A Brief History on the Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico

Like all good things, today’s Coalition began with the seed of an idea. That seed was planted in the Sustainable Santa Fe 25-Year Plan, adopted by the Santa Fe City Council in 2018. The words were direct, “Build a coalition of New Mexico communities to work together on and advocate for sustainability issues at the state level.”

Santa Fe’s Mayor Alan Webber turned to citizen advocate and sustainability leader, Beth Beloff, to launch the Coalition. Throughout the fall of 2018, Beth worked with volunteers to design an NGO which could advance sustainability and climate action at the state, county, and city level.  One volunteer in particular was Gary Payton who subsequently became a key partner in developing the early Coalition. Mayors, city councilors, and county commissioners embraced the idea, and the Coalition was formed with elected officials and staffs from the Cities of Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and Santa Fe County.

In the formative years of 2019 to 2021, Coalition team members focused on advancing legislation for community solar, promoting energy efficiency, and sharing key actions across the membership. Highlights included publication of community guides on solar energy and building codes and refining advocacy for key bills introduced in the New Mexico legislature. Years of stakeholder effort were rewarded with the passage of the Community Solar Act in March 2021.

As the Coalition matured, Los Alamos County became the fifth member adding new voices to ongoing activities. Additionally, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change granted permanent “Official Observer” status to the Coalition allowing three senior members to attend the Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021. This international recognition lets New Mexican climate leaders share ideas from our state with others from around the world and bring back new energy and approaches which may be developed here.

With the Town of Taos, Taos County, and Bernalillo County joining the Coalition in 2022 and 2023, our elected leaders from eight communities now represent 47% of the population of New Mexico. Across the state, our members are advancing solar energy, energy efficiency, EV charging stations, green house gas reductions, are more. And, as a Coalition our members and staff are actively engaged in creating the New Mexico Climate Investment Center (NMCIC) to help fund sustainability projects statewide. The focus of the NMCIC is to fill financial gaps in investments in clean energy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with particular emphasis on supporting low-income, disadvantaged and tribal communities adapt to climate change and reduce their energy burdens.

A short history grown from the seed of an idea, the Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico continues to speak in a united voice to ensure resilient, equitable, and sustainable communities throughout The Land of Enchantment.