If you are thinking about New Mexico, you might likely conjure up visions of deserts, dusty roads, and structures made of mud clay bricks and sticks. While every city has its stereotypes, some of which are wildly inaccurate and others based in fact, the truth is that New Mexico may actually be greener than many think. Here are four “green” components, recently in the news, that make up our “enchanting” state:
- Green Sightings
Regardless of whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, New Mexico is widely known for its alien landings and UFO sightings. Since 1944, New Mexico has had more than 1,000 reports of “unidentified flying objects,” including orbs and fireballs of different colors, pulsating spheres, and blue light formations.
Most recently, in the wee hours of May 4, 2016, a resident spotted three transparent, neon-green orbs hovering in the distance near the Santa Fe Place mall. According to the witness, the spheres had no skeletal structure and no blinking lights, and they performed an “acrobatic dance” before shooting off to the eastern horizon. The whole event lasted approximately 30 seconds. The North American Aerospace Defense Command reported that no rockets, satellite debris, or other known object had entered the atmosphere over Santa Fe that matched the description of these green orbs. We will keep an eye out for more possible “green sightings”!
- Green Energy
We couldn’t discuss green aspects of New Mexico without mentioning environmentally-friendly solar buildings. Recently this year, students at Acequia Madre Elementary School celebrated the completion of a two-year green energy project that involved the building of a new solar array of 80 panels. The structure, installed by Positive Energy, is the culmination of an effort by Global Warming Express, and the panels will supply 40 percent of the school’s power.
As a whole, whether it’s our local schools, businesses, or home owners and builders in New Mexico, it’s the continuous energy conservation initiative that many of us here in New Mexico are working towards as an aim to neutralize and lessen the carbon footprints in our communities. Incorporating solar and green energy into building structures can also decrease utility bills, food waste, and water and energy use, allowing the system to siphon its savings back into classrooms, businesses, and homes!
- Green vs. Red Chile
As residents of New Mexico, we all know about the “red or green” choice of our chile, which we prefer to eat, or maybe both. While vacationers might immediately scratch their heads at the “Christmas” reference, natives understand the true importance of the choice. After all, one of the state vegetables of New Mexico is the chile pepper, and most dishes come with sauce selections made from some variation of these peppers.
But does your choice of color, green or red say something about you as a person? The Daily Meal recently discussed the green or red choices and your personality. While some might think that “greenies” are weenies and that choosers of red are more daring, the truth is that the soil in which the peppers are grown, the climate, and the seed lineage can all affect the spiciness levels. The decision also boils down to taste preferences since, well, spiciness is or maybe isn’t everything! Although some diners are loyal to red or green across the board, others will opt for both with the ‘Christmas’ ordering reference you’ll hear. For us, it’s the unique lifestyle and different choices that only New Mexico offers and, so, we choose all of it!
- Green Homes
You’ve likely heard about a “green home” at some point or another, but do you know what the term really means? How do ‘green’ homes specifically affect you? Are there benefits of green homes? Here at Lee Michael Homes, we specialize in green home building in Albuquerque, and we believe that we can make a difference for you, your family, and the environment in which we live.
Much like the push toward energy-efficiency and local concerns, green home building techniques can help to preserve environmental resources by using recycled products and locally-available indigenous materials whenever possible. We also work to achieve these environmentally responsible improvements to homes through the use of highly-efficient HVAC systems, beefed-up insulation, water-conserving appliances and selecting long-life, low-maintenance products for high performance. Investing in a green home may also mean increasing water efficiency by using low-water-use faucets and toilets, installing low-volume water-use systems, and choosing regionally-appropriate, native vegetation and trees for landscaping designs.
Learn More About Our Efforts to Make New Mexico Green
If you’d like to work toward a “greener” lifestyle and you’re looking for ways to improve the performance of your home and help the future environment, contact us at Lee Michael Homes to ask how we can help get you there.
We specialize in solar design and environmental considerations, and we will work with you to build you a green home or retrofit your existing property. For more information, please feel free to call us at (505) 299-1500, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
