Looking at the problem directly
and fearlessly is the necessary first step.

Part of the Solution

ere in 2008 on planet Earth, particularly in the developed world, we have a big problem. We’re caught in an unsustainable paradigm, a way of life dependent on fossil fuels that are depleted. We are at the point known as “post-peak,” when the oil and gas supplies are on a downward curve. This means extraction becomes more and more difficult, takes more energy, and is more environmentally destructive because the richer, more available sources are used up.

We are enmeshed in a way of life that is a bubble in time and about to burst. To us it seems normal, our right. But the well is running dry. It’s a choice now of cutting back — living within our means, so to speak — or going bankrupt — exhausting our resources. With Tecton’s bid to explore for oil and gas in the Galisteo Basin, this choice has come home to us. It hits us where we live, but it’s only symptomatic of desperation on a much larger scale.

Our problem is both local and global. How to protect our county so as to keep it healthy and livable is one part of the problem. The other is how to preserve the biosphere of our planet. Transformation of our energy use, our sources of energy, and the way we live is crucial. We can either be part of the problem or part of the solution.

Facing into the wind, looking at the problem directly and fearlessly is the necessary first step. Quick fixes breed mistakes. We need to take time and look deeply at all the ramifications and anticipate possible side effects; otherwise, more problems are produced.

One example is the rush to create biofuel. Suddenly areas growing food crops, as well as food crops themselves, were commandeered for biofuel production, resulting in food shortages. Biofuels can be produced from dryland crops in low water areas that can’t grow food. This benefits farmers and gives us nonextractive renewable fuels. (By the way, biofuels produced by Charles Bensinger’s Renewable Energy Partners, and available at the Giant gas station on Baca Street in Santa Fe, are grown in New Mexico and southern Colorado from dryland crops.) Food and fuel alike produced and used locally results in a double win: adding to the local economy and reducing transport, which saves fuel.

Positive Developments

Recently there have been some positive developments in Santa Fe County that I see as part of the solution:

1. Santa Fe County has proposed an at least one-year moratorium on drilling in the Galisteo Basin in order to fully study the impacts it would have on the environment, health and the economy, as well as archaeological sites, aquifers, etc. The moratorium will have been discussed and voted on at the February 26 public meeting.

2. Commissioner Paul Campos has proposed a resolution calling for a feasibility study of a county/city electrical power utility. This would be a long-term sustainable energy solution, using renewable, nonfossil, non-nuclear sources such as wind, solar and appropriate biofuels. It would be locally distributed and controlled, and would make a beneficial economic contribution to the community, in terms of both providing local jobs and keeping money in our area instead of profits going to out-of-state stockholders and huge CEO salaries. Also, the resolution calls for “implementation of green building and energy-efficient operation initiatives.” Support this resolution by calling your county commissioners at 986-6200 or your City Council members through the city manager’s office at 955-6509.

3. The Coalition for Energy Accountability is a coalition encompassing a wide swath of neighborhood groups, environmental organizations — such as the Wilderness Society, the National Wildlife Federation, the Oil and Gas Accountability Project, Drilling Santa Fe and other nonprofits — ranchers, business groups and individuals. Its objective is to empower the local community to create sustainable energy solutions by working together. The “accountability” in the name is threefold: to hold the extraction industries, our elected officials and ourselves accountable for preventing the adverse effects of energy extraction. Its focus is local, finding community-based solutions, which then can spread statewide and beyond.

On January 26, a meeting called by Johnny Micou, cofounder of Drilling Santa Fe, was held at the Santa Fe Community College for individuals willing to work actively for these goals. Sixty-five people showed up and volunteered for committees whose functions included education, outreach and communication with local and state officials. Go to drillingsantafe.com for more information, to join or to support the coalition.

4. During the recent legislative session, a huge volume of constituent calls stopped some bills that gave the oil and gas industry undue influence from going forward from committee; the bills were tabled. Undoubtedly they will resurface next session, but we saw how effective we can be and will mobilize again.

All these positive developments came from the impact of citizens writing letters and e-mails, making calls, showing up at meetings, organizing, running websites and coming up with innovative ideas. Many intelligent and committed individuals have been working hard in various ways to protect our county and to create a sustainable energy future. And we all need to continue working — this is a long process.

making a Difference — Small and Large Measures

Coordinated local efforts and local democracy are a big part of what we need now to create solutions. And there’s always the ingenuity of individuals in our everyday lives figuring out ways to reduce fuel use and live more lightly on the land. A woman from Poland whom I met at a Zen center taught me how they cooked during fuel shortages in Poland. You start cooking with the stove turned on and a lid on your pot. Then you turn off the burner, cover your pot with dish towels and pot holders, and let it continue to cook in the well-heated pot. (Cooking for a retreat, she would wrap up a heated pot of stew in her sleeping bag and let it sit there, stewing, for hours.)

How to keep warm in the cold of winter with the thermostat turned down is an issue we all face. Wearing lots and lots of layers works well, and exercise gets your blood circulating and warms you up a lot. Tibetans living in unheated buildings in their extremely cold climate keep warm by drinking innumerable cups of hot tea (with yak butter). And, of course, your body does adjust. Having a lid for your teacup keeps the tea hot longer. In New York City, you could get colorful teacups with lids in Chinatown. Out here, I made a few pottery ones and use them all the time.

On a larger scale, I agree with the woman who wrote an insightful letter to the New Mexican asking why the new buildings at the Railyard didn’t face south for solar gain. Shouldn’t there be building codes that mandated this? she demanded. Yes, and also those requiring water catchment and directing runoff water to landscape plantings.

These small and large measures are all part of the solution to the very large problem we face. We are a creative species; our planet is a beautiful, complex energy system with which we can and must live in harmony. We have come to the end of the age of oil, the end of domination of nature. Humility, finding our place in the biotic diversity, and living peacefully within it is the road not only to sustainability but to survival itself.





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	Looking at the problem directly and fearlessly is the necessary first step. Part of the Solution ere in 2008 on planet Earth, particularly in the developed world, we have a big problem. We’re caught in an unsustainable paradigm, a way of life dependent on fossil fuels that are depleted. We are at the point known as “post-peak,” when the oil and gas supplies are on a downward curve. This means extraction becomes more and more difficult, takes more energy, and is more environmentally destructive because the richer, more available sources are used up. We are enmeshed in a way of life that is a bubble in time and about to burst. To us it seems normal, our right. But the well is running dry. It’s a choice now of cutting back — living within our means, so to speak — or going bankrupt — exhausting our resources. With Tecton’s bid to explore for oil and gas in the Galisteo Basin, this choice has come home to us. It hits us where we live, but it’s only symptomatic of desperation on a much larger scale. Our problem is both local and global. How to protect our county so as to keep it healthy and livable is one part of the problem. The other is how to preserve the biosphere of our planet. Transformation of our energy use, our sources of energy, and the way we live is crucial. We can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. Facing into the wind, looking at the problem directly and fearlessly is the necessary first step. Quick fixes breed mistakes. We need to take time and look deeply at all the ramifications and anticipate possible side effects; otherwise, more problems are produced. One example is the rush to create biofuel. Suddenly areas growing food crops, as well as food crops themselves, were commandeered for biofuel production, resulting in food shortages. Biofuels can be produced from dryland crops in low water areas that can’t grow food. This benefits farmers and gives us nonextractive renewable fuels. (By the way, biofuels produced by Charles Bensinger’s Renewable Energy Partners, and available at the Giant gas station on Baca Street in Santa Fe, are grown in New Mexico and southern Colorado from dryland crops.) Food and fuel alike produced and used locally results in a double win: adding to the local economy and reducing transport, which saves fuel. Positive Developments Recently there have been some positive developments in Santa Fe County that I see as part of the solution: 1. Santa Fe County has proposed an at least one-year moratorium on drilling in the Galisteo Basin in order to fully study the impacts it would have on the environment, health and the economy, as well as archaeological sites, aquifers, etc. The moratorium will have been discussed and voted on at the February 26 public meeting. 2. Commissioner Paul Campos has proposed a resolution calling for a feasibility study of a county/city electrical power utility. This would be a long-term sustainable energy solution, using renewable, nonfossil, non-nuclear sources such as wind, solar and appropriate biofuels. It would be locally distributed and controlled, and would make a beneficial economic contribution to the community, in terms of both providing local jobs and keeping money in our area instead of profits going to out-of-state stockholders and huge CEO salaries. Also, the resolution calls for “implementation of green building and energy-efficient operation initiatives.” Support this resolution by calling your county commissioners at 986-6200 or your City Council members through the city manager’s office at 955-6509. 3. The Coalition for Energy Accountability is a coalition encompassing a wide swath of neighborhood groups, environmental organizations — such as the Wilderness Society, the National Wildlife Federation, the Oil and Gas Accountability Project, Drilling Santa Fe and other nonprofits — ranchers, business groups and individuals. Its objective is to empower the local community to create sustainable energy solutions by working together. The “accountability” in the name is threefold: to hold the extraction industries, our elected officials and ourselves accountable for preventing the adverse effects of energy extraction. Its focus is local, finding community-based solutions, which then can spread statewide and beyond. On January 26, a meeting called by Johnny Micou, cofounder of Drilling Santa Fe, was held at the Santa Fe Community College for individuals willing to work actively for these goals. Sixty-five people showed up and volunteered for committees whose functions included education, outreach and communication with local and state officials. Go to drillingsantafe.com for more information, to join or to support the coalition. 4. During the recent legislative session, a huge volume of constituent calls stopped some bills that gave the oil and gas industry undue influence from going forward from committee; the bills were tabled. Undoubtedly they will resurface next session, but we saw how effective we can be and will mobilize again. All these positive developments came from the impact of citizens writing letters and e-mails, making calls, showing up at meetings, organizing, running websites and coming up with innovative ideas. Many intelligent and committed individuals have been working hard in various ways to protect our county and to create a sustainable energy future. And we all need to continue working — this is a long process. making a Difference — Small and Large Measures Coordinated local efforts and local democracy are a big part of what we need now to create solutions. And there’s always the ingenuity of individuals in our everyday lives figuring out ways to reduce fuel use and live more lightly on the land. A woman from Poland whom I met at a Zen center taught me how they cooked during fuel shortages in Poland. You start cooking with the stove turned on and a lid on your pot. Then you turn off the burner, cover your pot with dish towels and pot holders, and let it continue to cook in the well-heated pot. (Cooking for a retreat, she would wrap up a heated pot of stew in her sleeping bag and let it sit there, stewing, for hours.) How to keep warm in the cold of winter with the thermostat turned down is an issue we all face. Wearing lots and lots of layers works well, and exercise gets your blood circulating and warms you up a lot. Tibetans living in unheated buildings in their extremely cold climate keep warm by drinking innumerable cups of hot tea (with yak butter). And, of course, your body does adjust. Having a lid for your teacup keeps the tea hot longer. In New York City, you could get colorful teacups with lids in Chinatown. Out here, I made a few pottery ones and use them all the time. On a larger scale, I agree with the woman who wrote an insightful letter to the New Mexican asking why the new buildings at the Railyard didn’t face south for solar gain. Shouldn’t there be building codes that mandated this? she demanded. Yes, and also those requiring water catchment and directing runoff water to landscape plantings. These small and large measures are all part of the solution to the very large problem we face. We are a creative species; our planet is a beautiful, complex energy system with which we can and must live in harmony. We have come to the end of the age of oil, the end of domination of nature. Humility, finding our place in the biotic diversity, and living peacefully within it is the road not only to sustainability but to survival itself.