I am grateful for the opportunity to join Santa Fe County's Community Development Department/Sustainability Division as a Sustainability Specialist. I had the pleasure of joining this great team in the middle of October 2024. I am very eager to learn about the current sustainability efforts and strive to contribute to these important goals during my time working with Santa Fe County.

My roots in New Mexico are fresh; I was previously calling Boulder, Colorado home while completing my MBA and enjoying the natural resources available in the Rocky Mountains. Moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, has provided me with the same appreciation for the natural beauty of the land and wonderful people who call this place home. My passion is staying engaged in my surrounding environment through hiking, camping, skiing, fishing and other outdoor activities. Before moving to Colorado, I was working within land management and community outreach for the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. I then moved to Colorado to pursue an MBA with a focus in Sustainability at CU Boulder. During my master’s program, I gained a fellowship with EDF Climate Corps focusing on energy efficiency and community engagement for Sustainable Jersey. Later I worked with First Nations Development Institute and incorporated food security, food sovereignty and land stewardship within various tribal communities.

Growing up on the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin, I gained a passion for nature through my culture. I also grew up learning about the importance of a strong ecosystem being an outdoorsman through hunting and fishing, learning about our relationship with plants and animals. My time as an organic farmer and work with tribal communities across the country has allowed me to gain many perspectives on various cultural climate actions. Keeping the integrity and resilience in land management is an essential piece for sustainability efforts. I’m eager for the chance to continue my learning and apply my knowledge to the sustainability efforts of Santa Fe County!

Made up of on-road transportation, transit, aviation and rail, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Santa Fe County and nation-wide. In 2019, County on-road transportation, to include trips made by passenger and freight vehicles, produced over 740,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, exceeding the combined emissions from landfills, water and wastewater treatment, agriculture and residential energy use.

To date, Santa Fe County is employing four major strategies to reduce transportation emissions include:

1. Expanding the installation and availability of public EV charging infrastructure at County facilities
2. Amending ordinances to remove barriers to EV charging
3. Electrifying the County fleet and planning for the utilization of low carbon intensity fuels; and
4. Reducing per-capita vehicle miles traveled.

To this end, the Sustainability Division is in the process of launching two initiatives aimed at reducing on-road transportation emissions. First, by installing 33 EV charging stations at County owned facilities through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant in fiscal years 2025-28 and secondly, transitioning the County’s fleet and equipment to electric and low carbon alternatives.

In early 2024, Santa Fe County was awarded $4,214,000 in funding through the Federal Highway Administration CFI program with match funding provided by the New Mexico Department of Transportation. Beginning in 2025 and extending through 2028, Santa Fe County will install 23 level 2 EV chargers and 10 DC Fast Chargers at 13 locations encompassing County owned community centers, senior centers, affordable housing developments, fire stations and administrative facilities. All charging sites will be publicly accessible and span County jurisdiction from Edgewood and Stanley in the South to El Rancho, and Chimayo in the North. Currently, there are approximately 60 EV charging stations within the County but only 6 stations outside the greater City of Santa Fe. CFI funding will allow the County to expand access to EV infrastructure within rural areas and low to moderate income and multi-unit neighborhoods, while reducing range anxiety. EV infrastructure development will work to eliminate the barriers to electric vehicle adoption and reduce transportation emissions as a result.

To reduce County fleet emissions and further expand public EV infrastructure, Santa Fe County is in the process of developing an EV Infrastructure and Procurement Plan. Made up of three components:

1. A roadmap for how the County can best transition to an electric and alternative fuel fleet.
2. Infrastructure specifications needed to support EV adoption.
3. Identify opportunities to transition small, motorized equipment, such as leaf blowers and other equipment tools to electric alternatives.

Once completed, the plan will help County staff prioritize the vehicles best suited for immediate or near-term replacement and provide a roadmap for full fleet electrification or replacement with low/no emission vehicles by 2045. Additionally, the plan will help County staff identify the locations where EV infrastructure is most needed both by staff, the public, and help establish guidelines for future infrastructure purchases.

Together these initiatives represent significant steps towards facilitating the adoption of electric and low/no emission vehicles. This comprises only a few of the many actions needed to reduce and eliminate emissions from the transportation sector.

For businesses interested in installing EV infrastructure there are a number of tax credit and rebate opportunities available. These include the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit which can provide a tax credit of up to 30% of total infrastructure costs (up to $100,000) and rebates through PNM which can provide up to $2,500 to install a level 2 charger and $25,000 to install a DC fast charger.

Stay tuned to watch the evolution and more green transportation options at a County corner near you!

November is the month when recipes get dusted off and plans are often made for gatherings and traveling. Socializing increases for many more than ever. Introverts, extroverts, no matter your practices or traditions, it can be a stressful time, even without an election year, or the grave impacts of climate change scenes in the news! Let us take a gratitude pause to reflect as fall descends and summer clothes are stored away; when trees, plants and wildlife prepare to pause as well. An intentional pause can go a long way when we focus our attention, take note and honor all the precious connections and aspects of our lives that we hold dear. Practicing gratitude never goes out of season and when applied to everyday routines, is found to ease stressful thoughts and concerns by amplifying the good stuff in our brains and endocrine system. Below is a sampling of the "how to list" from mindful.org that are reminders of simple ways to incorporate more gratitude into our daily lives which we can all use before the pressure cookers get a little too full of steam!

1. Start by observing
2. Pick one interaction a day
3. Keep a gratitude journal
4. Use visual reminders
5. Remember the difficult times (in the past and recognize how far you have come)

Make your gratitude a tangible act. There are myriad ways to volunteer and contribute locally to ease suffering or lend a helping hand. Like any muscle, gratitude exercise will grow your ability and capacity to demonstrate appreciation the more it is practiced, and you will benefit from the exercise as much as the receivers of your thankful ways.

Personal Note: The Sustainability staff wants to let everyone know that we certainly appreciate YOU as an important and vital contributor in our precious community and landscapes! Thank you for all that you do to help your neighbors, family, friends and our beautiful planet to thrive and feel appreciated. Happy celebrating gratitude this season and every day to come!