Come and participate in this FREE FESTIVAL. Local community organizationsand child related businesses are welcome to participate. To reserve your FREEspace call Robin at 217-2027 or toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her atrobins@lamontanitacoop.com.

TV Turn Off Week raises awareness about the impact of screens (TV, DVDsand video games) and helps people make healthy changes in their screenhabits. Given that the average American child spends more time watching TVeach year (1023 hours) than in school (900 hours), the importance of theweek’s message cannot be underestimated. The American Academy ofPediatrics recommends no screens for children under 3 years.

The Negative Impact of TV and Other Screens • TV Harms Family Life • TV Promotes Violence• Excessive TV & Movie Viewing Promote Tobacco & Alcohol Abuse

mitment to restoring and sustaining our blue/green planetary gem. Our little street fills upquickly so please reserve your booth space early.We do give first priority to environmental, socialand economic justice non-profit organizationsand farmers and farming organizations. Join yourfriends and neighbors as we educate and informourselves and joyously dance in the streets atAlbuquerque's favorite spring gathering.

Mark your calendar — this is one event you don'twant to miss. Sunday, April 22, 2007, from 10:30 amto 6pm at the back door of the Nob Hill Co-op loca-tion. For more information or to reserve your freebooth space please contact Robyn at 217-2027 or tollfree at 877-775-2667.

Spring is in full force in New Mexico, and with it comesthe Co-op’s Annual Celebrate the Earth Festival. Thisyear there are plenty of important environmental issuesto tackle and lots of dedicated community people work-

ing to restore and sustain our little planet. People all overAlbuquerque and throughout the State are getting ready forthe 18th Annual Celebrate the Earth Festival.

You can expect an inspiring day filled with information andeducation booths from dozens of environmental, social andeconomic justice organizations, local farmers, seedlings,drought resistant plants, beautiful art from fine local artistsand crafts people, inspiring music and dancing by some of ourfavorite local performing artists and of course great Co-opfood. This year there are several new additions to our won-derful festival and we will be moving down the block to createmore space to host these new activities.

Global WarmingGlobal warming and its effects are without a doubt one of thegravest environmental issues we face. Lisa Hummon, ofDefenders of Wildlife, trained in Tennesse with Al Gore andthe Climate Project on global warming, will present newupdated “An Inconvenient Truth” information and slide showin Immanuel Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall acrossCarlisle from the Festival. The slide show begins at 1:30, afterwhich you are urged to participate in a "local solutions toglobal challenges" discussion.

THE 18TH ANNUAL CELEBRATE THE

A Festival for Children ofall Ages Saturday, April 2810am-2pm

The Co-op at 913 W. Alameda Street in SantaFe is pleased to be participating in Turn OffTV Week again this year. Turn Off TV Week is

sponsored by the Santa Fe Public Schools’ Office ofStudent Wellness and the Santa Fe TV Turn OffCommittee.

On Saturday, April 28th the Co-op will block off a largesection of our parking lot and with the help of friends,neighbors and the Santa Fe community provide a specialday to honor all the elementary school children through-out the public school system who participated by turningoff their TVs for one week. We also welcome other chil-dren of all ages in the hopes of inspiring more of us toTURN OFF TV and TURN ON LIFE. Enjoy youthful musi-cians, puppet theater, art making, readings and booksales, healthy, local and natural foods, environmentaleducation and action to inspire the understanding of allwe can do and be when we TURN OFF TV.

Just a few of the participating organizations include:Equistars, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Gerard’s HouseGrief Counseling for Children Teens and Families,Bioneers, Earth Care International, Child and FamilyMagazine, Rainbow Rabbits, Green Energy NewMexico, Forest Guardians and many more.

• TV Promotes Obesity, Sedentary Lifestyles and Eating Disorders• TV Negatively Impacts Reading and School Performance• TV Promotes Over-consumption • TV Leads to Civic Disengagement

The Positive Benefits of TV Turn Off WeekTV Turn Off Week provides a unique opportunity for everyone to take abreak from electronic screens. The National TV-Turnoff Network reportsthat 80% of families who participate in TV Turn Off Week reduce the timethey spend watching media. When people break free from TV for evenseven days, they can expand their options for healthier and better lives.

Recommended ResourcesContact The National TV-Turnoff Network at www.tvturnoff.org.

For more info contact Shelley Mann-Lev, MPH. Shelley is the DrugPrevention Coordinator of the Santa Fe Public Schools’ Office ofStudent Wellness. She is the Chair of the Santa Fe (NM) TV Turn OffCommittee. She can be reached at 505-467-2573 or smann@sfps.info.

Turn OFF TV... Turn ON Life

Celebrate the Earth

Festival!

EarthFest!

Sunday, April 22, 10:30am-6pm

Also this year we are partnering with Green Energy NewMexico to green tag our event. Our purchase of green tagsfor all the energy we use at the Festival is an investment in

alternative energy source creation here in NewMexico. We will also be "green tagging" Co-op locations. Everyone who comes to theFestival will have the opportunity to "greentag" their energy use to invest in renewablesolutions developed in our state (see page 4).

Alternative Transport AreaAnother Festival addition is our excitingAlternative Transport Area. Both to combatglobal warming and due to the higher costs ofgas, many people have taken to the streets ontwo wheels. This year we are thrilled to bepartnering with The City of Albuquerque’smain bike man Chuck Malagodi, Bike ABQand the Albuquerque Police Department on aBike Safety Rodeo, bike safety training classes,

bike maintenance classes and all things to do with biketransport. Also see the Endorphin Power Company’s"Power Tower." Special thanks to Astrid Webster for herhelp on this project. See the schedule on page 4.

We are looking forward to having groups as diverse asHawkwatch, Bethany Organic Farm, New Mexico SolarEnergy Association, New Mexico WildernessAlliance, Citizens for Alternatives to RadioactiveDumping, Defenders of Wildlife, AlbuquerqueBio-diesel Project, Desert Woman Botanicals,Animal Protection of New Mexico, UNMSustainability Department, New Mexico OrganicCommodity Commission, Amigos Bravos, ThorpeFamily Farm, Divine Earth Gardens, BernalilloCountry Extension Service, The Los AlamosStudy Group, Sparrow Hawk Farm, AlbuquerqueCenter for Peace and Justice, Soil Secrets/Terraworx, Peacecraft, No Cattle Farm, to namebut a few of the many wonderful organizationsconfirmed at press time.

As always you can count on seeing some of ourcommunity’s fine local artists and crafts persons,hearing some of your favorite musicians andthrilling to performances from our gifted localperformers. Some festival favorites are comingback, and we are once again honored to havethem grace the little stage under the big tent, inthe middle of Silver Street. For more informationon which great local bands you will get to hearfor FREE, see the full entertainment schedule onthis page.

We're praying for a beautiful day, and withMother Earth's blessing we will once again taketime to celebrate "Her" and reaffirm our com-

Messenger of

by Lisa Hummon

Our planet is the only one known of its kind. Ourunique atmosphere, light and heat from the sun arewhat allow life to exist. But we live in a delicate bal-

ance threatened by our own actions. With the arrival of Al Gore’saward-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, no-onecan deny that we are in the midst of a climate crisis.

Gore’s documentary clearly articulates the science behind thechanges we are experiencing, and leaves no doubt that climatechange is real. To build the drumbeat, Gore pledged to train 1,000people to be messengers of his An Inconvenient Truth. I am hon-ored to say that I was accepted into the program and trained byAl Gore and the Climate Project this past January. I am now trav-eling the state to share the presentation and build solutions toclimate change in our community. Don’t miss the screening ofAn Inconvenient Truth during the Co-op’s Celebrate the EarthFest on April 22. See above for details!

Entertainment Schedule10:30 Mariachi Differencia

11:30 Santa Fe YouthSymphony’s

Miles Davis Ensemble12:30 Loren Kahn Puppet

Theater1:00 Fangura, Youth Mirimba

Ensemble

Entertainment Schedule10:30 Jemez Exhibition Dancers and Singers11:30 Adobe Brothers12:30 Alma Flamenca1:15 Chris Dracup and Friends2:00 Baile, Baile Dance Company3:00 The Buckerettes4:00 Le Chat Lunitique5:00 Kubatana Mirimba

Come See Al Gore’s

AN INCONVENIENTTRUTHPresented by Lisa Hummon of Defenders of WildlifeAt the 2007 La Montanita Co-op EARTH DAY Celebration

April 221:30pm

At Immanuel Presbyterian Church’sFellowship Hall, at Carlisle and Silver

AN INCONVENIENT

TRUTH

With the largest metropolitan food purchasing population in the country and apotential for significant regional food production in surrounding rural areas, com-munity food organizers are working to bring New York City to the forefront of a newhealthy foods movement. FoodChange, a nonprofit anti-hunger and nutrition advo-cacy group is among numerous New York City food organizers working to connecturban consumers with the state’s family farm community. FoodChange’s HarlemSOUL (Sustainable Organic Uptown Local) Food program links rural upstate farm-ers with low-income inner city residents; uniting two communities under threat.Statistics show that Harlem residents experience rates of diet-related ailmentssuch as obesity, diabetes, and hyper-tension well above national averages. TheNew York small farm community is also struggling mightily against rising costsand a centralized global agri-business industry that makes it very difficult to gettheir produce to market.

These are just two examples of models that could be adopted across the countryby health professionals and nutrition advocacy organizations, multibillion dollarfood purchasing engines with the economic clout to address such interconnectedissues as small family farm preservation, health and nutrition, and fossil fuel

reduction in one fell swoop.

The 21st Century School LunchTen years ago, renowned chef and Berkeley, California, restauranteur AliceWaters helped to launch a program called the "Edible Schoolyard." Alarmedby both the quantity and quality of outsourced fast foods in the MartinLuther King Middle School, Waters took direct community action. Sheraised awareness and raised start-up funds. Eventually, a section of theschool’s playground blacktop was jackhammered away to make room forgarden beds. Gardening and more definitively school lunch were added tothe middle school curriculum. Cafeteria-prepared meals that occasionallyfeatured student-grown produce replaced the mobile fast food wagons andCoke machines. The Edible Schoolyard became a catalyst for a school gar-

dening movement that has swept school districts throughout the state, andincreasingly, the country.

In 2005, through a grant from the nonprofit Chez Panisse Foundation, the BerkeleyUnified School District hired chef Ann Cooper as director of nutrition services withthe charge of overhauling the food system for 11 schools, 16 food programs, and10,000 children. Later, the Berkeley City Council voted to invest in its younger gen-eration and regional farmers by significantly expanding its budget for the purchaseof organic foods. In just a few years, Cooper has turned a program nearly depend-ent on processed ingredients into one where cafeterias cook 95 percent of themeals from scratch.

By declaring the public schools a ground zero for the nutrition, obesity, and fami-ly farm crises, Waters and many others around the country committed to schoolfood reform. A serious, healthy lunch curriculum could ultimately revolutionizeeducation and fitness on par with the President’s Physical Fitness programs of the1960s and 1970s.

Time for Organic’s Fair Share

N early thirty years ago, organic farmers set out to challenge the applica-tion of industrial logic to agriculture and livestock husbandry. Todayorganic farmers are proving that not only can all crops be grown with-

out harmful chemical inputs and synthetic fertilizers, but their yields can also com-pete with, in some cases out-producing conventional farming systems, and behealthier for the land in the long-term. Now a rapidly expanding international move-ment, organic agriculture has experienced the fastest growth of any segment of thefood industry for the past ten years, expanding by 20 percent annually, andaccounting for 2.5 percent of the market and nearly 25 billion dollars in U.S. salesby 2006. Demand for some organically certified commodities currently outstripssupply in many European countries, where popular support has clearly shiftedaway from genetically engineered (GMO) crops and toward sustainable agriculture.

Far from the ominous predictions that a wholesale switch to non-chemical farmingmethods would result in mass starvation, organic agriculture seems like a soundpath around which to orient food systems (and therefore Farm Bill policies) of thefuture. Independent research demonstrates many upsides of organic farming:• Organic farms have relatively similar or even greater yields than conventionalsystems depending on place and scale.• Organic systems use 30 to 70 percent less energy per unit of land than conven-tional systems, a critical factor in terms of global warming and eventual fossil fuelshortages.• Organic farms generally support far greater levels of wildlife, particularly in com-parison with large-scale intensive agriculture. continued on page 3

turning the tablesA Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store

La Montanita CooperativeAlbuquerque/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.3500 Central SEAlbuq., NM 87106 265-4631

Albuquerque/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.2400 Rio Grande Blvd.Albuq., NM 87104 242-8800

Gallup/ 10am-7pm M-S, 11am-6pm Sun.105 E. Coal Gallup, NM 87301 863-5383

Santa Fe/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun.913 West Alameda Santa Fe, NM 87501 984-2852

Cooperative Distribution Center 3361 Columbia NE, Albuq., NM 87107217-2010

Administrative Staff: 505-217-2001TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP)• General Manager/C.E. Pugh 217-2020ce@lamontanitacoop.com• Controller/John Heckes 217-2026johnh@lamontanitacoop.com• Computers/Info Technology/David Varela 217-2011 computers@lamontanitacoop.com• Food Service/Bob Tero 217-2028bobt@lamontanitacoop.com• Human Resources/Sharret Rose 217-2023hr@lamontanitacoop.com• Marketing/Edite Cates 217-2024editec@lamontanitacoop.com• Membership/Robyn Seydel 217-2027robins@lamontanitacoop.com

Store Team Leaders: • Mark Lane/Nob Hill 265-4631markl@lamontanitacoop.com • John Mulle/Valley 242-8800jm@lamontanitacoop.com• William Prokopiack/Santa Fe 984-2852willpro@lamontanitacoop.com• Tracy Thomasson/Gallup 863-5383tracyt@lamontanitacoop.com

Co-op Board of Directors:email: bod@lamontanitacoop.comPresident: Martha WhitmanVice President: Marshall KovitzTreasurer: Ken O’BrienSecretary: Roger Eldridge Lonn CalancaTom HammerTamara SaimonsJonathan SiegelAndrew Stone

Membership Costs:$15 for 1 year/$200 Lifetime Membership

Co-op Connection Staff:Managing Editor: Robyn Seydelrobins@lamontanitacoop.comLayout and Design: foxyrock incCovers and Centerfold: Edite CatesAdvertising: Robyn Seydel Editorial Assistant: Stephanie Claytonstephaniec@lamontanitacoop.com 217-2016Printing: Vanguard Press

Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667email: memb@lamontanitacoop.com

Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanitacoop.comwebsite: www.lamontanitacoop.com

Copyright © 2007La Montanita Co-op SupermarketReprints by prior permission.

The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% postconsumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

By Dan Imhoff

Food and farm policy is an ongoing cultural and polit-ical process, an endless series of give and take fromcheckout stand to voting booth. But the Farm Billlargely establishes the rules of the game, influencing

not only what we eat—but also who grows it, under what condi-tions, and how much it costs. The agri-businesses, lobbyingorganizations, and legislators that have essentially written thoserules in recent decades deserve the lion’s share of the responsi-bility for shaping the present course of our agriculture and foodsystem. This includes a tangle of critical problems that we have nochoice but to address through present and future legislation.

Yet people from all walks oflife also have enormous influence to bear—as citizens, food con-sumers, business owners, professionals, doctors, nurses, stu-dents, teachers, parents, and community members. Every day, wecan support or choose not to support a particular aspect of thefood and farming sector through our purchases. Every day, we canspeak up for linking family farm health and land stewardship withbasic nutritional health in the places we work, in our schools, inour homes, and in our communities. Every election cycle, we cancast ballots for representatives who we hope will not barter awaytheir votes on the Farm Bill or on annual budget appropriationsbills, but rather will stand up to preserve what is good in natureand worth preserving or worth changing in our culture.

We can take active leadership positions. Early efforts may seemminimally effective or even symbolic, but later emerge as mod-els to replicate and reinterpret from place to place. Some mayeven inspire mainstream movements with the ability to redirectfood policy at state, national, or even international levels.

The good news is that, to a large extent, many of the ideas weneed to turn the tables already exist. They all share a commoncondition: most are ignored, marginalized, or largely under-fund-ed by current Farm Bill programs. Yet they surface, a testamentto their resilience, tenacity, and ultimately, their solution-orient-ed wisdom.

Health Care’s Economic EngineAfter years of passing vendors hawking jewelry and leathergoods in hospital hallways, Dr.Preston Maring—a physician formore than 30 years—convinced management at KaiserPermanente Hospital to set up a weekly farmers’ market onKaiser Permanente grounds. He simply wanted to make it easierfor people to make healthy food choices by connecting employ-ees and patients with farmers who sell locally grown produce.The effort was an almost instant success. As of late 2006, morethan 30 farmers’ markets had been established at KaiserPermanente hospitals in five states (Hawaii, Georgia, Colorado,California, and Oregon), with more on the way. In addition to thefarmers’ market, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pro-gram at the Oakland hospital provides hundreds of employeeswith weekly deliveries of just-picked fruits and vegetables from aparticular farm’s harvest—it’s a mutually beneficial arrangementfor both farmers and employees.

2 April 2007

More info call 505-217-2027 or 877-775-2667

Can we create a sustainable food and farmsystem or are we willing to accept agri-busi-ness as usual?

ON MAY 2 IN ALBUQUERQUEAND MAY 3 IN SANTA FE

FARM BILLcommunity forum

RESOURCES TO TAKE BACK OUR FOOD SUPPLYThe Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group website(www.msawg.org.) provides an updated list of groups to get involved withwhich includes:• Community Food Security Coalition (www.foodsecurity.org)• Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org)• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (www.iatp.org)• Land Stewardship Project (www.landstewardshipproject.org)• National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture (www.sustainable

agricuture.net)• National Catholic Rural Life Conference (www.ncrlc.com)

• The Rural Advancement Foundation International (www.rafiusa.org)

• Western Organization of Resource Councils (www.worc.org)

federal farmBILLTurning the Tables in 2007

THE GOODNEWS:Many of the ideas weneed to turnthe tablesalready exist.

Drawing: by Cirrelda Snider-Bryan

brink by subsidized sod busting, grassland birds such as vesper sparrows,bobolinks, meadowlarks, and other species may disappear from tradition-al ranges without the restoration of grasslands to Midwestern farm fields.

From a human health perspective, it has been widely documented that ani-mals allowed to graze produce healthier dairy products and leaner meats,higher in beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids than their grain-fed factory growncounterparts. Grass farming makes sound economic sense as well. With itslimited start-up expenses (land, shelter, and portable fencing), it is becom-ing a relatively inexpensive route for young farmers ambitious enough toenter agriculture as a profession. Even so, the infrastructure necessary tosupport such a shift—regional and mobile slaughtering facilities, processing

centers, and the like—have largely disappeared from therural areas and must now be reestablished. Many now hopethat grass farming and other perennial systems could leadto far more diversified forms of agriculture, producing agreater variety of grains, oils, and fruits, as well as meatsand dairy, and far fewer sweeteners and unhealthy hydro-genated oils.

Climate Change: The Ultimate Wild Card

Scientists expect that changes in the global climate willseverely impact agricultural systems around theworld, if not in the short term, then some time later

this century. Researchers have predicted that southern andplains states may see crop reductions with lower precipita-

tion and higher temperatures. Other regions of the United States will experi-ence changes in the frequency and intensity of droughts, variable rainfall pat-terns, glacial melting, and alterations in plant and animal communities. Ifonly to build more resilience within farming landscapes, the shift away fromintensive row-cropping systems (which contribute the most greenhousegases and are most vulnerable to flooding and erosion) to perennial systems(the most effective carbon capturers and soil stabilizers) deserves nation-wide attention along with an aggressive policy commitment.

Healthy Lands, Healthy TablesThirty years ago, few of us could have predicted the accelerated rise indemand of organic foods today. Ten years ago, Japanese car manufactur-ers might have been considered delusional for taking the costly leap intothe development of hybrid vehicle technology. Yet these innovations, inresponse to shifting economic, environmental, and cultural conditions,have proven both prescient and economically insightful.

Conditions now call for an equally bold new direction for food and farmpolicy. Common sense demands that narrow self-interested programdevelopment yield to an updated and broader vision. Local and regionalproduction and distribution capabilities should be greatly up-scaled andexpanded immediately, if not to cut down on food miles, then to preservefamily farms; if not to curb global warming by reducing energy use, thento provide more nutritious foods to local and regional markets; if not toencourage more geographic equity among subsidy recipients, then tostrengthen both national security and local food security; if not to preventsprawl and the loss of open space, then to invest in the potential for ruralareas as tourist destinations.

It’s time to question whether the faraway industrial mega-farm model isindeed inevitable, or preferable, or even sustainable without costly govern-ment supports. Perhaps it’s time that citizens begin to see that Farm Billpolitics—as the saying goes—are local politics. Perhaps a farm and foodpolicy that is taking a toll on the land, making the population overweightand obese, and tearing the fabric of rural communities, requires an era ofnew solutions. Perhaps the time has arrived for a food fight. • Reprinted with Permission from Food Fight: A Citizen’s Guide to AFood and Farm Bill, published by Watershed Media.

the farmbill

April 2007 3

Co-op ValuesCooperatives are based on the values of self-help,self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity andsolidarity. In the tradition of their founders, coop-erative members believe in the ethical values ofhonesty, openness, social responsibility and car-ing for others.

Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community

The Co-op Connection is published by LaMontanita Co-op Supermarket to provide informa-tion on La Montanita Co-op Supermarket, thecooperative movement, and the links betweenfood, health, environment and community issues.Opinions expressed herein are of the authors andare not necessarily those of the Co-op.

CO-OPYOU OWN IT

Valley

Gallup

Santa Fe

• Organic foods distributed through local and regional distribu-tion chains offer reduced energy consumption, less processingand packaging, and higher nutritional values.• Organic farmers selling to local markets are more likely to growrare breeds and varieties carefully selected for their specific grow-ing conditions (rather than shipability, yield, and uniformity).

Despite these benefits, just 0.35 percent of the $1 billionAgricultural Research Service budget is directed to organic farm-ing issues. In terms of market share, this is a proportionalunderfunding of 700 percent, according to Bob Scowcroft, direc-tor of the Organic Farming and Research Foundation (OFRF) inSanta Cruz, California.

Loyal organic consumers—there are literally millions of them—have plenty of room to be dis-gruntled with this taxationwithout equitable representa-

tion. As taxpayers, they contribute to subsidies that largely go toconventional farming. At the cash register, they often pay more fororganic foods, as their farm constituencies are shut out of theprice support game. Finally, they’re taxed a third time when gov-ernment spending is required to address problems related to con-ventional industrial farming (such as water cleanup, health prob-lems from pesticides and agrichemical pollution, and so on.)

Grass Land — A Farm Bill ImperativeProblems related to feedlot agriculture include: manure contain-ment crises, antibiotics and growth hormones passed on tohumans through meat and dairy products, environmental degra-dation due to corn and soybean monoculture farming, thespread of infectious and even lethal diseases to both animals andhumans. The list goes on.

The elegant solution to grainfed, confinement-raised livestock issimple: turn the cattle out of the animal gulags and make it pos-sible for them to eat grass. Of course, that will eliminate the needfor the decades-old taxpayer-subsidized below-cost corn andsoybean feed supply, which for so long has kept small produc-ers at a disadvantage. Yet long before the row-crop revolution,grasslands dominated much of the United States, serving as amatrix for most of the continent’s natural ecological processes—precipitation, pollination, infiltration, predation, migration, respi-ration, decomposition, and mineralization. Herbivores evolved toeat grass, which also protected the soil, survived droughts, andnaturalized to local conditions and environments. Before theadvent of the mega-farm, diversified family farms included ani-mals and pastures, a practical arrangement that provided a readysource of fertilizer (manure) for plants as well as meat and dairyproducts for local and regional markets.

Transitioning toward grass farming and perennial agriculture—deep-rooted crops that do not need to be replanted every year—should be seriously regarded as a fundamental foundation for anew era of agriculture and food and farm policy. Pushed to the

FARM bill continued

H ow Healthy, Sustainable and Local isour Farm Policy? Every five yearsCongress re-authorizes the budget of

our national farm bill. It’s time to get engagedwith the 2007 Federal Farm Bill.

Can we create a sustainable food and farmsystem or are we willling to accept agri-business as usual? Come dialogue with localand national thinkers on this issue. Find out what you can do to positivelyaffect 2007 Farm Bill Legislation.Facilitated by Dan Imhoff. Panelists include:Don Bustos, Traditional New Mexican Farmer, Board Member of the SWSustainable Agriculture Working GroupEric Garrettson, Downtown Albuquerque Growers Market/Abq panel

George Gundrey, Santa Fe Farmers Market/SF panelLisa Hummon, Farm Bill Coalition, Defenders of

WildlifeDan Imhoff, Executive Director of the WildFarm Alliance, author of "Farming With theWild" and "Food Fight: A Citizen’s Guide to aFood and Farm Bill" Mark Winne, Communications Director,Community Food Security Coalition.Other panelists to be confirmed.

May 2nd: Immanuel Presbyterian Church,114 Carlisle Blvd NE, AlbuquerqueMay 3rd: Cloud Cliff Bakery 1805 SecondStreet, Santa FeDoors Open at 6:30pm. These events are

FREE and OPEN to the Public. Co-Sponsored by:Cloud Cliff Bakery • Downtown ABQ Growers Market• Edible Santa Fe Magazine • Farm to Table •Immanuel Presbyterian Church • La Montanita Co-op• Local Flavor Magazine • New Mexico Food andAgriculture Policy Council • Santa Fe Farmers Market• Slow Food Santa Fe Chapter • Slow Food RioGrande Chapter

A PANEL AND COMMUNITY DIALOGUE on the Farm Bill

continued from page 2

Conditionsnow call for aBOLD, NEWDIRECTION forfood and farmpolicy.

CommunityFORUM

by Ashley Sanderson

Green Energy New Mexico is a non-profit organization that sells"Green Tags" to raise money to invest in the creation of morerenewable energy resources in New Mexico. It is a partnership

of the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE), the RegionalDevelopment Corporation (RDC) and the Bonneville EnvironmentalFoundation (BEF).

Green Tags or Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) represent cleanenergy from sources such as wind and solar. When you buy GreenTags you help to displace the pollution produced from your use ofelectricity from traditional sources, such as coal and natural gas con-sumption. You can also purchase Green Tags to offset the carbonemitted by driving your car or traveling by airplane.

The goal of Green Energy New Mexico is to increase the number ofrenewable energy projects in New Mexico, resulting in more cleanenergy on the NM power grid. Governor Richardson has set a NewMexico statewide target to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions to10% below 2000 levels by 2010.

La Montanita is leading by example in purchasing Green Tags fromGreen Energy New Mexico. By purchasing Green Tags, La Montanitais offsetting the greenhouse gases created by the Co-op’s electricityand natural gas consumption and, at the same time, investing in newrenewable energy projects in New Mexico. The Co-op has green-tagged the 18th Annual Earth Festival.

By selling Green Tags to New Mexican businesses and individuals,Green Energy New Mexico hopes to create a large reinvestment fund.

These funds will be committed to supporting thedevelopment of new renewable energy facilities inNew Mexico. As new projects come online in NM,we will shift our product blend towards one that isweighted more heavily on NM projects, culminat-ing ultimately in a 100% New Mexico producedrenewable energy products. Reinvestment Fund

expenditures will be mutu-ally agreed upon by BEF,RDC and CCAE.

Green Energy or Sky Blue? The Green Energy New Mexico and PNM’s BlueSky program are very similar in that they both giveNew Mexicans the choice to support clean, renew-able energy sources. The PNM Sky Blue programbundles Green Tags from a wind farm in House,

NM with your electricity bill. Green Energy NewMexico sells Green Tags separate from your electric-ity bill. Unlike PNM, a for-profit corporation, GreenEnergy New Mexico is a non-profit organizationthat is able to reinvest all net revenue into renewableenergy projects.

The energy purchased with each Green Tag is from ablend of new wind and solar facilities placed intoservice after May 1999 and certified by Green-e, theleading national third-party certification for greenpower. Green Energy New Mexico is also certified

by The Climate Neutral Net-work and reviewed and endorsed byknowledgeable, qualified environ-mental organizations, including theNatural Resources Defense Council,the Northwest Energy Coalition, andthe Renewable Northwest Project.

Supporting Green Tags increases thepercentage of renewable energy en-tering the electric grid in NewMexico while reducing the percent-age of energy derived from coal andother fossil fuels.

When you buy Green Tags from Green Energy NewMexico you help establish a fund to support futureclean energy projects in New Mexico. To learn moreabout Green Energy New Mexico, visit www.greenenergynm.org

Go to www.GreenEnergyNM.org and use the carbon cal-culator to calculate the number of Green Tags needed togreen your electricity for a year, your car travel for ayear, an upcoming airplane trip or your entire life. CallAshley at 505.699.9834 for more information and buyGreen Tags at the Co-op’s Earth Fest, April 22!

Sparrow Hawk Farm:Green EnergyNew Mexico

Reservation. This company is developingother coal-fired plants in Pennsylvania and Nevada, as well as inCanada, Italy, and Yemen.

The Diné Power

Authority, an enterprise of the NavajoNation, is a partner in the project. The 5.5million tons of coal per year burned in theplant would come from the BHP Navajo CoalCompany mine. Although the Navajo TribalCouncil has supported the plant, expecting

W hat could rise out of the desert and threaten to spewthe equivalent of 12.5 million cars’ worth of globalwarming tailpipe exhaust pollutants? The answer,

according to a study by Environmental Defense and WesternResource Advocates, is over a dozen coal-fired power plantsslated for Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico andUtah...they’ll put out 70 million tons of carbon dioxide ayear “to satisfy the energy needs of the booming Southwest.”

The Sithe Global Power, LLC proposes a coal-fired, 1,500-megawatt(MW) electrical-power-generating station be located approximately 30miles southwest of Farmington, New Mexico, on the Navajo

that it will provide about $50 million a year in royalties andother payments, many Navajos living near the proposed plantsite are highly opposed to the project, and some of them haveconducted a vigil near the site since December 12. They statethat the plant would damage their land and water, essential totheir life and culture, as well as the health of many people.

The Four Corners and San Juan coal plants already releasemillions of tons of sulfur dioxide, nitogen oxides, and sooteach year that contribute to heart attacks, strokes, asthma,and other diseases. These two plants also release more thana ton of mercury each year, contaminating fish in lakes, andcontributing to many serious health problems, includingbirth defects and serious learning problems.

Coal-fired plants also contribute substantially to globalwarming because of the millions of tons of carbon dioxidethat are emitted each year. Desert Rock would substantial-ly increase the amount of carbon dioxide released in NewMexico.

For more information: Go to http://www.desert-rockblog.com. For the Environmental Defense Report go to http://www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/5853_SWClimateAlert_report.pdf) Air quality concerns: http:// www.san-juancitizens.org/desertrock.shtml or the Sithe web site: www.

Although more than half of the U.S. workforce liveswithin 5 miles of their job, lack of knowledge and incen-tives keep many from trying bike commuting. Join LaMontanita Co-op and BikeAbq at the April 22 Earth Fest aswe explore biking as a way to travel, exercise, have fun,feel and look great. All ages are invited to learn about bicy-cles, repair and cycling safely. Hands on sessions includedecorating helmets with reflective material and usingmodels to learn about riding in traffic. APD cycle policewill join us in the rodeo and will talk to kids about beingbike cops. Bring a bike and come along for the ride.

10am to 2pm/ Youth Bike Rodeo & bike helmet art.Participants get to decorate a helmet with reflectiveshapes and tape and take it home. 11am/ Senior Cycle Group rides Nob Hill11:10am/ Fix a Flat Clinic

12pm/ Community ride in Nob Hill area, 12:10pm/ APD cycle police share what it’s like to be abike cop12:30pm/ Interactive Street Smarts Clinic2pm/ Community ride with Nob Hill Youth Velo RacingTeam2:10pm/ Doc Talk: Pediatrician and cyclist Dr. LanceChilton answers your questions3pm/ Nob Hill Youth Velo Racing Team Fashion Show3:30pm/ Tyke Trike Rodeo4pm/ Community ride in Nob Hill area4:10pm/ APD cycle police share what it’s like to be a bikecop4:30pm/ Special shapes including recumbents, adulttrikes, and unique framesOngoing/ slow as you can go race, free ABQ bike maps,repair stand and all the bike talk you want

The goal ofGREEN ENERGYNEW MEXICOis to increase the number of renewable energy projects in the state.

GREEN TAGS CREATE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

Burning More

Coal?Desert Rock Power Plant:

Desert Rockwould substantiallyincrease thecarbon dioxidereleased inNew Mexico

EARTH FEST SPECIAL EVENT!

Bicycle Transport: Good for the Earth!

global warming solutions April 2007 4

burden to it. Our end does not justify our means ifwe suck the aquifer dry in order to promote ahealthy hydrologic cycle. Fortunately, the solution isamazingly simple and logical. Every rain and snow,fresh, clean water rushes from our roofs often erod-ing our soils on its quick journey to the stormdrains, to the river, and out of the city. Within aweek or two, we re-engage the hose or irrigationsystem, pilfering more fresh water reserves from our

future generations. Why not catch therainwater and use that for our gardensinstead? Then, we can enjoy our lushoasis with pride instead of guilt. Youcan almost hear the angels cry out,"Yes! Another one gets it!"

There are many ways to catch rainwa-ter. Plastic tanks can hold thousandsof gallons. Ferrocement tanks retainup to 12,000 gallons! At this pointmany people face their first resistance.Noses turn up at the thought of a large

tank cluttering their yard. If an attacker is chasingyou down a dark alley, would you worry how wellyour shoes match the rest of your outfit? Our com-munity faces a fresh water crisis. The future effectsof continued misuse are immeasurable. Eventually,through conscious change or desperate need, rain-water harvesting will become the norm as it is inAustralia where 70% of citizens catch all theirwater needs from their roofs. Fortunately, plenty ofaesthetic solutions exist. Professionals plaster ferro-cement tanks the same color as your house. Theyoffer a great canvas for mosaics and paintings.With proper placement and some wise plantings,they can blend impressively. There is also theoption of the Soilutions’ Tinaja™, a 1,000 gallonferrocement tank in the shape of a large jar. Theseare beautiful garden attractions while completingtheir practical purpose.

The second protest follows, "Why so big? I have arain barrel, isn’t that enough?" True, rain barrelsare a step in the right direction, and those who buy

by Zoe W. Edrington

W e’ve heard plenty of the water crisis we face– a drastically shrinking aquifer; plannedconversion to the already over taxed Rio

Grande water that means heightened chemical useand exposure; the ground is even sinking in parts ofthe valley where large pumpspull greedily from our dwin-dling fresh water supply.Fortunately, knowledge ispower, so we need not kickthe dirt and curse the politi-cians or the sprinkler-happyneighbor. Now comes thetime to accept our individualresponsibility towards thefresh water resolution.

Part of the answer includesplanting gardens and landscapes. Of course, whenwe accept the reality of our water overuse, home-owners may find it difficult to justify a private desertoasis. However, densely planted areas (especiallytrees) contribute to a healthy hydrologic cycle atthree distinct points. First, they promote rainfall bycirculating moisture in the air promoting cloud for-mation. Then, the cooling effect of their shade makesclouds more likely to condense into rain. Second, thesuction of the roots and the air pockets formed bythe root growth promote rainwater absorption in thesoil, reducing the risk of flood and promoting aquiferregeneration. Third, due to the umbrella effect oftheir leaves and the adhesion of sub-surface wateraround root balls, planted areas retain water longer.This discourages future flooding and, again, moreabsorption and thus more percolation into theaquifer (soil with some moisture in it absorbs waterat a much higher rate than very dry soil, explainingdeserts tendency to flash flood).

How we water our gardens determines the pointbetween a healing aspect of our environment and a

agua es vida April 2007 5

by Michael Jensen, Amigos Bravos

C ities, countries, entire regions across the globeare facing acute water shortages, if notalready, then in the not-distant future. What

are the prospects for the arid West and Southwest?The growing awareness of climate change hasprompted a number of recent analyses. None ofthem is optimistic for the future of water suppliesand water management in our region.

The US Geological Survey (USGS;http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2005/circ1261/pdf/C1261.pdf) report-ed that "[s]ome of the inherent characteristics of theWest add complexity to the task of securing watersupplies." The region has the most rapid populationgrowth in the United States; "use it or lose it" waterlaw discourages conservation and environmentaluses of water; surface and groundwater are general-ly dealt with through separate regulatory processes,even though they are intimately connected; and thereis not enough analysis of water availability to sup-port water management.

The Western Governors’ Association report, WaterNeeds and Strategies for a Sustainable Future(http://www.westgov.org/wga/publicat/Water06.pdf),stated that water scarcity is already a reality in muchof the West, but has been obscured by reservoir stor-age, transbasin diversions, ground water pumping,water rights transfers, conservation, and other meas-ures that have allowed rapid population growth tocontinue.

Climate scientists applying global models to theAmerican West have concluded that it is warmingfaster than many other regions of the globe. TheWest is 2-3o warmer than the 100-year average (theearth as a whole is about 1o warmer). Computermodels show that annual average temperatures inthe West will be up 4-5o by mid-century, causing seri-ous long-term drought and dropping stream flows as

much as 20% by 2050.By the end of the century, the average temperaturecould be as much as 7-8o higher than the 100-yearaverage.

Taking the analysis down to the state level, the NewMexico Environment Department (http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/aqb/cc/Potential_Effects_Climate_Change_NM.pdf) concluded that impacts on NewMexico could be even more severe than in the West asa whole. Projected climate changes by mid-to-late-century include:

• average air temperatures warmer by 6-12°F• more intense storm events and flash floods• winter precipitation falling more often as rain, withless snowpack• an expected severe multi-year drought worsened byhigher evaporation rates• water supply systems with no storage (many ace-quia systems) or limited storage (small municipalreservoirs) may suffer seasonal shortages in summer• riparian ecosystems experiencing decline, with areduction in species diversity• forests likely to experience more catastrophic wild-fires and more massive dieback

• potential impacts will disproportionately affect communities ofcolor and low- income communities, raising issues of environmen-tal justice; traditional subsistence systems (farming, grazing, hunt-ing) are likely to be severely impacted by climate change and local

extinctions of plants and animals integral to the cul-tural and spiritual life of Native American communi-ties will be highly disruptive to their cultural identity

In July 2006, the Office of the State Engineer (OSE)released its own study (http://www.ose.state.nm.us/ClimateChangeImpact/completeREPORTfinal.pdf),in which it warns of lasting changes to water flows andsupplies. The OSE calls for regional water planning,better hydrology data, and collaboration among allwater users. "Proactive planning" and "no-regretsstrategies" (water-use plans that won’t come back tohaunt decision makers later) are the buzzwords of thereport, but there are few specifics on what good plan-ning and "no-regrets" would look like.

The latest regional study, Colorado River Basin Water Management(http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11857.html), reveals that water man-agement plans in the Colorado River Basin were based on severalabnormally wet decades and suggests that future droughts willrecur and may exceed the severity of historical droughts. Attemptsby growing cities to get more water from agriculture will not meetlong-term demand, nor will conservation or water-saving technolo-gies: "Technological and conservation options for augmenting orextending water supplies — although useful and necessary — in thelong run will not constitute a panacea for coping with the realitythat water supplies in the Colorado River basin are limited, and thatdemand is inexorably rising."

These studies – and many others – demand an answer as to whether thepolicies that shape development in New Mexico will be guided by thescientific evidence – and a much different vision than the one that hasguided us so far.

Next: Water in the Middle Río Grande and Albuquerque

HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU KEEP?and use them deserve credit. However, in the big picture, rain barrels donot create the impact needed for an environmental turn around. In thedesert, we receive large amounts of rain in a few storms. Global warm-ing exaggerates this trend as its effects promote more precipitation infewer rains. How quickly will a 60 gallon rain barrel fill in a desert tor-rent? Instantly. Then, all the rain to follow carves its way to the drainsand again out of the city that desperately needs it. And how long will60 gallons last after months and months of draught? For effective rain-water harvesting, one must prepare for the surge. On a 1,000 squarefoot roof space one can harvest up to 600 gallons of water in a 1" rain-fall. In an average year of 8", 4,800 gallons of rainwater can be har-vested. That is enough to completely cut your ties with the aquifer forall your irrigation needs. In the end it’s not how much you get, it’s howmuch you get to keep.

Soilutions can help you begin your path to rainwater harvesting withTinajas™ and cisterns ranging from 1,000 gallons up to 12,000 gallons.Contact Soilutions, Inc at 877-0220 or visit www.soilutions.net.

Global warming could dropNew Mexico’sstream flowsby as muchas 20%.

Think Global, Drink Local

Harvesting a Wealthofwater

WATER WISDOMPART 2

Desert Gardens Albuquerque, NMGourmet Southwestern Food Mixes, 5.5-19.5 ozSelect Varieties, Sale $3.99

Hemp I Scream! Boulder, COHemp I Scream Sandwiches, 4 ozAssorted Varieties, Sale $2.99

Herbs, Etc. Santa Fe, NM\Deep Health, 60 softgels, Sale $14.99Additional Herbs, Etc. products also on sale

Tijeras Organic AlchemyAlbuquerque, New MexicoCrimson Clove Hair Revitalizer, 4 ozSale $9.99, Other Tijeras products also on sale

VALID IN-STORE ONLY from 4/4-5/1, 2007:Not all items available at all stores.

co-op news April 2007 6

LOCAL SALE ITEMSSHOP LOCAL & SAVE

by Stephanie Clayton

H uman power—both figurative and literal—is the axis of theEndorphin Power Company. Endorphins are the natural chemicalsreleased in your system after you exercise or do something that

makes you feel good. And at the Endorphin Power Company, youguessed it, they crank out a lot of good energy. Regina "Gigi" Gallegosis clear that providing opportunities for people, especially those whohave dealt or are dealing with substance abuse and homelessness, is cen-tral in her life’s work. The Endorphin Power Company not only pro-motes exercise for physical and mental health, but has a gym with somevery exciting equipment.

The Exercycle is a stationary bicycle hooked up to a generator that trans-forms the energy output of the cycler into energy that is then stored in abattery. To demonstrate this, the Endorphin Power Company is bringingits exercycles and a new "power tower," which will use the energy outputof the person peddling to power light bulbs, to our Celebrate the EarthFestival on Sunday, April 22nd behind the Nob Hill Co-op.

In addition to promoting health and well-being through exercise, thepower tower features two kinds of light bulbs: the standard incandescentlight bulb and the new compact fluorescent light bulb that burns brighterwith less energy input. Curious peddlers will be able to feel exactly howmuch more energy is needed to light the bulbs that all of us have in our

Endorphin Power Companyhomes, promoting the switch to compact fluorescentbulbs. In addition to two exercycles, the EndorphinPower Company gym also has a hand-crank that hasbeen adapted to energy production by thesame process.

And while Gigi and the folks at theEndorphin Power Company are con-cerned with the environment, the pur-pose of the exercycles is not to solve therenewable energy issue, but instead tomotivate and allow people to worktoward doing something measurablyproductive with a focus on substancerehabilitation. Gigi rightfully underlinesthe notion that "drugs and alcohol toucheverybody’s lives." So, it is of the utmost impor-tance to show people who are trying to becomeempowered that there are not only the resources todo so at the Endorphin Power Company, but a com-munity of members, staff, and volunteers who aresupportive and welcoming of everyone. The rock-climbing, hiking, yoga, dance, gym, running, andeven art and alternative energy groups are just asmuch about personal and physical empowerment asthey are a means to build a supportive communityfor people who often feel left behind and shut out.

“People are incredible," she says, "and it isa wonderful thing to see people at theirbest." A true believer in the strength of

compassion and a non-judgmental attitude, Gigi isvery grateful for volunteers, staff, and members thatmake up what she lovingly calls "the family."Everyone is welcome at the community center andart gallery of the Endorphin Power Company, andGigi encourages people from all walks of life to comebe part of the community. "Regardless of your back-ground it helps everybody to support and be good toone another." And she couldn’t be more correct.

By doing just that, working towards an open,supportive community, the Endorphin PowerCompany has created its own share of meas-

urable goals to achieve. Having formally opened inearly 2005 after forming the non-profit in 2003 andacquiring their facilities in 2004, the Endorphin

Power Company has begunbuilding its 20-unit transi-tional housing structure thisMarch with an expectedcompletion date this year.

Human power and humanpotential are truly immeas-urable. The perseverance ofthe spirit is a great businessto be in, and Gigi has plentyto tell regarding all the waysthat the Endorphin Power

Company has created to help people help them-selves and others. Their bike shop accepts faulty,used, or simply old donated bicycles. Members inneed of bicycles are invited to fix two bicycles andkeep one for their labor.

A nurse with a prescription for hope to create ahealthy community, Gigi is excited about theEndorphin Power Company family and the good-will and understanding that pervade the activitiesthey do. Empowerment and opportunity are just astep (or pedal) away.

Want to get involved? Volunteer with theEndorphin Power Company’s energy consciousnessprogram by contacting them at (505) 268-8865 orby coming to see them at our Earth Day event. Themembers are putting together an art showing called"Fusions of Illusions" April 20 from 7-9PM andApril 21st from 4-6PM at their own gallery spacelocated at 509 Cardenas Dr SE.

Get some perspective, learn to see things a little dif-ferently, and maybe even become part of the family.

a Member Profile

Ashtanga Yoga of Albuquerque nowoffers classes to members of the Co-op at a 5% discount. The studio islocated on Washington St. near theNob Hill Co-op.

Ashtanga Yoga is a flowing vinyasasystem that utilizes breath andmovement. The classes are offeredin a Mysore format. Mysore is aself-led class where one can cometo a class to learn and practice with other stu-dents of various levels.

Product Spotlight: Hemp I Scream: Have a Hempy Earth Day!Hemp has been a featured ingredient in many eco-friendly cosmetics from shampoo and conditioners tobody lotions and lip balm, but the same ingredient thatmakes your hair shiny and your skin smooth is startingto be used in edible products!Hemp is the common name forthe Cannabis genus of plants.The most notable of which include species that contain thenarcotic compound tetrahydro-cannabinol, more commonlyknown as THC found in mari-juana. There has been someresistance to foods made withhemp seed oil or from processedhemp seeds because of hemp’s immediate associa-tion with marijuana and drug use.

What many people overlook is that the species ofhemp plants that are currently grown and harvest-ed for cosmetics don’t contain THC and neitherdoes the hemp used for food production. So allyou’ll get from eating foods that contain hemp is ahigh nutritional content.

All jokes aside, hemp does have some pretty amaz-ing benefits. Like flax seeds, hemp seeds can beadded to foods in order to obtain essential fatty

acids the body cannot produce on its own.Hemp seed oil has more polyunsaturatedfatty acids than other seed oils and con-tains complete proteins like those foundin eggs and dairy. Are you curious to try some?

Your Co-op carries hemp tortillas andfrozen waffles as well as delicious Hemp IScream ice-cream sandwiches, made fromprocessed hemp milk and served between

two vegan hemp cookies. Hemp I Scream is madein Boulder, Colorado in small batches and eachounce of Hemp I Scream provides one gram ofcomplete protein, just a little more than in an ounceof whole milk. So in addition to that hemp braceletand lotion, try some Hemp I Scream next timeyou’re shopping for healthy sustainable goodies.

Hemp’s Only High is Nutritional

APRIL SPECIALSWANT TO SEE YOUR LOCAL PRODUCT ADVERTISED HERE?

Contact Angela at angela@lamontanitacoop.com. for CO-OP members!

The benefit is that we develop a practice at ourown pace and the practice is fitted for our bodies.This enables everyone, of all levels and ages, to

have an Ashtanga Yoga practice.Practitioners of many levels prac-tice together contributing to thegroup’s dynamic energy as well asproviding inspiration to aspiringpractitioners.

This style of yoga is aerobic andstrengthening (weight bearing).Through the practice of asanaone learns how to control the

breath which allows for a calmness of the mindthat flows into our daily lives. Contact HeatherLiebe 918-6462, 311b Washington St. SE; or emailmysore@ashtangayogaabq.net

YOGA...

N EW DIRECTION

C H IR O PR ACTICChiropractic with an Ayurvedic Influence

K elly Coogan D.C.3216 Monte Vista Blvd. NE, Suite AAlbuquerque, New Mexico 87106chiroveda9@yahoo.comph 505.247.HEAL fx 505.247.4326

Personal Growth

Childhood Trauma • Illness

Drugs/Alcohol • Loss

Women’s Issues

Louise Miller, MA LPCC NCC

Psychotherapy

louise@louisemiller.org Phone (505) 385-0562

www.louisemiller.org Albuquerque, NM

Maybe you’ve considered running for the Boardbut held back out of uncertainty about howbig the commitment is or whether being on

the Board would be your cup of tea. Well hold on,‘cause we’ve got just the thing and here’s the pitch:The Board is currently seeking two members to serveas Board Advisory Members. Most members arefamiliar with the process by which regularmembers of the Board of chosen; theyare elected by the membershipevery year in November.

The forward-thinking authors ofour bylaws integrated a way toappoint people to fill vacancies createdby a resignation of a Board member, butthe by-laws also allow the Board to appoint up totwo Advisory members. These advisory members par-ticipate in all aspects of the Board’s work but they don’tvote or participate in confidential discussions.

Advisory members receive an 18% discount at theCo-op register and it’s a great way to learn moreabout the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the Co-opBoard. As an Advisory member you will meet otherwitty and fascinating community members who alsocare about making a strong and vibrant co-op scenein our New Mexico communities.

Worried about attending board meetings if you live inSanta Fe or Gallup? We’ve got technology so you canteleconference with us while you lounge in your PJs onthe couch eating your dinner. For some, being anAdvisory Board member may be a route to becomingan elected member of the Board. That being said, anAdvisory Board member does not have a designatedterm length and may serve as long as the Board wishes.

From the Board’s point of view, the Advisory Boardmember is highly sought-after and valued. While weknow that board work can be time consuming and

complex, contributions to the Co-op Board by com-mitted members are essential to the smooth gover-nance of the Co-op. It takes a while to learn the ropesof how governance works and what the board’s func-tions and responsibilities are. So if folks can be culti-vated as Advisory members and then potentially becandidates for the elected positions, the Board canhave depth on the bench, so to speak, and a seamless

integration of savvy Board talent.

Candidates for the Advisory posi-tions must meet the same require-ments as candidates for the reg-ular board positions. Currently,these requirements are:

1) The candidate must have beena member in good standing for at

least four (4) months prior to the appointment; 2) The candidate must meet the requirements of theState Alcoholic Beverage Commission for owners ofbusinesses selling alcohol. These requirements arethat the person be at least 21 years old, not be a con-victed felon and that the person agree to be finger-printed by the State. 3) Candidates must provide a brief personal state-ment and a response of 500 words or less to the fol-lowing requests for information: Describe yourinvolvement with La Montanita Co-op. Includeamount of time spent and specific activities, if appro-priate. Describe any volunteer or paid experience rel-evant to serving on the Co-op Board. And finally,what do you see as La Montanita’s role in the broad-er community?

Still think you might be interested? We highly recom-mend that you come to at least one Board meetingbefore formally applying. The Board welcomes furtherinquiries about the Advisory positions, and you can e-mail us at bod@lamontanitacoop.com or call MarshallKovitz at 256-1241 for more information.

co-op news April 2007 7

Calendarof Events

4/17 Board of Directors Meeting, Immanuel Church 5:30pm4/22 Earth Day Festival, Hob Hill Co-op 10:30am-6pm4/23 Member Linkage, Immanuel Church 5:30pm4/28 Turn Off TV, Turn On Life Children’s Fest,

Santa Fe Co-op 10am-2pm

5/2 Farm Bill Forum, ABQ Immanuel Church 6:30pm5/3 Farm Bill Forum, Santa Fe Cloud Cliff Bakery 6:30pm

Whole Foods Buys Wild Oats

T he largest publicly traded natural foods retailerrecently announced their plans to buy the secondlargest publicly traded natural foods retailer. Both

of these firms began as single stores many years ago, one inBoulder and one in Austin and they have both grown aggres-sively over the past several years. Wild Oats entered NewMexico in the early nineties and Whole Foods entered ourmarkets several years later. La Montanita continued to flour-ish and grow with these new competitors and we now con-sider what this buyout may mean for us in the years ahead.

I imagine Whole Foods will close one of the AlbuquerqueWild Oats stores as well as expand the store at the cornerof Carlisle and Indian School. It is also possible that WholeFoods will choose to close the Santa Fe Oats location sinceboth stores are located so close to one another. It will cer-tainly be interesting to see what develops here in NewMexico as Whole Foods works to assimilate the Oatsstores and organization. We have welcomed a large num-ber of new Co-op members since the announcement as

people seek an alternative to Whole Foods. It appears thatmany Wild Oats customers are not comfortable supportingthe now even larger Whole Foods. One choice for naturalfood consumers has now been removed from the market.

We feel strongly that our member owned cooperative con-tinues to offer our communities a better alternative thanpublicly traded and foreign owned competitors. LaMontanita has thrived for over thirty years as a communi-ty owned business, and we have no doubt that this busi-ness, operated on behalf of our member owners and com-munities, will continue to thrive in spite of the actions ofour competitors. If you know of anyone shopping aroundfor a new natural foods store, ask them to consider LaMontanita Food Co-op. They won’t have to worry aboutwho might own the store today and who might own ittomorrow – they will own it, along with 12,000 othermembers of our communities.

C.E. PughGeneral Manager

BoardBrieBrieff::

Board Committee Meetings. Dates and times of Boardcommittee meetings are generally posted on the Co-opWeb site and announced in the Co-op newsletter. Co-opmembers are invited to participate in the meetings thatinterest them.Futurist Feast. The Board held its first World Café onFebruary 4. About 45 people attended the event—called"Futurist Feast"—including Co-op members, Board mem-bers, and management. There was great enthusiasm at thiswonderful opportunity to brainstorm ("vision") about ideasfor the Co-op’s future. Thanks to everyone who attended!Board Meeting. Members are invited to attend monthlyboard meetings. The next meeting will be held on the thirdTuesday, April 17, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. at the ImmanuelPresbyterian Church at Carlisle and Silver Avenues inAlbuquerque.

by Shirley Coe, Admin. Assistant

Meeting of February 20, 2007Advisory Board Members. The Board is seekingtwo Advisory members; see the article above. Ifyou’re interested, contact the Board at bod@lamontanita.com.Board Accountability to Members. During amonthly review of the Board Policy Manual, Boardmembers noted that policy about accountability toCo-op members was not clear. This is an impor-tant issue, and the Board will address it further.Co-op members are always welcome to talk toBoard members about the Board’s role and policygovernance.

Board Advisory Members:Your Co-op Board of Directors Needs You!

THE INSIDE SCOOP BY CE PUGH

PPaauull BBaarrlloowwM A S S A G E T H E R A P I S T

224422--11779955

RPP LMT #2663 in the Old Town Area

Somato -Emotional ReleaseC r a n i o - S a c r a l

S w e d i s h

P o l a r i t y

All around the world food is used tonourish, entertain, celebrate, andbring people together, so what betterway to celebrate Earth Day than to trysome recipes from other countries andcultures. From Italy and Guyana toCyprus and Guatemala these recipesare sure to bring you some exciting fla-vors and possibly even create some newfavorites. Whether a hot curry or asweet torte is more your style, theserecipes are sure to expand your hori-zons. Cook up something new, closeyour eyes, and let your taste buds con-vince you you’re on vacation.

(Key: C = cup, T = tablespoon, t = tea-spoon, lb. = pound, oz. = ounce)

Chackchouka - Tunisia

3 green peppers 2 onions 8 small potatoes, washedolive oil salt and pepper cayenne pepper 6 eggs

Cut the green peppers in half andremove the seeds. Cut into thin strips.Peel the onions and slice them. Cuttomatoes in half. Heat the oil in a pan;add the onions and the green peppers.Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pep-per and cook over low heat. Add thetomatoes and cook until the green pep-pers are tender. Break the eggs in abowl and beat. Pour the eggs into apan, as soon as they are scrambled,your dish is ready. Serve hot. (Serves 4)

one world April 2007 10

Village Salad - Cyprus

3 tomatoes 2 oz. feta cheese 8 black olives 1 large cucumber 1 onion, peeled and chopped 4 T olive oil 1 T lemon juice mint salt 3 washed lettuce leaves

Cut the cucumber and tomatoes into1/4 in. dice. Add the diced olives andonion. Cut the cheese into small cubes.Prepare the dressing with lemon juice,oil, mint and salt. Mix thoroughly,pour the dressing over the salad in thebowl, toss. Arrange the mixture onto alettuce leaf and crumble cheese in thecenter. (Serves 3)

Rice and Zucchini Mousaka - Bulgaria

1 bunch green onion, finely chopped 1/4 C olive oil 2 T water 7 small zucchini, diced 2 medium tomatoes, diced 1 C uncooked rice 1 t salt 1 t paprika 1 t pepper 4 C water 4 medium eggs 2 C plain yogurt1/2 t salt 1 T dill1 T parsley

Sauté green onions in oil and water.Cover and cook until soft. Transferonions to baking dish, add zucchini,tomato, rice, salt, paprika, pepper and

water. Mix well. Cover with foil andbake in preheated 400 degree oven for30 minutes or until rice is tender. Beateggs into yogurt; add salt, dill and pars-ley. Remove foil from mousaka andpour on topping. Return to oven andcook for 30 minutes or until topping isfirm and starting to brown. (Serves 6)

Pastoral-Style Potatoes – Guatemala

1 lb potato, peeled 2 C water 1/2 t salt 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 large tomato, finely chopped 1/2 t pepper 1 large chipotle pepper, crumbled 2 T olive oil 2 T parmesan cheese, grated

Cook potatoes in water with salt untilcooked but still firm. Drain and mashthem with a few lumps left. Fry onion,tomato, pepper and chile in oil for 3minutes. Add potatoes and mix well.Fry for 5 minutes. Serve warm, sprin-kled with cheese. (Serves 4)

Buddhist Soup – Vietnam

4 C water 1 large butternut squash - peeled & chunked 1 large sweet potato - peeled & chunked 1/2 C mung beans - soaked 30 min 2 C coconut milk 1 oz cellophane noodles - soaked 20 min

Bring water to boil. Add squash, pota-to and beans. Simmer 35 minutes.Make sure mung beans are soft, if so,add coconut milk, and bring to boil.

CelebrateEarth

Add noodles and cook until everythingis warmed through. (Serves 4)

Chicken Curry – Guyana

1 large onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 T butter 3 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped 2 t turmeric 1 t cumin 1 t crushed red pepper 2 t fresh ginger, finely chopped salt And white pepper -- to taste 1/3 C white vinegar 3 lb chicken breast, cubed 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

In a large frying pan, sauté onion andgarlic in butter until soft. Grind herbsand spices and add to pan. Stir untilfragrant. Add vinegar. There should beenough vinegar to make a smoothpaste. If not, add more. Take this pasteand cover chicken in it. Marinate 1hour or more if you wish it to be moreflavorful. When ready to cook, addchicken to large pan with enoughwater to reconstitute paste. Cover andcook for 30 minutes and add water asneeded; add potatoes. Cook until pota-toes are done. (Serves 4)

Mushrooms Florentine – Italy

1/3 C olive oil 2 shallots, chopped 2 lb fresh spinach, shredded 4 medium tomatoes, chopped 1 lb portabello mushrooms, at least 4 caps 1/3 C flour 2 1/2 C milk 2 C cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 t mustard powder 1/8 t nutmeg (pinch)

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1/8 t cayenne pepperpaprika salt and pepper

Heat half of the oil and sauté shallots for 3minutes, add spinach, cover and cook 5 min-utes, add tomtoes, salt pepper, and nutmeg.Stir in flour, cook 1 minute, add milk, cookslowly until thickened. Add cheese and cookuntil melted.

In a separate pan, sauté mushrooms 3 minutesper side. Plate mushrooms, top with spinachmixture, and garnish with paprika. (Serves 4)

Linzer Torte - Austria

1 C butter, softened 1 2/3 C flour 1/2 C sugar 1/2 C ground almonds (optional) 1/2 C bread crumbs 2 t cinnamon 1 t ground cloves 1 T lemon juice 1 T orange juice 1 T rum 1 large egg ? t salt 1 C raspberry preserves 1 large egg (egg wash)

Combine all but preserves and last egg andform into dough. Using 3/4 of the dough linea 9 inch buttered pie pan so that the sides are3/4 inch high. Fill with preserves and usingrest of dough, place strips across preserves.Brush strips with egg wash. Bake for 1 hourin 350 degree oven. Allow to cool for 1 hourbefore serving. (Serves 12)

Green Beans in Tomato Sauce - Northern Spain and Portugal

1 medium onion, chopped1 clove garlic, chopped2 T olive oil 1 1/2 lb green beans, cut into 3-inch pieces3 medium tomatoes, chopped1/4 C minced parsley1 t granulated sugar1 t salt1/2 t dried basil 1/8 t pepper

Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in 3-quart saucepan until onion is tender. Addremaining ingredients. Cover and simmerover low heat until beans are tender, 15 to 20minutes. (Serves 6)

Greens with Bacon - Brazil

2 lb collard greens or kale6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces1 clove garlic, minced1/2 t salt1/2 t pepper

Remove stems from collard greens; cut leavesinto 1/2-inch wide strips. Pour boiling waterover collard greens. Let stand 5 minutes. Drainthoroughly. Fry bacon until crisp; remove withslotted spoon and reserve. Stir garlic and collardgreens into bacon fat; cook and stir 2 minutes.Cover and cook over low heat until collardgreens are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Stirin salt and pepper. Garnish with reserved bacon.(Serves 6)

Old Slippers – Costa Rica

3 (3/4 to 1 pound) chayotes1 T butter1/2 C coarsely grated mild white Cheddar,Monterey jack or Muenster cheese1 T half-and-half1/4 C chopped walnuts1/4 C seedless golden raisins1 t granulated sugar1 t vanilla extract1/4 C finely grated Parmesan cheese2 t seasoned bread crumbs

Place chayotes into a large pot of boiling water.Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until they arevery tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 to50 minutes. Carefully remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs to a colanderand drain.

When they are cool enough to handle, cutcooked chayotes in half lengthwise. Remove flatseeds and any surrounding tough fiber with aparing knife. Scoop out the pulp with a sharpspoon into a large mixing bowl, taking care topreserve the skin and 1/2 inch of pulp to formshells. Set the 6 shells aside.

Purée the pulp in a food processor or electricblender, return it to the mixing bowl, and stir inthe butter, grated cheese, half-and-half, raisins,sugar and vanilla extract. Carefully spoon thefilling into the reserved chayote shells. Sprinklethe Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs over thefilled shells. Bake them in a baking dish at 375degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the topsof the Old Slippers are golden brown. (Serves 3)

The recipes above have been adapted andreprinted from the following sources:

www.internationalrecipesonline.com/recipeswww.food.comwww.allrecipes.comLa Montanita Co-op Deli Staff

many flavors April 2007 11

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farming conservation April 2007 12

I t’s not always doom and gloom in the eco-enviro arena. USDistrict Court Judge Charles R. Breyer (northernCalifornia) ruled that the USDA’s approval of

Genetically Engineered alfalfa is in violation of the law, insupport of a collation lawsuit filed by the Center For FoodSafety. The CFFS contends that full environmental and eco-nomic impacts were not addressed prior to the USDAapproval.

Breyer has ordered a full Environmental Impact Study(EIS) be undertaken for Round-Up Ready alfalfa, devel-oped by Monsanto and Forage Genetics to be resistant notto weeds but to their herbicide Round-Up. He specified theEIS include the unintentional flow of GE genes into weed populationsas well as into non-GE alfalfa. The GE industry claims that such flowis minimal and even has statistics to back it up but not in the formatrequired for an EIS. Other independent studies suggest the opposite soBreyer’s decision basically calls for renewed testing.

On the legal level perhaps more important than a strictly environ-mental standpoint is that economic impact from such unwanted genetransfers endangers the livelihood of non-GE farmers and the exportof crops (such as alfalfa) to nations that prohibit import of GE prod-ucts. US exports of alfalfa alone total close to $480 million per year.These are mostly to Japan and Korea, who are threatening to refuseall imports of alfalfa if GE contamination is even a remote possibility.Money talks.

The USDA has contended that economic risks do not have to beaddressed. Breyer replied that the economic fallout is directly relatedto environmental concerns and is indeed part of the equation. Most

important of all,this is a decisionthat could set a precedent for all GE crops, not justalfalfa. It may prove the most useful tool to block themany, many GE introductions that are in the labstage right now.

Of course, some GE proponents will contend thatthis is merely an aberration, a court decision bysome California whacko but at least the GE indus-try is on defensive — rather than on the offensive,such as when Monsanto (successfully!) suedCanadian canola grower Percy Schmeiser for sav-ing seeds of his own crop that were contaminatedwith GE canola pollen from neighboring fields.Hmmm… if unintentional gene flow is a minimalproblem according to Monsanto’s own studies,why did they make such a big fuss over it?

E. COLI REDUXInvestigations into last September’s outbreak of E.coli in packaged spinach is once again being blamedon an "organic" farm even though months ago itwas determined that was not the case. Now, studiesare indicating that a farm that was transitioning toorganic (not at all the same as actually beingCertified Organic) was the source. Watch this col-

umn for more details as they become available.

Of course, I’d love to say that E. coli contamina-tion is not possible from organic farms. Ofcourse, that’s not the case. But neither can non-organic farms promise E. coli free-produce. Whatthe non-organic industry must admit is that manynon-organic farms also use manure, sometimes ingreater quantity than organic farms.

Too, they must address the dozen or so out-breaks of E. coli from the same California coun-ty over the past ten years that were not traced toorganic farms. Or what of the fast food tacochain that served non-organic green onions

infected with E. coli this winter? Or the 9526 poundsof non-organic ground beef in Iowa and Tennesseethat was recalled due to E. coli in the summer of2006? Alright, alright, I’m resorting to what we sup-porters of organics often accuse "them" (anti-organ-ic) of doing: pointing fingers. Everyone eats. It’s aproblem for all of us.

But as usual the bottom line is not addressed: theproblem with food-borne disease outbreaks nowa-days is that our distribution system is so centralizedthat a small outbreak that was formerly contained toone small region goes nationwide in a matter of days.Bigger and faster thinking usually creates bigger andfaster problems. The solutions are usually slower incoming if they come at all. by Brett Bakker

Lawmakers urged that an"in-depth economic analysisaddress the benefits of a legal hemp industry in NewMexico and the long-termimpacts of establishing prop-er permitting and licensingprocedures. The economicanalysis shall attempt todetermine the costs and bene-fits associated with encourag-ing economic development in

various areas, including textiles, pulping prod-ucts for paper, biocomposites and building materials,animal bedding, nutritional products for livestock,industries related to seed extraction and resins forpotential biofuels, lubricants, paints and inks, cosmet-ics, body care products and nutritional supplements."

Unwantedgene transfersendanger the livelihood of non-GE farmers.

A memorial (HR49) has passed theNew Mexico House of Represent-atives requesting and urging the

New Mexico State Board of Regents to under-take a study on the viability of a legal indus-trial hemp industry in New Mexico.

In addition, the memorial urges the USCongress "to recognize industrial hemp asa valuable agricultural commodity, todefine industrial hemp in federal law as anon-psychoactive and genetically identifi-able species of the genus Cannabis andacknowledge that allowing and encouraging farmers to produce indus-trial hemp will improve the balance of trade by promoting domesticsources of industrial hemp and can make a positive contribution to theissues of global climate change and carbon sequestration."

"This will give people all over the country the abil-ity to approach the federal Drug EnforcementAuthority to demand that industrial hemp beremoved from their schedule of narcotic drugs andbe allowed to once again become one of our majorcash crops in the United States," according toAlbuquerque attorney John McCall.

Industrial hemp is currently produced in morethan thirty nations, including Canada, GreatBritain, France, Germany, Romania, Australia andChina. The United States is, by far, the largest con-sumer of industrial hemp products. Our manufac-turers import millions of dollars worth of hempseed and fiber every year and annual sales of hempfoods in the United States is growing rapidly.

The New Mexico legislature has recognized thatindustrial hemp is a high-value, low-input crop thatis not genetically modified, requires no pesticides,can be dry-land farmed and uses less fertilizer thanwheat or corn – both of which are grown here.

For more info contact Robert Jones at 505-425-6825or go to www.NMHemp.org

by Ellen Heath

At the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference inAlbuquerque on February 17, Kate Heath of theHigh Desert Worm Ranch spoke to a stand-

ing-room-only audience on the subject of "Wrigglers:Adding Vermiculture to the Mix." During her pres-entation, she unveiled The Red Wriggler TeachingManual that has some astounding red wriggler infor-mation including:• Red wrigglers can reduce composting time from240 days to 30 days.• Worms' digestive enzymes unlock chemical bonds,making minerals available to plants.• Worm Castings have 5 to 11 times more NPK thanthe surrounding soil. • Red wriggler castings vastly enhance the microbialactivity that is essential to soil health.• About 40% of agricultural land is seriously degrad-ed, and red wriggler castings can help restore it tohealth.

The Red Wriggler Teaching Manual Time after time, both out on the High Desert Ranch

in Tajique and at event booths teachers would com-

ment about wanting to do a classroom project onworms. It became clear that this manual was needed.After much research and sisterly sharing of skills andinformation, the manual was published.

The material in the manual will not only enhance stu-dent understanding of environmental issues includingglobal warming. It will also show them practical,healthy, and cost-effective ways to become betterstewards of the earth. While there are other class-room materials on composting worms, this manual isa "different critter," emphasizing biology and soil sci-ence, but also providing learning opportunities inmathematics, critical analysis, composition, arts andcrafts, and even in coping with personal challenges.

The Red Wriggler Teaching Manual also comes witha web site that will be regularly updated with newlesson plans, "worm news," contests, and a blog sitefor comments and questions from students and teach-ers who use the manual.

The manual, worms, and bins will be available at LaMontanita's Earth Day Festival in Albuquerque on April22. You can also order the manual at www.redwrigglerranch.com.

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farming conservation April 2007 13

by Cecilia Rosacker McCord

I t’s March and spring has arrived in Socorro. The alfalfa fields bear theslightest hint of green, cover crops of winter wheat and rye burst upthick and verdant green from the dormant winter fields. Farmers are

readying ditches and prepping thirsty fields for the firstwatering of the season. Fields are disked, furrows madeready to receive the first planting of the year from foragecrops, onions, potatoes, spring greens, to chile.

Support Farmers and FarmsBesides working as the Executive Director of the RioGrande Agriculture Land Trust, my other full-time job isfarming organic vegetables in Socorro County. My fel-low farmers (friends, neighbors, and mentors) are gener-ally quite senior, most in their seventies give or take fiveyears. They've toiled the fields of this valley for genera-tions and now as they reach retirement age or try to con-tinue farming with the wear of old age, they are forcedto make choices about what to do with their land.Farmers have no 401K's to dip into and most often nohealth insurance. If they experience a catastrophic event,or simply want to send a kid to college or retire, they now have only twochoices: sell the land or sell the water rights.

Developers often want our productive farmland for its water rightsalone, to increase development opportunities in the growing cities upnorth. The Middle Rio Grande Regional Water plan (which includesAlbuquerque) plans to "retire" 7000 acres of irrigated land in SocorroCounty in order to provide water for sprawling urban growth. Santa Fedevelopers must show ownership of water rights so they head south and"dry us up" by purchasing water rights or the land. It hurts not onlyneighboring farmers, but whole counties, hindering rural economicdevelopment potential.

The Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust (RGALT) is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to protect agricultural landthrough the acquisition and retirement of development rights, providinginterested farmers with a voluntary alternative to land/water speculatorspurchasing their farms. One of our priorities is to see productive agri-

cultural land stay in the hands of farmers andranchers, and in agricultural production.

The land trust approach is based on the fact thatownership of a piece of property includes a bundleof "rights" for that property, such as water rights,mineral rights, oil and gas rights, right-to-farm, anddevelopment rights. Any one of these rights can be

separable from the other rights, and separable fromoverall property ownership. It is well known inNM for an owner to sell a property's water rights.Similarly, the right to develop a property for resi-dential use can also be transferred via a legal deedrestriction known as conservation easement (CE).The landowner retains title to the property for agri-cultural use, for subsequent sale of property as afarm, and/or for willing the farm to an heir whowishes to farm.

Creating A Farmland PreservationProgramNew Mexico does not have a farmland preservationprogram. A federal farm preservation program, theUSDA Farm and Ranchland Protection Program(FRPP), requires a 50% match for every federal dol-

lar. New Mexico receives a meager share of thislarge federal program (less than $300,000 for theentire state in 2006, and less than $200,000 in2007), because there is no state program to supplythe matching funds. Colorado, realizing that theirfarms and ranches provide open space and wildlifehabitat, are critical to their cultural heritage and theintegrity of their small communities and regionalfood supply, receives on the order of $6 millionannually from the federal FRPP.

Over the past year, RGALT has worked with anumber of diverse interest groups to legislate for theLand, Wildlife, and Clean Energy Act which wouldprovide $10 million in funding for worthwhile proj-ects such as conserving our open space, wildlifehabitat, watersheds, working farms and ranches,and increasing energy efficiency. The outcome ofthis has been a $1 million request in the Governor’s2007 capital outlay budget to be used to providematching funds for the purchase of agriculturalconservation easements on New Mexico workingfarms and ranchlands.

On a weekly basis RGALT receives calls from farm-ers and ranchers, who would like to convey a con-servation easement on their farmland, but are not inthe position to donate an easement. Typically thesecalls are from farm families who have been farmingfor generations, and feel the onslaught of develop-ment not only threatens their water rights, theirlivelihood and way of life, but also their culturalheritage.

Please support RGALT by informing the Governor’soffice, legislators, and local government of the need todevelop a permanent funding stream for agriculturalland preservation. For more information e-mail cecil-iam@sdc.org or call 505-480-5696

Agricultural Heritage and Local/Regional Food Security

LAND TRUSTS

Protectingland, waterrights, thefarming way of life and our cultural heritage.

Presented by Lisa Hummon of Defenders of Wildlife

At the La Montanita CO-OP EARTH FEST

April 22 1:30pm

Come See Al Gore’s

AN INCONVENIENTTRUTH

At Immanuel Presbyterian Church’sFellowship Hall, Carlisle and Silver

FARM BILLCOMMUNITY FORUM

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SEE PAGE 3 FOR INFO

Harry Belafonte Speaks Out

“I do believe very strongly in dissent.” “There should be no bottom line for corporate America until there’s a bottom line for the poor.” “If we do not make a choice to make a difference, we then have made the

choice to be crushed by indifference.” Thursday, April 19, 7pm

Popejoy Hall on the UNM Campus

$30, $25, $20UNM Ticket Offices www.unmtickets.com 925-5858 or (877) 664-8661 Raley’s Supermarkets

Presented by The University of New Mexico, Office of the President in cooperation with

Africana Studies and African-American Student Services.

(This is not a musical performance.)

Mr. Belafonte’s views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of New Mexico.

given the go-ahead to move forward with theirshortsighted oil and gas rich agenda, they are fight-ing the court’s decision because they do not want tospend the resources to safeguard this wild landscape.The main focus of the BLM’s challenge to the court’sdecision is that they do not want to have to perform

NEPA analysis at the leas-ing stage. They would pre-

fer to perform "NEPA" at the "APD" stage.

NEPA, or the National Environmental Policy Act,requires governmental agencies to analyze howdevelopment will impact the environment, andprovides the public with the opportunity to com-ment. An APD is an Application for Permit toDrill. BLM claims that it is easier for them to con-duct NEPA at the APD phase and that it can bedone properly. However, the agency’s track recordon performing thorough NEPA analysis at theAPD stage is utterly abysmal. The entire purposeof NEPA is to act as a warning sign and once anAPD is issued, the oil and gas company has a legalright to proceed with that permit, regardless ofwhether the agency objects.

This reasoning speaks volumes about the BLM’sunwillingness to protect Otero Mesa’s grasslands,abundant wildlife, or fresh water aquifer and is whyit is imperative that federal legislation be introducedand passed through Congress. In theory, the oil andgas industry could begin putting new wells intoOtero Mesa by April 2007.

Yet, the State of New Mexico is still strongly commit-ted to preserving this ecological jewel and will contin-ue to fight attempts by the oil companies. While thestate’s stout leadership is helping to hold the line, wemust keep our focus on the congressional delegation toquickly introduce legislation in 2007. A realisticapproach would be to strive for a middle ground pro-posal that can gain a majority of support from the del-egation. This strategy would focus on requesting athree-year moratorium on drilling in Otero Mesa sothat a full study of the Salt Basin Aquifer could occur.In addition, we would work for a state-funded studyon the potential economic benefits of tourism andrecreation in Otero Mesa.

During the three-year moratorium, we would put theoil and gas industry further behind in their efforts todrill the area, creating an incentive for them to sell theirleases, put the BLM on notice to stop additional leas-ing, and create time in which a new President might bemore favorable to conservation.

Many people may be uncomfortable with the focus onwater and economics, but even in a new political cli-mate, it is unlikely that wildlife and solitude are goingto be enough to gain solid protection for the area.Three more years of outreach and the ability to bettereducate the public on the wildlife, plants, bird speciesand the wilderness potential of Otero Mesa will buildan even larger constituency for its protection.

by Nathan Newcomer, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

T here is a lot of talk among environmental groups thatcampaigns must have a strong legal component inorder to win. While this may be true, it is even more

important to have a strong grassroots foundation. Whenit comes to protecting Otero Mesa, these two ideas alonecannot produce a winnable outcome. We are witness tothat fact today.

In order for us to preserve the Serengeti of the Southwest,we need strong leadership on the part of our congression-al delegation. As the incoming chairman of the SenateEnergy & Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Bingamanhas an important opportunity to lead our country on ener-gy policy. Where this leadership must begin is in his ownbackyard, where the Bush Administration, Bureau of LandManagement (BLM), and oil and gas industry are wreaking havoc.

In late September 2006, the US District Court for the State of NewMexico recognized the importance of protecting Otero Mesa. Thecourt’s decision validated arguments made by the State of New Mexicoand conservation groups that the BLM must thoroughly analyze theimpacts of oil and gas development prior to leasing. However, theCoalition for Otero Mesa has appealed the court’s decision because thecourts requirements for thorough environmental analysis is merelypiecemeal—applying only to individual parcels up for lease—ratherthan landscape-wide.

In a move that is both shocking but also revealing, the BLM is appealingthe outcome of the court’s decision too. Even though the BLM has been

Sign up for the Otero Mesa listserve atwww.oteromesa.org. Contact your representa-tives and urge them to support a three yearmoratorium on drilling in Otero Mesa so that athorough water study can be done on the SaltBasin aquifer.

Otero Mesa:Where We Stand

Threatened by the Mixed Waste

by Dave McCoy, Citizen Action

H ulking above Albuquerque’s drinking watersupplies is the Sandia National Laboratories’Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL). The MWL is a

2.6-acre dumpsite used between 1959 and 1988, where upto 720,000 cubic feet of hazardous and radioactive wasteswere buried in shallow unlined pits and trenches.

Instead of excavating the MWL, Sandia and the NewMexico Environment Department (NMED) have decidedto simply place a couple of inches of dirt to cover overpoisonous wastes that will remain dangerous for over100,000 years. By today’s legal and health standards,these wastes cannot be disposed of in this fashion in thecenter of a rapidly growing city like Albuquerque.

Geologist Robert Gilkeson (rhgilkeson@aol.com) re-viewed the history of regulatory and monitoring practicesat the MWL to discover that reliable monitoring wells werenever installed at the dump. NMED also concluded in 1994that "The monitoring system is inadequate." NMED didn’tinform the public of the problems with the monitoring wellsat the public hearings where the dirt-cover was approved.Instead, NMED presented the well data as a reliable recordthat the groundwater is not contaminated.

In addition, NMED claimed a computer model as proof thatradionuclides and heavy metal wastes, such as nickel,would not show up in the groundwater for a ten-thousand-year period. Gilkeson and Citizen Action, a non-profitwatchdog group, have discovered that nickel wastes fromthe dump have already reached Albuquerque’s groundwa-ter in less than 50 years and now occur at a level twice theNew Mexico drinking water standard.

The nickel contamination is an early warning and a prom-ise that radionuclides will show up in the aquifer waterover time. Strontium-90 and plutonium travel in the samefashion as nickel but at a slower rate. In early March,

ACTION ALERT OTERO MESA

Citizen Action requested the Federal EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) to review the monitoring wellproblems at the MWL.

Records also show an enormous amount of tritium escap-ing below the dump. Based on the danger to fetuses andpotential for cancer, recent studies indicate exposure to tri-tium should be reduced by 50 times. Nevertheless, NMEDfailed to order monitoring wells beneath recognized hotspots at the dump.

In the past six months, NMED allowed Sandia to go forwardwith the construction of a significant portion of the dirt coverknowing that the heavy equipment used to compact the dirtcould rupture containers in the dump and release more haz-ardous wastes to groundwater and air. Only now, after theconstruction activities have begun, has NMED orderedSandia to develop a scheme to investigate high levels of tri-tium and organic solvents.

ACTION ALERTCitizen Action has requested a public hearing with NMED toaddress these and other issues. Please write a letter/emailto NMED Secretary ron.curry@state.nm.us. GovernorRichardson has declared this year the "Year of Water,” yethis administration is failing to protect this important watersource. Please contact his main staff person on this issue,William Hume, at william.hume@state.nm.us asking thatcitizens: 1) be given a public hearing on the soil gas sam-pling plan; 2) that NMED issue a notice of violation toSandia to correct the failed well monitoring system; and, 3)to order a cease and desist on dirt cover construction activ-ities at the dump until public safety can be assured.

For more info contact Citizen Action New Mexico at 505262-1862, or e-mail dave@radfreenm.org.

environmental Justice April 2007 14

A focus on water and economics could gain solid protectionfor OTERO MESA

Wilderness and Water

OUR AQUIFERLANDFILL

18th

community Forum April 2007 15

Regional

health care reform town hall

Registration is open for New Mexico First’s annual statewide town hall. Thisyear’s event, "Strengthening New Mexico Healthcare: Access, Coverage, andEconomics," will be held May 3-5 at the University of New Mexico/Albuquerque.

It is important that our voices be heard at the Town Hall. The cost for the 2.5 daysincluding meals is $150.00. Please if you are interested and need to, request ascholarship so you can attend. There are scholarships available and room forobservers. The Town Hall is limited to 120 persons.

For more information or to register click on web site below or contact CharlotteRoybal at Health Action New Mexico 1-505-930-0563, Roybalhanm@aol.comor jaceyc@nmfirst.org or 505-241-4814.

Seating is limited, please register early Sign up at www.nmfirst.org

Town Hall!may 3-5

Many people are familiar with the term "envi-ronmental justice" (EJ). A term that should beequally familiar, because of its potentially dis-

astrous impacts on environmental and public health, is"regulatory justice."

Amigos Bravos – along with other environmental andconservation groups – has been accused of being anti-business. What we expect is that corporations honortheir commitments and conduct their activitiesaccording to the highest possible standards of envi-ronmental and public health protection. We are oftenat odds with state and federal regulators because wedon’t think they are living up to their public trust.That public trust is part of New Mexico’sConstitution, under Article 20, Section 21, whichbegins: "The protection of the state's beautiful andhealthful environment is hereby declared to be of fun-damental importance to the public interest, health,safety and the general welfare."

Rather than honor this goal, major industry associa-tions in New Mexico – oil and gas, mining, construc-tion, and cattle – have organized to undermine state reg-ulatory agencies. These and other efforts across the USare part of a growing "regulatory justice" campaign –as if industry is unfairly burdened with environmentalregulation.

"in situ leach" process (injecting chemicals into groundwater, pump-ing it out, and extracting the uranium) is safe; but their "successstory" in Texas was only possible because regulators constantlychanged water quality standards until the company could meet it.

• Corporations long argued that a federal Clean Water law was"arbitrary" because it didn’t reflect "reality" in the states. After the

Bush administration drastically limitedthe application of the federal CleanWater Act, Amigos Bravos and othersconvinced the NM Water QualityControl Commission (WQCC) to rede-fine waters of the state to include watersthat had lost federal protection. Industryresponded with a massive legislativeeffort in 2005 and, when that narrowlyfailed, a lawsuit against the WQCC.When an advisory council drafted a newpollution permitting process for thestate, industry pressure was so great that

even in this 2007 "Year of Water" the Environment Departmentwithdrew the legislation before the session started.

• Corporations and corporate associations sometimes write the pro-posed legislation that would regulate them (like the SJM10 orHB685). Corporations have the money to hire full-time legal andlobbying firms to wine and dine local, state, and federal regulatorsand politicians. By contrast, non-profit organizations are legally pro-hibited from most direct lobbying. Corporations and their allies havewon several recent state court and legislative victories that limit theright of citizens to protest on environmental or public healthgrounds; only those with a direct financial stake have that right.

Under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, "No state shallmake or enforce any law which shall... deny to any person within itsjurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Very early on, corpo-rations got to be counted as "persons." That was supposed to helpguarantee that justice is served. But whose justice?

WHOSEJUSTICE?

One example in NM is the so-called "AdministrativeAccountability Act" (HB685). This proposed legislationcould force every regulatory agency to get specific legis-lation passed every time it wanted to make a rule; thereliance on general rule-making within its area of juris-diction and expertise would no longer be automatic.Regulatory agencies would be required to find alterna-tives (up to and including complete exemption)to any rule that applied to small business – inNM that means almost all businesses. In addi-tion, whistle blowers would be required to benamed in any proceedings.

Regulatory Justice? Let’s look at the reality.• A major report on the US hardrock miningindustry revealed that: 76% exceeded waterquality standards; 93% are near groundwa-ter and have elevated potential for aciddrainage or contaminant leaching exceedingwater quality standards; 85% are near surfacewater and have elevated potential for acid drainage orcontaminant leaching exceeding water quality stan-dards; water quality standards for toxic heavy metalswere exceeded at 63% of mines. We see examples ofthis at the Molycorp mine in Questa and the PhelpsDodge operations in southeastern NM.

• Uranium companies are trying to force state regula-tors to actively promote uranium mining in NewMexico (Senate Joint Memorial 10), despite theirreparable harm done to the environment and theLaguna-Acoma and Navajo Nations the first time ura-nium was mined here. These companies claim that the

Many local and independent filmmakers get lockedout of competitive film festivals because their filmsaren't quite "edgy" or violent enough to appeal tomainstream viewers. In rec-ognizing that film is a pro-found and influential artform, a new film series calledGaia's Muse will offer inde-pendent filmmakers an alter-native by accepting films ofany style or subject matterthat inspire us in some way.

The intention of Gaia’sMuse is to present a local, ongoing film seriesfeaturing short films with an uplifting messageby local and international filmmakers. Filmcurators welcome films under 60 minutes on vir-tually any subject matter, as long as there is anoverall positive message. This includes anima-tion, documentary, experimental, environmen-tal, multi-cultural, foreign, comedy, drama, mys-tery, sci/fi, etc.

The initial format of the series is to present atwo-hour block of short films at Albuquerque’s

Guild Cinema on a monthly basis. Gaia’s Musehas no deadline, as the series is ongoing—if afilm is accepted and doesn't show on one partic-

ular month, it could show the follow-ing month.

Film series curators, Tobias Katz andLisa Polisar, are independent filmmakerswho have collaborated in the making offourteen short films, one of which wasselected for the 2006 Santa Fe FilmFestival. The first date for the Gaia’sMuse series is set for April 22, 2007from noon to 2pm at the Guild Cinema.

Enviro Film Fest: Gaia’s Muse at the Guild Theater

Submission Deadline: None (series ongoing) Submission Fee: $5/film Length Requirements: 60 minutes or less Format: DVD only What to Submit: Submit a short synopsis of the film, fullcontact information (phone and/or email), and any otherpress or marketing materials.Where to Submit: Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Ave NEAlbuquerque, NM 87106 Attention: Gaia's Muse Series

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer:The American Cancer Society is looking for volunteers to assist with our Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Sunday, April29. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is the largest walk in the state, where almost 13,000, participants gather at Cottonwood Mallto walk a five-mile course along the Rio Grande. Interested, call (505) 262-6015, or visit www.cancer.org/stridesonline.

Otero Mesaearth day

outing

April 20-22

Come join us in the Southwest's Serengeti andwatch the desert come tolife! An outing lead by theNew Mexico WildernessAlliance.

Call Nathan Newcomerat 505-843-8696 for more info

by Michael Jensen, Amigos Bravos

Farm BillCommunityForum

see page 3 fordetails

May 2-3

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