Sustainable Santa Fe Commission
25 Year Sustainability Plan
DRAFT
Working Group Priority Recommendations
for Community Outreach
May 2017
These draft priority recommendations were developed for the purpose of engaging the community in providing input and paraticipating in Santa Fe’s sustainable future. Over the past 12 months, the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission has developed over 100 detailed action recommendations, which will be available for review together with the priority recommendations set forth in the pages that follow, including recommendations for plan implementation. These represent areas that 50 working group experts from the community and the Commission felt would produce the greatest impact in guiding Santa Fe toward a more sustainable and carbon neutral path.
More information about the plan, updates, and online forms for giving feedback can be found at www.sustainablesantafe2040.com.
1. Transportation
Most people in Santa Fe depend upon their cars to get them where they need to go. The average travel time to work within the city is 19 minutes. Most people (75%) drive alone to get to work, and only 1% use public transportation, like a bus or train, in both the City and County. 60% of the Santa Fe workforce lives outside of the City and commutes to town. However, Santa Fe’s bus system has an annual ridership of over 1 million trips, and the Rail Runner train provides almost 750,000 annual rides from the Santa Fe area.
In order to change use of transportation to systems that are quicker, cheaper, and have lower greenhouse gas emissions, we need to push for big changes. The evidence is clear: shifting toward a city landscape that has higher density housing close to public transport and goods and services creates more affordable transit. Pedestrian and bicycle-friendly neighborhoods can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve quality of life.This doesn’t mean transforming into New York City. Think about historic downtown – where people lived and worked around a center, and didn’t need to hop in their cars for a 20 minute commute. Or Imagine Cerrillos Road, with a narrower, friendlier feel, apartments nearby, and a quick public transit system that can connect you to different parts of the city.
Triple Bottom Line Issues
Environment / · Transportation is the largest single contributor to Santa Fe’s greenhouse gas emissions.· Dependence on imported oil for transportation continues to cause environmental disasters and foreign conflict; in 2016 less than 300 electric vehicles were registered in Santa Fe County.
· Emissions from cars contribute to asthma and lung disease.
Equity / · Middle income families spend over 50% of their income on transportation and housing[1]
· Even though only 1% of Santa Fe’s population currently uses the bus to get to work, it is a critical part of their livelihood.
· Not all neighborhoods in Santa Fe have the same access to trails and sidewalks.
· Newer, more efficient cars, like hybrids and electric vehicles, are expensive.
· While some people choose to live in other communities and commute to Santa Fe, others have to live outside of Santa Fe because of the shortage of affordable housing.
Economy / · In 2015 the average American household spent $9,500 on transportation, $2,000 of it on gasoline and motor oil[2].
· Middle income families spend over 50% of their money on transportation and housing
· Taking the bus, carpooling, and biking saves money.
· Santa Fe’s bus system has an annual ridership of over 1 million trips, and the Rail Runner train provides almost 750,000 annual rides from the Santa Fe area.Uber has created new part-time employment opportunities for drivers in Santa Fe.
Let’s Make Change!
GOALS / ACTIONSTransit systems (buses, roads, bike & pedestrian pathways) that allow all community members to easily access their destinations / · Increase frequencies and decrease transit times on Santa Fe Trails buses on key routes, especially on nights and weekends.
· Increase access to and from transit stops to reduce time of travel.
Urban development that supports a variety of housing and work options, like affordable, high-density, work/live, with access to a variety of transportation options / · Increase affordable housing options in Santa Fe.
· Incentivize more work/live developments and higher densities through the creation of more flexible zoning districts and overlays.
· Provide incentives to new developments to be built near connections to public transportation.
· Encourage greater purchase and use of lower emission vehicles through incentives and regulations.
Access for all people to trails and bike paths to support healthy lifestyles / · Promote active transportation with events like Bike‐to‐Work Week, promote Safe Routes to Schools, and promote/sponsor bicycle-based street events/group rides.
· Ensure access to bikes for all people that need them.
2. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Electricity and heating in homes and businesses are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in our community, after transportation. Emissions within the electricity sector in Santa Fe County are driven by PNM’s reliance on coal electricity production, which comprised about 54% of its electricity delivery in 2015.
Reducing energy use cuts emissions and saves money on utility bills. A wide variety of cost-effective energy-efficient strategies can be implemented in homes, businesses and government facilities throughout the community, such as switching to LED lighting, upgrading heating and cooling equipment, purchasing energy efficient appliances, tightening up and better insulating walls and roofs and turning off energy-using equipment when not needed. Santa Fe Public Schools dedicated $7.5 million to energy and water efficiency projects that have resulted in a 6% decrease in electrical consumption, a 30% decrease in natural gas use, and a 40% decrease in water use.
Clean, renewable energy, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, further reduces emissions. Lower rooftop solar costs and innovative payment options are making solar affordable. Currently, about 20% of the City’s electricity comes from solar PV systems, with plans to hit 25% by 2021. The City will continue to be a leader in managing energy use by demonstrating energy efficiency in facilities and renewable energy projects.
Triple Bottom Line Issues
Environment / · Electricity generation is the second largest greenhouse gas sector for Santa Fe, after transportation. 54% of PNM’s energy came from coal in 2015[3].· It takes 0.5 gallons of water to produce 1 kWh of energy on PNM’s grid[4].
Equity / · CO2 emissions from PNM’s coal power plant contributes to climate change, and the emission of NOx, SOx, and fine particles contribute to haze, acid rain, and respiratory illnesses, that disproportionately impact the Navajo communities where the coal plants are located.
· About 40% of homes in Santa Fe are rentals. NM law currently makes community solar projects difficult, limiting access to the environmental and monetary benefits of solar.
Economy / · Between 2007-2015 Santa Fe County residences and businesses invested over $33 million in solar PV installations[5].
· $115 million from businesses and residences in Santa Fe County were paid to PNM for electricity in 2015[6].
Let’s Make Change!
GOALS / ACTIONSScaled-up energy efficiency in the community / · The city will create programs and projects to reduce energy use in the community, making the community energy smart.
Scaled-up renewable energy in the community, aspiring to 100% carbon free by 2040 / · Implement a public information campaign about affordability and payment strategies for solar PV and energy efficiency, leveraging PNM rebates or planned city programs.
· Demonstrate affordability of solar by developing solar projects with low-income residents and non-profit organizations.
· Help make solar PV affordable through financing options (including paying through property taxes with PACE – Property Assessed Clean Energy bonds).
City of Santa Fe leading by example, achieving 100% renewable energy / · Upgrade city facilities to reduce energy and water use through performance contracting – financing improvements and paying for it through future energy savings.
· Showcase the benefits of renewable energy by developing pilot solar projects in the city that benefit the community.
Clean energy landscape, with a secure and diversified utility portfolio that maintains reliable low-cost, low-emissions services / · Create a regional utility coalition to advocate for regional/statewide utility advancements. Initiate or weigh-in on utility-related legislation and PRC regulatory issues. Advocate for more renewables development (community solar and community choice aggregation) and elimination of fossil fuels.
· Plan for electric vehicles in our future with renewable-powered charging stations.
· Support advocacy and policy organizations working for added renewable energy sources and energy storage.
3. Waste
In 2015 the county’s Caja del Rio landfill recorded 138,598 metric tons of waste, equivalent to 6 pounds of waste per person each day in Santa Fe County.
The City and the County work in conjunction with the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency (SFSWMA) to operate the Caja del Rio Landfill, which serves all of Santa Fe County, except Edgewood. SFSWMA also operates the Buckman Road Recycling & Transfer Station (BuRRT) where recycling is consolidated and shipped to market.
The Environmental Services Division of the City of Santa Fe provides residential and commercial trash and recycling collection to homes and businesses. The City recently upgraded its residential curbside recycling program, switching from 14-gallon bins to 65-gallon carts, with the goal of drastically increasing the amount of waste that gets diverted from the landfill into recycling (currently 19%). Glass was eliminated from curbside collections, but can be taken to several drop-off centers within the City for residents to recycle glass and other materials.
The City is developing a Zero Waste plan, which seeks to minimize the amount of waste that goes to a landfill through increased rates of recycling, re-use of materials, and demanding that manufacturers reduce the amount of non-reusable materials used in their products and packaging.
Triple Bottom Line Issues
Environment / · Food and yard waste that end up in landfills decompose and produce methane gas, which has 28 times the heat trapping potential as carbon dioxide.· Methane emissions from landfill waste in Santa Fe County make up about 1% of total GHG emissions produced within the county.
Equity / · Although recycling is an important component of waste management, it also has unintended consequences. For example, 13% of the world’s electronic waste sent for recycling ends up in foreign countries, where laborers take apart the components, exposed to toxins and dangerous working conditions. Reducing consumption is the answer.
· Would waste collection based upon weight-based fees be more fair?
Economy / · There are economic opportunities for diverting existing waste streams to new products and industries. There is currently little market opportunity for recycling glass, which means it is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to utilize a very cheap material.
· Reunity Resources and other organizations collect food waste from businesses and turn it into compost available for agriculture, gardens and green belts.
· The Santa Fe Wastewater Division also converts sludge into compost for community use.
Let’s Make Change!
GOALS / ACTIONSZero Waste plan for the City that will lay out both regulatory and volunteer actions to reduce waste to landfill / · Pass a Universal Recycling Ordinance in the City and County that requires all businesses to provide recycling and establish full multi-family home recycling.
· Require 100% recycling participation for city offices.
· implement a “green purchasing” policy that will ensure public money be spent on goods and services that have the least negative environmental impact, and can be easily recycled or reused at their end-of-life.
· Increase impact of creative and experiential educational and outreach using department funds and inner-city department partnerships.
· Pass a local resolution supporting product stewardship, or extended producer responsibility (EPR), that would require manufacturers and retailers to redesign products and packaging to reduce their impact at end-of-life. Support state and national EPR legislation that will “level the playing field” across the board for manufacturers.
4. Built Environment
The built environment includes everything related to buildings, construction, roads and other infrastructure. How we construct buildings and design our communities can have a large impact on greenhouse gas emissions, transportation, and our quality of life. Compact communities, just like the pueblos of native communities or the historic downtown in Santa Fe, allow us to eliminate the expense and time spent in cars, reduce energy and water use of standalone buildings, and preserve the natural landscape.
Santa Fe’s green building codes do a good job requiring builders to reduce water and energy use in new buildings. However, new buildings make up a small fraction of the built environment, so we have to educate and incentivize owners of existing buildings about the cost savings and environmental benefits of upgrades to save water and energy, including revising restrictions on solar PV and energy efficiency upgrades of historic properties.
Triple Bottom Line Issues
Environment / · Electricity and heating in residential, governmental and commercial buildings make up the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Santa Fe, after transportation.· Residential households in Santa Fe consume 60% of all natural gas usage and 42% of all electricity usage3.
· City facilities consume 6%, public schools 3%, and State facilities 5% of all electricity use in the city of Santa Fe3.
· Homes that recycle grey water and have rain catchment systems can eliminate their need to use potable water for landscaping and plants.
· About 0.5 gallons of water are consumed for each kWh of electricity on PNM’s grid4.
Equity / · As many as 2,500 renters earning $25,000 and less can’t find affordable units in Santa Fe, and are cost burdened (2013)[7].
· Over 400 homes are in substandard condition and in need of rehabilitation in Santa Fe (2013)7.
· In 2014 more than 38% of households in Santa Fe were paying over 30% of their income in housing costs7.
Economy / · The construction industry made up 6% of Santa Fe’s employment in 2013[8].
· Energy efficiency retrofit needs represent an area of job training and employment potential.
· Mixed-use developments can provide new opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop businesses to meet neighborhood needs.
Let’s Make Change!