Green Fire Times June 2012 Edition

Vol. 4, No. 6June 2012 New Mexico’s FiFth Largest circuLatioN Newspaper

The SouThweST’S energy FuTure

20 yearS oF SuSTainable inveSTing

a Tipping poinT For SuSTainable buSineSS?

greenbuilT Tour 2012: heaLthy hoMes, heaLthy FaMiLies

Ne w s & Vi e w s F r o M t h e su s t ai N ab L e so u t h w e s t

Green Fire Times • June 20122 www.GreenFireTimes.com

June 2012 • Green Fire Times 3www.GreenFireTimes.com

Vol. 4, No. 6 • June 2012Issue No. 38Publisher

Green Fire Publishing, LLCSkip Whitson

Managing editorSeth Roffman

ARt DIReCtoR Anna C. Hansen Dakini Design

CoPy eDItoRStephen Klinger

Publisher’s assistants Barbara e. Brown, Karen Shepherd,

Camille Franchette, John Black

CoNtRIButING WRIteRSGerald B. Ansell, Juan estévan Arellano,

Susan Guyette, Alan Hoffman, Melanie Margarita Kirby, GinaRae LaCerva, Maceo Carrillo Martinet,

Allan oliver, Seth Roffman, Luke Spangenburg, Jonah Stanford,

Drew tulchin, tom Wehner

CoNtRIButING PhotograPhers

Anna C. Hansen, Melanie Margarita Kirby, Amedeus Leiter, elliott McDowell

Seth Roffman, Jamey Stillings

advertising salesSkip Whitson 505.471.5177John Black 505.920.0359

Cynthia Canyon 505.470.6442 Jack King 505.884.4497

distribution Barbara Brown, Co-op Dist. Sves.,

Nick García, Andy otterstrom (Creative Couriers), tony Rapatz, Wuilmer Rivera,

Skip Whitson, John WoodieWebmaster: Karen Shepherd

oFFICe ASSIStANtS Claire Ayraud, Sally Calvin

CIRCuLAtIoN22,000 copies

Printed locally with 100% soy ink on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper

GReeN FIRe tIMeSc/o the Sun Companies

Po Box 5588Santa Fe, NM 87502-5588

Ph: 505.471.5177Fax: 505.473.4458

[email protected]

© 2012 Green Fire Publishing, LLC

Green Fire Times provides useful informa-tion for anyone: community members, business people, students, visitors—interested in discov-ering the wealth of opportunities and resources available in our region. Knowledgeable writers provide articles on subjects ranging from green businesses, products, services, entrepreneurship, jobs, design, building, energy and investing—to sustainable agriculture, arts & culture, ecotour-ism, education, regional food, water, the healing arts, local heroes, native perspectives, natural re-sources, recycling, transportation and more. Sun Companies publications seek to provide our readers with informative articles that support a more sustainable planet. To our publisher this means maximizing personal as well as environ-mental health by minimizing consumption of meat and alcohol.GFT is widely distributed throughout north-central New Mexico. Feedback, announce-ments, event listings, advertising and article submissions to be considered for publication are welcome.

wiNNer oF the 2010 sustaiNabLe saNta Fe award For outstaNdiNg educatioNaL project

ContentsGreenBuilt tour 2012 5

AffordABle PAssive House ConstruCtion 6

tHe net-Zero-enerGy Home 8

CAlCulAte your Home’s enerGy effiCienCy 9

tHe soutHwest’s And tHe PlAnet’s enerGy future 11

A solution At our finGertiPs 13

Ground Broken for tHe nm Consortium’s BioloGiCAl lABorAtory At los AlAmos 15

one out of two new mexiCAns live in AreAs Hit By reCent weAtHer disAsters 18

firefiGHters in nm ConneCt reCord fires witH ClimAte CHAnGe 18

ClimAte CHAnGe newsBites 19

imPortinG Bees: HiGH demAnd CreAtes A HuGe dilemmA 20

everydAy Green: ProteCtinG yourself from PestiCides 25

is rAinwAter HArvestinG wortH it in A desert? 29

fiftH AnnuAl CeleBrAndo lAs ACequiAs 31

A tiPPinG Point for sustAinABle Business? 33

Green money JournAl CeleBrAtes 20 yeArs of sustAinABle investinG 35

wHAt’s GoinG on 38

COVER: AnAsAzi WindoW, ChACo CAnyon • Photo © Elliott McDowell www.ElliottMcDowell.com • Represented by Andy Smith Gallery -– Santa Fe, New MexicoGreen Fire Times is not to be confused with the Green Fire Report, an in-house quarterly publication of the New Mexico environmental Law Center. the NMeLC can be accessed online at: www.nmelc.org.

Copyright 2012 Joel Pett. Reprinted with permission.


Green BuildinG

The U.S. Green Building Council (US-GBC) New Mexico Chapter and

GreenBuilt Tour Committee are hosting the 13th Annual GreenBuilt Tour, June 9-10 from 10 am to 4 pm in the Albuquer-que, Santa Fe and Taos areas. Twenty-one homes are participating, and 120 volun-

teers are helping make the tour possible. It all kicks off with a reception on Friday, June 8 from 6-8:30 pm in Algodones, at the first modular home to be included.

GreenBuilt 2012 is designed to showcase sustainable building practices that are healthy, attractive, practical and affordable.

“The tour puts current challenges to our vision to create a vibrant and sustainable built environment within a generation in the forefront of our attendees’ minds,” says USGBC-NM Chair Lemoyne Blackshear.

The homes were selected for their uses of renewable energy, high indoor air-quality, water preservation, energy efficiency, retrofitting, re-use of materials, xe-riscaping and environmentally friendly products. Many need very little energy to keep them comfortable year round and produce more energy than they use. Some have Build Green NM, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), ENERGY STAR, Passive House ratings, or are awaiting certification.

Innovations on the high-tech side include NM’s first residential use of a thin film PV system. On the low-tech side, you can see a 3,000-gallon cistern built from earth-filled tires and a modern take on earthen building that uses local earthen plasters inside and out.

“You will see some very creative salvage and recycling ideas come to fruition,” said Kent Gurley, co-chair of the tour committee. “How about taking old barn wood and making it into a dance floor for your home? Now that’s what we call “repurposing.”

Free guidebooks are available at Whole Foods and La Montañita Co-op locations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, The Merc in Placitas, BookWorks, 4022 Río Grande in Albuquerque and the Taos Food Co-Op (in OptiMysm), 314 G Paseo del Pueb-lo Norte. The guidebook is also available online at www.usgbcnm.org/gbt2012.

GreenBuilt tour 2012 HealtHy Homes, HealtHy Families June 9-11 in Albuquerque, SAntA Fe And tAoS AreAS

The entry fee for the tour is $2 per person per home. Visitors can pay at the door of each home or a two-day tour pass can be purchased in advance for $15 at www.usgbcnm.org. For reservations to the reception, go to www.usgbcnm.org, click on chapter events and select June 10. The cost is $35 for USGBC-NM members and $40 for non-members. Food, drinks and live music will be provided.

GreenBuilt 2012 is sponsored by Wells Fargo, Build Green NM, PNM, Davis Kitchens, Construction Reporter, CASA, Affordable Solar, the Alibi, KUNM and Green Fire Times. For more information, call 505.227.0474 or visit www.usgbcnm.org.

Here are a Few examples oF tHe Homes:The Kennison Casita in NE Albuquerque, is a 1,100 SF/700 retrofit built in 1932. The renovation slated to be completed this year features an ENERGY STAR water heater, compact fluorescent light (CFL) light fixtures, solar tube skylights and CFL bulbs for nighttime lighting. It also has a reflective roof, garage walls made from tires filled with compacted earth and covered in El Rey Stucco, and Papercrete used for triangle block wall extension. The existing mature landscape has been pre-served. Specific “Healthy Homes” attributes include cork flooring in the bedroom, and original hardwood floors sealed with low-volatile organic compound (VOC) water-based sealer. In addition it has gypsum plaster walls finished with American Clay, and cotton denim insulation in the interior walls.

The Balance Project passive house in Santa Fe, owned and designed by Jonah Stanford of Mojarrab Stanford Architects, is the first Passive House in NM. A Passive House features highly energy-efficient design and is computer modeled using the Passive House Planning Package to optimize the structure for energy

savings. Paint has not been used in the building; factory fin-ished finishes have low- or no-VOC treatments and pro-vide fresh air ventilation. Other key traits are solar heating, night-sky cooling through the Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) and triple pane windows with a U-.11 and SHGC .63. Certifications include Passive House and Build Green NM Emerald.

The Barton studio & retreat owned by John and Polly Barton in Ojo Caliente was designed by AIA Architect/Planner John Barton, with an emphasis on landscaping to preserve existing vegetation, and includes xeriscaping, native plants and grasses. The design uses a roof rainwater catch-ment system with filtration and UV treatment for the main water supply, as well as more water that can be delivered to below-grade cisterns. The house also uses a greywater system that recycles wastewater generated by laundry, dishwash-ing and bathing, which can then be used for irrigation. The “Healthy Homes” emphasis is on low-VOC products, solar tubes for interior spaces, no carpeting or synthetic flooring and natural ventilation with operable openings. i

“We love this spot on a high desert plateau of northern NM. Temperature extremes here are taken advantage of with the

use of a traditional adobe construction and a passive solar design, which keeps the house cool in summer and warm in

winter, blending the home into the surrounding earth.” – John Barton, AIA: Architect and Planner

the “Hoochaneetsa Modern Home,” built by New Mexico earthworks on the northern edge of Cochiti Lake, has views of the Jemez Mountains.


The first generation of certified Passive Houses has been completed in Santa Fe. Optimizing the economic advantages of the Passive House approach,

these projects establish the cost competitiveness of Passive House construction when compared with typical regional construction projects.

The American Southwest has a long history of environmentally based architec-ture. However, the typical approaches to sustainability, such as earthen or straw-bale construction, are extremely labor intensive and therefore can be quite expen-sive. The associated passive-solar designs follow an energy model of high thermal losses balanced by high solar gain—a model requiring sustained solar exposure that is not often available.

The following case studies demonstrate that the Passive House approach can meet the demand for both affordability and energy-use reduction.

passive House project one: BAlAnCe houseThe first Passive House—Balance House—was completed in April 2011. With a construction area of 3,313 sq. ft. measured from the exterior thermal envelope, Balance House includes two units: a 2,590 sq. ft. residence and a 723 sq. ft. office building. The final construction cost was $451,406 for 3,313 sq. ft. This results in an amortized construction cost of $135 per sq. ft.

passive House project two: VolKshouseThe second Passive House project—VolksHouse—was designed to introduce a Passive House product to the Santa Fe housing market and, as such, was de-signed to meet standard market expectations for size, program and cost.

Additionally, VolksHouse is intended to serve as a model for Passive House construc-tion techniques that are allied with standard US design and construction sequencing and practices. A successful Passive House model in the US must adapt standard con-struction practices, since, unlike our European counterparts, project architects in the US often have little or no role in the construction process of smaller scale affordable or production-home projects. This break in continuity can lead to the failure of a project’s final performance, especially in terms of airtightness and thermal-bridge elimination. These elements, central to the Passive House approach, are currently undervalued in the US design and construction industries.

VolksHouse was completed in February 2012. Its basic design follows a typical, detached single-family residence pattern with three bedrooms, two baths and a two-car garage. The residence is 1,700 sq. ft. measured from the thermal-enve-lope exterior, with an additional 560 sq. ft. of unconditioned space for storage and vehicle parking.

The final VolksHouse construction cost was $259,799 for 1,700 sq. ft., resulting in an amortized construction cost of $153 per sq. ft.

ProCess, lessons & ModiFiCAtionsVolksHouse was designed concurrently with the construction of Balance House, and we modified the thermal envelope and system designs in response to lessons learned through the Balance House construction process.

The primary modification was to the VolksHouse thermal envelope. By simplify-ing critical details and systems—foundation forming, air-tightness detailing and materials, thermal envelope, and the mechanical system—we increased the proj-ect’s air-tightness, decreased thermal bridging and improved the performance consistency of the completed building.

FoundAtion ForMinG

The perimeter-insulation design for Balance House incorporated several small sections of rigid EPS insulation based on Passive House thermal-performance requirements. This sectioned-EPS approach minimized material usage; but it proved difficult to implement with consistency and was labor-intensive. For the VolksHouse, we simplified the foundation system and thereby eliminated much of the forming and rigid-insulation installation labor.

AirtiGhtness, detAilinG & MAteriAlThe airtightness layer on the Balance House used plywood that was fully taped from the exterior. The Larsen Truss detailing around the windows did not, how-ever, allow window installation to align with the airtightness layer, a condition that required subsequent labor-intensive air-tightness detailing and resulted in higher air-infiltration levels. Additionally, the material inconsistencies of the ply-wood led to air leaks that required patching. The leaks were confirmed during positive pressurization testing using smoke to locate air leaks.

AFFordABle PAssiVe houses CoMe to sAntA FejonaH stanFord

© A

med

eus

Leite

r

VolksHouse foundation detail showing the simplified version that reduced over-all project costs

Balance House foundation detail showing the different pieces that re-quired difficult on-site installation


continued on page 26

Although Bal-ance House passed the Passive House requirements for airtightness (0.47 ACH @ 50 Pa.), we felt that the process was not replicable with quantifiable results. The air-tightness detailing for VolksHouse was changed to address these is-sues. VolksHouse windows and doors

were aligned directly with the air barrier without any exceptions, and the proj-ect employed a zip-panel as an alternative airtightness material. The zip-panel included a simple overlay component and provided a very consistent surface for air-sealing-tape application and easy inspection. Labor for air sealing was con-sequently reduced, and the blower-door test resulted in a 0.25 ACH @ 50 Pa.

therMAl enVeloPe desiGnBalance House utilized all-cellulose insulation for the walls and roof—a material we selected for its relatively environmentally friendly characteristics. However, during installation, it became apparent that the regional quality control and in-stallation standards for cellulose did not meet the standards required for Pas-sive House durability and gap elimination. A significant number of inspections, reviews and contract revisions were ultimately required to achieve our desired results. As it was our intention that these projects create a repeatable model for Passive House construction, we revised the thermal envelope for VolksHouse to a continuous layer of rigid EPS insulation.

MeChAniCAl systeMThe solar-thermal system for Balance House was successful, but the project’s greater scale informed the cost benefits of the system design since its cost is amortized across a large conditioned floor area. VolksHouse is roughly half the size of Balance House, and installing a similar, yet smaller, system would have been financially inefficient. Also, since we wanted VolksHouse to meet market norms, we reanalyzed the mechanical system in terms of the level of interaction that environmental controls would require of the owner.

Balance House primarily uses manual shading to control over-heating, but there were concerns that manual controls would hinder market penetration and create an inappropriate association between Passive House construction and owner in-convenience. We therefore decided that a cooling system would bolster the overall

ReduciNg eNeRgy use aNd eNViRoNmeNtal impacts with passiVe house coNstRuctioN As a community, a nation and species we realize we must develop means of reducing our environmental impact. data from the us energy informa-tion Administration indicate that our buildings are responsible for 48 per-cent of greenhouse gas emissions, and 76 percent of all power generated in the us goes to the building sector. our current built environment repre-sents a clear target for reduction. to address this we have seen steady in-cremental improvements to our energy-efficiency requirements through the adoption of improved codes such as the ieCC (international energy Conservation Code) or the establishment of minimum hers ratings (home energy rating system). however, these advances are typically hard-won during difficult economic times due to their generally negative impact to construction costs.

our challenge then as a building community has been to find construc-tion methods that dramatically reduce energy use in diverse environmen-tal settings while maintaining current construction costs. to that end the Passive house approach has been locally and internationally demonstrat-ing that these combined attributes are not necessarily mutually exclusive and may very well be the future of standard building methodology.

The Passive house approach represents one of the highest energy standards, and compliance with the design requirements typically reduces a building’s energy use by 90 percent. developed by German physicist dr. Wolfgang Feist in 1990, the Passive house approach focuses on conservation of en-ergy first, prior to any active system design. A majority of this focused on the design of a high-performance thermal envelope, relating to reduced energy loses though unintentional infiltration, elimination of thermal bridges, ori-entation and thermal loss resistance.

A certified Passive house must demonstrate its compliance with several key criteria. The building must have less than 0.6 air changes per hour when pressurized at 50 pascal during a blower-door test. it must use less then 4.75 kBtu of energy per year for heating per interior sq. ft. and it must use less than 38.1 kBtu of overall primary energy in total annual energy use per interior sq. ft. strict standards for indoor air quality provided through heat-recovery units, comfort and thermal bridge-free construc-tion must also be met.

The international success of this approach is widely demonstrated. dur-ing the recent international Passive house conference in hanover, Ger-many, it was announced that over 40,000 Passive house buildings have been completed. totaling over 200 million square feet, these buildings are saving approximately $320 million every year in energy costs, compared to non-Passive house construction. A majority of these buildings are found in Western europe, where the standard originated. however, we are seeing the approach increasingly spread. Approximately 50 countries were represented at the conference, including south Korea, Japan, the uK and the us.

exterior of Balance House during the installation of Larsen trusses

exterior of VolksHouse during installation of ePS sheeting

VolksHouse (l) and Balance House window installations


How is it possible to build a home with little or no annual utility costs

at the same price as a conventional home?

In 1974 I built my first passive solar home and saved 80 percent on heating costs just by taking into account the orientation of the structure and improving insulation values. As the Pueblo Indians have long known, orienting a home with openings to the south uses the sun to help make a home more comfortable year-round. As the years passed, we worked to further reduce both our heating and utility bills.

New technology has made it possible to reduce all energy inputs to the modern home. In the past three years, with the support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, four significant tech-nological breakthroughs have made it possible to construct a home with annual utility bills of almost zero. Contemporary designs such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) have provided ways to build a certified energy-efficient, safe and healthy home for about the price of a conventional home. In this

the net-zero-enerGy hoMe: hoW does it WorK?alan HoFFman

article I will focus on the application of these breakthroughs in the construction of the Net-Zero-Energy Home.

design

The design of a modern LEED-certified home, as well as New Mexico BGNM (Build Green New Mexico)-certified home requires extensive energy analysis prior to construction, as well as reduced water use and healthy air quality. I have been working with Renaissance Build-ers of Santa Fe. After preliminary plans are generated with advanced construc-tion techniques in mind, the plans are delivered to a certified HERS Rater for analysis. HERS (Home Energy Rating System) analyzes energy use, with HERS 100 equaling the energy use of a home built using the present building code, which in NM is the IECC (International Energy Conservation Code). If a home is designed to use half the energy of the IECC home, it would have a HERS rat-ing of 50. The energy-efficiency goal for Renaissance Homes is HERS 55 through efficiency alone, which means that it is de-signed to use 45 percent less energy than a

home built using the IECC code. Gener-ating electricity with solar panels, usually on the roof, further reduces energy use.

innovations in construction Four significant differences exist between certified energy-efficient building tech-niques and conventional construction. These differences dramatically reduce en-ergy use and improve indoor air quality.

advanced Framing tecHniques The envelope of a certified home is robust, completely encircles the house and avoids leaks known as “thermal bypass.” These homes

are insulated under the entire floor (see photo above), with the floor insulation overlapping the wall insulation, allowing no place for heat loss. The wall and ceiling sections utilize ad-vanced framing techniques, which use less wood, and eliminate places where insulation cannot be properly placed. Advanced framing leaves all corner, headers and ceiling assem-blies open for the proper installation of insu-lation, and in the case of Renaissance Homes, the entire wall assembly is then covered in over an inch of soy-based urethane foam. The foam insulates the wood in the structure, seal-ing most potential air leaks.

Workers install high density foam under all floors for a Net-Zero-energy home.



Green BuildinG

Why wait? Your home’s energy efficiency measure is an im-

portant piece of information in your decision on whether to invest in more insulation, air sealing, duct seal-ing, new thermostats, new furnace or maybe better windows. Calculate your home’s Home Heating index, or HHI, yourself, today and see how your home ranks. You may want to start energy efficiency improvements in the spring or summer when it’s eas-ier to do yourself or when contractors are more available.

What is the HHI? The HHI is the amount of heat energy occupants of a house use to keep their home warm in winter, taking into consideration the size of the house and how cold it gets. Quantitatively, the HHI is the amount of energy purchased (and generated on site) for heating dur-ing the year divided by your home’s square footage and by the number of annual heating degree days (HDDs) for your home’s location. The HHI is expressed in BTUs (sq. ft.*HDD65), where BTU is British Thermal Units and JDD65 is about 4,400 degree days, and Santa Fe’s HDD65 is about 6,100 degree days, average historical figures that come from weather sta-tion measurements.

How do you calculate the HHI? Here’s how. First, for a home heated with natural gas or propane alone, gather your receipts or go online to obtain your usage. Write down the number of therms you used each month over a 12-month period. (If you need to convert, there are about 0.9 therms per gallon of propane, and about 0.01 therms per cubic foot of natural gas or about 1 therm per CCF (100 cu-bic feet). Divide the 12 statements into heating season and non-heating season. The heating season is typically October through April. Average the usage over the non-heating months. Subtract this figure from the monthly usage over the heating months to ob-tain the monthly heating-only usage during the heating months.

Add these. Multiply the sum by 100,000 to convert therms to BTUs. Divide that figure by the square foot-age and by the HDD65 value. You now have your HHI! (See example) A similar technique is used for a house heated with electricity.

What does that HHI value mean? Look at the adjacent table to see where your home’s HHI falls. The HHI of 3.9 in the example puts this Santa Fe home in the “good” efficiency range. Energy

efficiency improvements for a house with a HHI in the “good” range are most likely costly with a long payback time. In general, higher HHIs for ex-isting houses mean shorter payback times, sometimes just a few years. Likewise, lower HHIs for existing houses mean longer payback times. However, for new homes, the incre-mental cost of designing and building in the “very good” energy efficiency range is minimal, and the lowest prac-tical HHI should be the goal for ar-chitects, designers and builders.

What energy efficiency improvements should I do first? Good question. If your home has an HHI of 10 or more, a visual inspection is usually all you need. Almost anything you choose to do; insulation, air sealing, replacement windows, duct sealing, higher energy efficient furnace, will pay back the in-vestment quickly. Let your budget be your guide. For other categories in the energy-efficiency range or if you want

a quantitative assessment, you should consult an energy expert.

A little background. There are actu-ally several HHIs that characterize a house and give additional, more de-tailed information. There are HHI-OCC™, HHI-MECH™ and HHI-SHELL™. The HHI above is more formally called HHI-OCC™, the heating energy the occupants of the house use. This is compared with HHI-MECH™, which is the heating energy that must be input to the me-chanical systems in the house to keep the house at 65 degrees F. in winter. An energy expert is needed to calcu-late the HHI-MECH™ value. When

CAlCulAte your hoMe’s enerGy eFFiCienCy todAytom weHner, pH.d.



calculate continued from page 9

HHI-OCC™ is lower than HHI-MECH™ it means that the occu-pants are energy-efficient in their oc-cupation of the house: they are using less energy than the required amount. They may be setting the thermostat lower, wearing sweaters more, setting the thermostat back at night, open-ing curtains to let the sun in during sunny days and closing them at night. Should the HHI-OCC™ be higher than the HHI-MECH™, the occu-pants are not being as energy efficient as they could be. So, a comparison of the values for HHI-OCC™ and HHI-MECH™ can tell homeowners if they are being energy efficient and how they operate the house.

HHI-SHELL™ is the amount of energy the house shell, or the struc-ture itself, requires. An energy ex-pert is needed to calculate the HHI-SHELL™ value. HHI-SHELL™ is slightly less than HHI-MECH™ because some of the energy input to the furnace or boiler is lost up the stack, and doesn’t go into the house. A comparison of HHI-SHELL™ and HHI-MECH™ can tell you if replacing your furnace or boiler is the right thing to do. Further, an energy expert can dissect HHI-SHELL™ to determine where the home’s major heat losses are, and recommend spe-cific energy efficiency improvements.

HHI-MECH™ and HHI-SHELL™ can be used directly to compare the energy efficiencies of two homes anywhere in the country. If the HHI-SHELL™ for home “A”

is lower than the HHI-SHELL™ for home “B”, then home “A” is just de-signed and built better with respect to energy efficiency.

How about cooling energy efficiency? There is a corresponding HCI, or Home Cooling Index. The HHI and HCI are highly correlated, so it is only necessary to do one to come up with a good assess-ment of the home’s energy efficiency. If the home is energy efficient, HHI is low, and the HCI is low also.

What about HERS? HHI does not re-place HERS, the Home Energy Rat-ing System. The two indices quantify different things. HERS is the per-centage of the total purchased energy usage of standard occupants in a stan-dard house (2009 International Con-servation Code). If two people live in a house with three bedrooms, they will almost always be using less energy than HERS indicates because HERS assumes six people in the house, two people per bedroom, and the resulting higher hot water usage, etc.

HERS does not let you compare two homes’ energy efficiencies. If home “A” and home “B” both have a HERS rating of say 75, you don’t necessarily know which one is more energy effi-cient. Home “A” might be very energy efficient, while home “B” might be far less energy efficient but have solar panels or a whole house fan or more efficient lighting or equipment. The homes score the same on the HERS Index, but their energy efficiencies and HHIs can be very different.

If you are serious about energy con-servation, in the market for a new home, and got your choices down to a few, here’s your mantra: “If you’re going to buy, choose the lowest HHI.” Choose the one with the lowest HHI-SHELL™ and HHI-MECH™ for the best energy efficiency. i

T o m W e h n e r , Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering is with SolarSPOT, LLC, Solar and Building Energy Consulting, S a n t a Fe , N M . 5 0 5 . 9 8 4 . 0 1 0 1 , [email protected]

HHI-OCC™, HHI-MECH™ and HHI-SHELL™ are trademarks of SolarSPOT LLC.


I have just listened to/watched yet an-other Presidential Address apologiz-

ing/justifying the ever-increasing gas and oil prices our energy guzzling and materialistically over-consuming na-tion are paying. The address was then responded to, literally within seconds, by equally short-time-frame responses from his “other wing” political opponents. It all reminded me of Harold Morgan’s re-cent syndicated “New Mexico Progress” articles. One entitled “PNM Turns Prof-itable” raised interesting, highly politi-cal and economically extreme concerns about what the truly long-term future energy supplies for the Southwest and indeed our nation’s and the whole vul-

the southWest’s and the PlAnet’s enerGy Future: BriGht or BleAK? does tHe consumer really Have a cHoice or not?gerald B. ansell

nerable planet’s population and fragile ecosystem really are. Whether one is po-litically Right, Left or Extreme, it is cer-tainly good news to hear that one of our major NM electricity and energy suppli-ers is profitable again. As Morgan aptly points out, it is extremely difficult and costly—technically, environmentally, and politically—to supply enough electricity/energy for the wants and needs of NM’s population, service, manufacturing and agricultural industries. If we can be ab-solutely non-political, scientific, realistic and mindful of who and what America is supposed to be all about, any company and its investors that take on such a huge job, obviously do deserve to make a profit.

Upon reviewing PNM’s recent p r o f i t a b i l i t y data, it’s worth studying the historical DOW indexes for the past 50 years of the share values and profits for all of the world’s major energy producers. They are very, very cyclical, ris-ing and falling frequently by as much as 50 percent or more. Over the long run of 1-15 years or so, because of the commercial importance of what these companies market, they invariably trend upwards. This may be attributed to several closely related reasons. The main one is that in the past, most were relying on non-sustainable but read-ily available energy resources such as coal, oil, natural gas and apparently sustainable ones such as hydroelectric and nuclear power.

Unfortunately, during the same period, the world’s population has steadily in-creased, and with it, our demands for more energy, food supplies and the other necessities of life. We complex and occasionally even quite sensible humans have also become far more aware of our own and the energy sup-ply industry’s demands and effects upon the environment. At some time during the past few years all the truly readily available non-sustainable en-ergy resources have started to become rapidly depleted. The nuclear industry is now beset by problems associated with storage of its waste products as well as the historic and highly complex political and religious associations with weapons production, terrorism and other threatening human behavior pat-terns. The oil and gas industry is drill-ing (fracking) deeper and deeper into the earth, often through fragile water tables on land, or thousands of feet

below ocean beds, or extracting oil and gas from vast oil shale deposits in vari-ous parts of the world. The latter task is extremely complicated engineering-wise, utilizes enormous quantities of water, and it is almost impossible to not environmentally decimate the ar-eas from which it is extracted.

Therefore, in spite of mankind’s wars, political, economic and social upheav-als, and now powerful environmental demands, like-it-or-not, the price of all energy supplies, gas/oil/energy prices will continue to rise in the future, and the consuming public needs to get it.

However, as the US is currently the world’s largest energy consumer and concurrently also its largest extractor, producer and exporter of energetic resources, the future for this country and the rest of the world need not be entirely bleak. But it will require truly long-term, scientifically based plan-ning and a realistic set of energy and materialistic expectations from the population.

In Europe, where energy prices have al-ways been considerably higher than here, many energy-saving adjustments in life-style, such as house sizes, the size of cars, public transportation, etc. have always been applied. For example the highly pragmatic Danes have a population con-

enerGy


gRouNdbReakiNg stRategy aNNouNced foR wiNd deVelopmeNt iN New mexicodiverse groups boost industry while protecting wildlife

After two years of work, nine leading wind energy companies and seven conser-vation groups in nM, along with various state agencies, private and public stake-holders, have developed Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will be used to ensure wind farms and nature can coexist. The nM Wind and Wildlife Collabora-tive (nMWWC) will help nM meet its goal of obtaining 20 percent of its electric-ity from renewable sources by 2020, while protecting wildlife in the process. “The BMPs were written using the best available science to guide conservation actions,” says Christopher rustay, Conservation delivery leader for Playa lakes Joint Venture, which facilitated the process. “A lot of time was spent building trust and learning about our partners’ objectives so we could develop balanced practices that both industry and the conservation community could support,” added Matt desmond, nM development Manager for First Wind. “Wind power creates unique threats to birds, and wind development threatens vital grassland habitats in eastern nM,” says Karyn stockdale, executive direc-tor of Audubon nM. BMPs were developed for 12 wildlife species or habitats of concern, including raptors, long-billed curlew, bats, lesser prairie chickens, rep-tiles, amphibians and playas. The BMPs are intended to help guide the placement of renewable energy facilities and the transmission of that energy. new Mexico is the second state, following Colorado earlier this year, to have developed BMPs to address conservation concerns related to renewable energy development. some of the same industry partners participated in the both states. “Wind energy can provide a tremendous economic boost for rural communities along nM’s eastern plains while offering significant savings to urban consum-ers,” says Craig Cox, executive director of interwest energy Alliance. “now we will be able to expedite wind energy development while creating new jobs.” The nMWWC developed a website that provides important information to de-velopers by identifying what resources might be affected by wind development, and appropriate minimization or mitigation of potential impacts if avoidance is impractical. As new science and technology emerges, the BMPs will be reviewed and updated by the group. While the BMPs are not binding or regulatory, the nM renewable energy transmission Authority will be linking to the website in an effort to encourage voluntary participation by prospective developers of wind, solar and geothermal projects. For details about the BMPs and information on all of the partners, visit www.pljv.org/windandwildlife/nm.


HAVE LAND WITH NO POWER? WANT ENERGY SECURITY?

YOU NEED A MOBILE SOLAR POWER STATION

Panels & frame are stored in the trailer and this plug-in ready, 840 watt mobile power station can be towed anywhere off-grid. Less than one hour of set-up and you can power the tools to build a house, then power the completed house or sim-ply own a unit in case of emergency. Ideal for renters who want to take it with them. Ideal for outdoor events (wedding receptions, etc.) where a gasoline generator is too noisy or smelly. Ideal for back country living. Can be customized to suit your needs.1-800-347-1794, ext. 1235 for free, 24-hour recorded information

[email protected]

energy Future continued from page 11

RoadsROADS!!! We have proven solutions for your ongoing problems with your dirt and gravel roads. Our surface drainage systems, once in-stalled, are guaranteed to reduce your need for road maintenance. They will retain the surfacing materials in place, eliminate washouts and ero-sion, eliminate mud holes, and harvest the road water runoff to increase forage. We employ the principles of surface hydrology in our design and construction of dirt road drainage systems. We also do uplands arroyo/gully erosion control, stream channel stabilization/restoration, wetland res-toration, and irrigation diversions. We are a licensed and insured New Mexico General Contractor provid-ing services statewide to public and private entities. References and résumé available on request. Rangeland Hands, Inc., 505-470-3542 or 505-455-0012. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rangelandhands.com

siderably greater that NM’s, live within a significantly smaller area and have a very high standard of living. They only have wind, spasmodic sunshine and possibly hydro-generated electricity as sustain-able, readily available energy resources. Even so, they have already decided, both politically and by general public support, to become 100 percent dependent upon these seemingly meager sustainable en-ergy resources by 2050.

Whilst visiting Iceland recently it was also fascinating to observe pub-lic transport buses being filled at the roadside with hydrogen gas that had been produced by electrolysis of water utilizing electricity generated by their abundant geothermal sources.

In Germany, Austria and several other European countries, small farmers and land owners have now been saved from extinction by selling back elec-tricity from solar installations, often provided by the utility companies. Shortly after Japan’s disastrous 2011 Fukushima nuclear-power facility experience, Germany also abandoned plans for any further nuclear gener-ated energy supplies.

In spite of their energy conservation efforts over the past years, numerous European countries still seem to be able to generate many, many Happiest National Populations votes in most world surveys.

Thankfully, in our sunny/windy NM, and yes, with the help of PNM, sus-tainable energy sources are being uti-lized and are expanding. They are be-ing derived from solar, passive solar, wind-generation and recycling. Glob-ally, one can add tidal and geothermal

generation to this list. Liquid biofuels are also being generated in growing quantities, utilizing both algae grown in ponds, and fermenters and cellulos-ic materials such as wood and paper waste, etc. It should be carefully noted that even the USA’s ExxonMobil, the world’s largest oil company, has re-cently committed over $600 million plus towards such biofuel efforts. The automobile industry has already got-ten on board by utilizing these rapidly emerging sustainable electrical and biofuel sources. As I travel through so many of NM’s dead and dying rural areas, I wish they received the help the German small farmers and landhold-ers mentioned above get from their public and private utility companies.

New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory also has highly successful multi-million-dollar-funded algae pro-grams that are already generating pat-ents and pilot plants for biofuels/protein large-scale manufacturing potential.

The hidden messages from these or-ganizations and several similar ones should be pondered deeply.

Whilst still in NM, one of the most exciting future sustainable fuel-energy projects has already been demonstrated and patented by a local company, Los Alamos Solar Energy LLC, in Espa-ñola. Their process enables differing gas mixtures containing carbon dioxide, moisture and/or methane to be heated in air up to 2000+ deg. C. by NM’s 25+ year-old focusing solar-reflector tech-nology. By selection of different cata-lysts, various gaseous mixtures contain-ing carbon monoxide, hydrogen and/or oxygen can then fuel cars, buses, trains,

Chimney Cleaning, Woodstove RepaiR and installation, insuRanCe inspeCtions, peaCe of mind


tRaNsmissioN liNe foR Nm ReNewable eNeRgyPublic service Company of new Mexico (PnM), the renewable energy trans-mission Authority, and Power network new Mexico have filed a request with federal regulators to develop a new 200-mile transmission line to transport so-lar- and wind-generated power from an area near torrance County to PnM’s río Puerco station northwest of Albuquerque and then north to the Four Corners region. From there, the power would go to western markets.

The $350 million project “represents a practical near-term solution for address-ing the lack of transmission needed for additional nM renewable energy devel-opment,” says Jeff Mechenbier, PnM’s director of transmission. los Alamos na-tional laboratory, in a study, found that new transmission in nM would enable the development of about 5,200 megawatts of renewable energy projects that could exceed $1.8 billion.

developers hope to have the transmission line functioning by 2015. They are seek-ing a waiver from the Federal regulatory Commission to allow “first ready, first served” energy producers to connect to the line. This would replace the current first-come, first-served approach, which PnM says has resulted in lengthy waits.


renewaBle enerGy

In the time it takes most people to read this sentence, the world will have used

up about 8,000 barrels of oil—336,000 gallons—at 1,000 barrels per second. The fact is, global demands are rising while petroleum is diminishing. Sure, we can drill deeper or convert tar sands to fuel as a band-aid solution while we irrevocably damage our ecosystem. We can continue to occupy nation states in attempts to control the flow of resources as we undermine cultures and sacred places. Yet where will this lead? We all share the same planet.

What must we do to solve this problem? One solution is to find a drop-in fuel that replaces our current petroleum ad-diction, an energy source that can meet the current transportation and industrial demands. How about something that uses solar energy and consumes carbon dioxide while emitting oxygen? Some-thing that grows in non-potable water, that can also make food, fuels and medi-cines? What about a crop farmers and ranchers can produce globally that could allow them to reestablish their stature in society?

Looking to the past, we can find our answer for the future. About 3.7 billion years ago, the Earth was devoid of life as its surface was extremely hot and lacked oxygen. The early atmosphere was com-posed largely of heat-trapping CO2 and deadly methane gas. About 2 billion years ago, algae transformed the atmo-sphere to one rich with oxygen, allowing a vast amount of oxygen-breathing life to exist and evolve. Algae also provided many of the new organisms with Earth’s first food source. Might algae come to the rescue once again?

Our atmosphere is currently overloaded with CO2, which is naturally recycled

A solution At our FinGertiPsluke spangenBurg

or sequestered by algae as it grows. Al-gae consumes 1.8 tons of CO2 per ton of biomass produced and can replicate itself rapidly, thus creating a perpetual crop.

Globally, societies are experiencing shortages of fresh, clean water. Fortu-nately, algae can flourish in waste, brine, non-potable or salt water. Algae are often used to remediate contaminated wastewater. Algae cultivation can pro-duce valuable biomass that does not de-pend on using fossil resources. And algae

do not require fertile soils for growing.

Agricultural or municipal waste sites commonly utilize algae to perform wastewater remediation cost-effectively. Co-locating algae produc-tion near carbon sources such as power and industrial plants offers potential solu-tions to pollution in addi-tion to biomass production for biofuels and valuable co-

products. While algae are busy clean-ing the air and water, algae biomass can transform CO2 and waste nutrients into valuable sugars, proteins, lipids, carbohy-drates and other organic compounds.

The current industrial food and trans-portation systems are massive polluters of air, soils and water. Algae growing sys-tems can be designed to produce carbon-

neutral food and fuel, while providing ecological benefits to the environment. Algae fuels are cleaner than fossil fuels and produce lower levels of emissions when combusted. Experts say we have already passed the point of global peak oil. Fortunately, algae has the potential to provide liquid transportation fuels at a lower cost than with the extraction and processing of crude oil, especially when the true environmental costs of petro-leum production are included. In addi-tion, algae can replace almost all prod-ucts currently made from fossil fuels.

Algae is liquid solar energy. It can pro-duce energy rapidly and efficiently. Sci-entific studies and initial demonstra-tion projects have shown that properly designed and managed algae-growing systems can produce 5,000 gallons of oil per acre, per year. The algae can then be processed into high-quality biodiesel or ethanol fuels for use in standard gasoline and diesel engines. Just 15,000 square miles of algae could replace all the petro-leum used in the US in one year, accord-ing to the Department of Energy. To translate, that’s an amount of land about one-sixth the size of Minnesota.

New Mexico is one of the prime global locations for algal production. We have abundant high quality light, a sea of un-derground brackish water, along with other viable sources for production. We have communities and families with

generations of experience working this land. With algae production we have the opportunity to offer a greener and clean-er environment to the next generation.

What is the next step? Get educated and understand the alternatives to our petroleum-based economy and the bar-riers we must overcome to convert to renewable energy. Access your local re-newable energy hubs and programs such as the Santa Fe Community College en-vironmental technologies programs and Biofuels Center of Excellence. These programs offer subsidized training to the general public in renewable energy resources of all kinds. i

Luke Spangenburg i s t h e p r e s i d e n t of New Solutions Energy Corporation, a p r i v a t e l y o w n e d c o m p a n y headquartered in S a n t a Fe . N S E m a n u f a c t u r e s versatile all-weather c lo sed-loop algae growing systems and provides technical support to promote

sustainable energy and food production. NSE also collaborates with SF Community College and the Biofuels Centers of Excellence to promote education and t raining. 505.795.2081, [email protected] • www.NewSolutionsEnergy.com • http://greentraining.sfcc.edu/

© S

eth

Rof

fman

(2)


planes, gas turbine engines and manu-facturing facilities, utilizing technology that has been well proven and in use for over 80 years.

The energy storage problems needed to facilitate a 24-hour supply from the above sustainable solar electrical energy-resources are currently being fulfilled mainly with relatively sim-ple battery and heat storage devices (sodium/sodium sulfide/molten salt, etc.), improved transmission lines and burning hydrogen generated by elec-trolysis of water.

The future for electricity generated by coated-glass/plastic windows and even paint and cladding is also po-tentially mind-boggling. It has the potential for most home residences to supply significant electricity to the public companies. One can envisage lots of exciting research and sustain-able work generation in this area.

Laser-driven, etc. atom/particle accel-erators that can create/generate more transmuted atoms/particles, fusion/fission/inertial as energy sources, are also being actively researched. How-ever, it is exceedingly difficult to ac-curately predict the related nuclear in-dustry’s future. on the one hand, very small compact generating stations are being developed, and thankfully seri-ous attention is now being paid to sit-ing future conventional generators. Its associated medical isotopes industry is vital too. Being brutally realistic how-ever, on the other hand, cancer-caus-ing nuclear waste storage and nuclear weapons/materials getting into irre-sponsible hands are of global concern.

Throughout the Southwest, aban-doned Navajo tribal land’s Cold-War-era uranium mines are still ac-companied by their future-centuries legacy of cancer-causing piles of tail-ings. They serve as a grim warning about future similar mining exploita-tions currently touted by the mining industry, politicians, governments and investors globally.

Research and scientifically impar-tial analysis of all the above nuclear-related areas could promise greatly increased efficiency and productive/sustainable employment generation for the foreseeable future. The asso-ciated nuclear research does however need to be conducted in more isolated

environmentally safer areas than are often currently used.

When Harold Morgan decries Al Gore’s cautioning comments concern-ing all the above sustainable energy matters, he should respect Al’s for-mal education and vast experience in such areas. After all, Al was educated at Harvard, one the USA’s most pres-tigious universities. In 1969, in spite of being eligible for deferment, he was drafted into the US Army and in 1971 spent a period in Vietnam. From 1977-85 he represented the highly discerning state of Tennessee in the US House of Representatives and from 1985-93 served the same state in the US Senate. While there he was always well respected and listened to by a majority of voters and colleagues. From 1993-2001 he was the nation’s vice-president. Amongst his many achievements during that time is wide credit with working with often-frac-tious Republican and Democrat Con-gress members to create the federal budget surpluses that were handed on to the Bush Administration in 2001. In 2001 he was voted by the nation’s popular vote, but not the Electoral College, to be the next President of the US. Since then he has turned his energies towards environmental im-provement efforts, sustainability and the understanding our planet’s ex-ceedingly complex weather patterns. He published the scientifically based best seller, An Inconvenient Truth, won the 2007 Nobel Peace, Grammy and Emmy awards and a Webby Award in 2005. Obviously many, many well qualified people from science, the me-dia, politics and industry support his views and predictions. Al Gore obvi-ously envisages environmental situ-ations on Earth in the far, far future that will be what its generations will have-to-cope-with. Enough said. i

G e r a l d B . Ansell, PhD. is a retired materials scientist, program manage r and teacher who spent 52 years working w i t h m a j o r g o v e r n m e n t agencies in universities and industrial companies in both the US and England. He is currently an environmental consultant. Email: [email protected]

Everyone Rides Free!We serve Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe & Taos Counties,

The Pueblos of Ohkay Owingeh, Pojoaque, Santa Clara, Tesuque and San Ildelfonso.

RDT operates Monday to Friday

For Schedules and Connection Info

Visit www.RidetheBlueBus.com or call 1–866–206–0754

DUMP THE PUMP! SAVE MONEY!

energy Future continued from page 12


Senator Tom Udall and Los Alamos National Laborato-

ry Director Charlie McMillan attended the New Mexico Con-sortium Inc.’s (NMC) ground-breaking ceremony for LANL’s research and development facil-ity at Entrada Research Park in Los Alamos on May 18th. The consortium is comprised of university faculty, scientists, engineers, adminis-trators, planners and other contribu-tors from the University of NM, NM State University, NM Institute of Min-ing and Technology, LANL and Los Alamos County.

The NMC has obtained a $2 mil-lion economic development grant from the county towards construc-tion of the new facility, plus a lot-grant (estimated value: $640,000) at Entrada. Recruiting efforts of LANL Biochemistry’s Dr. José Olivares and NMC Executive Director Katharine Chartrand, plus significant grants from several federal and industrial funding resources and Los Alamos National Bank, facilitated recruitment of one of the world’s leading research-ers in algae and plant cell metabolism, Dr. Richard Sayre, who joined the consortium in October 2011. Sayre was accompanied by his team of 10 post-doctoral research Fellows from the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, where he directed the Institute for Renewable Fuels. Sayre was also Chair of the Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Bi-ology at Ohio State University and a Fulbright Scholar at the Univer-sity of São Paulo, Brazil. He has also been Chief Technology Officer for Phycal, Inc., a start-up biotech com-pany in Highland Heights, Ohio that develops microalgael-based biofuel production systems.

Initial construction at the Entrada Research Park will consist of unique biological laboratories, glass houses, ponds and other plant/algae growth-related facilities. It will cover about 24,000 sq. ft. The total project cost is $12.25 million. Wages in the first year will be around $6 million. NMC

sapphiRe eNeRgy buildiNg algae-based fuel plaNt iN Nmsapphire energy, inc. has received $144 million from investors to build a demonstration plant in luna Coun-ty, nM for the production of crude oil from algae. oil from the algae will be refined into diesel and jet fuel.

The us dept. of energy has provided a $50 million grant, and the us dept. of Agriculture is providing a $54.4 million loan guarantee to the san diego-based company. Backers of the project include Monsanto, which is interested in a project to identify genes that stimulate algae growth. investors also include Bill Gates’ Cascade investment, llC and Ven-rock Associates, the venture capital company of the rockefeller family.

Ground BroKen For tHe nM ConsortiuM’s BioloGiCAl lABorAtory in los AlAMosgerald ansell

already has over 20 employees. The consortium is predicted to be a $50 million+ a year enterprise with 100+ employees within 5 years.

The leading-edge biological and aca-demic research will be in areas that include algae growth for long-term sustainable production of biofuels and food proteins, vaccine delivery, the control of mosquitoes that carry ma-laria, and above all, sustainable cost-competitive solutions to bio-energy and food production challenges. These efforts are showing progress in coordi-nating with NM’s impressive biofuel/food research and production activi-ties in the Santa Fe, Albuquerque and southwest NM Energy-Plex areas.

It can be confidently predicted that NMC’s research and development, along with NM’s unique climate and political support will likely make NMC a world leader in addressing our planet’s ever-increasing sustain-ability-related scientific, engineering and materialistic challenges. i


pit Rule heaRiNg to Resume JuNe 20on June 20, the nM oil Conservation Commission will resume a public hearing re-garding proposed changes to state rules for oil and gas drilling wastes. The commission has scheduled three more days to hear from six witnesses. The hearing will take place at Porter hall in the Wendell Chino Building, 1220 s. st. Francis drive in santa Fe.

The oil and gas industry, with the support of Governor Martinez, is seeking to reduce its costs, and wants to amend or nullify the “Pit rule,” which was approved in 2008 based on testimony from engineers. The current commission has refused to admit the 8,000 pages of testimony and exhibits put forward at hearings held to develop the rule, which affects toxic wastes in pits, buried tanks, sumps and closed-loop systems.

ranchers and concerned citizens are worried about potential contamination of water sources, soil, livestock and wildlife. one proposed amendment calls for reducing the distance between water wells and temporary pits from 500 feet to 100 feet. “Before the Pit rule was adopted, the state documented nearly 400 cases of groundwater contami-nation by leaking oil and gas waste pits,” says Gwen lachelt, director of earthworks’ oil & Gas Accountability Project (oGAP). “since the rule was adopted, drilling rig counts have gone up, but there has been no contamination,” says nM environmental law Center (nMelC) staff attorney eric Jantz.

Jantz says that the industry is also using the hearing to try to institute a regulatory framework for “multi-well fluid management pits” for waste from multiple hydrofracking operations. “in states such as texas, Colorado and oklahoma, these pits are like artificial lakes,” said Jantz.

The nMelC has asked for one member of the com-mission to withdraw from the decision-making pro-cess, and for another to disclose her previous dealings with the industry.

last month oGAP released a report that shows the number of inspections conduced by the state oil Conservation division increased in 2011, but more than half of the 50,000 producing wells went unchecked by the state’s 12 inspectors.

epa may thRow wReNch iN plaNs to build highly-coNtested uRaNium miNeThe new Mexico environmental law Center (nMelC) and eastern navajo diné Against uranium Mining (endAuM) are urging the us environmen-tal Protection Agency (ePA) to revoke a permit they gave to uranium mining company, hydro resources, inc. 23 years ago. After endAuM and nMelC brought alleged deficiencies in the permit application to ePA’s attention, the ePA took the unprecedented step of revisiting its decision to grant the permit. “The permit is an ‘aquifer exemption,’ which allows hydro resources to conduct uranium mining in a groundwater aquifer under the navajo community of Church rock, nM,” says eric Jantz, nMelC staff attorney and lead counsel on the case. “The type of uranium mining it is proposing would contaminate potable water with radiation and heavy metals, making it unfit for consumption forever. The ePA has both the legal authority and moral obligation to revoke the aquifer exemption.” The type of mining is called in situ leach mining, or isl, which involves injecting a chemical solution through ore zones to dissolve uranium so it moves freely in water. Then the uranium-filled water is pumped to the surface, where the uranium is chem-ically stripped and the water is returned to the aquifer. no isl operation in us his-tory has been able to restore groundwater in a mined aquifer to pre-mining quality. “our communities have repeatedly expressed that we do not want this isl mining or processing in Church rock and Crownpoint,” says larry J. King, endAuM board member and one of the more than 15,000 navajo people who would be impacted by the mine. “We have expressed this through resolu-tions, litigation, even a navajo nation law. Because of a legal technicality, even though the mine site is in a navajo community and surrounded by tribal land, the navajo nation law does not protect us from the proposed mine. That’s why it’s crucial that ePA step in and revoke the aquifer exemption before risk-ing any more harm to our water, our people, our culture and our future.” King, a member of the navajo nation and a former miner who has suffered ad-verse health effects because of his former occupation, has started the campaign on Change.org. “There is a long legacy and many unhealed sores from uranium mining on navajo land by companies that look to make a quick profit. i’m sick of watching my community suffer,” said King. “We hope the Change.org petition will help inform Americans about this issue, and we hope to get more than 10,000 signatures to convince the ePA to do the right thing.”

NMeLC’s eric Jantz


JUNE

Expires June 30, 2012

Expires June 30, 2012

JUNE


After a year that saw many parts of the country hit by scorching heat,

devastating wildfires, severe storms and record flooding, a new report released by Environment New Mexico docu-ments how global warming could lead to extreme weather events becoming even more common or more severe.

In the Path of the Storm: Global Warm-ing, Extreme Weather, and the Impacts of Weather-Related Disasters in the United States examines county-level weather-related disaster declaration data from the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency for 2006 through 2011. The report also details the latest science on the projected influence of global warming on heavy rain and snow, heat, drought and wildfires, hurricanes and coastal storms, and explores how the damage from even non-extreme weather events could increase due to other global warming impacts such as sea level rise.

soMe Key FindinGs:Since 2006, federally declared weather-related disasters affected 23 counties in NM—or nearly one of every two New Mexicans. Recent weather-related disas-ters include flooding in Cíbola, Los Ala-mos and Sandoval counties, severe winter

one out oF tWo neW MexiCAns liVe in AreAs hit By reCent WeAther disAstersinterActive online MAp ShowS county-by-county weAther-relAted diSASter hiStory

entists project that the heat waves and unusually hot seasons will likely become more common in a warming world.

Other research predicts that hurricanes are expected to become even more in-tense and bring greater amounts of rain-fall, even though the number of hurri-canes may remain the same or decrease.

Global warming is expected to have varying impacts on different types of ex-treme weather events. While the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change recently concluded that it is “virtually certain” that hot days will become hotter and “likely” that extreme precipitation events will continue to increase world-wide, there is little scientific consensus about the impact of global warming on events such as tornadoes. In addition, every weather event is now a prod-uct of a climate system where global warming “loads the dice” for extreme weather, though in different ways for different types of extreme weather.

The Obama administration has pro-posed historic new carbon pollution and fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, and the Environ-mental Protection Agency has pro-

The largest wildfire in New Mexico history is connected to climate change. That’s the message from a group of 10 firefighters from the Atalaya wildland hand

crew who gathered in the charred Santa Fe forest last month to help launch a global effort to “connect the dots.”

On May 5, the international climate campaign 350.org coordinated more than 1,000 events in over 100 countries for “Climate Impacts Day.” From flood victims in Paki-stan dragging boats into the streets of Karachi to villagers in Kenya holding “dots” where drought killed their crops, the day of events was intended to paint a picture of a world already reeling from the impacts of the climate crisis.

“Since I started in 1998, the increase in mega-fires, where over 100,000 acres burn, have intensified,” said Porfirio Chavarria, city of Santa Fe Wildland Urban Interface specialist. “It’s a lot hotter and drier, we’re not getting as much rain as we’ve had, and we think its going to get more intense,” said Brian Moya, a firefighter with the Santa Fe department. “The winds that we are having are causing red-flag warning condi-tions and drying up the little moisture left in the ground. The fires are burning hotter and lasting longer,” said Brian Bird. “People need to take responsibility and show ini-tiative to address the real problems, or else we are going to experience conditions that will be even worse,” said Graham Miller.

A recent Yale University poll in the US found that Americans’ concern about cli-mate change was increasing with more extreme weather and warmer temperatures.

storms in the Pueblos, and severe storms in Luna, Otero and Mora counties.

In 2011 alone, federally declared weath-er related disasters affected nine counties with over 364,000 residents. Nationally, the number of disasters inflicting more than $1 billion in damage (at least 14) set an all-time record last year, with total damages costing at least $55 billion.

Nationally, federally declared weather-related disasters have affected counties housing 242 million people since 2006—or nearly four out of five Americans.

Other research shows that the US has experienced an increase in heavy precipi-tation events, with the rainiest 1 percent of all storms delivering 20 percent more rain on average at the end of the 20th century than at the beginning. The trend towards extreme precipitation is project-ed to continue in a warming world, even though higher temperatures and drier summers will likely also increase the risk of drought in between the rainy periods for certain parts of the country.

Records show that the US has experi-enced an increase in the number of heat waves over the last half-century. Sci-

posed carbon pollution standards for coal-fired power plants—the largest sin-gle source of the carbon pollution that is fueling global warming. At the same time, some polluting industries and their allies in Congress are working to block these and other clean air standards.

“The extreme weather we suffered through in 2011 is a frightening reminder of why we must do everything we can to cut the dangerous carbon pollution that is fueling global warming and lessen the threat of even worse extreme weather in the future,” said Sanders Moore, Director of Environment New Mexico. i

The complete county-level data can be viewed online at www.Environmentnewmexico.org

FireFiGhters in nM ConneCt reCord Fires witH CliMAte ChAnGe

Eighty-two percent of Americans re-port that they personally experienced one or more types of extreme weather or a natural disaster in the past year. “Throughout the country, we’re seeing longer fire seasons and snowpacks that, on average, are disappearing a little earlier every spring,” Tom Tidwell, the director of the US Forest Service, told senators at a hearing last June. “Our scientists believe this is due to a change in climate.”

“Coal is the primary driver of global warming emissions,” a researcher from Yale Uni-versity, Anthony A. Leiserowitz, told The New York Times. “In NM, PNM is respon-sible for half of all global warming emissions,” said Mariel Nanasi, executive director of the advocacy group New Energy Economy. “There is no future in coal. Now, we need to turn to renewables that don’t cause these awful consequences.”

The June 2011 Las Conchas fire burned more than 150,000 acres, threatening the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory and leading the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents. In NM, the months leading up to the Las Conchas fire were part of the third-driest spring on record.

For more information on the Connect the Dots Campaign, visit www.climatedots.org. To view the article Southwest Wildfires and Climate Change, Explained, visit www.climatecentral.org/news/southwest-wildfires-and-climate-change-explained i

Las Conchas fire burn area in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, May 2012

© S

eth

Rof

fman


C l i m a t e C h a n g e N E W S B I T E S The Commission is an independent group of scientific leaders from 13 countries who have been honing recommendations to address global sustainability challeng-es to be presented at the río+20 summit in Brazil, June 20-22.

Professor John Beddington, the British government’s chief scientific investigator and commission chair, said, “if you’re going to address the poverty of a billion peo-ple not getting enough food, with another billion (globally) in 13 years’ time, you’ve got to massively increase agriculture. you can’t do it using the same techniques we’ve used before, because that would seriously increase greenhouse gas emissions for the whole world. We need to develop agriculture that is ‘climate smart.’”

The report, Achieving Food security in the Face of Climate Change, is available online at http://ccafs.cgiar.org/commission

climate chaNge law passed iN mexicoAfter three years of debate and revisions, the Mexican legislature recently passed one of the strongest national laws enacted so far, aimed at helping mitigate climate change. México ranks 11th in the world, both for the size of its economy and its level of carbon emissions.

The new law includes a mandate to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 30 per-cent below current levels by 2020 and by 50 percent below 2000 levels by 2050. in addition, it requires that 35 percent of the country’s electricity come from renew-able sources by 2024, and requires mandatory emissions reporting by the country’s largest polluters.

México’s climate bill is, in part, a result of the 2010 un Climate Change Confer-ence in Cancún. it reflects a global trend in which individual states and countries, frustrated by stalled united nations climate agreements, have begun implement-ing their own emission regulations.

suit filed oVeR coal miNe expaNsioN peRmit The Western environmental law Center is suing the federal government over the approved expansion of operations at the 13,000-acre coal mine that supplies the Four Corners Power Plant. The suit was filed on behalf of five groups: diné Citizens Against ruining our environment (dCAroe), the san Juan Citizens Alliance, the Center for Biological diversity, Amigos Bravos and the sierra Club. The com-plaint challenges the office of surface Mining, reclamation and enforcement’s recent approval of a 714-acre expansion at BhP Billiton’s navajo Coal Mine and the company’s claim that the mine hasn’t caused health and environmental effects.

“The way the approval was rushed through, and the way the office of surface Min-ing put on blinders to the cumulative reality of coal operations at the mine and the power plant is an injustice,” said Mike eisenfeld, nM energy coordinator with the san Juan Citizens Alliance. “The navajo mine has torn up the land, polluted the air and contaminated waters that families depend on,” said Anna Frazier of dCAroe. “residents in the area deserve a full and thorough impact analysis that is translated into the navajo language to provide for real public participation, not another whitewash for the coal industry.”

The Four Corners Power Plant, built in 1962 on the navajo nation, is the largest sin-gle-source emitter of nitrogen oxide in the us. The plant provides electricity for nM, Arizona and texas. The plant’s operators are seeking to close three of its generating units, and the ePA has proposed getting the emissions reduced by 87 percent.

Nm behiNd iN adaptiNg to climate chaNgeAccording to an analysis released in April by the natural resources defense Coun-cil (nrdC), Arizona, new Mexico and many other states are facing serious water shortages if steps are not taken in anticipation of climate change. The nrdC found that 29 states have done little or nothing to prepare for the impacts on water sup-plies of a changing climate.

The nonprofit nrdC did a detailed analysis on the relationship between green-house gas emissions and potential regional changes in weather. david doniger, nreC’s Climate and Clean Air Policy director, told reporters that government of-ficials need to consider this information and to support curbing the pollution that is a major contributor to the problem. nM Gov. susana Martinez has strongly op-posed efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

The group’s analysis says that nM is behind in updating its water plan, and the planning process has not included the agriculture industry or a number of other stakeholders. in addition, the analysis says that water used for oil and gas develop-ment is not accounted for as part of the state’s water budget.

climate impact oN plaNts could be uNdeRestimatedAccording to a study published in the journal nature last month, scientific pro-jections of global warming’s impact on plants have been seriously underestimating what may actually happen. The study reinforces anecdotal reports from farmers and gardeners, who have been saying that seasonal plants are blooming much sooner than in the past.

The research involved 20 institutions in north America, Japan and Australia, and drew evidence from plant life cycles and experiments with 1,634 species. it found that previous experiments had underestimated the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and growing leaves by 4 times.

The response of plants to climate change could have a devastating effect on food chains and ecosystems. increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels can affect how plants produce oxygen.

According to estimates published last year, earth is on track for additional warming of 3.6 degrees F or more after an estimated global temperature rise of 1.33 F from 1906 to 2005. however, some experts say those estimates are conservative and note that many locations are warming much faster than the global average. scientists say if the earth heats up beyond 3.6 degrees F this century, it could create an unstable climate of common weather extremes, exacerbating drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.

The study can be accessed at www.nature.com/nature

RepoRt says faRmiNg must be “climate smaRt”A report from the Commission on sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change says that farming practices must cut waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that there will be sufficient food for future generations. roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, and the world loses 12 million hectares of agricultural land each year to land degradation.

The report, released in Britain at the Planet under Pressure conference in March, says that farming must be intensified, but in a sustainable way, and that govern-ments must put sustainable farming at the heart of national agricultural polices.

Logs, Rocks, Glass, Sun Room, Portal, Patio, Greenhouse, Garden, Trees, Privacy

2,700 sq. ft. house on 5 Acres$395,000. John 505-470-2168

For Sale Overlooking the Pecos Valley


As a professional beekeeper, hav-ing dedicated 15 years learning

how to keep healthy bees, I have wit-nessed radical changes throughout the industry—both nationally and locally. I write this article with the hope of fur-ther educating those who already have bees or are interested in establishing sustainable local resources. Since the emergence of Colony Collapse Disor-der (CCD) in 2006, a beekeeping re-naissance is occurring that is bringing back a once-dying art. Yet the bees are still dying. Some venture to ask, “What can I do to help the bees?”

First, the issue arises of where to get bees. There are but a few large-scale bee opera-tions here in La Tierra Encantada. There are even fewer bee producers/farmers. This is a direct result of our challenging landscape—one that is both a blessing and a curse. It is a true blessing to not

iMPortinG Beeshigh deMAnd creAteS A huge dileMMA melanie margarita kirBy

have large-scale indus-trial agriculture with its negative consequences. Yet, because our land-scape does not offer reliable and substantial water and forage, the number of operations able to share their local bees with community members is limited. This is irreconcilable with the increase in de-mand and has created a deadly dilemma.

Importation of var-ied bees from varied sources is occur-ring at an alarming

rate. Thus, a vicious cycle has begun. Newer beekeepers may not have the mentorship or the time needed to do the necessary research into the health and genetics of bees they import. They go online looking for what is available and for competitive pricing. They click and order. Or they call a beekeeper advertising imported bees, get their hive boxes ready, read a book or two, and anxiously wait to become proud parents of their very own colony.

But the reality is that the majority of bees imported from high production zones are falling prey to malnutrition, rushed production and harvesting issues that harbor toxins via pesticides, fungicides and environmental stresses. Imported bees that have high viral, pathogen and pest loads are having detrimental effects on local bees and their keepers.

The NM Dept. of Agri-culture doesn’t fully regu-late imported honeybees or other bee species. There are laws and acts on the books simply stating that bees brought into the area without comb or equip-ment are not required to be inspected. These bees are defined as “packages” and are sold by the pound (loose bees and a queen). On the other hand, bees sold with some honeycomb and a queen are called a “starter nucleus colony” and are subject to inspection. Higher production zones that offer packages include parts of California, Texas and several southern states. These zones experience an earlier spring and thus can create artificial swarms in time for the rest of the country’s spring commencement.

Some of these locations are home to Africanized honeybees. Others are situated near industrialized agricul-tural zones that are routinely mono-cropped and sprayed with pesticides and fungicides to gain higher crop yields. Toxic residues remain on pollen grains and in nectar. Some are system-ic and are present in the whole plant. Bees and other pollinators exposed to these toxins must deal with them for a long time, as they are stored in the wax and slowly consumed and fed to developing larvae. The toxins affect bee behavior, their immune systems, the quality of their nutrition, and also their progeny. It affects the queen

mothers and their ability to mate suc-cessfully, and it also affects their male counterparts’ (drones) semen. Com-promised bees are shipped around the nation and allowed to pass on their ailments, which can cross species and debilitate native populations.

I am not writing this article to dis-courage those interested in learning to keep bees, but rather to encourage everyone to do their homework. Read and learn as much as possible about what is available so that you can make an informed decision. As with any-thing farmed, there are questions as to how it was grown: What sort of soil? What kind of water? Was nature able to nurture? If the questions you ask do not produce acceptable answers, then the appropriate choice is to wait.

Bees from other areas may not be the same as bees here in NM. Though all honeybees were imported from Eu-rope several centuries ago, today they are experiencing genetic bottlenecking. In today’s America, there are European honeybees and Africanized honeybees (AHB). European honeybees are di-verse; there are the Italian, the Córdovan,

Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven at the university of California-Davis is near the Laidlaw Bee Research Facility

truchas, NM beekeeper Mark Spitzig (www.ziaqueen-bees.com) and Santa Fe beekeeper Steve Wall (www.buckinbee.com) are part of the Southwest Survivor Queenbee Project, which was funded by Western SARe (Sustainable Agriculture Research & education).


petitioN to baN bee-killiNg pesticidesA recent harvard study links the us’s radical decline of bee populations—Colo-ny Collapse disorder—with pesticides called neoniconitoids, made by the Bayer Corporation. When exposed to these nerve-agents, bees get lost—they are unable to find their way home to their hive and drop dead from exhaustion.

A petition being circulated online at Change.org is calling on the ePA to ban the pesticides. The petition was started by susan Mariner, a third-generation backyard gardener from Virginia. “This new study is even more evidence the ePA needs to take neoniconitoids off the market,” Mariner said. “We have more than enough in-formation to act, and people across the country are looking to the ePA to keep our bees, and the crops they pollinate, safe. At this point, there is no excuse for inaction.”

you can find Mariner’s petition at: www.change.org/petitions/epa-save- our-bees-and-the-food-we-eat-ban-bayer-s-chemicals-now

the Russian, the New World Carniolan, the Caucasian and their hybrids. Af-ricanized honeybees are very pest- and disease-resistant, but unfortunately carry very aggressive dominating genes that can end up displacing European hon-eybee genes if the climate is conducive. These bees can be mean. The areas where they are prevalent necessitate hypersensi-tive placement and management. While AHB have been reported in southern and central counties of NM (and even in a couple of northern counties), their perpetual establishment isn’t immediate. Our distinct seasons prevent AHB from establishing at higher and colder eleva-

tions. AHB can be unintentionally im-ported. There still aren’t regulations requiring them to be inspected when brought in without comb.

Here are some questions that should be asked of all suppliers before purchasing bees:

1) What are the genetics? Are they European or Afri-canized (reared in

an AHB zone)?

2) What are the bees fed and ex-posed to? High fructose corn syrup? Pure cane sugar? Herbs? Antibiotics? Acaricides (miticides)? Pesticides?

3) When were the queen mothers pro-duced? How were they produced and where? If the answer is near industrial mono-cropped agriculture like the central valley of CA, then care should be given to understanding the nature and quality of the forage and also that drones available for mating may come

Handling a ripe, grafted honeybee cocoon. A virgin queenbee will emerge and then conduct her mating flights with area drones (males).



from hives of varied colonies of ques-tionable genetics.

4) When were they harvested? With anything less than 18 days post-vir-ginal emergence, there is a higher rate of supercedure loss of the queen.

5) If they are early spring queens, how was the weather—volatile or calm? If there was a volatile spring, mating could have been compromised.

If a supplier is unable to thoroughly answer any of these questions, red flags are present. If sick bees are im-ported, will the keeper be knowledge-able and experienced enough to rec-ognize and react appropriately? Most likely not. Therefore, it is best to wait to find healthy bees—preferably those that are regionally fortified.

In disclosing these issues, I seek to not only spare people the heartache of los-ing bees during however many attempts; foremost, I seek to protect the bees.

There have been increasing reports of managed hive losses from unknown causes. The most likely culprits are the newer viral pathogens. As many large-scale commercial beekeepers take their bees cross-country to Cali-fornia’s Central Valley almond bloom in February, it is akin to being at sum-mer camp where damp, cooler spring weather conditions fuel and spread ill-nesses. As these caravans of bees leave when the bloom is done, the spread of any ailments is fast and furious. Bee-keepers with bees for sale may inad-vertently spread the debilitating con-dition nationwide.

While NM hasn’t yet been labeled as having experienced CCD, it is no surprise that higher losses are being reported and that bees are dying from unknown causes. We are experiencing the effects of CCD through importa-tion of stressed bees. Add on drought conditions, wildfires, bears and envi-ronmental stresses, and it is no won-der that our bees are struggling.

Another significant concern is that with the increase of imported honeybees, na-tive bees are competing for the same marginal resources. More honeybees in any single area can be detrimental to na-tive species of pollinators if the foraging resources are limited. And while man-aged bee colonies are better in commu-nities than unmanaged ones, too many beekeepers and too many bees in any area will not yield healthy bees or pro-duce extra honey and other bee products for consumption.

So—what do we do? Ban all importa-tions of bees? Regulate and enact reg-istration so that we know where, when and what kind of bees are being im-ported? Only allow bees in from cer-tain areas/companies? I do not have the answers, and I admit that I can-not, without reservation, say to stop. It is a very difficult time indeed to get into beekeeping, even for experienced beekeepers. Yet, if we work together, communicate and hold ourselves ac-countable, then we may be able to reestablish equilibrium and promote informed decisions.

Several area projects are underway that seek to address some of these issues and help establish sustainable resources for quality bee stock. PollinatorNation.org, part of the NM Bee Collabora-tive, seeks to establish native bee cor-

ridors and nesting sites. The Southwest Survivor Queenbee Project (www.survi-vorqueenbees.org), founded by Mark Spitzig and myself in 2007, collaborates with regional bee-keepers to exchange quality survivor stock and promote chemi-cal-free management. The NM Pollinator Project focuses on creating pollinator-friendly zones. The group works with beekeepers, farmers and gardeners, youth and parents, and other citizens through education, out-reach and capacity building. Their aim is to build local and regional policy to support healthy pollinator habitat on farms, gardens, schools, community gar-den sites and wild places. Coordinator Loretta McGrath can be reached at [email protected].

As a result of a new 2012 Western Sus-tainable Agriculture Research Educa-tion grant, the Rocky Mountain Sur-vivor Queenbee Cooperative is being established to assist five northern NM women and three Colorado women in creating a regional breeding and rear-ing cooperative of chemical-free, hearty survivor honeybees. NM beekeepers in-clude Kate Whealen—founder and co-ordinator of Santa Fe’s Sangre de Cristo Beekeepers—Meg McGee and Resa Sawyer of Mora Valley, and Taos area beekeepers Angela Lewis and Moira O’Hanlon. Colorado beekeepers include Spanish Peaks Beekeeper Janet Fink, DenverBee’s Marygael Meister, and Fort Collins’ Kris Holthaus.

To conclude, this article is to encourage research, discussion and cooperation. it takes a community to raise bees. I pray that established beekeepers will share their extra bees. If the season is condu-cive and nutrition is wholesome, bees will reproduce by swarming. Caught swarms and even colony splits can then be offered to area enthusiasts, which will help curb importation risks. While it may seem daunting to the inexperienced or overly time-consuming, it will be well worth the effort to be proactive stewards.

For those wanting to do their part for area pollinators, planting diverse blooms and melliferous plants will assist in keeping regional nutrition wholesome.

Diet is a large contributing factor to how bees are faring. With marginal weather scenarios and compromised blooms, it is all the more necessary for us to pro-mote natural and medicinal cultivations. We are what we eat—and the same goes for our bees. If we can promote healthy nutrition, then sick bees (who have not been genetically compromised) will be able to overcome their ailments and curb their spread.

Join area clubs and find mentors. For info on the Santa Fe Sangre de Cristo Beekeepers, contact [email protected] or www.sdcbeeks.org. They provide a wonderful active listserve and hold regular monthly meetings. For info on Albuquerque area beekeepers, visit www.abqbeeks.ning.com. ABQ Beeks coordinators Chantal Foster and Jessie Brown have a wonderful website and or-ganize many diverse educational events. Both of these clubs are FREE! There is also the NM Beekeepers Association (www.nmbeekeepers.org). i

Melanie Margarita Kirby grew up in southern New Mexico. She resides and breeds survivor bees in Truchas. Email: [email protected]

Sangre de Cristo Beekeepers founder/coordinator Santa Fean Kate Whealen is also an active member in the Rocky Mountain Survivor Queenbee Co-op.

importing Bees continued from page 21

© Ja

mey

Stil

lings


Jim Kentch, Lawyer

215 W. San Francisco Street # 202-CSanta Fe, NM 87501-2164

[email protected]

Everybody was sooo...friendly. I really liked Dr. Valdez, he has a great personality and checked back with me several times during my time waiting for the crown to finish. I liked the fact that Norma showed me the process of making my crown right in the office. Everything was explained to me, I read the biogra-phies and any questions were answered. Thanks for the great care and customer service! --Wanda Martin

Your Confidence starts with a Beautiful Smile……ECO-Friendly Office

www.divinedentalofsantafe.com

550-B St. Michaels Dr. Suite 2Santa Fe, NM 87505

505-471-7000Hablamos Español • Interest free financing available

A Divine Dental Experience above the rest……………I had virtually no wait for my appointment. I had two crowns and a few fillings done with no pain. I loved that they can make the crowns in the office. It was as pleasant of an experience as going to the dentist can be. --Corey Taylor

A staff that is great to deal with and very helpful & Professional! Everyone knows how we feel about the dentist, but the experience was met with a great team! Thanks! --Patricia Salazar

Outstanding Cosmetic Dentistry in Santa Fe



HealtH

susan guyette

EVERYDA Y GREEN

ProteCtinG yourselF From PestiCides

There are many ways pesticides are damaging — not only to the en-

vironment, but to people as well. Pes-ticides are neurotoxins, poisons de-signed to destroy the nervous systems of small creatures—insects. However, pesticides also attack the nervous sys-tems of larger creatures—people—but we usually are not killed, at least not immediately.

The three categories of pesticides present in our commercial food sup-ply are insecticides, herbicides (in-tended to kill weeds), and fungicides (intended to kill fungus). Insecticides and herbicides are used extensively in industrial agriculture’s growing of plants, and their residues are found in animals raised on pesticided feed. There are growing concerns over fun-gicides used on farm-raised fish and pesticided plants used for feed.

Not so widely understood is that pes-ticide affects everyone who is exposed. Humans may not feel the effect im-mediately, yet our nervous systems are affected, and the toxicity of pesticides builds up in our bodies, creating a toxic load. Ongoing health impacts can in-clude fatigue, insomnia, allergies, asth-ma, anxiety, memory impairment, and in many cases this source of toxicity can combine with other sources of toxins to cause cancer. Children are potentially impacted the most from exposure, as their nervous systems are still forming. In cases of severe exposure to synthetic chemicals, damage to the nervous sys-tem can occur, causing chemical sensi-tivity with ongoing effects.

What are common everyday human exposures to pesticides? Ingestion and breathing in through the air are the two primary ways. Exposure to agri-cultural pesticides from the food you eat, as well as inhaling pesticides from the spraying of personal and public en-vironments, can build up a daily toxic load. Pesticiding inside public build-ings is common practice in New Mex-

ico, whereas some regions of the US only use pesticides on the exterior of buildings, preventing indoor exposure.

According to Earth Justice, each year nearly one billion pounds of pesti-cides are sprayed into fields and or-chards in the US alone. Purchases by US pesticide users account for a third of the world market in terms of dol-lars, highlighting the potential impact of this country’s initiatives on health. Many pesticides banned in the US as carcinogens are marketed to other countries, exposing populations and a great diversity of species to high levels of toxicity. When your food is import-ed and not organic, chances are great that these banned pesticides may have been used on your food. Even import-ed foods labeled organic are subject to scanty and sometimes questionable inspection.

Pesticides are a $45-billion-dollar-a-year industry worldwide (2011). The continued rapid rise of this industry signals many causes for alarm. Take this in: “Global demand for pesticides is predicted to rise 2.9 percent annually to 2014. Gains will reflect a reversal of declines in 2009, caused in part by a price drop for the leading herbicide, Monsanto’s glyphosate. Herbicides and insecticides will remain the largest types. Central and South America will offer the best growth opportunities.1”

Besides the widespread negative im-

pacts on the global environment, se-vere impacts as evidenced in the de-cline of bee populations and in other animals, are rapidly impacting biodi-versity. This powerful industry keeps many toxic ingredients from being la-beled, prevents public education, and provides financial incentives to other industries that are involved in creat-ing public spaces where people are ex-posed to pesticides.

Why is the use of pesticides such a saleable concept? Commercial plant varieties were developed over the past five decades for high yields and commercial convenience, such as to be able to withstand long transport times. These varieties, however, are of-ten weak against insect invasion. Nu-trient depletion of soil from agri-biz methods can also provide less nutri-tion to you from the food.

Many of the plants that have been al-tered by herbicides have rich medicinal and nutritional properties that are not recognized by the dominant society or by industry. The destruction of these plants is having a great impact on the continuation of traditional medicines. The phrase “All Our Relations” implies a respect and a purpose to all living beings (including plants and animals) — much of which Western science has not yet discovered. Yet, Native science has been practiced for thousands of years.

hoW heAlth is iMPACtedReasons why this topic is of extreme importance to everyone personally concern the link between the nervous system and the immune system — and therefore the impacts to overall health. Toxic load or body burden is the buildup of chemical residue stored in fat cells. This burden affects the functioning of the body’s organs and the liver’s ability to detoxify toxins, leading to even greater buildup. The potential carcinogenic affects over time are now well documented.

The everyday habits of each person to avoid pesticide exposure can aid the liver’s ability to rid the body of our daily exposures to toxic chemicals. The EPA estimates that there are over 400 exposures per day in the average household. Yet, corporations continue manufacturing and promoting these products because establishing a causal relationship between one chemical and cancer is difficult to prove in court.

PersonAl ACtion And GloBAl ChAnGePersonal action is the primary route to the cumulative movement that can create global change. Every time you make the special effort to buy non-pesticided food, you are exercising your vote as a consumer to lessen the use of pesticides. Purchasing from local non-pesticided food suppliers supports a larger range of safe food options.

to protect yourselF:• Be aware of the food you eat, tak-

ing care to buy organic. Awareness in your body can guide you. Pes-ticided food can have a bitter taste and sometimes causes numbness to the lips.

• Ask everywhere you go—restau-rants, hotels, schools, homes—do you use pesticides? Do you serve organic food? Let your opinion be known that you do not want to consume pesticide or be in environ-ments that pesticide. Vote with your dollar by patronizing businesses not using pesticides.

Pesticides affect every-one who is exposed.

A backyard hoop-house organic garden with chard, beets, onions and herbs

© A

nna

C. H

anse

n


passive Houses continued from page 7

success of a repeatable project. VolksHouse uses a ducted mini-split heat pump and relies on the ventilation ducting to distribute heating and cooling loads.

Code Built house Cost CoMPArisonIn order to compare the construction cost of VolksHouse with that of a similar home built to regional building codes (Code Built House), we cost-modeled VolksHouse using RS-Means estimating software. This software uses industry-standard and regionally specific construction costs based on assembly type. The assembly types we used reflect Santa Fe’s current local building code, which requires compliance with IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) and U.S. Energy Star Certification with a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) score of 70 or below.

For accuracy in comparing the project costs, we matched certain line items, such as builder profit and overhead. Our modeling indicated that the construction cost for a typical residence of identical size and configuration to VolksHouse would be $154 per sq. ft.—an estimate corroborated by the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association (SAHBA). This number was then used as a baseline for comparison between code-built construction and the Passive House projects.

CoMPArison resultsComparisons indicate that both Passive House projects were built for less than the model Code Built House. The modifications to the thermal-envelope as-sembly of VolksHouse provided significant advantages over Balance House in thermal-bridge elimination and airtightness, which result in reduced energy use. However, the costs were slightly higher. In repeated projects, the environmental impacts of EPS use should be considered, as well.

Simplifying details increased overall performance consistency in all cases. This will be a critical benefit as Passive House construction is introduced to the US, given the industry separation between professional architectural responsibilities and construction management. The US Passive House industry will need to ad-dress this gap in responsibilities in order to successfully move Passive House construction into the mainstream.

ConClusionThe completion of Balance House and VolksHouse demonstrate that Passive House projects can meet typical US single-family home construction costs. This is especially notable in the Santa Fe area, where construction costs are high relative to other areas in the country. Simple and replicable systems that align with standard US construction sequencing and practices are key to keeping costs in check—and to the eventual mainstream market acceptance of the Passive House approach.

The environmental advantages, lifestyle benefits and cost competitiveness of these projects raise the question of why the Passive House approach is not employed more often in the US We suggest that the answer is primarily a matter of un-familiarity, and that the solution will require effective contractor and consumer education. Importantly, Passive House education in the United States must address mainstream ex-pectations of building performance, which are chronically low. i

Jonah Stanford is a Certified Passive House Consultant and a principal partner at MoSA – Mojarrab Stanford Architects. 505.577.4295, [email protected], www.Mo-S-A.com ©

Set

h R

offm

an


www.animalacupuncturevet.com 505.820.2617

Dr. Audrey Shannon, DVM, has training in both Western veterinary medicine and in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine.

Her integrated holistic approach focuses on acupuncture and acupressure, with nutritional and herbal therapy to ensure your animal’s optimal health and well-being. Treatment is available for dogs, cats, and horses.

Appointments in the comfort of your own home.


2885 Trades West Road (off Siler)Santa Fe, NM 87505910

Consider placing an ad in this award-winning publication. Call Skip whitson (505.471.5177)

or anna hansen (505.982.0155)

YES! We have Gardenburgers and vegetarian items!

WHOLESALE PARTS

If we do your appraisal and environmental report on the same property, you will re-ceive a 30% discount on your phase 1 environmental fee!

COMMERCIAL APPRAISALS in 7 DAYS!

Bbar inc. 800-379-8048 ext 101www.benboothe.com



water

KUNM, the University of New Mex-ico community-powered radio station, recently had an entire call-in show on conserving our state’s water resources. One person made the comment that NM should enact laws and policies that make it easier for someone to har-vest rainwater for indoor, non-drinking use, such as flushing the toilet or wash-ing your clothes. One of the guests on the show, a well-respected univer-sity teacher and water resources ex-pert, responded by saying, “You know it sounds like a real attractive solution, but it turns out to be very expensive.” To prove his point, he explained that he recently bought a rainwater harvesting tank for home use that cost him $500, and that “every time those tanks fill up, which is about three times last sum-mer, I save 60 cents.” No further expla-nation was provided. I knew rainwater harvesting can be expensive, but I was not convinced that it was not really a feasible conservation tool. I decided to do some of my own calculations.

personal water economicsIf I use every drop of water collected in my 550 gallon rainwater harvest-ing tank at home (which I do), I save a measly $3–$6 a year on my water bill, which totals about $305. This is the same dreary scenario shared during the talk show. It would seem that the water expert is correct in declaring that rain-water harvesting is just too expensive, but this is just part of the story.

The $3–$6 savings I get from using harvested rainwater is estimated by us-

ing Albuquerque’s water utility price per gallon of water/wastewater, known as the commodity charge. Commodity charges are defined as those costs as-sociated with pumping, treating and delivering each gallon of water and wastewater to each customer (http://www.abcwua.org/). Averaged from 2008–2011, the rate I pay at a multi-residential unit for each gallon con-sumed is roughly 3/10th of a penny (which includes wastewater and pay-ing back the drinking water project). That’s right, 3/10th of a penny per gal-lon, or about $2.64 for 1,000 gallons! Using this measly commodity charge rate, it would take me between 70 and 140 years, depending on how much it rained, to recoup the cost of my water tank with the savings on my water bill.

But let’s take a closer at how my water bill works. I pay about $46 every year on the water consumed and wastewater produced. In total, however, I pay about $305. The other $259 of charges are lumped together in what are called fixed costs, which include base charges, taxes and franchise fees. Fixed costs are defined as those charges required to recover the cost of services “associated with providing capital facilities (pump stations, reservoirs, transmission lines, wells, etc.).” Fixed costs are charged to the consumer regardless

of whether there was any water actually consumed. These costs are likely to in-crease in the near future to upgrade ag-ing pipes and wastewater treatment plant infrastructure.

However, when we look at the bigger picture, which includes all the energy- and infrastructure-related costs associ-ated with delivering water to a home, it becomes clear that the commodity charge obscures the true price of water, and, as seen at the beginning of our story, can easily misguide an assessment of the true merits of rainwater harvesting.

Water is only “cheap” because of the way we have set up the water bill pay-ment system, with the commodity and fixed costs as separate entities and the commodity charge being the defin-ing “value” of a gallon of water. When we factor in the costs associated with the infrastructure and labor needed to deliver that water from the river (or groundwater) to your home (and wastewater from your home back to the river, treated), water is truly not “worth” 3/10th of a penny per gal-lon when it flows from our tap. If we measured the “value” of my home rain-water harvesting system, using both commodity and fixed costs, or all the costs associated with getting that water to my house, then my small rainwater harvesting system off my garage would actually save me between $20–$41 on my water bill per year (instead of $3–$6), and the return on investment would take 10–20 years, a much more reasonable return. Interestingly, the re-

bate I received from the water utility did include both the commodity and fixed costs on my water bill.

tHe true value oF waterAlthough rainwater harvesting is clearly an essential tool for water conserva-tion, the way we “value” water actu-ally diminishes the economic viability of rainwater harvesting and possibly other critical conservation measures. While the payment system might make sense from the water utility’s operations and maintenance standpoint, since it secures the recovery of their costs regardless of water conservation, it works to our det-riment when it is used to evaluate water conservation activities. The real reason why rainwater harvesting “turns out to be very expensive” is due to the magic of artificially separating the water system into pieces, rather than looking at it as a whole—let alone taking into account the reality of living in a desert.

There is something inherently back-wards in discouraging rainwater col-lection in the desert because it is too

is rAinWAter hArVestinG Worth it in A desert?maceo carrillo martinet, pH.d.

Professional Grade Components Shop where the PROS shop !

Stove, Fireplace&

Irrigation Specialists

© S

eth

Rof

fman

Water is only “cheap” because of the way we have set up the water bill payment system.


rainwater Harvesting continued from page 29

expensive. In an environment that only receives about eight to nine inches of rain all year (four inches in 2011), and a bleak-looking forecast, it seems to me “too expensive” not to collect rainfall and use it to supplement our daily needs, as well adopting other outside-the-box conservation measures. This would seem to be a no-brainer, especially considering Albuquerque recently paid $500 million to build the San Juan - Chama Drink-ing Water Treatment Plant so that we can drink Río Grande water, helping offset our unsustainable use of ground-water. Furthermore, the insanely low commodity charge for water is in stark contrast with the astronomical price we pay for highly coveted water rights in the Southwest.

As this example shows us, the dollar value of something is a very deceiving way of defining that something’s value. This is an important point, one that is brilliantly explored in Raj Patel’s recent book, The Value of Nothing. According to Patel, “We’ve been socialized into thinking only in terms of the money value of something, but thinking this way shrinks us.” Going back to the water resources expert, rainwater har-vesting was tossed to the dump simply based on monetary terms defined by a market value system. Thinking just in those terms, you would be blinded from the huge potential that rainwa-ter harvesting does embody, even if we only get a few drops here on the desert. For example, last year, with just one full 550 gallon tank and a frugal lifestyle, I was able to flush my toilet twice a day for about eight months and still had enough water to support a small but productive garden (growing crops native to the desert) for about two months into the growing season. I did all this with a tank the sky filled up for me for free, with me, using gravity to move this water around! I estimate that if I were to get smarter in harvesting the rainwater that runs off the rest of my house, I could meet all my indoor non-drinking water needs (e.g., flush-ing toilets) and at least half my outdoor water needs for an entire year!

a new value systemIn my calculation of the cost and ben-efits of rainwater harvesting, I did not include the value of using rainwater to grow native vegetables and fruits, in-crease food and water sources for in-

sects or birds, and bring more organic matter to the soil; not to mention the ultimate satisfaction of not using drink-ing water to flush my toilet. Though these benefits are valuable to me and the community, it is almost impossible to put a dollar amount on them, and therefore they are removed from any cost-benefit analysis based solely on money. This is a very important point that cannot be tossed to the wayside as a nice gesture, but it is impractical, especially for an educator. This system of “value” is something that we alone created, and that we alone can change.

How we relate to rainwater or anything that is essential to life and a finite re-source, should not be solely determined by the price that the market gives it (or doesn’t give it), but should also take into the account the non-monetary benefits and aspirations of society and include the environmental reality that we live with. Many companies often refer to this kind of holistic economic framework as their triple bottom line, which means they base their company decisions not just on increasing their profit margins, but also the impacts on people and the planet. Solely basing our decisions on economics that does not factor in the natural ecology or non-monetary benefits will inevitably produce a bruised and damaged future, as is being played out in today’s world.

Although just getting going, there is incredible work going on to create an economic system that is more ac-countable to a sustainable and healthy society. Instead of the GDP (gross do-mestic product) defining the health of our economy, we should use the Gross National Happiness index; instead of economic “growth” being our mantra, it should be the level of personal and economic development and creativity. The viewpoint expressed by the water resources expert struck me as strangely antiquated in today’s world, in which the youth are coming together to de-mand new ways of rethinking what we value as a society and how we relate to all of our relationships. i

Maceo Carrillo Martinet, PhD, is an Albuquerque-based ecologist/educator working on ecological restoration and community-based environmental education. He is collaborating with the New Mexico Water Collaborative (http://nmwatercollaborative.org/), a group dedicated to reducing NM’s water footprint. Email: [email protected]


water

Every decade there seems to be new terminology that everyone

buys into without paying much atten-tion to the roots of the word. In the 70’s it was appropriate technology, then the word organic, followed by sustain-ability. Now it’s resilience.

But when it comes to the acequia communities, whether in New Mexi-co or elsewhere, of utmost importance is the infrastructure of these ancient systems, most of which are not in the best condition. They are no longer taken care of as before. For these an-cient resilient systems to survive, they have to be sustainable and maintained if they are to produce the food they are capable of.

With that in mind, the Fifth Annual Celebrando las Acequias, to be held June 14–16 at the Mission in Dixon, will focus on Ingenious Landscapes: In-digenous Infrastructures and Sustainable Design for Drylands.

The event will open on Thursday eve-ning with registration at 6 pm and a welcome and overview at 6:30, fo-llowed at 6:45 with a presentation by Río Arriba Planning and Zoning on Current Planning Guidelines. Af-terwards, the NM Acequia Associa-tion will give a presentation on Stra-tegic Planning.

On Friday, the event will start at 4:30 pm with registration, followed by an overview by Professor Peter Arnold from the Arid Land Institute. Then Dr. Arturo Madrid will read a short chapter on acequias and the mayor-domo from his recently released book. Dr. Madrid, a native norteño, is now at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. At 6:30, Dr. William Doolittle

from the University of Texas/Austin will give the keynote address. He is an expert on dryland irrigation, having done a lot of work in México and the Middle East. He will be followed by part-time Dixon resident, archaeolo-gist Dr. Severin Fowles, who teaches at Barnard and Columbia University. Dr. Fowles has been studying the Co-manches and their relation to Hispa-nic villages such as the communities within the Embudo land grant. The day will end with music.

Saturday’s registration starts at 8:30, with a welcome and overview by Pro-fessor Peter Arnold at 9. At 9:30 Dr. Thomas Glick, from Boston Univer-sity, who has studied and written ex-tensively on the acequia systems in Valencia, Spain, will present. Then, Mora native, Dr. Manuel Montoya, who teaches at UNM, and is working on getting NM’s acequias recognized as World Heritage Sites by the United Nations, will discuss that effort. Then Dr. James Wescoat, from MIT, will present his work with indigeneous irrigation systems in arid landscapes in various parts of the world.

After lunch will be a presentation by Dr. Jorge Ricardo Ponte, a sociolo-gist and landscape architect, who has writen several books on the acequias of Mendoza, Argentina, and who came to Embudo last year to study the acequias in NM and northern México. I will then follow with a presentation on the acequias within the Embudo Watershed, focusing on the Embudo land grant. Next, Jan-Willem Jansens, from the Netherlands, who lives in Santa Fe and is the former director of Earthworks, will speak. He will be followed by Dr. Kurt Auschetz, who has studied the indigeneous Pueblo irrigation systems of northern NM. There will then be a panel discussion with the presenters, followed by din-ner and Acequia Recognition Awards. Afterwards there will be a poetry rea-ding by Jasmeen Najmi, Beata Tso-si-Peña and Adán Trujillo, and the evening will end with music by Los Coyotes de Cañoncito.

FiFth AnnuAl CElEbRANDo lAs ACEquiAs • June 14-16An AcequiA iS only AS good AS itS inFrAStructurejuan estévan arellano

del are llano / fRom the aRid laNd

Sunday there are a couple of field trips planned; one to the pebble gardens near Velarde and another to show the work Dr. Severin Fowles is doing on the old torreón he owns in the old Embudo Plaza (aka Dixon), which dates to 1725.

The event in sponsored by the Arid Land Institute of Wood-bury University. It is co-spon-sored by the Embudo Valley Acequia Association, Río Ar-riba County, Office of Planning & Zoning, Bleakly Botanical and Biological, NM Water Col-laborative, NM Acequia Asso-ciation, La Chiripada Winery and Vivac Winery. i

For more information, call Estévan Arel lano, event organizer, at 505.579.4027, email the Arid Lands Institute at [email protected] or visit http://www.aridlands.woodbury.edu/public_programs/events.html

© S

eth

Rof

fman

(2)

Acequia in northern New Mexico

Celebrando organizer Arellano


giggle. wiggle. groove.An eclectic mix of informative and entertaining programs await you on KUNM –

your passport to the worlds of news, music, community and culture. Publicly supported. Publicly responsive. KUNM is an essential part of New Mexico’s day.

KUNM 89.9FM | STREAMING LIVE 24/7 AT KUNM.ORG

Sustainable Business Summit

July 26, 2012 Hyatt Regency, Downtown Albuquerque, NM

Better Your Bottom LineLearn about setting up “Green Teams” moving to solar,

reducing waste, supplying locally, smart water and energy conservation, and reaching the green consumer.

Recognize New Mexico’s Sustainable business leaders with awards for:

Sustainable Business Leader Sustainable Product Sustainable Builder Sustainable Business Sustainable WorkplaceFor more information, visit: www.nmgreenchamber.com


On July 26th we look forward to con-vening sustainable business leaders from across the state for a summit to demon-strate the business case for sustainability, to recognize key sustainable business leaders, and offer workshops to better your business practices.

Registration information is available at www.nmgreenchamber.comSource: Sustainability Nears a Tipping Point, MIT Sloan Management Review, p. 3-17

Allan M. Oliver i s C E O o f t h e N e w M e x i c o Green Chamber of Commerce. He served as the NM Economic D e v e l o p m e n t D e p a r t m e n t ’ s Secretary overseeing t h e O f f i c e o f International Trade, the Office of Mexican Affairs, the Office of Science and Technology, and was also Gov. Richardson’s deputy communications director and policy advisor.

The NM Green Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan association with over 1,200 business members, dedicated to advocating on behalf of clean energy, seizing the green business advantage and supporting local economies. NMGCC members believe that responsible business invests in people, protects air, land and water and creates long-term sustainable profits.

SuStainaBility

© N

icol

as B

añal

es

Allan oliver

“desigNiNg youR well-liVed futuRe” woRkshop JuNe 23Are you a single, working parent or retiring Boomer looking for community and a sim-pler, walkable lifestyle? Saturday, June 23 is the kickoff of a series of planning/design sessions aimed at discovering floor plans, shared amenities and cluster possibilities where residents get more from sustainable designs. Several architects and designers have been invited. The workshop is being held from 9:45 am-2 pm at the Commons cohousing community, 2300 W. Alameda in Santa Fe. After touring the grounds, time will be spent developing ideas of alterna-tives to current suburban choices. RSVP and bring something for lunch to share. For more information, visit www.sustain-ablesantafe.com, contact Brian Skeele at 505.310.1797, or email [email protected].

On July 26th in Albuquerque the NM Green Chamber of Com-

merce and the NM Business Weekly will host a first-ever Sustainable Busi-ness Summit. The Summit will focus on the business case for why leading com-panies like Intel and others are working hard to become more energy efficient, conserve water resources, build more efficient infrastructure, improve their workplace and become more sustainable.

But isn’t this a tough economy out there? Why haven’t sustainability measures been cut? According to a new special report, “Sustainability Nears a Tipping Point” by the MIT Sloan Management School, it turns out that sustainability measures that companies have imposed on themselves weren’t superfluous or unnecessary, but have been a driver for innovation and profitability. In fact, the report shows that despite a tough econo-my these companies are increasing their commitment to sustainability.

Of the more than 4,000 managers par-ticipating in the MIT survey, one-third stated their company’s actions moving toward sustainability are contributing to their overall profits. In fact, these com-panies are finding that sustainability is changing their operating frameworks and strategies. Nick Robins of HSBC noted that “people are seeing that sus-

A tiPPinG Point For sustAinABle Business?allan m. oliver

tainability is part of that next phase of development and that it will be disrup-tive and structural rather than an incre-mental change here and there.”

Two out of three businesses surveyed be-lieve sustainability is now a requirement for being competitive—up from 55% just last year.

But what motivated these companies to start down the path of sustainability? Here are the top four reasons identified by the companies themselves.

• First and foremost, because their cus-tomers demand it. Fifty-three percent of companies said customers’ preference for sustainable products remained the top driver for changing their business model.

• Second, political and legislative pres-sure moved many businesses to protect their reputation and institute more sus-tainable practices.

• Next, 30% of companies identified re-source scarcity and a need to do more with less material.

• Fourth, they felt a need because their competition is increasing their com-mitment to sustainability.

The survey also focused on companies who have demonstrated a deeper, lon-ger-term commitment to sustainabil-ity—naming them “Harvesters.” One out of every four Harvesters believes that sustainability helps drives innova-tion. For example,Mark Parker, CEO and President of Nike, states, “Sustain-ability is key to Nike’s growth and in-novation. Making our business more sustainable benefits our consumers, who expect products and experiences with low environmental impact, contract fac-tory workers, who will gain from more sustainable manufacturing, and our em-ployees and shareholders, who will be reward by a company that is prepared for the future.”

Harvesters also reported improved col-laboration among many groups: custom-ers, suppliers, policy-makers, internal business units, industry associations, lo-cal communities, contractors and others.

What’s becoming clear over time is that leading companies are investing heavily on sustainable business practices. With current economic uncertainty, regulatory changes, resource scarcity and climate change, sustainable business practices provide these companies a competitive edge. It’s an edge they won’t give up, but one that others can learn.


© A

nna

C. H

anse

n

Traditionally, a gift of china is given for a 20-year wedding anniversary.

But what do you give to a company that is celebrating its 20th year of promoting more sustainable and ethical relation-ships to our money?

Green Money Journal, a Santa Fe-based consumer publication for sustainable business and responsible investing (SRI), is celebrating an important milestone in its quest to “help people put their money and their values together,” according to founder and managing editor Cliff Fei-genbaum. The issues addressed in the quarterly newsletter are not obscure or small-scale. They are the same ques-tions of job security, debt, and business access to capital that have captivated the country during recent times of economic crisis and uncertainty. Green Money Jour-nal puts a twist on these conventional conversations with a focus on bringing the human back into our economic mea-surements, and in doing so, questions the status quo priorities that the current eco-nomic system values.

In fact, when Feigenbaum decided to start the publication, he did it for per-sonal reasons. “I was working in a hos-pital in the Northwest and found out my 401k plan was in mutual funds full of tobacco stocks.” Feigenbaum says he launched this venture “…out of my de-sire for financial activity aligned with my values.” He remains surprised at how many individuals continue to have their investments and donations in contradic-tory places. He began Green Money Jour-nal to bring awareness and information to a broader audience.

In 1992, Green Money Journal was a six-page newsletter with a distribution of 1,000. Today, there are four issues per year, a circulation of 10,000 in print and 25,000 through e-mail. The web-site, GreenMoney.com registers more than 1,000 web hits a week with global readership. During this same period, the number of sustainable and socially responsible mutual funds has grown tre-

Green Money JournAl CeleBrAtes 20 yeArs oF sustAinABle inVestinG By looKinG toWArds tHe Future

mendously. From 12 funds 20 years ago, today there are numerous options and more than 250 registered such funds.

Social investing seeks to leverage financial markets and Wall Street in at least one of four ways: • Screen out bad companies

• Screen in good companies• Invest money in the community• Promote shareholder activism.

In this way, SRI engages companies to improve performance, treat employees and supply chains well, reduce pollution and promote environmental responsibil-ity. Under such a structure, even compa-nies “doing good” strive to get better.

In the organization’s summer anniver-sary edition, Feigenbaum raises the pro-vocative question: How will sustainable business and responsible investing build better communities, improve our envi-ronment and grow a greener economy in the next 20 years? The summer issue holds essays focusing on the future, rath-er than the past.

As Hal Brill, M a n a g i n g Partner of Natural Invest-ments, writes in his contrib-

uting essay Resilient Investing: SRI’s Evolutionary Path Through Precarious Times, “During the next 20 years we will be pushing up against many limits, in the atmosphere, the biosphere and the economy. We’ve already seen many lose faith in the stock market. Over the com-ing decades, this process of weaning off Wall Street is likely to continue. Most investors will continue to invest a portion of their money there, but an expanded definition of what diversification and as-set allocation are all about will take shape during these precarious times.”

There is already evidence of this shift. Barbara Krumsiek, Chair, President and CEO of Calvert Investments, recognizes the tremendous growth over the past 20 years in value-oriented investing. She writes in her essay Broad, Green and Global: The Future of Sustainable and Responsible Investing, “Consider that not too many years ago SRI was a niche strategy that appealed mostly to people

with a strong sense of values. Today it has become a broadly acceptable, insti-tutional approach to integrating environ-mental, social and governance risk analy-sis into an overall framework. Likewise, only a few years ago, socially responsible investors focused mainly on eliminating ‘sin stocks.’ Now, we try to advocate for positive change through shareholder ad-vocacy, an expanded scope of investment and the allocation of capital to innovative green companies. And while sustainable investment started as a local phenom-enon, it has now become more and more global, with investors, asset managers, and portfolio companies worldwide.”

Bloomberg’s Financial Information, which lists thousands of companies, along with its stock descriptions, now includes ESG data (this stands for environmental, social, and governance). The information helps individual inves-tors weigh such issues as highly as typical financial factors. Transparency, account-ability, and disclosure are increasingly motivating forces advancing issues of money in politics and economic policy.

Brill believes ESG criteria are the most comprehensive and complete way to an-alyze investments and that it will become a mainstream method. He explains, “It will finally be possible, and common, for ordinary investors to put a chunk of their money into their own local economies, achieving a combination of financial and social/lifestyle returns that is impossible for Wall Street to match….and virtu-ally all corporations will disclose the in-formation needed by investors to fully evaluate how they are able to adapt to a world marked by climate chaos and re-source limitations.”

Individual responsibility and awareness is growing. “Each of us, here and around the world, has a role fixing and in a sense re-designing the economy as economic and environmental challenges abound”, Brill writes, a realization that “springs from the simple but profound realization that what we do with our money matters.”

Krumsiek describes the importance of SRI in realizing these goals: “Through these Funds, we are seeking out the com-panies with the best ideas about two of our world’s biggest challenges —finding

alternatives to carbon-producing fossil fuels and providing clean water to grow-ing populations. If we are successful, we create a win-win situation. Cutting- edge companies get the capital to solve environmental challenges —and bring the best strategies to market. At the same time, Calvert shareholders have the opportunity to participate in the profits that come from innovation, while also building a greener world.”

Past and future, Green Money Journal is geared towards what Feigenbaum calls so-lution-based approaches. He defines this effort to create an economy that “not only sustains what we have today but creates a restorative future” and through this, “bring more people along in the successes.”

In this effort, well-being and a thriving en-vironment are meaningful measurements of prosperity. While leveraging financial markets and Wall Street to “do good” may seem like a monumental task, Feigenbaum and the contributors to summer anniver-sary issue seem optimistic. Looking for-ward to the next 20 years, Feigenbaum recognizes that the largest issues we face today also present great opportunities. “The future,” he says with confidence and hopefulness, “is challenging yet inviting.” Visit www.greenmoney.com i

GinaRae LaCerva writes about science, the environment, and her various adventures. You can follower her on Twitter @GinaRaeLC

Drew Tulchin of Social Enterprise Associates (www.socialenterpise.net) contributed as part of a monthly column on social enterprise and local economy issues.

sustaiNable eNteRpRises

GMJ’s editor Cliff Feigenbaum


JAIN STUDY CIRCULARTHE JAIN STUDY CIRCULAR

HAS BEEN POSTED AT WWW.JAINSTUDY.ORG.

Please go our website and study the articles

presented in the new issue.We welcome your comments

and suggestions.


ing in the home led to my developing chemical sensitivities. My lengthy re-covery journey was a means of learn-ing about pesticides, common prac-tices and how to protect myself. I am still sensitive to pesticides. My hope in sharing this information is that you can protect your health, that of your family, and bring this knowledge to community and global action.

P.S. As I googled “size of the pesti-cide industry,” Google came back and asked if I meant “size of the suicide industry”—how appropriate. i1 The Fredonia Group. “World Pesticides to

2014 - Demand and Sales Forecasts, Market Share, Market Size, Market Leaders” 2012

Susan Guyette, Ph.D. is Métis (Micmac Indian and Acadian French) and a planner specializing in cul-tural tourism, cultural centers, museums, and native foods. She is the author of Planning for Balanced Devel-

opment (www.santafeplanning.com) and the co-author of Zen Birding: Connect in Nature.

net-Zero energy continued from page 8

• Grow as much of your own organic food as possible—this is the safest way to protect yourself.

• Buy from non-pesticided local farms, local co-ops, and farmers’ markets to support an increase in our local sup-ply of safe food.

• In your personal environment, clean regularly to avoid attracting insects, do not leave food out, clean cobwebs and nests to discourage insect resi-dents.

• Use the least invasive, natural forms of insect control (see Richard Fager-lund’s article in the May 2012 Green Fire Times).

• Ask for public policy to ban pesticid-ing of public buildings.

Change through compassion is pos-sible. People who work in pesticided environments are not notified by em-ployers or building owners of their continued exposure. I point out to employees in pesticided public places my concern for their well-being and urge them to talk with their employers about productivity — a key handle for creating incentive for change. The tips I bring to you come from my experience — severe pesticide poison-

everyday green continued from page 25

Heat recovery ventilator

Certified homes are just about airtight as a result of advanced framing and insulation techniques. Upon completion of the home, the tightness is verified with a blower door test The HERS rater is required to temporar-ily install a special door equipped with a fan and sensors to pressurize the house and then calculate how quickly the air escapes. Because of the increased tightness of these homes, it is necessary to properly ventilate the homes to prevent indoor air from becoming toxic, stale and unhealthy. Each certified home is built with a Heat Recovery Ventilator that takes in fresh air from outdoors and expels indoor air. In the winter it transfers heat from the ex-pelled air to the incoming fresh air.

super eFFicient appliances, equipment and ligHting

In Renaissance Homes, condensing modu-lating gas boilers are used to provide heat for the in-floor radiant heating system and the domestic hot water for showers and cooking. Between proper solar orientation, robust insu-lation and the super-efficient boiler, minimal natural gas is used to heat the home in the four months of winter. Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent and LED (light emitting diode) lighting further reduce electric use.

solar electric panels

With increased production of solar elec-tric panels around the world, the price has dropped by more than half. Even without the 30 to 40 percent tax credits, it is still financial-ly beneficial to load future energy use into to-day’s mortgage by installing solar panels dur-ing construction to offset the much-reduced energy use.

The modern certified energy-efficient home is a true breakthrough, but it is no guarantee of energy reductions. No matter how efficient a home, if the residents are not aware of their energy use and leave lights on, open windows in the winter and otherwise waste energy, the home will not perform. One couple living in an energy-efficient home knew how to do it. After installation of their solar equipment they achieved a net profit of $80 a year on their energy costs. That is a true Net-Zero-Energy Home. i

Alan Hoffman has designed and built passive solar homes in Santa Fe since 1977. He also helped create the neo-traditional villages Aldea de Santa Fe and Oshara Village. Hoffman is a member of the Congress For the New Urbanism and a contributor to the Best Practices Guide of New Urbanism. For a tour of Zero-Energy Homes, call him at 505.316.0449.


JuNe 10, 11 am-12 pmthe chickeN debate coNtiNuescollected works Bookstore 202 galisteoed Moreno of the eldorado Community im-provement Assn. will present the pros & cons with representatives from both sides. spon-sored by JourneysantaFe.com, 505.992.0418

JuNe 12, 9-10:30 amwhy cactus?railyard park community roomJohn oberhausen of the Cactus rescue Project will teach how to propagate, plant and grow varieties of cactus. alanna@ railyardpark.org, www.railyardpark.org

JuNe 15, 11 am-12 pmlaNdscape touR: what’s bloomiNg?academy For tHe love oF learning, seton villageWith landscape designer Christie Green. Bring a sack lunch for optional lunch dis-cussion 12-1 pm. suggested donation: $10. rsVP: 505.995.1860, programs@ aloveoflearning.org, www.aloveoflearning.org

JuNe 16, 9:45 am to 5:15 pmethics of NatuRe aRt adVeNtuRestHe commons community room, 2300 w. alamedaArt therapist Jane shoenfeld’s workshop fo-cuses on processes and cycles in nature that illuminate relationships. $145. 505.986.1108, www.skyfields.net

JuNe 16, 4 pm touR, 5 pm potluckampeRsaNd sustaiNable leaRNiNg ceNteR opeN housecerrillos, nm$10-$15 suggested donation. www.am-persandproject.org, rsVP: 505.780.0535, [email protected]

JuNe 18, 6 pmlectuRe/ReceptioN futuRe faRmeRs: a collectiVe pRacticetipton Hall, sF art instituteArtist/activist Amy Franceschini on the multidisciplinary effects of globalization and its many environmental consequences. $10/$5. www.sfai.org

JuNe 24, 10 am-4 pmRaiNwateR aNd gReywateR techNiquesampersand sustainaBle learning center, cerrillos, nmlearn about rainwater harvesting systems, nM Greywater Code. $60. registration: 505.780.0535, [email protected]

JuNe 24, time tbdethNobotaNical excuRsioN with futuRefaRmeRs aNd JohN duNcaNsF art instituteWorkshop: $100. (scholarships available) www.sfai.org

JuNe 13, 11:45 am-1:30 pmNm small busiNess week awaRds luNcheoNmarriott alBq. pyramid nortH 5151 san Francisco rd. nesmall Business training & expo: 8:30 am-5 pm. $35 registration includes luncheon, training and expo. Presented by the nM sBdC network. info: 505.428.1695, [email protected]

JuNe 20, 3-5 pmbusiNess RecycliNg tRaiNiNgHotel alBq. old town 800 río grande Blvd. nwdoes your business want to start recycling, but don’t know where to begin? recycling just got easier for Albq. metro businesses. Free session includes resource guide. info: 505.983.4470, [email protected]

JuNe 25-26NatioNal polliNatoR weekopen space visitor center6500 coors Blvd. nwPromoting pollinator conservation with beekeepers, honey tasting and presentations. screening of “Queen of the sun” documen-tary, 6/23, 3-5 pm, www.nmbeekeepers.org

July 7, 10 am-5 pmbeekeepiNg semiNaRFirst presByterian cHurcH 215 locust st., neregionally Adapted Bees and Genetics, Mite Prevention, A natural Approach to small Cell Beekeeping, presented by Mi-chael Bush, author of Practical Beekeep-ing naturally. $15. [email protected], www.nmbeekeepers.org

July 20-22wildlife west NatuRe paRk music festiValedgewood, nm (20 min. From alBq.)native wildlife refuge for non-releasable animals on 122 acres. Mexican wolves, mountain lions, elk, black bear, and 20 other rescued species. habitats are on natural sub-strates and use up to 60 percent recycled ma-terials. Volunteer staff. Three-day acoustic music fest on 3 stages with covered seating supports the wildlife. Wildlifewest.org

July 26, 8:30 am-4:30 pmsustaiNable busiNess summitHotel alBq., 800 río grande Blvd. nwConference and award luncheon honoring organizations and leaders for whom green is not a buzzword, but is integral to the way they operate. sustainable businesses, build-ing, product/service, workplace. Presented by the nM Green Chamber of Commerce in association with the nM Business Weekly. 505.916.1247, [email protected], http://nmgreenchamber.com

dailydegRees of chaNge: Nm’s climate foRecastnm museum oF natural History & science, 1801 mountain rd. nwWith a focus on nM and the sW, this exhibit reveals current and predicted impacts on hu-mans, landscapes and ecosystems. tickets: $7, $6, $4. info: 505.841.2800, www.nmnaturalhistory.org

xeRiscape guide aVailableA comprehensive list of plants and trees best suited to the climate and soil of the Middle río Grande region including the east Mountains. revised by landscape de-signer Judith Phillips. how-to info on gar-den planting, plant selection efficient irriga-tion, rainwater harvesting, xeriscape basics, etc. Available at local libraries, nurseries, home garden centers and community cen-ters or by calling 505.245.3133. More info: 505.768.3655.

RaiN baRRels aVailable Bernalillo countyBarrels are offered to property owners in un-incorporated areas who are not customers of the ABQ Bernalillo Water Authority. to qualify, residents must sign up for a home wa-ter conservation survey. $40 for a 100-gallon barrel. 505.848.1500, www.bernco.gov/water

southwest baRteR clubhealthcare using Barter Bucks instead of cash or insurance. Access to acupuncture, chiroprac-tic, eye care, fitness and more. 505.715.2889, www.southwestbarterclub.com

beNeficial faRms csa Weekly distribution at la Montañita Co-op Warehouse, 3361 Columbia dr. ne. This CsA works with up to 40 regional farms each year, and offers abundant, affordable shares of fresh fruit and vegetables and other local and region-ally produced foods year round. All produce is grown with sustainable chemical-free methods.

SANTA FEtuesdays thRough July 31, 5:30-8 pmNm climate masteRsFree 10-week class exploring ways to reduce our carbon footprints and teach others about climate change. expert speakers on water, cli-mate science, renewable energy, transporta-tion, local food, consumption and waste. info: 505.820.1696, [email protected]. to apply: www.santafewatershed.org

JuNe 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 2-7 pmalgae pRoductioN couRsesFcc BioFuels centers oF excellence505.428.1807, Biofuels.greentraining.sfcc.edu, http://greentraining.sfcc.edu/

JuNe 5eat to solaRize fiRe statioNcounter culture caFé, 930 Baca st.Percentage of profits from diners will go to new energy economy’s fundraising effort. 505.469.4060

JuNe 7saNta fe busiNess awaRdssF Farmers’ market pavilionFour awards will be presented: Business ex-cellence, small Business of the year, Family-Friendly Business, and Green Business of the year. to attend, call 505.988.33279 or go to www.santafechamber.com

JuNe 9, 10 am-3 pmhealiNg the eaRthhealiNg ouRselVes208 ½ polaco st.Workshop with robert Francis “Mudman” Johnson. use wet adobe to explore commu-nity, purpose, collaboration and healing. $33. 505.954.4495, www.http//earthprayers.byre-gion.net, http://santafecreativetourism.org/

What's Going On! Events / Announcements

ALBUQUERQUEthRough sept. 8, th. oR sat., 9 am-1 pmbackyaRd gaRdeNiNg couRsesla orilla Farm, 2401 Black mesa loop (s. valley)12-part course. $300/individual; $500/couple. 505.877.2877, [email protected], www.mrcog-nm.gov/show-all-ag-blog-showallagblog-211/702-qthe-mother-of-all-back-yard-gardening-courses

JuNe 2-3, 10 am-5 pmeast mouNtaiN fibeR faRm & studio touRrural area where fiber artists and fiber animal breeders open their studios and farms one weekend a year. Alpacas, sheep, camels, angora goats, llamas and angora rabbits. demonstra-tions, sales. 505.286.1783, download map and brochure: www.perfectbuttons.com

JuNe 6, 11:30 am-1 pmusgbc-Nm luNcheoNindian pueBlo cultural center, 2401 12tH st. nw“BuildingsMArt Alliance and the nMiMs-us” learn about the alliance cre-ated to spearhead technical, political and financial support for use of advanced digi-tal technology in the real property industry, including the use of Building information Models for energy Analysis, leed and Fa-cility Management. $25 usGBC-nM mem-ber, $30 non-members, $18 emerging green builders. www.usgbcnm.org

JuNe 7, 5:30-7:30 pmgReeN dRiNksHotel andaluZ, 125 2nd st. nwnetwork and mingle with people interested in local business, clean energy and other green issues. Guest speakers: Christina Ga-vino Gray, ACe leadership Academy Mar-go Maher, Associated General Contractors – nM network. Free. 505.916.1247, [email protected], http://nmgreenchamber.com

JuNe 11, 11:30 am-1 pmiNNoVatioNs of tHe smaRt gRidmesa del sol aperture center, ground Fl. assemBlyA presentation of the smart grid project. PnM, sandia natl. labs, unM and Mesa del sol have joined with the Japanese agency nedo on the project. $15/$20 students, $25/$30 public and ylG (35 & under), $30-$35 private. includes box lunch. info/regis-tration: http://newmexico.uli.org/

JuNe 13, 9-10:30 amagRicultuRe collaboRatiVe meetiNgmrcog oFFices, 809 copper, nwsupporting food & farms in central nM. 505.724.3617, [email protected]


JuNe 29-July 1, 9 am-4 pmbiodiesel pRoductioN couRsesF community [email protected], http://greentraining.sfcc.edu/

JuNe 29, 9:30 am-5 pmembodied wisdom heaRt of actioNacademy For tHe love oF learning, seton villageone-day workshop invites you to attune to your “inner knowing.” registration: $105/$90 before 6/15. info: 505.995.1860, [email protected], www.aloveoflearning.org

JuNe 30, 9-11 amheRbs: fRom the gaRdeN to the kitcheNrailyard park community roomFree workshop with deborah Madison. info: [email protected], www.railyardpark.org

July 6-8, 9 am-4 pmbiomass eNeRgy couRsesF community [email protected]

July 13-15sf iNteRNatioNal folk aRt maRketmilner plaZa next to tHe museum oF intl. Folk art9th annual. More than 170 master artists from every corner of the globe. Free admission for youth 16 & under saturday and sunday. info: 505.992.7600, www.folkartmarket.org. tickets: 505.886.1251, http://holdmyticket.com/buy/folk%20art%20market

tuesday aNd satuRday, 7 am-12 pmsaNta fe faRmeRs’ maRket1607 paseo de peralta (& guadalupe)northern nM farmers & ranchers bring you fresh greenhouse tomatoes, greens, root veg-gies, cheese, teas, herbs, spices, honey, baked goods, southwestern body care and much more.

satuRdays, appRox. 2 pmmeet youR faRmeRjoe’s dining, rodeo & ZiaA lunch experience. An opportunity to ask ques-tions about farming, enjoy a local meal and meet farmers who grow nM foods. Vendors from the farmers’ market have an after-market lunch and meet the community. info: [email protected]

satuRdays, 4 pmuNicopia gReeN Radioktrc - 1260 amA weekly show with Faren dancer. our culture is requiring a major shift in how we relate to the earth. our fossil fuel-based economy is poised for transition to a renew-able future. each show explores the issues, politics, science, and the evolution of con-sciousness impacting the balancing of life on our planet.

7th editioN of “day hikes iN the saNta fe aRea”Features 56 destinations, new reconfigured hikes with maps and photos, safety tips, re-source guide. Available in local bookstores.

tai chi aNd kuNg fu classesFt. marcy sports complexClasses with international Champion si-gung Mark Thorson. tai Chi: tues, Th.,

7-8 am; Kung Fu: Wed., 6:30-8:30 pm, Fri., 7-8:30 pm, sat., 12-1:30 pm. info: [email protected], 505.955.2501

biodyNamic compostMade from manure from alfalfa-fed cows, available for pick-up or delivery. 505.982.6879. For info, see Susan Waterman’s My Own Gar-den article in March 2011 GFT.

uNwaNted mail & phoNe booksopt-out of unwanted phone books, catalogs, credit card solicitations. Free service will help sF shed thousands of pounds of waste and dol-lars in costs. http://santafe/catalogchoice.org

boRRow a kill-a-watt deVicemain liBrary and soutHside BrancHElectricity Measuring Devices may be checked out for 28 days www.santafelibrary.org or call any reference desk.

saNta fe cReatiVe touRism iNitiatiVesArtists and craftsmen who offer workshops and classes within sF County are invited to list their offerings with santa Fe Creative tourism at www.santaFeCreativetourism.org. see “Get involved” tab to list. This service is free and pro-vided by the city of sF Arts Commission.

sustaiNable gRowth maN-agemeNt plaN foR sf couNtyhard copies $20, Cds $2. Contact Me-lissa holmes, 505.995.2717 or msholmes@ santafecounty.org. The sGMP is also avail-able on the county website: www.santafecoun-ty.org/growth_management/sgmp and can be reviewed at sF Public libraries and the Coun-ty Administrative Building, 102 Grant Ave.

HERE & THEREoNgoiNg uNtil July 18Red willow faRmeRs’ maRkettaos pueBlo, nmGreenhouse and field-grown produce and more. [email protected]

thRough July 24 applica-tioNs acceptedCooperative technical Assistance Grants“small socially disadvantaged Producer Grant” program from usdA rural devel-opment for cooperatives, groups of coopera-tives and cooperative development centers. Assistance can help small ag-producers with market research, product and/or service improvement, legal advice and assistance, feasibility studies, business plans, and mar-ket development and training. Maximum award: $200,000. 505.761.4952, [email protected], www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_ssdPG.html

JuNe 9-10, 10 am-4 pmgReeNbuilt touRvarious locations tHrougHout nmtour of sustainable homes. 2-day pass: $15. usGBC-nM. 505.227.0474. see story, page 3.

JuNe 9Valles caldeRa feNce RemoVal pRoJectjemeZ mountainsVolunteer work in large caldera meadow at former cattle ranch. Wild earth Guardians. rsVP: 505.988.9126, ext. 0 or [email protected]

JuNe 12-14lohas foRumBoulder, co.

lifestyles of health and sustainability con-ference brings together start-up companies with multinational corporations to create dialogue around solutions and partnerships. registration: $595/$795. www.lohas.com

JuNe 18-22 aNd JuNe 25-29summeR campcamino de paZ scHool & Farmsanta cruZ (near española)CdP and española Valley Fiber Arts Center are of-fering two exciting weeks of fun on the farm. Ani-mal care, food growing, cooking, making cheese and ice cream. Craft activities such as weaving, felting, sewing, puppet making, drawing offered. students 8-11: $150/wk. students may attend one or both weeks. [email protected]

JuNe 18-2216th aNNual sheep is life woRkshopsdiné college, tsaile campus,navajo nation, aZ.Classes open to all. learn how to work with Churro sheep fiber in hands-on workshops with weavers, spinners and pastoralists. Workshops costs and details: 505.406.7428, [email protected], www.navajolifeway.org

JuNe 22-23sheep is life celebRatioN eVeNtsdiné college rodeo groundstsaile campus, aZ.Free. details + travel & lodging info: www.navajolifeway.org

July 13-15taos pueblo pow wowtaos, nmdance and drum performances and com-petitions, ceremonial activities, arts, crafts, food booths. www.taospueblopowwow.com

July 14-15, 9am-July 15, 1 pmiNtRo to queeN hoNeybee ReaRiNgZia queenBee co. Farm, trucHas, nmWorkshop for experienced beekeepers by Melanie Kirby and Mark spitzig. $200. 505.929.8080, www.queenbees.com/zia/2012

July 26-27wateR, cleaNup aNd ouR health coNfeReNcenortHern new mexico college españolalearn about the surface water impacts from lAnl operations, the need for aggressive cleanup now, and impacts to our health. For more info: http://www.amigosbravos.org/lanl.php

aug. 22-27homesteadiNg woRkshoplama Foundation, lama, nmWorkshop featuring our food cycle: mulch to meals. Techniques and recipes for kitchen and garden; rural or urban. [email protected], http://liveherenow.wordpress.com/

aug. 31-sept. 2NatuRal buildiNg woRkshopocaté, nmlearn to build light clay structures. Funda-mentals of design, local material collection, construction and tours of completed homes. Meals & camping at a beautiful retreat cen-ter. $100. 575.668.2005, [email protected]

the home faRmiNg ReVolutioN foR dRylaNdsnew book by zoe Wilcox and Melanie rubin is now available. A step-by-step guide to help you convert any plot of land into a micro-farm. email [email protected] or visit www.homefarmingrevolution.com to download the book’s introduction for free. Available at Bookworks in Albq. and online.

fRee New mexico gReeN iNdustRy tRaiNiNg oppoRtuNitiesThanks to a three-year, $6 million grant awarded through the us dept. of labor, the state energy sector Partnership Program is offering free training to nM resi-dents and businesses. The nM dept. of Workforce solutions (nMdWs) is ad-ministering the grant. oversight is the responsibility of the new Mexico Green industry Council.

A key goal is to establish a statewide approach to worker training in renewable energy/energy efficiency occupations, including solar, Wind, Green Building/ energy efficiency, and Biofuels. Additionally, nMdWs has awarded funds to four consortia of education providers, businesses and workforce organizations to devel-op “Centers of excellence” programs in emerging green industries. The funds will help implement innovative collaborations among business, workforce, economic development and educational systems. tHe centers include: • Biofuels Center of excellence – Santa Fe Community College

(http://greentraining.sfcc.edu/) • Green Building/energy efficiency Center of excellence – SFCC

(http://greentraining.sfcc.edu/) • Solar Center of excellence – Central nM Community College

(http://www.cnm.edu/campus/wtc/) • Wind Center of excellence – Mesalands Community College

(http://www.mesalands.edu/wind/default.htm)

to be eligible, you must be a veteran or qualified spouse of a veteran, a high school dropout, disabled, criminal ex-offender, currently unemployed, an incumbent worker in need of skills upgrades for a solar, wind, biofuels, green building/en-ergy efficiency green job, or a dislocated worker. For details, contact the colleges mentioned above, or find your nearest Workforce Connection Center by visiting http://www.dws.state.nm.us/dws-offices.html.

Green Fire Times June 2012 Edition

Documents

Transcript of Green Fire Times June 2012 Edition