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November 2004

Dear Friends and Supporters:

We would like to take this opportunity to share with you the achievements we have made towards sustainable development in rural communities of New Mexico this year, as well as ask for your end-of-the-year, tax-deductible, contribution to keep this work going. These accomplishments include:

Small diameter timber (SDT) to value added products. Demonstrated we can make a good quality, natural charcoal product from "waste" small diameter timber as well as use the fumes in that process to naturally preserve wood; we brought two international experts here to work with us to implement our forestry project under the Forest Service Collaborative Forestry Restoration Program grant and designed, built and tested three charcoal ovens and two preservation chambers. Forestry project, charcoal/wood preservation work.

SDT "waste" to mushrooms, animal feed and forest restoration. We collected several important local mushroom species and established a laboratory to identify, culture and inoculate "waste" biomass with local fungi, equipped and maintained under scientific standards by SCZ to support the growing of edible and other mushrooms, animal feed from the mushroom substrate and creation of soil humus for restoration of thinned forest areas. This is the only fungi culture bank in New Mexico. Forestry project, fungi related activities.

State capital outlay monies. Assisted in obtaining legislative capital outlay funds for permanent commercial sized sets of charcoal and wood preservation ovens and the first New Mexico fungi culture bank for long term preservation of state's biological resources.

SCZ brought ZERI expert and former EPA sanitation engineer, George Chan, to NM to work on complete treatment of animal and human wastes through an integrated natural system that after treatment converts "wastes" to value added farming and fish production, cattle feed, and clean biogas energy; Picuris Pueblo and US/Mexico border communities are interested in this technology; meetings with US Dept. of Agriculture, Rural Development, to approve this unique, comparatively inexpensive and easy-to-operate sanitation technology. Integrated waste management system, Prof. Chan's article, and waste treatment chart.

Dr. John Craven is a physicist, member of Swedish Academy of Sciences, and water and energy expert. His visit to NM lead up to pilot projects to demonstrate "borrowing" water for its cold properties and condensation and returning it to its source undiminished in quantity and quality. Dr. Craven's water project.

Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UNM, Dept of Architecture and Planning for teaching ZERI methodology; signed MOU with NM State University, Dept. of Agronomy and Horticulture to work together on creation of a program for preserving state's beneficial biological resources starting with native fungi, bacteria and algae for restoration of soils in forests, rangelands and agriculture; appeared on KNME television panel on water; had several news articles written about our Governor Richardson sponsored state agency workshop and forestry projects; wrote articles for NM Mycological Society, La Jicarita News and Taos Sustainable Guide; published "Bison Love Spinach" a Picuris children's story by Gunter Pauli in English and Tiwa;

Workshops - Organized a Governor Richardson sponsored two day state agency ZERI workshop covering five critical environmental issues in state and a final report with recommendations Governor's two day workshop.

ZERI 6 - month Certification Training - finished Third Certification Course with 23 "graduates" (8 from NM) for a total of 67 ZERI certified practitioners.

Established our web site, www.scizerinm.org, which has been viewed by more than 2,500 visitors from more than 75 countries who scanned over 10,000 pages; received approval from IRS to expand the previous 50lc3 purpose from affordable, sustainable "green" housing to economic, ecologic and social develop that reaches beyond community sustainability; were nominated - but did not receive - a NM Community Foundation Pinon Award for our sustainable forestry work; hired several part time employees and contractors from rural communities for the forestry project activities and formalized partnership with Picuris Pueblo to move toward product commercialization.

With your support, SCZ can continue and succeed in demonstrating that economic,ecologic, and social development can occur simultaneously with benefits for all New Mexicans.

Sincerely,

Lynda Taylor and Robert Haspel, Co-Directors

For more go to background paper on our accomplishments.