The Tree-Planting Legacy of an Activist, Friend and Mentor

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May be an image of 3 people, people standing and outdoors“We are honored to partner with the City and to contribute to your plan of planting 10,000 trees a year for the next ten years. You may be pleased to know that at the Nov. 12 event Joan Brown of Interfaith Power and Light and Rachel Sternheim from Congregation Albert expressed interest in planting trees through interfaith efforts. We plan to follow up on this and would like to meet with the City when I am back from India in early spring next year,” Manjeet Kaur Tangri wrote in a letter to Mayor Tim Keller in November 2019.

The local Sikh community made the commitment to plant trees locally as part of the 550 birthday celebration for  Guru Nanak’s 550 Gurpurb, founder of the Sikh tradition.

Manjeet, who was very influential in the creation of NM-IPL’s Forest of Bliss tree-planting campaign, passed away this past week surrounded by loving family.

“As president of the board of the Albuquerque Sikh Gurdwara, her leadership–and her work as an activist, friend, and mentor–will be sorely missed by all that knew her. She was dedicated to social justice, peace, sustainability, and protection of the environment, among other issues. The Forest of Bliss tree-planting project will continue in her memory,” said Ahiran Singh, community liaison for the Albuquerque Sikh Gurudwara.

 

 

Green Amendment Day: A Panel of Leading Environmental Justice Voices

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A panel of leading environmental justice voices from across the nation joined together on the inaugural Green Amendment Day 2021 (July 13), to push forth an agenda for ending environmental racism and restoring environmental justice through constitutional empowerment.


Our panelists–including NM-IPL board member Terry Sloan and NM State Sen. Antoinette Sedillo–represented different areas where environmental justice intersects: a grassroots leader, a community organizer & advocate, a legislator, a national Green Amendment expert, a Tribal Liaison, and a scientific expert. Hear first hand how they are pursuing true environmental justice with the power of a Green Amendment. Constitutional recognition and protection can elevate the inalienable rights of all people to a clean & healthy environment, and transform our system of laws and government to ensure environmental justice is mandatory, equitable and enforceable.

Featuring:

  • Kerri Evelyn Harris, Community Organizer and Advocate
  • Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, serving New Mexico’s 16th District and lead sponsor of the NM Green Amendment
  • Maya van Rossum, Founder, Green Amendments For The Generations
  • Terry Sloan, Director, Southwest Native Cultures
  • Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Associate Professor, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health
  • Maria Payan, Senior Regional Representative, Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP), Sussex Health & Environmental Network (SHEN)

New Mexico Climate Change Task Force Seeks Public Input

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The New Mexico Climate Change Task Force encourages the public to participate in a new survey as the state seeks input to guide our ongoing climate work. Public input is a critical component of our climate strategy as we look to meet our emissions reduction goals, as well as boost the state’s resilience to the effects of climate change.

The work of the Task Force, which is co-chaired by the cabinet secretaries of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) and Environment Department (NMED), continued throughout the pandemic and subgroups were created to explore how to move our current strategies forward and develop new ones.

“Our state is proud of its diverse population, and we want to make sure our work is inclusive of every New Mexican,” said NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney. “We are committed to ensuring our climate strategy is an equitable one, and we can’t do that without your voice.”

Accomplishments to date include passage of the Energy Transition Act, new solar market development tax credits for homeowners and businesses, adoption of modern statewide building codes, completion of the Renewable Energy Transmission Authority (RETA) study on transmission corridors for renewable energy, and a statewide natural gas waste reduction rule. More accomplishments and strategies underway are detailed in the Task Force’s annual strategy document.

The survey results will be used to help the Climate Change Task Force prioritize new climate strategies over the next five years. The Task Force, along with a stakeholder advisory group, will review the survey results alongside data on emissions and economic impacts of different strategies. It will also be guided by a set of climate equity principles developed by community leaders and experts from across the state.

“Our work will be most impactful if all New Mexicans are represented in our climate plans,” said EMNRD Cabinet Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst.

Take the survey

Spanish Version

(Surveys open through July 15, 2021)