Supporting Farmers: A Local Network Through AgriGate

It couldn’t be a better time to start rethinking our food sources. Creating resilience within our community begins with the basics: locally grown, nutritious food! To support our regional food network, Santa Fe County's Growth Management Department launched the AgriGate website that connects nearby farmers with food buyers. It also includes useful resources—for everyone—and a treasure trove of wonderful stories of our region's rich agricultural history.

Local food systems support resiliency by:

• Supporting local farmers and the local economy; 
• Bypassing global food supply chains that can be disrupted by events like COVID-19;
• Valuing traditional planting wisdom and bringing people together in community gardens;
• Reducing transportation time and costs (learn about local food sources in AgriGate's Food Community Map)

Add your sources and/or knowledge to this growing resource at Join AgriGate today! The more the better! 

Eldorado Community Center Complex Goes Solar!

In May, the new 71-kilowatt solar array at the County's Ken and Patty Adam Senior and Max Coll Community Center in Eldorado started producing renewable-source electricity! The $162,400 system will generate about 90% of the building's electricity and reduce the building's electricity costs by $16,000 every year. The array's annual production offsets about 90 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year, the same as planting 3,400 trees. Santa Fe County sends a huge shout-out to all the community support from elected officials, the enthusiastic senior center users, library members, the students from El Dorado Community School, the homeowner's association board, Eldorado-285 Recycles, and Sol Luna Solar, who installed the ground-mount system without a hitch. Stay tuned as the fence and pollinator-friendly landscaping provides the final touch.

Streamflow Forecast 2020: Conserving this Precious Resource 

In our high desert environment, water is continually on everyone’s mind, especially as wildfire season approaches. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reports New Mexico short on snow water equivalent this year, leaving the state with half the normal stream flows and a forecast for 2020 that is much lower than previous years. Flows in the Rio Grande are expected to be 74% below the median.

Santa Fe County residents are recognized for their water wise practices—a way of life for generations in many families that make every drop count. Which of these home water-wise best practices might you adopt to conserve this precious resource? 

• Fixing a single toilet leak can save thousands of gallons each month.
• Collecting grey water from showers and laundry has the potential to divert 60% of household water for landscape irrigation.
• Rainwater harvesting spreads rainwater use into subsequent drier weeks. 
• Planting low-water natives, xeriscaping plants and trees, and increasing organic matter in soil makes a big difference in the amount of water needed to maintain a beautiful garden. 

Monitoring your household's water use (as shown on your water bill or by reading your well's meter) allows for a greater understanding of potential water savings; Santa Fe residential customers use, on average, 65 gallons per person per day. Per Chapter 7.13.11.5 of the Sustainable Land Development Code, many properties in Santa Fe County require regular meter reading and reporting. Follow nature’s wisdom and make protecting, managing, and conserving water your priority this summer for everything that requires this life-giving force.  

What Can I Do? 2020 Vision

Return to pre-stay-at-home routines or embrace new ones?

Since the implementation of worldwide lockdowns, transportation, and consumption patterns have changed; greenhouse gas emissions are down 17%!  Yet, emissions are likely to bounce back to usual conditions as soon as the current crisis disappears. Though political priorities have shifted to fight the pandemic, we need climate leadership now more than ever to ensure a safe and equitable future. Are you wondering how you can continue positive practices learned during the shutdown that make a long-term difference?  Consider making the choices that we all need to make for a healthier future:

1. Switch to less carbon-intensive modes of transportation, taking advantage of the health benefits of walking and biking more;
2. Reduce consumption;
3. Connect with your local community: stay in touch with your neighbors, volunteer, buy local food, and support local businesses. 

Before you head out the door and jump back into past routines, be good to your wallet, your lungs, and your family by embracing planet-positive changes!

If you want to make a difference but are feeling overwhelmed by the impacts of COVID-19, Santa Fe County can help. Contact Santa Fe County CONNECT to gain assistance with food, housing, and transportation needs. Santa Fe County's Economic Development Division also put together a one-stop-shop website with resources for individuals, families, and small businesses impacted by COVID-19 and Growth Management created a new website to support businesses. Let's stay #AllTogetherSantaFe and continue supporting each other today for a more resilient tomorrow.