Business is booming, blooming and blossoming in New Mexico. That’s not to say weeds aren’t popping up as well, but with careful tending and encouragement of the right companies, our state can, not just survive, but thrive.
And so, let’s pause a moment, and talk about a sustainable economy: One that works for us now and generations down the road. One that recognizes the basic human needs of clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and clean food to eat, but still aligns with the very human ability to create and define relationships and our own environment. I’ve been a supporter of the Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, & profit) for years. Clean Biz!
Too philosophical? Maybe. But being able to philosophize means my basic needs are met and I have time to reflect, analyze the past, and predict the future.
If you have a job in a field being disrupted by clean energy…start looking elsewhere. Good gracious you don’t want to be like those poor coal miners in Northwest NM who were paraded around by their mining company begging the rest of the state to give up their children’s future, so they can keep a fat paycheck. At least they have an opportunity to pivot with a little help from the Energy Transition Act. They’re still going to have to work at it, but they lived in a bubble. Having a golf course at a small community college and paychecks for a high school degree on par with engineering graduates are rare these days.
Don’t blame it on solar and wind, though. Automation and manufacturing shifting to Asia are the real culprits. Big Pharma, Oil and Gas Industry, Wall Street, and corporate greed need to be added to the list as well.Â
I suppose what I’m getting at is that we should really consider enacting the Green New Deal. High-speed trains….yes! More emphasis on people, not things….yes! Clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and clean food to eat…yes! Yes! Yes!
American? We built our nation by helping each other in barn raising, community watch, and libraries to name a few. We were the land of opportunity and we still can be, but wake up and look past your own yard, neighborhood, city, and state. Look past tomorrow, next week, and next year. Become part of the shared economy. No more business as usual. We have a small window of opportunity to make the Earth great again.
Start today to make it happen in your own life, first. You’re the only you can change. Be the first on your block to …go solar, get an electric vehicle, begin a neighborhood orchard, compost, reduce airline travel. Tell people why you’re doing it.
 Don’t know what to do? Stay tuned for a new NM specific online tool to assess your carbon footprint and help you plan your path to carbon-free or at least carbon-reduced.