New Mexicans featured in project highlighting “Voices for 100% Renewable Energy”

Environment New Mexico

For more information: Anna Hofmann – (202) 461-2453

Today, Environment New Mexico announced five New Mexico residents as leading voices for clean energy. The New Mexicans are profiled in a national project, Voices for 100% Renewable Energy, featuring photos, testimonials, and videos from a wide array of individuals from across America – from academics, to mayors and other public officials, to community leaders, to business and non-profit leaders – embracing a massive transition to clean energy.

New Mexicans featured in the in the project include Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, state Senator Mimi Stewart; state Representative Liz Thomson; Sr. Joan Brown, the Executive Director of New Mexico Power and Light; and Ed Mazria, the founder and CEO of Architecture 2030.

“We’re inspired by people like Mayor Gonzales, Senator Stewart, and Sr. Joan Brown, who know we can, and must, shift to 100 percent renewable energy,” said Rob Sargent, Energy Program Director with Environment America. “We’re thrilled to share some of their stories through this project. Our hope is that it will motivate the many folks who know we need a swift, steady, and complete transition from dirty to clean energy to lean into the effort.”  

The people featured in the project cited a range of environmental, economic, equity, social, and health benefits from the transition to 100 percent renewable energy. Most focused on the urgent need to eliminate climate-altering carbon pollution. Others simply believe that it’s common sense and good economics to save energy and to harness unlimited, pollution-free energy sources.   

New Mexico State Representative Liz Thomson says, “Renewable energy is a no-brainer. As a State Representative from sunny New Mexico, I believe we should be taking advantage of solar power and other renewable energy alternatives whenever possible. With a real commitment, we can reach 100 percent renewable energy. It’s not only the smart thing to do, it’s the responsible thing to do for future generations. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of our environment.”

New Mexico Senator Mimi Stewart says, “New Mexico and the other Southwestern US states have an opportunity to be leaders in the fight against global warming and catastrophic climate change… By focusing on an aggressive, but very doable, increase in our renewable energy portfolio standards, we can become a model for renewable energy, produce high-paying jobs, and a cleaner and safer environment for generations to come.”

In 2017, Santa Fe committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040. Mayor Javier Gonzales says, “As a city, when we rely on electricity generated by solar energy to power our buildings or the electric vehicles in our fleet, when we use low-energy LED streetlights to light our way, when we invest in people at the nexus of climate change and poverty through the Santa Fe Verde Fund, when we help homeowners retrofit their houses or use our code to heavily incentivize green building, we save, and we help people save money and reduce our overall footprint in the world, allowing us to invest in other priorities that strengthen our community.”

Architect Ed Mazria speaks to the important role of design in the transition to 100 percent renewable energy. “Architects, designers, and policymakers have all the tools, strategies, and experience needed to decarbonize the built environment by mid-century,” Mazria says.

Sr. Joan Brown says, “It is an ethical and moral imperative to push forward with renewable energy and reduction of our carbon footprint across the planet.”

“For years, we’ve been told that pollution from dirty fuels was the price we had to pay for progress,” said Anna Hofmann, a clean energy associate working with Environment New Mexico. “Those days are over. My confidence that we can make the shift to clean renewable energy has been boosted by the conversations I’ve had with so many people we’ve profiled in the Voices for 100% Renewable project.”

To view Voices for 100% Renewable Energy, go to www.100percentrenewable.org.