N EWS & V IEWS FRO M THE S USTAI N AB L E S OUTHWEST VAllE DE ATRISCO THE SOUTH VAllEY OF ALBUQUERQUE November 2015 NORTHERN NEW MEXICO’S LARGEST DISTRIBUTION NEWSPAPER Vol. 7 No. 11 2 Green Fire Times • November 2015 www.GreenFireTimes.com www.GreenFireTimes.com Green Fire Times • November 2015 3 Come see fall on display! The RTD Mountain Trail Route now takes you from downtown Santa Fe up Hyde Park Road to the Santa Fe National Forest and Ski Santa Fe! For more information visit: RidetheBlueBus.com 4 Green Fire Times • November 2015 www.GreenFireTimes.com Vol. 7, No. 11 • November 2015 Issue No. 79 PUBLISHER Green Fire Publishing, LLC Skip Whitson NEWS & VIEWS FROM THE SUSTAINABLE SOUTHWEST ASSoCIAte Publisher barbara e. brown Winner of the Sustainable Santa Fe Award for Outstanding Educational Project edItor-IN-ChIeF Seth roffman CONTENTS COLLABORATION AMONG ORGANIZATIONS FLOURISHES IN THE SOUTH VALLEY. 7 GueSt ASSoCIAte edItor Sommer Smith THE ELEVALLE NETWORK . .. .. .. .. .. 8 Mediadesk New Mexico SOUTH VALLEY PHOTOS . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9 Art dIreCtor SOUTH VALLEY COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR HEALTH EQUITY Anna C. hansen, dakini design AppLYING LESSONS LEARNED IN CUBA.. .. .. .. .. .. 10 CoPy edItor Stephen Klinger FIRST CHOICE: NURTURING A WELLNESS ECOSYSTEM IN THE SOUTH VALLEY . .13 WebMASter: Karen Shepherd NEW MEXICO CENTER FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: LOCAL WISDOM FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS. .15 CoNtrIbutING WrIterS PRECURSORS OF ALBUQUERQUE ALONG EL CAMINO REAL. .16 Noah Allaire, Julia bernal, Jorge García, Joseph C. García, Michelle Meléndez, tony THE GENESIS OF ACEQUIAS IN ATRISCO (THE SOUTH VALLEY). .. .. .. .. .. .19 Monfiletto, Virginia Necochea, Juan reynosa, Seth roffman, Sam Sokolove, Sommer Smith, LA CORREINTE DEL VALLE: A MURAL PROJECT IN THE SOUTH VALLEY. .. .. .. .. .20 bill Wagner, tarynn Weeks THE AGRI-CULTURA NETWORK. .. .. .. .. .. 22 CoNtrIbutING PhotoGrAPherS 4 A Greater Good Photography, GARDENS DE ATRISCO . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .25 Mark Anderson, david broudy, Anna C. HE ALLE DE RO ATIONAL ILDLIFE EFUGE hansen, Marissa McGill, T V O N W R . .27 Seth roffman, Steve Valasek OP-ED: A COMMUNITY’S BATTLE AGAINST THE SANTOLINA MASTER PLAN . .28 PubLISher’S ASSIStANt SOUTH VALLEY REFLECTIONS. .. .. .. .. .. 29 Cisco Whitson-brown AdVertISING SALeS OP-ED: HOW ZONING CODES CAN DRASTICALLY IMPACT Skip Whitson 505.471.5177 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .31 [email protected] EWSBITES Anna C. hansen 505.982.0155 N . ... .. .. .. .. 22, 29, 37 [email protected] WHAT’S GOING ON. .. .. .. .. .. 38 robyn Montoya 505.692.4477 [email protected] Lisa Powers, 505.629.2655 [email protected] Niki Nicholson 505.490.6265 [email protected] dIStrIbutIoN barbara brown, Susan Clair, Co-op dist. Services, Nick García, Niki Nicholson, Andy otterstrom (Creative Couriers), daniel rapatz, tony rapatz, Wuilmer rivera, Andrew tafoya, Skip Whitson CIrCuLAtIoN: 30,000 copies Printed locally with 100% soy ink on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper GreeN FIre tIMeS c/o the Sun Companies P.o. box 5588, SF, NM 87502-5588 505.471.5177 • [email protected] © 2015 Green Fire Publishing, LLC Green Fire Times provides useful information for community members, business people, students and visitors—anyone interested in discovering the wealth of opportunities and resources in the Southwest. In support of a more sustainable planet, topics covered offman range from green businesses, jobs, products, services, r entrepreneurship, investing, design, building and energy—to native perspectives on history, arts & © Seth culture, ecotourism, education, sustainable agriculture, “three Sisters” mural detail at the South Valley economic development Center regional cuisine, water issues and the healing arts. Green Fire Times is widely distributed throughout COVER: MURAL DETAIL FROM LA CORRIENTE DEL VAllE – THE FLOW OF THE VAllEY, north-central New Mexico. Feedback, announcements, A NEW MURAL DEPICTING CULTURE CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN THE ALLE DE event listings, advertising and article submissions to be , V considered for publication are welcome. ATRISCO, THE SOUTH VALLEY OF ALBUQUERQUE. © 2015 WORKING CLASSROOM, INC. (SEE STORY, PG. 20) PHOTO BY SETH ROFFMAN www.GreenFireTimes.com Green Fire Times • November 2015 5 6 Green Fire Times • November 2015 www.GreenFireTimes.com COLLABORATION AMONG ORGANIZATIONS FLOURISHES IN THE SOUTH VALLEY SAM SOKOLOVE n the world of nonprofit de Salud, La Plazita Institute, Río organizations, building meaningful Grande Community Development partnershipsI among organizations with Corporation/South Valley Economic similar community vision is becoming Development Center, Encuentro and a movement. In Albuquerque’s Centro Sávila. EleValle’s leadership South Valley, home to many service team is comprised of the directors of organizations that address health, each of those organizations. According economic and educational realities, to La Plazita Institute Co-Director sharing knowledge and limited Theresa González, “Everything we resources is critical. do is driven by community... because community health is what we hope to According to a recent study conducted achieve.” by the Bureau of Business and offman Economic Research, 80 percent of In 2011, EleValle was awarded a W.K. r the South Valley’s 41,000 residents Kellogg Foundation grant to support are Hispanic and 52 percent are the collaborative administration and © Seth Mexican nationals. Sixty percent of the build capacity. The McCune Foundation South Valley economic development Center population over the age of 25 has no provided project-level funding. Since its formal post-secondary education, and inception, the Río Grande Community more than half have limited English Development Corporation (RGCDC) proficiency. has served as EleValle’s fiscal sponsor. EleValle presents monthly “burrito network” breakfast gatherings, which Strengthening families strengthens networking, linkages and through community- resources for community health workers, engaged and community- activists and officials. driven solutions. EleValle’s organizations are located along a mile of Isleta Boulevard. Due From this need emerged EleValle, to their close proximity, organization a collaborative of agencies working staff often walks clients down the toward a healthier South Valley road to access services from partner by strengthening families through organizations. Their focus is strategic Casa de Salud offers “dignity-based” medical services. community-engaged and community- planning, communication and driven solutions. Formed in 2008 coordination. Together they work to through funding provided by the reduce marginalization and isolation; solving with immigrants, refugees and limited. For RGCDC CEO Tim Nisly, University of New Mexico Health provide children and families with former inmates. EleValle Director Sam collaboration among the partners was a Sciences Center Office for Community needed health services, including Sokolove says, “The issues we address process that did not happen overnight. Health (specifically for the Pathways behavioral, physical, mental health range from getting returning citizens “Collaboratives take time,” he says. “It’s to a Healthy Bernalillo County and substance abuse; provide housing jobs to securing food for indigent important to put aside egos to allow initiative), EleValle guides and connects referrals; create economic opportunity families, and we’re always focused on for collective decision-making.” After underserved residents to health and and workforce development; provide long-term solutions, not just a quick nearly seven years, the leadership team social services. Members include: Casa food resources; and engage in problem fix.” has achieved a high degree of mutual trust and functionality. “We’ve learned Thirty Pathways program navigators that collective advocacy is a powerful or promotores, working with EleValle’s thing,” Nisly says. partner agencies, provide culturally appropriate guidance to assist EleValle is also engaged in advocating marginalized, at-risk residents. The for systemic and policy-level change; promotores identify risk factors and it also provides “backbone” support needs, and follow individuals’ and for the Juntos Para La Salud/ families’ progress. Data collected is Together for Health campaign, which reviewed and analyzed collectively. successfully challenged Bernalillo County to strengthen its health Each organization in the collaborative safety net. Every county resident has its own unique history, and who meets income guidelines is now before EleValle was established, their Cheruvu and Amanda participate in First eligible, and community members relationships were mostly indirect and Choice’s health Commons program. eleValle network strategizing CoNtINued oN page 8 www.GreenFireTimes.com Green Fire Times • November 2015 7 COLLABORATION THE ELEVALLE NETWORK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 CASA DE SALUD offers a wide range of conventional, natural and traditional “dignity-based” medical services that include are included in safety-net planning, health literacy, promotion of community health and health assessment and decision-making. leadership development. The organization offers diabetes Recently, Juntos activists presented the prevention, nutrition counseling, women’s health and prenatal County Commission with petitions care services. Multiple projects have originated from this enterprise, such as Vision containing nearly 1,000 signatures for Dignity, Access and Accountability