skin, they bore a bright red blush, since the marketingfolks know that people reach for red. I spent a lot of time searching for


LOCAL FOOD94 Holding Quart: The First Funky

Butte Ranch Zero Carbon-Mile Dairy Product Manifests as a Microbiology Experiment in My Stomach

96 Redefining Organic 98 A Climate-Change Survival

Strategy: Growing Food Year-Round

100 Closing the Food Gap through Food Policy Councils

102 Nutritious Food: Everyone's Birthright

106 Earth Care's Locavore Guide

AMERICANFRUIT: LOOKINGFOR THE SUBLIMEBY DEBORAH MADISON

five that hadenoughpromise to

warrant theiruse. Once home,

I tasted one. It wascuriously tart, as in

unripe, fermented asin overripe, and mushy;

but I had no choice.I made the dough, made

the frangipane, assembledand finally baked my tart. Itlooked beautiful. But whenmy husband and I took abite, we both looked at eachother. “It tastes like noth-ing!” he said, speaking mythoughts exactly. Like noth-ing at all. All that work,time, butter, and it was likeeating shadows. And that’swhy I was up thinkingabout fruit at 2 AM. Marianne’s frangipane, a

fragrant paste of butter,sugar and ground nuts, wasmade from her own al-monds and the peacheswere grown down the roadfrom her orchard. Thereinlies the clue. Fruit, morethan any other food, is agood reason for shoppingat your farmers market orfarm stand, and even grow-ing your own. Good fruitjust doesn’t travel. Well,maybe some does, but themost delicate and deliciousfruits of summer— stonefruits and figs andberries—don’t. They’remeant to be eaten close towhere they grow.

I believe that a goodpiece of fruit has the powerto change our lives, but youhave to be a local eater toeven imagine such athought. Once at theHealdsburg farmers mar-ket in Sonoma Country, Ibought some Blenheimapricots. I watched howthe woman placed them ina paper sack, carefully,without rushing, so that thefruits wouldn’t be dam-aged. The Blenheim, acomparatively rare apricotthese days, is fragile, one ofthe reasons it doesn’t makeit far from the farm. It’s notas pretty as the big, dumbCastlebright, which is whymost shoppers ignore it,but it’s favored handsdown by connoisseurs.An hour later, when three

of us were finishing ourfarmers market lunch, wepicked up the apricots, splitthem open, removed thestone, and saw that a pud-dle of floral juice filled eachhalf. One half apricot, onebite, or you’d lose that hon-eyed syrup. We savored itand sighed over such adeep pleasure. I could onlyimagine what a galettethese apricots might havemade. But in truth, withfruit like this, the crust and

almond cream weren’t nec-essary at all. These apricotswere utterly enough. Suffi-cient. Complete. Nothingmore needed.I think about the people

who grow the old, oftentemperamental varieties,the ones that don’t fit in thecommercial marketplace. Ittakes a rare commitmentand passion to stay withsuch fruits and their va-garies. I think about thegrowers who revisit theirapricot trees, date palms,or fig trees to pick thefruits as they ripen, insteadof picking them all at onceregardless, a method scorn-fully regarded as inefficientby commercial growers,but what it takes to get thevery best fruit. I thinkabout the farmer whoknows that the apricots forjam—those fruits that fallinto a puree the minute youhandle them—are inconve-niently placed at the top ofthe tree, but who insists onmaking the climb to pickthem. And what about thejam makers who strive touse as little sugar as possi-ble so that the powerful fla-vor of their well-grownberries or pears or peachesis what’s preserved, notjust some sticky sweet sub-

stance? It’s growers andproducers like these, peo-ple who discern and com-mit to such qualities thatput substances in ourmouths that have thepower to connect us to theplace where we are, or per-haps were for an afternoon.These are gifts of humanculture. True agriculture.The soul of fruit depends

especially on those peoplewho take the inconvenientroute to perfection, and thesame nourishes our ownsouls. You won’t find thesefruits at the supermarket,but you might find them atyour farmers market. So goand follow your nose to themost fragrant of delights,real fruit. Ask what itsname is so you can ask forit again, next year. Andthank the farmer for grow-ing it.............................................

Deborah Madison

moved from San

Francisco to the

Santa Fe area

twenty years ago,

where she has

written many books. Her latest is

called Seasonal Fruit Desserts from

Orchard, Farm and Market (Broad-

way Books, 2010).


LOCAL FOOD

© T

amm

y M

aitla

nd

“The Fruit Basket,” owned and operated byEddie Velarde and family.

© L

aurie S

mith

This, of course, is a sci-ence experiment that in-volves intentionallycultivating the kind of mi-croorganisms that refriger-ation was invented todestroy. But I figured theworst that could happen(other than my E. coli deathas Official Taster, since my

sweetheart is nursing ourson) was a pint or two ofwasted milk. Ya know, inthe name of local food sci-ence. Literal Home Eco-nomics. Who knows whatwe’d create? I mean peni-cillin got invented this way.The recipe I used came

from a link recommended

by a friend I call my FairyGoat Mother. This womanhas already saved me thou-sands of dollars in vet costswith concise advice like,“Try feeding them somecharcoal.” Her yogurtrecipe was amazingly sim-ple; it amounted to elevat-ing some goat milk to asteady 108 degrees for 8hours, with a scoop of yo-gurt starter culture to getthose billions of good bac-teria going. I used a Ther-mos and a candythermometer.It worked out deliciously

fantastic. I added vanilla,granola, some frozen blue-berries, and some localhoney. It was truly the bestyogurt I’ve ever eaten (butI have this reaction as aVal-U-Meal-raised kidwhenever I eat real foodnot from a store).And despite the fact that

I spilled the Thermos atfirst, tainting my “clean”surface, and probably wentboth over and under therecommended 108 degreecultivation temperatureseveral times during theyogurt-making process, nonegative parasites have in-

vaded my intestines as ofthis writing. So I presumethat the yogurt is doing itsjob of fighting the good flo-ral fight, and I have justtaken a few thousand morecarbon miles out of my diet(not to mention adding about$15 a week in Ranch budgetsavings). Go acidophilus andmy army of microscopic bac-teriological warriors! Andthank you, Natalie, for themilk that is the buildingblock for my body’s arsenalof mass microbe health main-tenance.............................................

Doug Fine is the

author of the best-

seller Farewell,

My Subaru. He

speaks around the

world about his ef-

forts to banish petroleum from his life

without giving up his Digital Age com-

forts. Written and film accounts of the

continuing carbon-neutral misadven-

tures on his remote Funky Butte Ranch

are at www.dougfine.com


LOCA

L FOO

D

HOLDING QUART: THE FIRST FUNKYBUTTE RANCH ZERO CARBON-MILE DAIRY PRODUCT MANIFESTS AS A MICROBIOLOGY EXPERIMENT IN MY STOMACHBY DOUG FINE

With little Nico, our new goat kid, only half-weaned, mamma Natalie (named for hav-ing a similar voice to Natalie Merchant) is already giving us humans more than aquart-and-a-half of creamy, hint-of-molasses milk per day here on the Funky ButteRanch. Not only is this allowing me to further reduce my petroleum use and proteinpurchases, I felt we had enough supply to give a shot at some yogurt.

© B

rian

River

a


LOCAL FOOD

From early on, these fal-lacious ideas of what farm-ing is all about foundopposition in deep thinkerswho were also practicingfarmers, such as J. I. Ro-dale, Paul Keene of WalnutAcres, and EhrenfriedPfeiffer, a disciple ofRudolf Steiner. They werethe pioneers who startedthe organic lineage. Theyunderstood that sound, or-ganic agriculture goes handin hand with a healthyecosystem and healthy ani-mals and humans. As a grassroots move-

ment, organic was a way todistinguish, for example,the Santa Fe area farmersmarkets from industrialfarming, and find a way tobe competitive. Organic,when it was still a farmmovement and before it be-came fully regulated by thegovernment, meant threethings: Small family farms,bioregional marketing andabove all—no syntheticchemicals or genetic engi-neering. So it had threelayers: social, economicand ecological. Due to the organic

movement’s overwhelmingpublic buy-in, larger farm-ing entities also wanted toget in on the act. Since in-dustrial lobbyists are now

such a big part of how ourlaws are passed, theyjumped at the opportunity.They promised to protectthe organic farming com-munity. Through sleight ofhand, however, the organiclegislation allows for stan-dards that in effect do moreto protect agribusinessthan small local producers.How?The original meaning of

organic has been strippedof its social and ecologicallayers. Organic can be littlemore than a marketingtool, that at the same timeimposes unnecessary re-strictions on farmers andprocessors who want tomaintain small-scale opera-tions. These regulationshamper local farming andmarketing for bioregionalconsumers. The organiccertification requires aunique premium on the useof the word organic. Whileagribusiness farmers payno environmental costs forallowing their chemicaltreatments to flow down-stream, organic farmersface an additional tax forthe use of the word organicand the burden of frequentinspections and excessivepaperwork. This should bereversed.Now that organic has

been co-opted by conven-tional farming and politicalmaneuvering, the practiceand the use of the word hasbecome a tool for large-scale farms and grocers.In view of all this, our

local growers and produc-ers should emphasize thebioregional character ofour farmers markets, tout-ing their rejection of syn-thetic chemicals andgenetic engineering. Per-haps we can transition tothe word “bio,” denotingbio-logical, bio-regionaland bio-beneficial—support-ing life. (In French, theword used to denote or-ganic is biologique). For now, forget about or-

ganic. What’s so greatabout a grape grown inChile, flown all the way toNorth America to be soldat health food stores as or-ganic, when it competeswith a grape that is grownright here? That is one ofthe ironies resulting fromthe distortion of the word.Local producers need to setthemselves apart fromthose who have subvertedorganic standards. Theyshould adhere to the con-cept that honors the or-ganic pioneers’ triplebottom line: small localfamily farmers; local mar-

kets; and enhancing thefarm’s biodiverse ecosys-tems—not destroyingthem. Fortunately, there are

reputable nonprofits suchas the Organic ConsumersAssociation that work tohold policymakers andmanufacturers who use theorganic label accountableto high organic standardsfor the health and safety ofthe public. But it is theconsumers who stay in-formed on these issues andsupport local growers whowill truly drive the move-ment back home. ............................................

Willem Malten is

a baker, film-

maker and com-

munity activist.

He owns Cloud

Cliff Bakery and

can be found at the Santa Fe Farmers

Market. As a baker, he is active in sup-

porting the re-emergence of native and

organic wheat farming in New Mexico.

REDEFINING ORGANICBY WILLEM MALTEN

As a concept, organic came about as a reaction by small-scale farmers and processorsto the introduction of chemical farming that began just after World War II. Nitrogenpreviously used for weapons and chemicals—such as nerve gas—needed a new market.So they were expanded as farming aids. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer could boost soilnitrogen, and organophosphate poisons derived from chemical weapons could play arole in insect control.


LOCA

L FOO

D

© T

amm

y M

aitla

nd


LOCAL FOOD

With my skills as awoodworker and farmerand Sam’s expertise (and ayear of head-scratchingand experimentation), Ipresent the Sun Pod!Taken from an old designthat Sam used for close tothirty years, and re-designed for lighter weightand a modern, high-techcover, this durable foodmachine allows you to ex-tend your growing seasonto twelve months. The insulated covering

and low profile allow you togrow frost resistant greensin the coldest months of theyear without a heat sourceother than the sun. Inhigher elevations, a thickerand higher R-value cover-ing protect against a heav-ier snow load and moreextreme temperatures. TheSun Pod fits onto a 4 x 8 ft.

x 9.5 inch-high, raised-bedplanting box. The wood for the plant-

ing box is made of locallyharvested woods such aspine and fir. In my manyyears of working withwood in the Southwest, Ihave found that the sun’sultraviolet rays—ratherthan moisture—are themost formidable destroyerof wood in our desert envi-ronment. The tighter tree-rings (from less rain) andthe higher pitch contentmake the wood less vulner-able to cracking and split-ting in the harsh sun. Ibelieve our local woodgives the cedars of thenorthwest and Alaska a runfor their money in durabil-ity, not to mention thedetrimental greenhouse gasfactor for shipping thosemagnificent giants! If you

live in a high-moisture, low-sun environment such as ahigh altitude canyon, cedarboxes are readily available.While planting this

spring, I discovered that oncolder days, if I lowered thebox, I could build up heatand quicken germinationwith some plants. I also dis-covered after loosing manysprouts to hail over theyears that placing the Podover the sprouts in a hail-storm protects the new-borns. In June of 2010,when we had those heatwaves that cold weathergreens just don’t like, oneof my customers and Ifound that placing the Podon the box, open to thenorthward position, pro-tected the plants from theharsh wilting rays. In fact,my customer had one otherplanting box without our

Pod, and the greens in thatbed grew at half the rate. Placing your hand on the

soil of the covered box onthe hottest of days confirmsthat the soil remains cool tothe touch, but with plentyof diffused light getting tothe plants. In other words,the Sun Pod serves as veryeffective shading. It alsoserves as valuable windprotection on thewindswept, open mesas wehave in New Mexico. Windcan sure dry out a bed fast! Last but not least, take off

the top and place two sec-tions of 6-inch heavy gaugewire mesh, which comesprecut to size, and you havea superior hoop covering.Separate coverings such asinsect netting, shade cloth,as well as insulating clothand plastic for those taller,less frost-resistant plantscan be applied. The wiremesh is superior in that ithas a much stronger snow-bearing capacity and windresistance than conven-tional plastic hoop designs. With the Sun Pod, a few

seeds and willing hands,you really do have a year-round food machine. ............................................

Roque Marquez

grows his four-

season food in

Santa Fe and can

help you to do the

same. You can

reach him at [email protected].

www.RoqueMarquez.com


LOCA

L FOO

D

A CLIMATE-CHANGESURVIVAL STRATEGY: GROWING FOOD YEAR-ROUNDBY ROQUE MARQUEZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM HITT

Around the globe, traditional elders are speaking out about the state of the world and plightof Mother Earth. From what I gather, two of the most common themes are: to form a closerbond with nature, and to grow your own food. Their message and the economic uncertaintythat permeates our world inspired me to get together with my longtime friend and mastergardener, Sam Hitt, and develop a food-growing system.


LOCAL FOOD

There are now hundredsof FPCs nationwide. Typi-cally, FPCs are establishedby municipal or county res-olutions or by statestatutes; or sometimes, theyare a private coalition ofpeople working with gov-ernment representatives onfood issues. Formed by a joint resolu-

tion in 2008, the City andCounty of Santa Fe ap-pointed the Santa Fe FoodPolicy Advisory Council(SFFPAC) to improve andcreate a just and sustain-able food system. SFFPACworks to make healthyfood a reality for everyonein our community—notjust those who can afford

it—by making recommen-dations to the City andCounty.Food policy, most simply,

is everything that govern-ment does that can affectthe cost, availability andquality of food. It alsorefers to how both the gov-ernment and private sec-tor—food businesses,farmers, nonprofit organi-zations at the local and re-gional level—can bestwork together to solve foodproblems like hunger, obe-sity, and the loss of farmand ranchland. The SFFPAC is now in

its second year. Having fo-cused the first year on sur-veying and learning about

the local food system,reaching out to food relatedgroups, and setting strat-egy and goals, the SFF-PAC is currently workingon a variety of projects thatwill lead to strong food pol-icy recommendations forthe City and County ofSanta Fe.One of major projects

the SFFPAC has under-taken is procurement (pur-chasing). The SSFPAC hasidentified the City andCounty food purchasinghabits for our senior citizencenters. Thousands of sen-iors participate in the sen-ior meal and lunchprograms across our Cityand County. Though boththe City and County haveexemplary standards infeeding their seniors, theSFFPAC has worked withthem to increase theamount of fresh and localfood in the senior mealseven more. The SFFPACenvisions growing thisproject beyond just ourseniors, but also to ourschools and other institu-tions such as hospitals anddetention centers, to namea few.

Another current projectis the education and pro-motion around communitygardening, backyard gar-dening and communityfarms. The impetus here isto get Santa Fe to growmore food! The more foodwe grow, the less we haveto worry about contami-nated food, the cost and theenvironmental impact ofthe transportation of food,and ultimately, the qualityof food. There are approxi-mately eight communitygardens that Santa Feanscan participate in. In addi-tion, there are several foodand environmental organi-zations that have made itpart of their work to teachpeople how to grow theirown food. Organizationslike the Santa Fe FarmersMarket Institute, Farm toTable, Earth Care andSanta Fe Community Gar-dens are just a few thathave programs and educa-tional material for folks toget their gardens going. The SFFPAC is working

to collect as much informa-tion about our local foodsystem, from mapping allthe food and grocery loca-

CLOSING THE FOOD GAP THROUGH FOOD POLICYCOUNCILSBY RUBINA COHEN

How can we be sure that Santa Feans are nourished in a fair and equitablemanner? Who's keeping an eye on our emergency food reserves? How can we getmore local food into our senior centers and schools? What's the best way to pre-serve farmland to shore up our local food security? What kinds of facilities andtraining are needed to make it easier to produce food locally? These and otherquestions are at the heart of the work of the Santa Fe Food Policy AdvisoryCouncil. To address questions similar to the ones posed here, communities acrossthe country have begun to create Food Policy Councils (FPCs).


LOCA

L FOO

D

2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE 1 0 1

LOCAL FOOD

tions in the City and County tolooking at the various income levelsof our residents and the distancesthey have to drive to get to thesefood locations, are all variables onthe Food Map that we are creating.We are also looking at the varioustypes of soil we have around ourcounty, and where the most valu-able agricultural land is located.This would allow us to formulatepolicy to make sure our best agri-cultural land is preserved for farm-ing and communitygardening—basically to producefood for Santa Fe. These are just a few of the pro-

jects we have delved into. By coor-dinating the work of allgovernmental and non-governmen-tal food organizations through foodsystem research and assessment,and through community outreachand education, we can support alegacy of healthy food and ulti-mately the preservation of the localfood system and agricultural tradi-tions of the Santa Fe area.You can learn more about the

work of the Santa Fe Food PolicyAdvisory Council at: www.santafefoodpolicy.org. ..............................................

Rubina Cohen is the Santa Fe

Food Policy Council Coordina-

tor. Her background is in mar-

keting and communications

with an emphasis in advocacy

and influencing policy at the

local level. Mrs. Cohen is also the owner and CEO

of Firefly Santa Fe, a marketing and communica-

tions strategy firm helping small businesses and

nonprofits.

There are approximately eightcommunity gardensthat Santa Feans can participate in.

Nearly 40,000 NewMexicans seek help from afood bank agency eachweek. More than 54% ofpeople who receive assis-tance through New Mexicofood banks have reportedchoosing between food andtheir utilities. Over 40% ofthe members of householdsserved by these agenciesare children.Who is hungry in our

community? They areworking adults feedingtheir families on minimumwage; seniors struggling tomake ends meet on a fixedincome; and victims of do-mestic abuse. They are inpoor health and home-

bound. They are familiesliving without shelter. Theyare our community’s chil-dren.Why are people going

hungry? Low-paying jobslead the list of causes ofhunger. Other causes in-clude unemployment, highhousing costs, a weakeningeconomy, utility costs, wel-fare reform, medical costsand mental health prob-lems.The Food Depot, North-

ern New Mexico’s foodbank, is committed to pro-viding this most basic ofsustenance, and removingthose situations whichforce our neighbors to

make such tragic decisions. The Food Depot distrib-

utes food and related prod-ucts through a network of120 partner agencies in-cluding food pantries, hotmeal programs, homelessshelters, youth programs,senior centers, day carecenters and shelters forbattered families. The foodbank reaches some ofNorthern New Mexico’spoorest citizens living insome of the country’s mostimpoverished counties—Mora, San Miguel, Taos,Rio Arriba, Colfax, Union,Harding as well as LosAlamos and Santa Fe.Donors such as food

manufacturers, farmers,grocers, bakeries andrestaurants supporthunger-relief efforts by do-nating slightly damagedgoods, products producedin excess, items nearingtheir sell date, and foodprepared but not served.Without The Food Depot,much of this food would goto waste—filling dump-sters, not stomachs.The food bank provides

a delivery program to reachcommunities throughoutNorthern New Mexico.Towns like Taos, Españolaand Las Vegas have manyagencies that take advan-tage of this opportunity.The program saves thesepartner agencies in bothfunds and resources suchas volunteers and staffing.To further reduce barri-

ers to food distribution insmaller remote areas, TheFood Depot launched itsMobile Food Pantry pro-gram in 2009. It is a fooddistribution program inwhich we deliver food to adesignated location for im-mediate distribution tohungry people, eliminatingthe need for long-term stor-age. The program reachesthose communities withoutthe resources to set uptheir own emergency foodpantries. They inform localfamilies about the opportu-nity to receive emergency

NUTRITIOUS FOOD: EVERYONE'S BIRTHRIGHTBY SHERRY HOOPER

Have you ever been forced to choose between buying food or paying rent? Have you ever lainawake at night wondering how you were going to feed your children the next morning?


LOCA

L FOO

D


LOCAL FOOD


LOCA

L FOO

D

food assistance and providethe volunteers to supportthe distribution. When TheFood Depot truck arrives,the volunteers are there tohelp and deliver the foodthat same day. The pro-gram also offers its partici-pants other opportunitiesfor support such as receiv-ing health screenings andflu shots, and nutrition edu-cation.The Food Depot’s Mo-

bile Food Pantry programreaches 16 communities inthe counties of Colfax,Harding, Mora, Rio Arriba,San Miguel and Union inNorthern New Mexico. AllMobile Food Pantry sitesreceive monthly deliveriesof food such as produce,bakery items and USDAcommodities. Our efficient model of

distribution to both urbanand rural “food deserts” hasmade the Food Depot aneffective solution to endinghunger in Northern NewMexico. We work withlocal farmers, the Santa FeFarmers Market, and re-ceive produce through theNew Mexico Association ofFood Banks Produce Ini-tiative. Our program“Planting a Row for theHungry” encourages peo-ple to plant an extra row intheir backyard gardens todonate to The Food Depot. We must come together

as a community to provideaccess to a necessity asbasic as food. Together, we

can achieve this by growingcommunity gardens, donat-ing food, giving to commu-nity food drives, makingfinancial contributions, andvolunteering time at thefood bank. Last year, ourcommunity enabled TheFood Depot to provide 4.8million meals to familiesand individuals. Your sup-port will offer continuedhelp and hope to people inneed. It’s sometimes difficult to

believe that hunger existsin Northern New Mexico.We don’t see the terribletragedies of famine or massstarvation in our commu-nity. However, hunger doesexist here. It is likely toshow itself as an under-nourished child who can’tconcentrate in school, asenior who routinelychooses between food andmedicine, or a workingpoor family who strugglesto make ends meet. Let’scome together to fight thecrisis of hunger. In a landof plenty, no one should gohungry...........................................................

Sherry Hooper has

been executive di-

rector at The

Food Depot,

Northern New

Mexico's food

bank, since September 2001. Prior to

taking this position, she spent more

than nine years as Community Rela-

tions Director for Harvesters, Kansas

City's food bank.

Without The Food Depot, much ofthis food would go to waste—fillingdumpsters, not stomachs.


LOCAL FOOD

SEASONAL FRUITS, VEGETABLES, NUTS, FLOURS AND LEGUMESAvailable at the Santa Fe Farmers Market:

The following list includes a good sampling of farmers/vendors that frequent the Market, but it isby no means a complete list. Over 150 farmers aremembers of the Santa Fe Farmers Market with over130 vending booths at the height of the season. Toreceive more information on the Market or to con-tact vendors, contact Miguel Gallegos, Market Operations Manager: [email protected] or 505-983-4098.

Alcántar Produce, EspañolaB&B Farm, La MesillaBoxcar Farm Garlic and Vegetables, Llano

www.boxcarfarm.comCamino de Paz Farm Vegetables

www.caminodepaz.netCorrales Garden Nursery Produce, Corrales

www.corralesgardennursery.comDel Valle Pecans, La MesillaDuke’s Raspberry Ranch and Produce,

EdgewoodEarthen Accents, Santa FeEast Mountain Organic Farms, Escabosa

www.eastmountainorganicfarms.comEl Bosque Garlic and Produce, DixonEspañola Valley Farms Vegetables, EspañolaEve’s Farm Fruit and Vegetables, VelardeThe Fruit Basket, Velarde

www.ranchodesantafe.netGemini Farm Vegetables, Las Trampas

Gilberto’s Orchard, ChimayóGonzales Farm, AlcaldeGreen Tractor Farm Vegetables, La CiénegaHarmony Farm, Abiquiu

harmonyfarmnm.comHeidi’s Raspberry Farm, Corrales

www.heidisraspberryjam.comJ & L Gardens, Española

www.jandlgardens.com


LOCA

L FOO

D

EARTH CARE'S LOCAVORE GUIDE

© M

iran

da G

ray

© S

am H

itt


LOCAL FOOD

Jacona Farm Produce, JaconaMcGinn’s Pistachio Tree Ranch, Alamogordo

www.pistachiotreeranch.comMr. G’s VegetablesMaria’s Farm, VelardeShirley & Ernesto Martinez Vegetables ,

ChimayóMendez Produce, El Guique & EspañolaMonte Vista Organic Farm, EspañolaPat Montoya’s Family Orchard, Española

montoyaorchard.comMountain Flower Farm, Cedar Grove

www.mountain-flowerfarm.comNambé Orchard and Vegetables, NambéOne Straw Farm Vegetables, Peñasco and

DixonOrozco Farm Vegetables, EspañolaRancho La Jolla Vegetables and Fruits,

Velarde Rancho Llam Fruit and Vegetables, Velarde

Red Mountain Farm Fruit and Vegetables,Abiquiu

Matt Romero Farms Produce, Embudo andDixon

Rey Romero Farm Fruit and Vegetables,La Ciénega

Sam Romero Farm, ChimayóSanchez Farms Vegetables, La Mesilla, El

GuiqueSanta Cruz Farm & Greenhouses, EspañolaSinging River Farm, AlcaldeThe Succulent Garden Vegetables and

Fruit, Santa FeSunstar Herbs, Madrid

www.sunstarherbs.net

© S

am H

itt©

Sam

Hitt

Synergia Ranch Organic Fruits, Santa Fewww.synergiaranch.com

Talon de Gato Vegetables, Embudo Valleywww.talondegato.com

Trujillo Fruit, ChimayóVigil’s Chimayó Produce, Chimayó

Available at La Montanita Coop:The Coop offers locally grown fruit and vegetablesprovided they are certified organic or verified to beproduced by a grower who uses no synthetic chemi-cals or GMO seed and employs sound land steward-ship practices.

Bulk food items from New Mexico and southern Colorado include:ChicosDried chile peppers, chile

powder and herbsSangre de Cristo and Nativo

organic unbleached white and whole-wheat flours

Raw honeyPinto beansPeanut stock for peanut butterPecansPosoleQuinoa

DAIRYAvailable at the Santa Fe Farmers Market:Boxcar Farm Goat Milk, Llano

www.boxcarfarm.comOld Windmill Dairy Artisan Cheeses, Estancia

www.theoldwindmilldairy.comSouth Mountain Dairy, East Mountains, Santa Fe

lafarmita.comSweetwoods Dairy, Peña Blanca

Available at La Montanita CoopCheese, milk and yogurt products from the follow-

ing producers:

Coonridge Goat Cheese, Pie TownLazy Ewe, EdgewoodOld Windmill Dairy, EstanciaSouth Mountain Goat Dairy, TijerasDesert Skies, WilliamsburgNative Pastures, TucumcariRasband Dairy, Albuquerque

MEATS AND EGGSAvailable at the Santa Fe Farmers Market:Camino de Paz Farm and Montessori Middle

School Eggs www.caminodepaz.netLaMont's Wild West Buffalo, Bosque Farms

www.lamontbuffalo.comPollo Real Pasture-Raised Poultry and Eggs,

Socorro www.polloreal.com

EARTH CARE'S LOCAVORE GUIDE


LOCA

L FOO

D

Kha

lsa

Gre

enho

uses

© T

amm

y M

aitla

nd

© J

ulia

Rub

inic

© w

oodley

won

derw

orks


LOCAL FOOD

Red Mesa Grassfed Beef and All NaturalPork, Clines Corners

River Canyon Ranch Certified Organic Beef,Ocate www.rcrorganic.com

Shepherd’s Organic Grassfed Lamb, TierraAmarilla www.organiclamb.com

Soaring Eagle Ranch Organic Grassfed High-land Beef, Los Ojoswww.naturalsteak.com

Taos Mountain Grassfed Yaksites.google.com/site/taosmountainyak

Available at La Montanita Coop: Sweet Grass Producers Coop BeefShepherd’s Organic Grassfed Lamb, Tierra

Amarilla • www.organiclamb.comBeneficial Farms Eggs, Santa Fe

www.beneficialfarm.comRancho La Capilla Eggs, La CienegaTalus Wind Ranch Lamb, Galisteo

www.taluswindranch.comEmbudo Valley Organics Turkey

OTHER FOODSAvailable at the Santa Fe Farmers Market:Buckin' Bee Honey & Candles, Santa Fe

www.buckinbee.comFor the Love of Bees Honey

www.fortheloveofbees.comOld Pecos Foods Gourmet Mustards, Santa Fe

www.oldpecosfoods.comPasta Divina Organic Fresh Pasta,

Los Ranchos de Albuquerquewww.pastadivina.com

RZ’s Honey, Alcalde

Available at La Montanita Coop: A variety of locally produced salsas, spreads, tor-tillas, pasta, kombucha tea, fruit juices, condments,herbs and spices, chocolates and other value addeditems including body and skin care products andherbal tinctures.

BREADS AND PASTRIESAvailable at the Santa Fe Farmers Market:Cloud Cliff BakeryCrumpacker’s Fresca Baking and Catering

www.crumpackersfresca.comGalactic Bread Company

Available at La Montanita Coop: American Pie pastriesChocolate Maven pastriesPlaza Bakery pastries and breadsSage Bakehouse pastries and breadsFun Bun Bakery Fano Bread TLC breads Wolf’s Bagels


EDUCATION

112 Youth: Forging the Social Transition Using their own Ingenuity

113 Amy Biehl Community School: Designed with the Future in Mind

114 Colegio Sin Fronteras: A Place for Community Learning and Social Development

115 Sustainability Programs in Higher Education: Surging by Popular Demand

116 Colegio Sin Fronteras: Un Lugar para Aprendizaje en Comunidad y el Desarollo Social

118 Educational Success for All Students: Youth Speak Out!

120 School Gardens: Nourishing Lives, Nurturing Life

122 SF School Gardens Guide124 Cooking With Kids: Empowering

Children in the Kitchen 126 Green and White Fettuccine with

Tomato Basil Sauce

BREATHING ROOMSTORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILL BARNES

It’s late March in Santa Fe—overcast, drizzly, cold. It will snow tonight. Alongthe river, the barest hint of green shows at the feet of the grasses. The trees rat-tle, black and gray. Mid-morning: I have a truck full of 8th grade girls and Ithink, “Okay, let’s work for twenty minutes, and then we’ll go home.”

This class has been coming to the river for three years; they have over-seen the removal of 14,000 Russian olive trees. We want to know what im-pact this work will have on water levels, habitat, and the plants andanimals that live here. But today, the weather is miserable, and I am notlooking forward to the complaints that will issue from my 8th grade girls aswe wade into the wet, shivery day.In collaboration with many groups, including River Source and the

Santa Fe Girls’ School, I run a small restoration project in La Cieneguilla.We call our program Project PRESERVE—Protecting the River Environ-ment, Stopping Erosion and Restoring the Vital Ecology. Every Thursday,I take my classes to the river. In the 6th grade we learn about rocks and soils; we study erosion and

stream flow. We dig holes. We talk about sediment and flood plains anddirt. We think about landform, and history in geologic terms.In 7th grade we learn about all the species that live on our river. We col-

lect bugs and fish; we watch birds; we look for tracks; we collect plants forour herbarium; we peek into holes. We walk across habitats, biomes andecotones, touching them, surveying. We get very muddy. We collectground water and streamflow data.

The 8th grade is the Boardof Directors. They decidewhich projects to initiateeach year and they docu-ment our work. We studywater chemistry; we learnabout pollution and nutrientcycles and we make smalldocumentary films. We talkabout community and ethicsand conflict resolution. Each class helps with

fence repair, bridge build-ing, well digging, tree plant-ing, and lopping andspraying with vinegar tokeep the Russian olivesfrom coming back—perfectwork for middle school stu-dents.We return every week to

the same small piece ofland. Slowly, the place re-veals itself to us, its stories.And we make our own sto-ries there. It is the way weremember, the way weteach. Stories remind uswho we are and why we dowhat we do. They remind

us to return. In our sixyears, we have made somegood stories. There is the tale of the

place Aysia fell out of atree, and the place Caitlyngot stuck to her hips inmud, and the place Erinwent swimming, intention-ally, of course. There is thetime of the icebergs in theriver, and icicles growingfrom the tips of the grasses,and minnows frozen in solidpools. There is the story ofusing willow sticks to meas-ure groundwater becausethe beeper was broken.We have stories of a

roadrunner, of a great blueheron and the ibises, and ofthe day we found the deadbeaver.But my favorite small

story comes from the dayshortly after all the Russianolives had been pulled. It isa dramatic thing to see atree yanked out of theground, even if it is an inva-

sive species. There is ashocking violence to it, andwe felt the moral dilemma.Who were we to removethese living beings thatwere simply doing whatthey do best? The land looked extraor-

dinarily different: torn, dis-turbed. We arrived with the8th grade and decided thatwe needed to mark thechange, to explore, and notto work. The girls dis-persed, and my co-teacher,Mary Alice Trujillo, and Iwere left to our own de-vices. We walked and wetold stories about childhoodand work, about sensibilityand how a person gets it.Catholic nuns appeared inthe conversation, alongwith tractors and schoolsand coyotes. We discussedmoral decisions and wewandered amongst the pilesof uprooted Russian olivesuntil we came to the fewcottonwoods now standingalone and Mary Alice said,“I think they have breath-ing room now. ” It was as if“breathing room” were theanswer to everything: betterteaching, better learning, asense of place, stewardship,community. One group of girls sat to-

gether talking in the shadeof a newfound cottonwood.Their hands were busy withthe grasses and sticks, as ifthey were weaving, andthen another group ap-proached. “We just found asecret cave! A cliff face anda perfect place to sit abovethe water!” Breathing roomto see and feel a place forwhat it truly is. Something changes when

we spend time on the land,working, playing and learn-

ing. Something takes hold.My students have made thisplace their own. I knew it for sure on a

cold and miserable day inMarch. We arrived and Ihad to get something out ofthe truck. When I lookedup, the girls were alreadygone, through the gate, intothe mud and rain without amoment’s hesitation, with-out a single complaint. I re-alized truly—this is whatsustainability means. MaryAlice and I were irrelevant.These kids know what todo. They are not daunted orintimidated by mud, rain,cold, ice, marsh, bugs,snakes, thorns, rocks, toolsor work. This is their program, their

river. ......................................................

Will Barnes is an

ecologist and

founder of Project

PRESERVE, and

teaches science and

literature at the

Santa Fe Girls’ School. His ecological

consulting business, called GrassWorks

Inc., specializes in vegetation monitor-

ing.


EDUCATION

Young people today arehungry for meaning. Theyare hungry for self-discov-ery and the opportunity tobreak free from the monot-ony of everyday life to dis-cover their gifts, developand share them, and offerthem to the world. An im-portant part of this processis recognition and affirma-tion from others and locat-ing one’s unique individualcontribution within a largercommunity context. We have been working

with youth in the Santa Fecommunity for nearly adecade. For ten yearswe’ve been learning abouthow to support young peo-ple who are coming of ageat this very unique momentin human history—a mo-ment when it appears muchmore is at stake than everbefore. The path forward isnot clear. As adults andelders, our role would nor-mally be to be good exam-ples and acculturate ourchildren—passing along

the values, beliefs and cus-toms of our society and tohelp young people findtheir unique place withinour cultural, social andeconomic institutions.However, if we are en-gaged in the struggle torecreate society, to steerour world from a period ofhuman devastation of theEarth into a period whendiverse human communi-ties find their place withintheir larger ecological com-munity, our role as adults

and elders becomes a littleless clear. For how can weteach our children andyouth about a world thatdoes not yet exist? Andhow can we model sustain-able community, interde-pendence, and ecologicalrespect when many of ourown behaviors, lifestylesand institutions seem tocontradict the values andvisions we espouse? This isthe challenge of transition.It is the unique challengeof our time.


EDUC

ATIO

N

YOUTH: FORGING THE SOCIALTRANSITION USING THEIR OWNINGENUITY BY BIANCA SOPOCI-BELKNAP

“I may not know what I want to do with my life, but I know I want to do something good;something that will make the people I love proud; something that will leave a good mark;something that will leave a legacy for my grandchildren.” – Rebecca Gonzalez, Age 16

Amy Biehl Community School:Designed with the Future in Mind

Santa Fe Public Schools hopes to achieve LEED (Lead-ership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver certi-fication with its new K-6 school in Rancho Viejo.Honoring the spirit of Amy Biehl, a 1985 graduate ofSanta Fe High School and a Fulbright scholar wholost her life in 1993 in South Africa while working forsocial justice, the school is a model of community out-reach while integrating energy efficiency and engag-ing learning environments.

Merging geothermal with passive and photovoltaic(awaiting grant funding) solar energy, the District ex-pects to realize an annual 41% savings on energy ascompared to a standard school of similar size; morethan 16% reduction in CO2 emissions; a 44% sav-ings in indoor water use; and a nearly 60% savingsin outdoor water use. Stormwater will be captured inthe educational wetland, providing students an out-door lab for field biology investigation while attract-ing wildlife.

The 62,000 square-foot building and 14.5-acre cam-pus feature environments that inspire a sense of won-der and creativity: classrooms abundant with sunlight,gathering and performance areas, outdoor class-rooms, and native vegetation. Still in the design stageis a school garden for instruction in cultivation, nutri-tion and cooking. Vitally important though, is the“Green Team,” a group of eco-savvy 6th graders whoact as role models in teaching their fellow studentsabout ecological practices.

—SSFRG staff


EDUCATION

Luckily, youth are ex-perts in transition, as ado-lescence presents acrossroads for every indi-vidual who enters it. There,the questions are: Who amI? Where have I comefrom? Where am I going?How do I fit in? What ismy unique path forwardand gift to give? Withinthis questioning and uncer-tainty lies the opportunityfor social change, innova-tion and cultural revitaliza-tion. Which is why webelieve young people are soimportant, why we shouldall be paying really closeattention to their ideas anddreams, and why theirleadership must be at theforefront of the transitionmovement. At Earth Care, we have

built our organizationaround supporting the de-velopment of youngchange-makers. We pro-vide training in cross-cul-tural leadership, ecologicalliteracy, sustainable prac-tices and social entrepre-neurship & communityorganizing. We providetraining for teachers to dothe same. But really we arein the business of buildingrelationships and support-ing young people as theytest out alternatives and so-lutions together acrosssocio-economic and cul-tural lines. The young peo-ple in our Youth AlliesProgram learn about ourpresent social and ecologi-cal contexts and then findways to contribute theirunique gifts, time and cre-ativity to community-changeprojects of their own design.Examples include the FoodNot Bombs Chapter they

started; Seam Rippers:Waste Reduction throughRepurposing; the Eco-Schools Student Coalition;and Blueprint for Sustain-able Communities (a proj-ect that seeks to developneighborhood sustainabil-ity resource centers thatmodel affordable sustain-ability practices in neigh-borhoods across Santa Fe).This year they are runningmore than ten projects andcampaigns— exploring,testing and creating ameaningful path forwardfor themselves and theircommunities. In theprocess, they are buildingtransformative relation-ships, discovering theirunique strengths, and mak-ing their parents and com-munity proud.They may not have all of

the answers but they havemany of the right ques-tions—quest-ions that canguide us all.

......................................................Bianca Sopoci-

Belknap is the As-

sociate Director

and Youth Pro-

grams Director of

Earth Care. She

has been with the organization since

2006 when she was hired to develop and

launch their flagship program, Youth

Allies for Sustainability. She is 28

years old and originally from Santa

Fe.

As author and organiza-tional behavior expertMargaret Wheatley says,“Whatever the problem,community is the answer.”A community rich in socialcapital is a communityready to seek the answer,whatever the problem. Thiswas the context that led tothe founding of Colegio SinFronteras, a college with-out borders and a place forlimitless opportunities forlearning. The idea began totake root in September2009, was kicked off withan orientation in Januaryof 2010, and after using ahost of public spaces forseveral months, the doorsopened on our rented spaceon Espinacitas Street inMarch 2010, with fiftyyoung people ages 16 to 30.

Many of our students livedon the south side of SantaFe, all lacked a high schooldiploma or GED, and allshared a desire to continuetheir education and moveforward with the knowl-edge and skills needed toparent their children, getand retain employment,and participate more fullyin their community. Learning at Colegio Sin

Fronteras happened in avariety of ways, but it wasthe relationships that devel-oped that had the most pro-found impact on everyone.As we were forming, it wasclear that one thing that setour project apart was thatwe were all in this together.We were all students andall teachers; we were in-deed a community of learn-

ers. For example, early onwe realized many of ourstudents were homeless,moving from couch tocouch and arriving toschool hungry. Our com-munity’s answer? A cook-ing class to providesustenance while buildingskills. In our few shortmonths together, we cele-brated the birth of a stu-dent’s baby, and we grievedthe tragic death of a fellowstudent. We laughed to-gether, played together,solved problems together,cried together, movedthrough the maze of life to-gether and above all, welearned that, in the wordsof Dr. George Otero, it isthrough our relationshipswith ourselves, others andour world that transforma-

tion and growth happen.We marked the end of

the school year with a clos-ing ceremony—a gradua-tion of sorts. There werecertificates, gifts, entertain-ment and food. Amidst thecelebration, a few studentslingered in the computerlab putting the finaltouches on their term pa-pers—one with her new-born baby at her side.Today, some of our stu-dents are attending SantaFe Community College,and others are attendinghigh school. Still others areasking, “what next?”Colegio Sin Fronteras

was truly a learning com-munity. We were all trans-formed by our sharedexperience and look for-ward to exploring newways of coming together tocontinue our learning. Santa Fe Partnership for

Communities and Schools isevaluating the success of thestudents attending ColegioSin Fronteras last semesterand is currently looking forways to expand the pro-gram and its offerings. ......................................................

Shelley Cohen is

Executive Director

of the Santa Fe

Partnership for

Communities and

Schools and has

been involved in community organizing

for more than 20 years. For more infor-

mation, call 955-1812 or e-mail: com-

[email protected].

COLEGIO SIN FRONTERAS: A PLACEFOR COMMUNITY LEARNING AND SOCIALDEVELOPMENT STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHELLEY COHEN

Colegio Sin Fronteras, a project of the Santa Fe Partnership for Communities and Schools,evolved out of a series of community dialogs. Engaging in intentional, facilitated conversa-tions with our neighbors increases our social capital, thereby contributing to the strengthand resiliency of individuals, families and communities.


EDUC

ATIO

N

Sustainability Programs in HigherEducation: Surging by Popular DemandBY JESSICA ROWLAND

In 2007 there were just 27 academic programs insustainability at US colleges and universities. Nowthere are more than 200.

The University of New Mexico offers Studies in Sus-tainability as a minor degree to any major except En-gineering.

The American Association of State Colleges and Uni-versities named sustainability as one of its Top 10State Policy Issues for Higher Education in 2009.

In 2009, member institutions of Universitas 21, an in-ternational network of 23 research-intensive universi-ties in 15 countries, signed a statement onsustainability that emphasized the “role universitiesplay in facing the challenges of climate change, thedecline of biodiversity, the need for energy, food andwater security, and of economic sustainability and ofhuman health.”

According to the Association for the Advancement ofSustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), grantsfor sustainability research projects totaled $534 mil-lion in 2009.

The U.S. Department of Energy has committed to in-vesting almost $780 million over the next five yearsin the creation of Energy Frontier Research Centers,31 of which will be located at universities.

..........................................................................................................Jessica Rowland is an Instructor & Education Support Coordinator for

the Sustainability Studies Program at the University of New Mexico.


EDUCATION

Escritora MargaretWheatley lo dijo clara-mente, “Dondequiera quehaya un problema, la co-munidad tiene la re-spuesta.” Una comunidadrica en colectivo humano esuna comunidad lista parabuscar la respuesta,cualquiera que sea el prob-lema. Este fue el contextoque dirigió la fundación deColegio Sin Fronteras, unlugar sin límites de oportu-nidades para aprender. Laidea empezó en Septiembre2009, y se inicio con la ori-entación en Enero del 2010utilizando un espaciopúblico por algunos meses.Las puertas se abrieron enMarzo en nuestro propiolugar rentado, con cin-cuenta jóvenes entre lasedades de 16 y 30. Muchosde nuestros estudiantesviven al sur de Santa Fe,todos careciendo de high

school diploma o GED ytodos compartiendo eldeseo de continuar su edu-cación para pasar a la edadadulta con el conocimientoy las técnicas que se necesi-tan para ser buenos padres,obtener y mantener un tra-bajo y participar más ínte-gros en su comunidad.

El aprendizaje en Cole-gio Sin Fronteras ocurrióen diferentes formas, perofue el progreso de nuestrasrelaciones lo que fue cre-ciendo y lo que impactoprofundamente a todos.Como nos íbamos for-mando era claro: La cosaque nos hacia diferentesera que “todos estábamosjuntos en esto;” todoséramos estudiantes y todoséramos maestros; nosotroséramos una comunidad deaprendices. Por ejemplo, alcomienzo nos dimos cuentade que muchos de nuestros

estudiantes no tenían casa.Ellos dormían en diferenteslugares y llegaban a la es-cuela con hambre. La re-spuesta de nuestracomunidad fue empezaruna clase de cocina paraproporcionar apoyo, y almismo tiempo construir lacapacidad en ellos. En nue-stros cortos meses juntoscelebramos el nacimientodel hijo de una de nuestrosestudiantes y sufrimos latrágica muerte de un estu-diante. Nos reímos juntos,jugamos juntos, resolvimosproblemas juntos, lloramosjuntos, nos movimos juntosatravés del laberinto devida y sobre todo, lo queaprendimos en las palabrasde Dr. George Otero, quees a través de nuestras rela-ciones, con nosotros, conotros y con nuestro mundoes como la transformacióny el crecimiento sucede.

Nosotros sellamos elfinal del año escolar conuna gran celebración.Hubo certificados, regalos,entretenimiento y comida.También algunos estudi-antes tardaron en el labora-torio de computacióndando los toques finales asus trabajos, un estudiantecon su recién nacido a sulado. Hoy, algunos de nue-stros estudiantes asisten alcolegio Santa Fe Commu-nity College, otros asisten ala high school y otrossiguen preguntando que eslo que siguen. Colegio Sin Fronteras

fue una verdadera comu-nidad de enseñanza. Todosnosotros fuimos transfor-mados por nuestras experi-encias compartidas, y hoyvemos hacia adelante paraexplorar nuevos caminospara seguir juntos y contin-uar nuestro aprendizaje.Santa Fe Partnership for

the Communities andSchools está evaluando elsuceso de los estudiantesque asistieron el semestrepasado al Colegio Sin Fron-teras y actualmente, estábuscando otras formas deexpander el programa. ......................................................

Celia Medina is

the Bilingual

Services Coordina-

tor at Youth Shel-

ters and continues

to volunteer with

the SFPCS as a Community Educator.


EDUC

ATIO

N

COLEGIO SIN FRONTERAS: UN LUGAR PARA APRENDIZAJE ENCOMUNIDAD Y EL DESAROLLO SOCIAL BY CELIA MEDINA

Colegio Sin Fronteras es un proyecto de Santa Fe Partnership for Communities andSchools, que evolucionó de una serie de diálogos en la comunidad. Con una interacción delib-erada, facilitando conversaciones con los vecinos incrementando la Colaboración Social deesa manera contribuye a la capacidad y destreza de los individuos, familias y comunidades.


EDUCATION

Over the past four years,35 students in NorthernNew Mexico participatedin the ENLACE/GEARUP Collaborative program.During the 2009-2010school year, these studentsenrolled in a college-levelService Leadership classoffered by Santa Fe Com-munity College. This dual-credit course providedstudents with intensivetraining in leadership andfacilitation skills. It also in-cluded in-depth communityaction research and a serv-ice leadership project. Stu-dents used their new skillsto lead focus groups intheir communities. Close to 1,000 students,

teachers, parents and edu-cational leaders partici-pated. The sessions beganwith a short, youth-pro-duced video entitled “Clos-ing the Achievement Gap:An Educational Necessity

for the Future.” Group dis-cussions focused on identi-fying and exploringbarriers to success for low-income and minority youthand ways teachers, fami-lies, and the students them-selves can boostachievement in school. Re-sponses to these questionswere compiled and ana-lyzed. The student leadersthen developed 15 policyrecommendations that ad-dress the key findings. Over 45% of students re-

sponded that there is a lackof “support and encourage-ment” from their families aswell as from teachers andadministrators. One 11th

grade student at CapitalHigh School (CHS) said,“If you don’t understandsomething and no onecares, you stop caring too.”Other common responsesincluded negative peerpressure, stress at home,

lack of interest in school,and lack of self-confidenceas contributing factors tolow achievement. Students shared that the

best ways to promote aca-demic success is for fami-lies to get involved in theirchildren’s education, to be-lieve in their potential, topush them to be their best,to take time to listen tothem and problem-solve,and to lead by example. ACHS 9th grade studentsaid, “Families need toknow what is going onwith their child, where theyare at all times, to makesure they are doing theirhomework, and talk totheir teachers.” When students were

asked what teachers andthe education system cando to foster learning, theirrecommendations includedproviding a culturally rele-vant curriculum, explain-

ing the material more effec-tively, making learning en-gaging, having academicsupport programs, andcommunicating high expec-tations. A 6th grade stu-dent from HernandezElementary School said“Believe in us, show us thatyou care.” Another 10thgrade CHS student said,“We need help with ourclasses such as AVID (Ad-vancement Via IndividualDetermination), where wehave tutors to help us withwhat we don’t understandand push us.” The ENLACE/GEAR

UP student leaders recom-mended increasing access toboth academic and socialsupport programs such asin-school and after-schooltutoring, peer to peer men-toring, social workers andcounselors. They also rec-ommended that all commu-nication be provided inSpanish to more effectivelyengage and inform the largeSpanish-speaking commu-nity. Their final recommen-dation was to increase thepercentage of the NewMexico State budget thatfunds education from 45%to 50-55% of the overallState budget as they do inmany other states. In-


EDUC

ATIO

N

EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS FORALL STUDENTS: YOUTH SPEAK OUT! BY KRISTEN KRELL

How can a community be sustainable when there is a huge achievement gap among its various eth-nic and socio-economic subgroups? What is getting in the way of academic success for certain groupsof students? What educational policies are needed to address this issue? Student leaders fromEspañola, Pojoaque, and Santa Fe have spent the past year leading a community action researchproject to try to answer these questions and develop solutions to close the academic achievement gap.


EDUCATION

creased funding is necessaryto increase the academicachievement for New Mex-ico students and invest inthe future of our state. These student leaders are

presenting their findingsand recommendations in avariety of venues over thecourse of the 2010-2011school year, including thenational GEAR UP confer-ence in Washington DC,local school board sessionsin Santa Fe, Española, andPojoaque, school staffmeetings, the Back toSchool Institute, and hope-fully the Legislative Educa-tion Study Committee.Higher academic achieve-ment takes a village!

The ENLACE/GEAR UPCollaborative increases col-

lege awareness and readinessof low-income students andstudents who are first in theirfamilies to pursue a collegedegree. Engaging LatinoCommunities for Education(ENLACE) is funded by theState of New Mexico throughthe Higher Education Depart-ment. Gaining Early Aware-ness and Readiness forUndergraduate Programs(GEAR UP) is funded by theUS Department of Education. ....................................................

Kristen Krell is

Manager of the

ENLACE/GEAR

UP Collaborative

at the Santa Fe

Community Col-

lege. She can be reached at

[email protected] for the full re-

port.

In the US, childhoodobesity affects one in everythree children. And one insix are going hungry. Ourchildren are getting sickfrom not eating and sickfrom eating, affirming thatit is high time to take agood hard look at what weare calling food. While con-templating this, wanderingout to the garden may seemlike the last thing on the to-

do list. But that is where Istand, and not just to getaway from it all. It is in thegarden that great changecan take root and hope canbe planted, especially forfuture generations. Simplyby planting seeds and eat-ing freshly grown food, wecan help our children culti-vate a relationship with lifeand livelihood.The value of learning

where our food comes frommay seem simple. But to achild it can be life altering.Putting a hand in theground and reaping suste-nance is what people havedone for millennia. Manyof us are blessed with afond memory of grandmashowing us a freshly dugcarrot or newly sproutedseed, but now such an ex-perience is shockingly for-

eign to many of our chil-dren. Farms disappearevery day and fewer andfewer grandmas live off theland, much less grow a gar-den. Many parents of mygeneration don’t know howto cook or grow food, mostlikely because they didn’thave anyone to teach them.These everyday miraclesinspire our first reverencefor nature, and it is thatreverence that cultivatesconsciousness and care inour actions. If the veryground where these inter-actions take place contin-ues to disappear, we mayjust have to dig up theparking lot, plant someseeds and bring the grand-parents there. We simply

1 2 0 2011 SUSTAINABLE SANTA FE: A RESOURCE GUIDE

EDUC

ATIO

N

SCHOOL GARDENS:NOURISHING LIVES, NURTURING LIFE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIN O'NEILL

Children hear it often: “You are what you eat.” But now the quandary is, “If I can’t readwhat I am eating, how do I know what it is?” So…why are children reading what they areeating to begin with? Well, life is busy and preparing food takes time. Vegetables can bemore expensive than industrial food, and some of us simply don’t know how to cook. Thereare myriad reasons why our root cellars have turned into box and can closets. But the factis, processed foods constitute the daily diets of many of our children, affecting their nutritionas well as their relationship to nourishment itself. If kids don’t know what is in their food,much less how to grow and prepare it, how can we expect them to develop a healthy relation-ship to it? Both our children and the planet are suffering from this disconnect.

cannot afford to be so farremoved from our own lifesupport systems.We all nurture children

along the road of life. Butour children spend most oftheir time in school, and weplace huge responsibilityon these institutions to ex-pose them to broaderknowledge. Schools alsooften feed children, for oneif not all the meals they willget in a day. Since weknow how importantschools are to children’s de-velopment, wouldn’t we beinclined to make them themost thriving learning en-vironments possible? Anoptimum learning environ-ment includes diversity,color, life and beauty.Planting a school garden isa perfect way to bring alivethose elements. If you have ever been in

a school garden, you knowwhat an oasis it can be, notjust for the students, butthe whole community. Agarden invites curiosity andcreativity. It is a place toplay, to take in the worldaround you through all ofyour senses. There, a per-son can cultivate owner-ship, relationship,cooperation and leadership.A school garden is also aplace to be alone, to rest, tothink, to breathe. It’swhere children must beaware, patient, and respect-ful of all life that teemsaround them, beyond theirclassmates and teachers.Skills that often seem ab-stract in a classroom—math, science, history,art—all come alive beyondthe walls of the classroom.More often than not, thestudents who struggle most

in the classroom thrive inthe garden, and the gardenthrives because of them.Gardens in Santa Fe

schools are sprouting up allover. Over the past threeyears as the garden teacherat Monte Del Sol, I fieldedcountless inquiries andtours from teachers, par-ents and students whowanted to create thrivingfood systems at theirschools. I became con-nected with school gardenprojects at El Dorado,Salazar, Acequia Madre,Alvord, Larragoite, Pecos,Capital High, Santa FePrep and Santa Fe High, toname a few. These schoolsdon’t employ garden teach-ers; visionary teachers andcommunity members makeit happen solely on a volun-teer basis. Together westarted a school gardengroup to support eachother’s work and of course,talk about obstacles weface: budget cuts, over-worked teachers, busy par-ents, test score pressure,land use issues and more.Though the seed has beenplanted, how to prioritizeand utilize school gardensis still an issue.Fortunately, many organ-

izations—such as CookingWith Kids and Farm toTable—have been workingto support and complementthe growing need ofhealthy food, both in theschool cafeterias andschoolyards. The City ofSanta Fe together withschools and nonprofits areaddressing food issuesthrough the SustainabilityEducation Task Force, in-cluding Earth Care’s YouthFood Cadre Program. By

growing and cooking withdedicated mentors, ourchildren will not lose thevital link to the land—thelegacy of our New Mexicanancestors.By reconnecting our chil-

dren with the very systemsthat give us life, we are giv-ing them the chance notonly to nourish their bod-ies, but also to nurture lifeitself. ....................................................

Erin O'Neill is agarden teacherand consultant foreducational gar-dening projects inSanta Fe, New

Mexico. She has a blog to support oth-ers in their high desert gardening ef-forts: seedybeans.wordpress.com.


EDUCATION

Since we knowhow importantschools are to

children’s development,

wouldn’t we beinclined to make

them the mostthriving learning

environmentspossible?

Plant the Seeds:Earth Works InstituteGet your project off to a good start with support fromEarth Works’ Earth Action Education and 4C: ClimateChange Conservation Corps programs. They supportschools by engaging youth in designing and building thenecessary infrastructure for a successful school garden andoutdoor classroom initiatives. They also provide a TeacherToolkit for an outdoor education curriculum as well astraining to young adults interested in working in conserva-tion, green design and building, and renewable energy. Formore information contact: Dana Richards, [email protected] or 982-9806. www.earthworksinstitute.org

Cultivate:Earth CareCultivate longevity in your project with support fromEarth Care’s Sustainable Schools and Youth Food Cadreprograms. Earth Care has partnered with Santa Fe PublicSchools to place AmeriCorps volunteers at K-12 schools todevelop, maintain and connect garden programs tobroader youth empowerment and sustainable communitydevelopment initiatives. AmeriCorps volunteers work withstudents, parents, teachers, and administrators to maintainand connect school gardens to the curriculum, school mealprograms and youth-led nutrition and food education, en-

ergy and water conservation, waste recycling and reduc-tion efforts. For more information contact: Christina Selbyat Earth Care, [email protected], 983-6896.www.earthcare.org

Santa Fe School Gardeners GroupKeep your garden groove going by joining this skill- andresource-sharing network coordinated by Erin O’Neill, theformer School Garden Manager at Monte del Sol CharterSchool. This informal network of avid school gardenersmeets monthly to exchange ideas, resources, and learn bestpractices through tours of the many emerging school gar-dens, guided by the dedicated gardeners that make themhappen across Santa Fe and beyond. For more informa-tion contact: Erin O’Neill, Educational Garden Consult-ant, at [email protected]://seedybeans.wordpress.com

Harvest:Cooking with KidsTap into food passion and adventure with Cooking withKids’ educational programs. Cooking with Kids useshands-on methods to teach elementary school studentsabout the joy of healthy foods from diverse cultures. Theyprovide cooking classes and fruit and vegetable tastingsand support healthy, delicious cafeteria meals in schoolswhere 50% or more of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Cooking with Kids also connects and extendstheir nutrition education to school gardens, where studentscan directly experience where food comes from. Contact:Lynn Walters, Executive Director, [email protected], 438-0098. www.cookingwithkids.net

Extend the Scope:Farm to SchoolThe sky is the limit when you tap into the resources of-fered by our regional Farm to School chapter, a programfacilitated by Farm to Table, based in Santa Fe. Farm toSchool supports sourcing more local fresh fruits and veg-etables and other farm products to feed children in K-12schools for meals and snacks. They also provide educa-tional activities to promote the integration of fresh produceinto school cafeteria menus. Farm to School connects localefforts to state and national advocacy actions, such asworking with the federal Childhood Nutrition Reautho-rization Act to ensure local efforts are supported by policy-makers. Santa Fe Public Schools’ Farm to SchoolCoordinator focuses on procurement of locally grownfresh fruits and vegetables. Contact Regional Farm to

LOCAL RESOURCES FOR SCHOOL GARDENS


EDUC

ATIO

N

Santa Fe is blessed with comprehensive school-garden programs, thanks to thecollaboration of nonprofit organizations. Get your garden growing!


EDUCATION

School Program Director: Le Adams, www.farmtotablenm.org,[email protected]; or Santa Fe Public Schools’ Farm to School Coordinator:Betsy Torres, [email protected]

Other local resources:• Santa Fe School Garden Blog: School garden re-sources and views by the Youth Food Cadre Ameri-Corps volunteers working to sustain them: http://sfschoolgardens.wordpress.com/

• Mobile Garden Toolshed: Got Tools? Resource-shar-ing of tools and food processing equipment delivered toyour door: www.earthcare.org

• Santa Fe Master Gardeners: Stumped by those peskygarden problems? Free expertise and services from ourlocal Master Garden group. www.sfmga.org

• Santa Fe Community Gardens: Stay on top of localgardening events, workshops and resources throughthis comprehensive online resource. www.santafecommunitygardens.org

Cooking with KidsThe award-winning

Cooking with Kids (CWK)program has introducedover 12,000 Santa Fe chil-dren to fresh, healthy, andaffordable foods during thepast fifteen years. Webegin with pre-kinder-garten children and con-tinue through sixthgrade—teaching childrenthat they can cook, andsharing the fun of creatinga variety of colorful, flavor-ful dishes from around theworld. One student noted,“I was surprised that wecan travel the Earth and

not leave home!”The magic of CWK is

our hands-on approach.Students learn about theorigin and cultivation offoods, then cook togetherwith their classmates.While our staff lead theclasses, it is all of theadults, including teachers,parent volunteers, andsometimes local chefs orfarmers, who model and re-inforce that cooking is avaluable skill. When sixthgraders prepare and eatNorth African Tajine, theirparents exclaim, “They’dnever eat this at home!” A

critical element is that tast-ing the food is up to thechildren. Often, one or twochildren in a class may notwant to eat what they havejust made. Positive peerpressure often takes overwhen classmates begin torave about the food. Theydiscover that they reallylike the Green (spinach)and White Fettuccine withTomato Basil Sauce or an-other seemingly exoticdish. After cooking BlackBean Tostadas with SalsaFresca, one student said, “Inever used to like beans,but now I do!”

Children are acutelyaware of the myriad mes-sages about what to eat—fruits and vegetables, notcandy. And, as adults, weall have developed our ownideas about what tastesgood. How can we provideopportunities for childrento enjoy healthy foods,without tricking them intoeating vegetables? CWKoffers experiences that en-courage children to take anactive role in taking care ofthemselves. At the end ofone two-hour cooking classwhen students had cookedEast Indian Lentils withCarrot Rice Pilaf, one boyannounced, “Voy a ser sano yfuerte!” (I’m going to behealthy and strong!). Whenasked why, he answered itwas because he was eatingsalad and vegetables.


EDUC

ATIO

N

COOKING WITH KIDS: EMPOWERINGCHILDREN IN THE KITCHEN STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LYNN WALTERS

A cooking revolution is underway—and it’s winning the hearts of our children. First LadyMichelle Obama recently noted that her middle-school daughter enjoys cooking and is morelikely to eat a snack that she has made. In fact, toddlers to teens enjoy the sensory allure ofcooking. In light of our society’s obesity epidemic, cooking is beginning to be recognized as ameans of improving eating habits.

If adults bribethem to eattheir vegetablesby offering asweet reward,they come toprize the candyor dessert, notthe vegetable.


EDUCATION

Family FoodChildren learn first about

the world from their par-ents. CWK expands stu-dents’ world of food andunderstanding of many cul-tures. If adults bribe themto eat their vegetables byoffering a sweet reward,they come to prize thecandy or dessert, not thevegetable. Parent volun-teers in CWK classes areoften surprised by how ca-pable and enthusiastic theirchildren are about cookingand eating new foods, in-cluding spinach salad,black beans or kale.Modeling good nutrition

and having a variety ofhealthy foods in your homehelps children to develophealthy eating habits. In-vite your children to cookwith you. Choose three orfour dishes that you wantto eat and let the child pickfrom those recipes. Make

sure that each child hassomething to do—then letthem do it! Take your chil-dren grocery shopping, andin the produce section, askthem to choose three fruitsor vegetables to buy. A great spring gardening

activity with young chil-dren is to plant peas. Thelarge seeds are easy to han-dle and fun to plant, andchildren love to pick andeat the sweet green peas!When my daughter was infifth grade, a friend cameover every afternoon for aweek in June. Our sugarsnap peas were ready, and Isuggested that the girls gointo the garden for a snack.The friend seemed skepti-cal, but they ventured intothe garden, where shepicked and tasted freshsnap peas for the first time.The rest of the week, assoon as they got home, thefirst thing she wanted to do

was go to the garden forpeas!

Why Cook?A wise friend once com-

mented: “Someone has tocook my food; it might aswell be me.” Is being ableto dress yourself and brushyour teeth more importantthan being able to cook? Isgetting the correct changeat a restaurant more impor-tant than shopping andcooking, or growing a gar-den? We care about savingtime and money. We careabout not getting fat andsick—or so we say. MarionNestle, Professor andChair of the Department ofNutrition and Food Studiesat New York University,notes that changing habitsis not “fast, cheap, or easy.”There can be aesthetic

pleasure in cutting juicy,vine-ripe tomatoes with asharp knife. Who has not

enjoyed the fragrance offresh garlic sautéing inolive oil? Cooking is notjust for people with time ontheir hands. It is not justfor the poor or the wealthy.We seem to have traded theflavors of spring onionsand fresh peas for frozenpizza, all in the name ofconvenience. But cookingskills empower us. Theyenable us to do more withless, foster creativity—andbring bright smiles aroundthe table...................................................

Lynn Walters

is founder and

executive director

of Cooking with

Kids. To learn

more about

Cooking with Kids, visit

www.cookingwithkids.net.

Is being able to dress yourself and brush your teeth moreimportant than being able to cook?

Fettuccine• 1 cup unbleached white flour• 1 cup semolina flour• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt• 1 egg, lightly beaten• 1⁄2 teaspoon olive oil• 1⁄3 cup water + 1 tablespoon

Make white fettuccine dough: In a bowl, mix togetherthe white flour, semolina flour and salt. In a separate bowl,whisk together the egg, oil and water. Add the wet ingre-dients to the dry mixture and stir together until a rough-looking dough forms. On a clean, lightly floured worksurface knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is nolonger sticky. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let itrest for 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Make green fettuccine dough: In a small saucepan, heata small amount of water until boiling. Add the spinach andcook, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach iswilted, but still bright green. Use a strainer to drain thespinach, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Chopthe spinach. Mix the same ingredients and follow the in-structions for the white fettuccine dough, but add thechopped spinach to the egg, olive oil and water, omittingthe extra tablespoon. Follow the directions for mixing,kneading and cutting the white fettuccine dough.

To make fettuccine with a hand crank pasta machine:1.Start with setting #1. Flatten each piece of dough and

put it through the machine. Fold each piece of dough in

half and put it through the machine again. Remember tofold the dough in half before feeding it through the ma-chine the second time.

2.Change the pasta machine setting to #3. Feed eachpiece of dough through the machine two times at setting#3. Fold the dough in half before feeding it into the ma-chine the second time.

3.Change the machine setting to #5 and repeat.4. Move the hand crank to the fettuccine cutter on the

pasta machine. Carefully feed each sheet of doughthrough the cutter. Hang the pasta over clean dowels orlay it in a single layer on cookie sheets dusted withsemolina flour.

To make fettuccine using a rolling pin:1. On a clean work surface dusted with semolina flour, roll

the dough into a flat rectangular shape. Fold the doughinto thirds and roll again. Repeat this folding and rollingprocess four to six times until the dough is very smoothand is about 1⁄16 inch thick. Sprinkle the finished piecewith semolina flour and loosely roll up like a jellyroll.

2. Use a sharp knife to “slice” through the rolled pastadough every 1⁄4 inch. Carefully unroll the fettuccine andhang over clean dowels or lay it in a single layer oncookie sheets dusted with semolina flour. Roll, fold andcut the remaining pieces of dough as described above.

Tomato Basil Sauce1 tablespoon olive oil,3 garlic cloves, minced2 pounds ripe tomatoes (10 to 12 medium), washed and

diced1⁄4 teaspoon salt1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil2 ounces Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated

1.In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic overmedium-high heat. Sauté for 10 seconds, until fragrantbut not browned.

2.Add the diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Reduce theheat to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 10 min-utes, until the mixture becomes juicy. Remove from heatand stir in the salt, pepper, and chopped fresh basil.

3.Cook the fettuccine: Put 12 cups of water in a large potand bring to a boil over high heat.

4.Add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Add the fettuccine and stir once.Cook the pasta over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until“al dente.” Drain the pasta in a colander. Serve immedi-ately, topped with tomato sauce and freshly gratedcheese.

Green and White Fettuccine with Tomato Basil Sauce Serves 6 to 8Fresh pasta is just like any other dough, fun to make and easy to handle. Pasta machines are fun, butyou can make pasta the old fashioned way. All you need is is a rolling pin and some patience.


EDUC

ATIO

N


EDUCATION

The 1998 reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf to the Gila ecosystem ofsouthwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona represented a potentialturning point—not just for this rarest subspecies of the gray wolf, but also fora human society that had come within a whisker, or more precisely, withinseven animals, of exterminating the “lobo” from the face of the Earth.

A RARE SECOND CHANCE Can the Mexican Gray Wolf Help Us Learn to Live in Balance? To Start, We Must Look Unflinchingly at Our Century-Long Fiasco in Trying to Exterminate, Control and Manage the Lobo.BY MICHAEL J. ROBINSON

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

132 New Mexico’s Headwaters: Our Lifeblood

136 The Pecos Wilderness: Where a Force of Nature Inspires a Force for Nature

138 Gardens Gone Wild: Santa Fe Botanical Garden Remembers Its Roots While It Grows Its Future


Whether that hopeful po-tential has been realized isopen for debate.Mexican wolves are the

smallest subspecies of graywolf, the “desert wolf” inthe words of pioneeringecologist Aldo Leopold,and once roamed Mexico’sSierra Madre as well assouthern Arizona, NewMexico and Texas. In cen-tral and northern NewMexico, they intergradedwith northern wolves.They were an engine ofevolution, honing the alert-ness of each generation ofwhite-tailed deer and pro-viding leftover meals forbears, eagles and badgers.The nineteenth century

arrival of people of Euro-pean origin occasioned thegunning down of almost all

the deer, elk, bighornsheep, pronghorn andbison that had long sus-tained wolves. The last na-tive elk in the Southwestwas killed in 1906, andeven deer were on a trajec-tory toward extinction.In an era that pre-dated

an ethic of sustainablehunting and before the im-position of game limits,frontier society similarlyrejected any limits on thegrazing of cattle, horsesand sheep on the openrange. In the absence oftheir natural prey, wolvesrelied on livestock. In1893, the territorial legisla-ture for Arizona and NewMexico authorized coun-ties to pay bounties onwolves and other preda-tors, and eventually allwestern states appropriatedfunds for bounty payments. Yet some wolves learned

to avoid traps and poisonedbaits, and bounty hunterssometimes let wolves live inorder to perpetuate theirlivelihood, or left forgreener pastures withouttaking the last, hard-to-killwolves. As a result, wolvespersisted and, in someareas, even increased.In response, in 1915

Congress appropriated

$125,000 to hire hundredsof federal hunters to exter-minate wolves and otherpredators on behalf of thelivestock industry, the firstin an annual appropriationfor what eventually wascalled “predator control”and that has growntremendously and contin-ues to this day. Salariedfederal hunters determinedto leave no wolves aliveproved more efficient thanbounty hunters. The USFish and Wildlife Servicetrapped what may havebeen the last US-born wolfin the West in southernColorado in 1945, and in1950, began sending its ex-perienced personnel andcustom-concocted poisonsto Mexico to set up thesame organized wolf-killingprogram that had provedso successful in the UnitedStates, thereby first slow-ing and eventually stanch-ing an influx of wolvesnorthward.



They were an engine of evolution,honing the alertness of each generation of white-tailed deer andproviding leftover meals for bears,eagles and badgers.

© B

onni

e Leer

By the time PresidentRichard M. Nixon signedthe Endangered SpeciesAct into law in 1973, fewwolves were known to existin Mexico. Five weretrapped alive between 1977and 1980 for an emergencycaptive breeding program;three of these animals andfour others already in cap-tivity were successfullybred and served as thefounders of the Mexicanwolf’s uncertain future. Noother wolves have beenconfirmed alive in the wildin Mexico since 1980.Despite the recovery

mandate of the Endangered

Species Act, the Fish andWildlife Service opposedreintroduction of the Mexi-can wolf to the wild. A law-suit by conservationists ledto the reintroduction begin-ning in 1998, but under ad-verse conditions demandedby the livestock industry:Unlike wolves reintro-duced to the northernRocky Mountains threeyears previously, Mexicanwolves would be confinedto an arbitrary, politically-defined zone and would betrapped if they establishedterritories on nationalforests or other publiclands aside from theApache National Forest inArizona and the Gila Na-tional Forest in New Mex-ico. Their managementwould vary by state lines,with releases from captivityonly to occur in Arizonabut releases of animals cap-tured from the wild also al-lowed in New Mexico. Andwhile wolves could be shotor trapped for preying onlivestock, they would notbe protected from tempta-tion through any require-ment, such as that imposedin the northern Rockies,for stock owners to removeor render inedible (for ex-ample through lime) thecarcasses of cattle andhorses that died of non-wolf causes.Though conditions are

much improved sincewolves were extermi-nated—elk were long agoreintroduced, deer arecommon, and the localpublic largely supports thewolves— management onbehalf of the livestock in-

dustry has proved surpris-ingly akin to the earlier eraof persecution. Since 1998,the government has shoteleven Mexican wolves,and an additional 18wolves died as a result ofcapture. Dozens more havebeen captured and releasedin unfamiliar habitats, oftenafter separation from amate, parents or pups.Thirty-four other wolvestrapped from the wild areundergoing long-term cap-tivity, with nine of thoseanimals dead of old-age sofar. Releases to the wild arefew and far between. As if that wasn’t bad

enough, 33 wolves havebeen found illegally shot,and 46 are missing, manyunder suspicious circum-stances. While only threecases of illegal killing havebeen solved (and just twoof those prosecuted), theFish and Wildlife Servicehas loaned telemetry re-ceivers programmed to thewolves’ radio collars towolf opponents, and admitsit cannot account for all thereceivers it has handed out.The many deaths and re-

movals have taken a steeptoll. Despite the releasesinto the wild of exactly 100Mexican wolves since1998, and dozens born inthe wild in the interveningtwelve years, the wild wolfpopulation has declined orstagnated in each annualcensus from 2006 through2010. Only 42 animals in-cluding just two breedingpairs could be counted inJanuary 2010. Genetic diversity that

was already attenuated due


OUR N

ATUR

AL H

ERITA

GE

while a buckpulled down bywolves can be

replaced in twoor three years, a

range pulleddown by too

many deer mayfail of replace-

ment in asmany decades.

© R

obin

Silv

er

to just seven animalsfounding the populationhas also declined, leadingto lower litter sizes in thewild and lower pup sur-vival rates. Scientists warnthat diversity in the captivepopulation, limited to ap-proximately 300 wolvesmaintained in 47 zoos andspecialized facilities in theUS and Mexico, will de-cline as well. The Mexican wolf can

still be saved and recov-ered, but it will take a com-mitment from the Fish andWildlife Service that is notyet apparent. The govern-ment should retrievetelemetry receivers andchange the radio collars’compromised frequencies.Dozens more wolvesshould be released into thewild, and three additionalwolves prepared for releaseto replace each that may befound shot or go missing.Authority should be devel-oped to allow release ofwolves from captivity di-rectly into New Mexico,and a scientific recoveryplan should prescribe addi-tional protections and iden-tify new recovery areas torelease wolves. Looking beyond urgent

administrative reforms, theperilous plight of the Mexi-can gray wolf, the lobo thatis almost as intertwinedinto dusty cross-border loreand culture as it is instru-mental to its ecosystems,should remind us of thefirst statement of purposeof the Endangered SpeciesAct—to conserve theecosystems on whichthreatened and endangered

species depend. In part, thefailure to make progress to-ward recovery is a conse-quence of governmentdisregard of this congres-sional intent. The Fish andWildlife Service has insti-tuted policies that scape-goat wolves for occasionalpredation on livestock (de-spite the fact that stockowners are reimbursed).But neither the wildlifeagency nor the ForestService or Bureau of LandManagement has imple-mented changes on thepublicly owned mountainsand grasslands where live-stock grazing degradeshabitats and suppresses thenumbers of elk, pronghornand other wolf prey ani-mals. The Mexican wolf issuffering because itsecosystem still is.Modern science has re-

vealed wolves’ profound in-fluence on ecosystems. InYellowstone National Parkwhere elk avoid wolves inlow-visibility valleys, previ-ously browsed cottonwoodsaplings have reboundedand grown tall, stabilizingstream banks and provid-ing habitat for songbirdsand food for beavers. Fishflourish in the beaverponds. In Grand Teton Na-tional Park, wolves havereduced coyote numbersand thereby increasedpronghorn numbers. Thecoyotes hunt newbornpronghorns, but thesefawns are too small forwolves to seek out as a pri-mary prey. With so few wolves in

the Southwest, we have notreaped these benefits. And

unless we break from themistakes of the past, wenever will, and the Mexi-can gray wolf will becomea creature of memory andeventually even of myth—yet another extinct animalto mourn along with thedecline of the other animalsand plants it once helpedsustain.We should hearken back

to Aldo Leopold, who shota wolf in 1909 in theApache National Forest,urged their exterminationwhile he lived in NewMexico, but later came toregret deeply what he hadhelped to accomplish:

Since then I have lived tosee state after state extirpateits wolves. I have watched theface of many a newly wolf-less mountain, and seen thesouth-facing slopes wrinklewith a maze of new deertrails. I have seen every edi-ble bush and seedlingbrowsed, first to anaemicdesuetude, and then to death.I have seen every edible treedefoliated to the height of asaddlehorn. Such a moun-tain looks as if someone hadgiven God a new pruningsheers, and forbidden Himall other exercise. In the endthe starved bones of thehoped-for-deer herd, dead ofits own too-much, bleachwith the bones of the deadsage, or molder under thehigh-lined junipers.

I now suspect that just asa deer herd lives in mortalfear of its wolves, so does amountain live in mortal fearof its deer. And perhaps withbetter cause, for while a buckpulled down by wolves can be

replaced in two or three years,a range pulled down by toomany deer may fail of re-placement in as manydecades.

So also with cows. Thecowman who cleans hisrange of wolves does not real-ize that he is taking over thewolf’s job of trimming theherd to fit the range. He hasnot learned to think like amountain. Hence we havedustbowls, and rivers wash-ing the future into the sea.

Reintroduction of theMexican wolf allows us arare second chance to tryto live in balance, to allowwolves to be wolves and toset limits on the insatiabledemands we make of thenatural ecosystems thattheir recovery requires.Whether we will seize thisopportunity for the loboand for ourselves remainsto be seen. ..................................................

Michael Robinson

is a conservation

advocate for the

Center for Biologi-

cal Diversity, in

Silver City, New

Mexico. He is author of Predatory

Bureaucracy: The Extermination

of Wolves and the Transformation

of the West (University Press of Col-

orado, 2005).



below: Photo courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service. One of the GilaNational Forest’s alpha wolves that had to have a leg amputated due to

injury, either from a gunshot or leg-hold trap. Such traps were banned inJuly 2010 by Governor Richardson.

Clean water and wildforests are inseparable.WildEarth Guardians, ahomegrown conservationorganization founded overtwenty years ago, is sup-porting the state’s effort togain permanent protectionfor our headwaters. Someof our nation’s most pris-tine water resources arefound in designatedWilderness areas (such asthe Pecos Wilderness, GilaWilderness, Sandia Wilder-ness, and Wheeler PeakWilderness) and the road-less forests of our publiclands system. Largelyundisturbed, wildernessand roadless areas are notonly a serene and beautiful

refuge for wildlife andrecreationists, but thestreams flowing from theseareas are among our mostpure. When you think ofwater quantity and qual-ity—healthy, intact forestsdo the work: capture, store,purify and deliver. Thesewildland waters supportour communities andeconomies downstream.UNM economists estimatethat the water alone fromthese undeveloped forestsin New Mexico may beworth over $80 million an-nually to the state. Given the overuse, over-

appropriation and too oftenpoor land-use decisionscombined with climate

change and the vagaries ofthe drought cycle, it’s moreimportant than ever to pro-tect and preserve our wa-ters. If we wish to conserveour farms and ranches,hunting and fishing oppor-tunities, rural economies,acequias, wildlife as well asthe sustainability of ourhigh-desert city, we willneed to proactively assurethe quality and quantity ofour waters and forests.And that begins with pro-tecting New Mexico’sforested headwaters.Using the federal Clean

Water Act, Governor BillRichardson and his envi-ronment department filed apetition before the NewMexico Water QualityControl Commission(WQCC) to designate wa-ters within previously des-ignated Wilderness areas asOutstanding National Re-source Waters (ONRW)under the Clean Water Act.If successful, this nomina-tion would protect over700 miles of rivers andstreams, 29 lakes, and ap-proximately 6,000 acres ofwetlands in our state.WildEarth Guardians re-

quested another 900 milesof waterways be added inroadless forests. Becausethese waters are not alwayspolluted by one single dam-aging action, the cumula-tive effect of activities canlead to degradation. How-ever, once designated as“Outstanding” under theClean Water Act, pollutionto the waterway is explic-itly prohibited. ..................................................Bryan Bird is the Wild Places

Program director for WildEarth

Guardians in Santa Fe. Bryan has

undertaken conservation research and

planning in Mexico, Central America

and the Southwestern United States.

He lives in the Galisteo watershed.


OUR N

ATUR

AL H

ERITA

GE

NEW MEXICO’SHEADWATERS: OUR LIFEBLOOD BY BRYAN BIRD

Santa Feans are deeply aware of our precious, life-giving waters and recognize that ourforests provide that water. We live in a state where less than two percent of the landscape iswater and yet our acequias, ranchlands, pueblos, cities and wildlife depend nearly exclusivelyon that small amount of water for survival. Our forefathers and mothers long ago recognizedthe connection between clean water and wild forests and have taken sound action to preservethe forests above our city and the sanctity of our water. Now, the state has embarked on abold attempt to ensure similar protections for all of our headwaters.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?Join WildEarth Guardians in theClean Waters, Wild Forests cam-paign. Send a letter of support tothe Chair of the New Mexico WaterQuality Control Commission in sup-port of Outstanding waters:

Chair, WQCCc/o Joyce Medina 1190 St. Francis Drive, N2153Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502

Or send email [email protected]

For more information, please visitwww.wildearthguardians.org

© C

inny

Gre

en

© J

im N

ix




OUR N

ATUR

AL H

ERITA

GE



Humans have used everytool of our big brains—from magic to logic—toboth own and participate inthe bounty of our onlyhome in the universe.Nonetheless, a sense of dis-connection has prevailed.“Most people are on theworld, not in it,” wroteJohn Muir, founder of theSierra Club, “having noconscious sympathy or re-lationship to anything

about them—undiffusedand rigidly alone like mar-bles of polished stone,touching but separate.” Many studies have

shown that disconnectionfrom nature causes us un-happiness and conversely,the experience of nature—whether in a garden, on ahiking trail or from a treeoutside a window—fostersa sense of well-being andefficacy. Along the twisted

route of separation fromour source, a few specialsouls have recognized thedangers, ached for thebridge back to the full com-munity of nature, andworked tirelessly to reversethe loss of habitat, fresh air,clean water, and all kindsof splendid creatures. In1964, a group of visionar-ies, including the vilifiedPresident Lyndon John-son, held the conviction

that parts of the Earthneeded to be “untrammeledby man, where man himselfis a visitor who does not re-main.” On September 3rd ofthat year, he signed intolaw the revolutionaryWilderness Act. Otherspersisted in the mission, asif a dam had opened andecological awarenessflowed, at first tricklingand now tidal. The first 9.1million acres signed into


OUR N

ATUR

AL H

ERITA

GE

THE PECOS WILDERNESS: A FORCE OF NATURE INSPIRES A FORCE FOR NATURE BY CINNY GREEN

In July I stood on Jicarita Peak on the northern edge of the Pecos Wilderness.I went there to resolve a recent loss but forgot myself under the spell of the viewfrom 12,835 feet elevation. The wind gusting across the summit wove the endlessweft and warp of nature together. It offered me a sensation of wholeness. At thesame time, I knew the landscape before me was peppered with ecological lossesmore fragmenting than my own. I pledged to reciprocate the personally restora-tive vision from Jicarita to become a steward of the wild, to put my awarenessinto action, and not to be just a visitor.

© tr

ekke

r314

(ww

w.fli

ckr.c

om/p

hoto

s/trek

ker3

14/)

law as wilderness areashave grown into 756wildernesses covering al-most 110,000,000 acres.But that’s only 5% of theUS land mass, so there ismuch more work to bedone.The Pecos Wilderness,

within an hour’s walk ofSanta Fe Ski Basin, was in-cluded in the original 1964document, protecting200,000 acres betweenSanta Fe and Pecos, NewMexico. An additional55,000 acres were added in1980. As a new steward ofour wounded environment,I’ve now joined the effortsof WildEarth Guardians,Sierra Club, and the Cen-ter for Biological Diversityto explore and preserveecosystems within both thePecos Wilderness bound-aries and the greater SantaFe National Forest. What is it about the

Pecos—and green spacesof all kinds—that fostersthis commitment to becomean advocate for nature?Carl Jung wrote that, innature, “Being is a field offorce” and the impact of or-ganic and inorganic beingsis corporeal as well as spiri-tual. Out in the wild, re-lieved of the cacophonoushuman din, I can sensefields of force from stone tobud to grub.When I cross Panchuela

Creek, moisture raises thelittle hairs on my cheek.Along the Santa Barbara

Divide, bighorns gaze atme with slitted cat-likeeyes. On the Dockweiler Trail

in October, aspens bathethe forest in a mysticalgolden glow.The boulder fields under

Truchas Peak retell theirliberating tumble from thesummit.

In July, lightning smacksthe sky, and I am a fragilepresence in the biosphere. In the Pecos, nature’s

voices harmonize. Else-where, regrettably, they’remore like weeping chil-dren: toxic fish, poisonedvegetables, disappearingaquifers, melting glaciers,and worse, absolutely silentspecies weeping from thespirit world. As environ-mental activist and authorDerrick Jensen says,“There’s the nagging littlefact that this culture ismurdering the planet.”There’s no ignoring that

stark reality, especiallyonce you see what it can belike in a protected sphere.Muir understood the leapfrom awareness to advo-cacy and offered the anti-dote to his own lamentabout separateness: “Feware altogether deaf to thepreaching of pine trees.

Their sermons on themountains go to our hearts;and if people in generalcould be got into thewoods, even for once, tohear the trees speak forthemselves, all difficultiesin the way of forest preser-vation would vanish.”When you feel disillu-

sioned about the enormousmess we’ve made of ourhome, go up Hyde ParkRoad outside Santa Fe; fol-low the winding curves tothe Winsor trailhead.Leave your car and yourdisconnection behind. Lis-ten to the hubbub ofwilderness beings welcom-ing you as one of their own.When you come back totown, you’ll know what todo: defend more wilder-ness, protect the endan-gered, clear trails with theSierra Club, clean upriverbeds, demand greenspaces and parks, fight bigoil, logging, and miningprofiteers, or advocate forwhatever place makes youfeel as whole as I felt thatday on Jicarita Peak.......................................................

Cinny Green is a

Santa Fe writer,

editor, and Sierra

Club hike leader.

She is author of

Trail Writer’s

Guide (Western Edge Press, 2010) that

links inspiration from the wild with ele-

ments of writing craft. For trail writing

workshops in the Pecos Wilderness and

beyond, go to trailwriters.com. Read

Cinny’s blogposts about all things wild

at cinnygreen.wordpress.com.



Out in the wild, relieved of thecacophonous human din, I can

sense fields of force from stone tobud to grub.

© C

inny

Gre

en

© tr

ekke

r314

(ww

w.fli

ckr.c

om/p

hoto

s/trek

ker3

14/)

Founded in 1987 by asmall group of plant enthu-siasts and experts, the Gar-den is composed of twonature preserves, a trove ofcommunity activities andeducational programming,and a future site for a 12-acre botanical garden atMuseum Hill, slated toopen in August 2011. Sowhen someone asks aboutthe Garden’s exact loca-tion, staff members oftenrespond with a light-hearted, “It’s more than agarden!” before launchinginto a detailed descriptionof the organization’s manyprograms. The Garden’s mission is

to celebrate, cultivate, and

conserve the rich botanicalheritage and biodiversity ofthe region through educa-tional programs and com-munity service. Thismission is carried out withthe support and dedicationof nearly 100 volunteers,who staff the preserves andserve as trained docents,help at the annual GardenTours, write articles forquarterly newsletters, andteach school children aboutthe joys of flowers andbugs. Due to such dedica-tion, volunteers, Gardenmembers, and occasionalparticipants alike can col-lectively celebrate the his-tory and beauty of ourunique Northern New

Mexico ecosystems, inhab-ited by ponderosa andpiñon, bears and bats, cot-tonwoods and coyotes. But the Garden’s impact

does not end with its com-mitment to the communityand natural splendor. Byinspiring the City Differentto protect its unique nativeflora, the SFBG providesboth a vision and educa-tional resources for a moresustainable Santa Fe. Sinceits humble beginnings, theGarden’s board has under-stood the importance ofxeric landscaping andwater conservation in theregion, and thus advocatesthrough workshops andlectures for environmen-

tally responsible gardensand water catchment sys-tems. And communitymembers have been takingnote. SFBG volunteerVicky Jacobson believesthat the organization’s na-ture preserves provide op-portunities for individualsto learn about making moresustainable choices,“whether it’s compostingand recycling plants, orlearning which plants con-tribute the most in beauty,longevity, and drought tol-erance” in a desert land-scape. Further, volunteerJane Burns notes that theGarden’s two nature areasdo not allow developmentor harvesting, so both are


OUR N

ATUR

AL H

ERITA

GE

GARDENS GONE WILD Santa Fe Botanical Garden Remembers its Roots while itGrows its FutureBY ERIN SINDEWALD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANICE TUCKER

What’s in a name? Staff at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden often joke that one of themost common questions they receive is, “Where’s the garden?” Those unfamiliar withthe work of SFBG are often surprised to learn that this nonprofit has been serving thecommunity for more than 20 years.



“preserved for the futureand are accessible forrecreational learning.”Sustainability and

preservation, however, callfor a continuous flow ofadvocates, do-gooders andstarry-eyed idealists. Butwith busier schedules andless time for volunteering,and a younger generationthat has grown up with lessexposure to nature thantheir predecessors, theGarden must evolve muchthe way southwestern ver-dure adapted to its desertenvironment—conservingprecious water while allur-ing interaction with otherspecies by essence of its nat-ural beauty. While SFBGcould never have succeededwithout its devoted volun-teers over the past twodecades, we want to enticethe next generation into thegardens as well.Therefore, this year is a

call to action to those whomay or may not know thedifference between a ju-niper and a Gambel Oak.Join the movement! TheGarden is currently seek-ing individuals ages 18-34who are interested in serv-ing as volunteer docents,leading nature hikes, andassisting in outreach andsocial media campaigns.Commitments can be eitherlong or short-term, andSFBG will work around avolunteer’s schedule to cre-ate a mutually beneficialexperience. The Garden, armed with

a dedicated brigade of bothold and new-timers, expects2011 to be another exhila-rating year for plants andbeyond. Members and par-ticipants can look forward

to old favorites such as theGarden Tours in June, theFabulous Fall Plant Sale,and the Children’s HolidayWorkshop in December.Supporters can also antici-pate another season of plantand bird walks, bat watch-ing, nature photographyand writing, mountainhikes, and garden planningworkshops. Another note-worthy event in 2011 is theWinter Lecture Series,which will include topicssuch as “The Gardens ofAncient Rome” and “Euro-pean Medieval Gardens.”Individuals who are in-

terested in becoming Mem-bers of the Santa FeBotanical Garden, signingup for volunteer opportu-nities, or learning moreabout programs and eventscan visit www.santafebo-tanicalgarden.org for moreinformation...................................................

Erin Sindewald is

an intern at St.

Elizabeth Shelter

and an ardent fan

and volunteer of

Santa Fe Botani-

cal Garden.

ADVERTISING/MARKETING/MEDIAFlavorgrafix....................85316-0237Jennifer Esperanza ..........85204-5729SAR Press.......................37888-390-6070Signs of Santa Fe...........139474-0495

ARCHITECTS/BUILDERSDenman and Associates ...59983-6014Hands Engineering ...........76473-7373Kreger Design Build .......133660-9391McDowell & Satzinger .....25982-5238McDowell & Satzinger ...134982-5238Pompei's Home Remodeling ...................133982-7378

BANK/FINANCIALSERVICESCentury Bank ....................9955-1200Horizon Sustainable Financial Services ..........133982-9661LANB................................0662-5171New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union ........51467-6000Secular & Associates......139421-3480State Employees Credit Union....................57983-7328

BUILDING MATERIALBig Jo True Value.............89473-2255Bioshield.........................73438-3448Chaparral Materials Inc....77471-3491DAHL Plumbing .................2438-5096Linson's ..........................31984-8700Mexico Lindo...................69820-9898Miller's Insulation ...........89505-924-2214New Mexico Stone ..........35820-7625Nudura - Verde Materials 21474-8686Omni ..............................63424-3565Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity ReStore ...........52473-1114

CLOTHING/FABRICSAct 2 ............................133983-8585Barkin' Botique ...............33986-0699Double Take ....................89989-8886Santa Fe Quilting...........139473-3747Sense Clothing.................59988-5534SOS from Texas...............751-800-245-2339Tiny Tots.........................15204-1653; 757-2281

EDUCATIONAcademy for the Love ofLearning .......................115995-1860Camino de Paz School ......351-505-747-9717Dragonfly School ............76995-9869Earth Care.....................143983-6896

Golden Acorns .................36795-9079Harvest the Rain .............81424-4444Randall Davey Audubon Center ............................85983-4609Santa Fe Alliance .............41989-5362Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association.........75982-1774Santa Fe Community College .............................1428-1000Santa Fe Waldorf School...123983-9727SAR Press.......................37888-390-6070Scherer Institute..............56982-8398Southwestern College ....117471-5756

FOOD/FARMING/GROCERYCamino de Paz School ......351-505-747-9717Dish n' Spoon ..................66983-7676Farm to Restaurant (SF Al-liance) ............................99989-5362La Montanita ................145984-2852Peas 'n' Pod Catering, Inc ..107438-2877The Food Depot .............103471-1633Walter Burke Catering .....97473-9600Whole Foods .................119992-1700

FURNITUREMexico Lindo...................69820-9898Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity ReStore ...........52473-1114Stephen's ConsignmentGallery ...........................65471-0802

GOVERNMENTCity of Santa Fe - Economic Development...127955-6915City of Santa Fe - Parks,Trails and Watershed - Parks Division...............135955-2100City of Santa Fe - PublicWorks (Santa Fe Trails)......4955-2001City of Santa Fe - Solid Waste ....................55424-1850City of Santa Fe - Water Conservation.........87955-4225Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau ........83955-6200

HEALTHAdvanced Janitor Supply ..57989-7188Buddha Fitness ................67983-7909Dahn Yoga ....................142820-2211Exploring Health..............35982-0044Lakind Dental Group ........27988-3500Milagro Herbs ...............123820-6321Scherer Institute..............56982-8398We the People CommunityAcupuncture ..................134982-3711


LANDSCAPING/RESTORATION/NURSERYDown to Earth Landscapes ...49983-5743Dryland Solutions ............37577-9625EcoScapes .......................27424-9004Franco's Trees .................75412-2875Harvest the Rain .............81424-4444Native Earth Landscaping ....................81316-2284New Mexico Hydroponic .....................61316-5855Plants of the Southwest ......................61438-8888Santa Fe Greenhouses......13473-2700Santa Fe Premium Compost .......................134310-3971Santa Fe Tree Farm..........52984-2888Soil Secrets .....................45505-550-3246Tooley's Trees .................731-505-689-2400

NON PROFITSAcademy for the Love of Learning ...................115995-1860Bioneers .........................23986-0366Camino de Paz School ......351-505-747-9717Chainbreaker...................66989-3858Dragonfly School ............76995-9869Earth Care.....................143983-6896Farm to Restaurant (SF Alliance)....................99989-5362

New Mexico EnvironmentalLaw Center .....................31989-9022New Mexico Land Conservancy .................133986-3801Randall Davey Audubon Center ............................85983-4609Santa Fe Alliance .............41989-5362Santa Fe Area Home Builder Association ..........75982-1774Santa Fe Conservation Trust...............................89989-7019Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity ReStore ...........52473-1114Santa Fe Watershed Association .....................33820-1696The Food Depot .............103471-1633The Housing Trust............71989-3960Youth Media Project ........56986-1880

OTHERAdvanced Janitor Supply ..57989-7188Amanda's Flowers...........28473-9212Copy Shack .....................87982-0200Heard, Robins, Cloud and Black LLP....................5986-0600Linson's ..........................31984-8700Mobile Sharpening...........36577-4491Rio Grande Return.........139466-1767Shaklee...........................97757-3696

PETSCritters and Me...............25982-5040The Feed Bin ...................97982-0511

REAL ESTATEGalisteo Basin Preserve...48982-4466Interval Ownership .........39982-5222New Mexico Land Conservancy .................133986-3801The Housing Trust............71989-3960The Sanctuary .................49982-5222

RENEWABLE ENERGYADI Solar ......................133490-0994; 575-422-3088Bella Solar ......................11660-6220Medlin Mechanical ...........65577-8087Positive Energy .................3424-1112Q, S, & V Electro/Mechanical ......................21660-9047Renewable Energy Partners .........................53466-4259The Firebird.....................19983-5264

RESTAURANTSAqua Santa ...................119982-6297Atrisco Café and Bar *F2R.............................103983-7401Cowgirl BBQ *F2R .........104982-2565El Farol .........................109983-9912El Patio...........................91820-0717Il Piatto *F2R................105984-1091

India House...................105471-2651Joe's Santa Fe *F2R ........95471-3800Mu Du Noodles..............109983-1411Peas 'n' Pod Catering, Inc107438-2877Real Food Nation *F2R ..101466-3886Santa Fe Capitol Grill .....103471-6800Second Street Brewery *F2R103.....................982-3030Tree House Café *F2R....104474-5543Vinaigrette .....................21820-9205

RETAILAdvanced Janitor Supply ..57989-7188Amanda's Flowers.........135473-9212Big Jo True Value.............89473-2255Centaur Cycles and Scooters .........................11471-5481Dotfoil ............................27954-9955Milagro Herbs ...............123820-6321Moon Rabbit Toys ...........29982-9373Reflective Images............65988-7393Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works............133984-8221Santa Fe Exchange...........67983-2043The Ark...........................23988-3709

[2011]


SERVICESCovington Consulting .......25982-0044Creative Couriers...........115920-6370Davis Innovations............53424-6631Dotfoil ............................27954-9955Heard, Robins, Cloud and Black LLP....................5986-0600Medlin Mechanical ...........65577-8087Mobile Sharpening...........36577-4491Net Pros .........................39474-0822New Mexico EnvironmentalLaw Center .....................31989-9022Regenesis .......................61986-8338

The Housing Trust............71989-3960Tiny Tots.........................15204-1653; 757-2281

TRANSPORTATIONBeaver Toyota Scion ......144982-1900Broken Spoke..................15992-3102Chainbreaker...................66989-3858Chalmers Capitol Ford ....146888-858-0015Creative Couriers...........115920-6370Hal Burns Power Systems135471-1671Hal Burns Truck and Equipment39.......................471-1671

WATERHarvest the Rain .............81424-4444Natural Systems International ...................29988-7453Q, S, & V Electro/Mechanical ......................21660-9047Santa Fe Watershed Association .....................33820-1696The Firebird.....................19983-5264Water Lady.....................971-505-660-4162




Earth Care 2011 Sustainable Santa Fe Guide

Documents

resource guide6photo

american fruit

parqueby marita prandoni34

right hereat home

boy dreamsby nolan eskeets26

esaiby jimmy santiago

fair exchange

thepower of natures