Santa Fe County is proud to be one of 120 local governments and regions worldwide to earn the 2025 CDP A-List ranking for bold climate action and transparency, and it is one of four counties in the United States to receive this recognition. This is Santa Fe County’s first year earning an “A” rating, which is the highest score awarded by the environmental nonprofit CDP.

Counties on the A-List have demonstrated climate leadership through concerted and effective action. This includes publicly disclosing environmental data through the CDP-ICLEI Track platform, maintaining a comprehensive county-wide emissions inventory, and publishing a credible climate action plan. Counties must also complete a full climate risk and vulnerability assessment and set a clear climate adaptation goal that outlines how they will address current and future climate hazards. For Santa Fe County, some key highlights from the past year include developing a green stormwater infrastructure plan, clarifying how to appropriately transition to electric fleet vehicles and support them with appropriate infrastructure, expanding the Backyard Composting Program, and optimizing energy use through a new data management system.

Clear, transparent data is essential for shaping effective policies and guiding decision-making, and Santa Fe County is taking decisive action to build resilience, manage climate risks, and create a more sustainable future for our community. You can explore the 2025 CDP A-List Rankings here and learn more about Santa Fe County’s Climate Action Plan here.

On January 16th, Dominium Development and Acquisition, LLC, and Santa Fe County hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Turquoise Trail affordable housing community (shown on the right). In 2024, Santa Fe County issued $70 Million dollars in multifamily housing revenue bonds to help finance the project, which will be repaid by the developer. Turquoise Trail is the second of two affordable housing projects supported by the County, with all units rented at below-market rates.

Once constructed, Turquoise Trail will provide 300 apartment homes reserved for low/moderate income households earning no more than 60% of the Santa Fe area median income ($47,775 for a 2-person household) and 12 apartment homes for households earning no more than 50% of the Santa Fe area median income ($39,812 for a 2-person household).

Beyond providing housing for individuals currently priced out of the market, the project incorporates sustainability features, including compliance with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, use of surface water from the Santa Fe County Water Utility, and the potential inclusion of solar power systems and electric vehicle charging stations.

Additionally, by increasing the supply of affordable housing available to City and County residents, developments such as Turquoise Trail help to reduce transportation emissions by allowing individuals to live closer to their places of work. According to a 2020 report by the New Mexico Bureau of Business & Economic Research, 38% of Santa Fe County workers lived outside the County in 2018, and 22% had a daily commute longer than 50 miles. It is likely that a large proportion of these individuals may prefer to live in the community in which they work, but are unable to do so due to the cost and availability of appropriate housing.

Transportation is Santa Fe County’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. A 2024 study by the Colorado Energy Office found that smart land use policies which allow people to live closer to jobs and services have the potential to reduce household transportation emissions by 15% in addition to reducing average household transportation expenses by nearly 50%.

The Turquoise Trail affordable housing community directly addresses issues of housing affordability and indirectly impacts transportation emissions, benefiting both the hundreds of families who will call Turquoise Trail home and Santa Fe County as a whole.

The New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) is accepting online grant applications for its Healthy Soil Program through noon on Friday, March 20, 2026. Individuals, businesses, and nonprofits directly engaged in farming, ranching, and other land management activities are eligible to apply, and more information on the eligibility requirements and application process can be found here. Projects selected for funding will begin in July 2026.

Healthy Soil Program grants support on-the-ground projects in New Mexico that use one or more of the five soil health principles to improve soil health: keeping the soil covered; minimizing soil disturbance and external inputs; maximizing biodiversity; maintaining a living root; and integrating animals into land management. Project activities often include elements like cover cropping, compost application, and bale grazing, and you can visit the NMDA YouTube channel to watch informational videos about how the NMDA Healthy Soil Program has helped other grantees improve their soil health. On the NMDA's Healthy Soil Program webpage, you can explore the interactive map of past grant-funded projects, subscribe to program updates, and check out resources to prepare to apply for a grant.

The NM Healthy Soil Working Group is offering one-on-one grant writing support for applicants to NMDA's Healthy Soil Program. Although they are not affiliated with NMDA and cannot guarantee awards for applicants, they can still provide support. You can schedule a free consultation (in English) with Isabelle Jenniches by contacting info@nmhealthysoil.org or (505) 231-8471.