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Being healthy and in balance. Obesity affects roughly one quarter of adults and nearly one fifth of youths ages 10 to 17 in New Mexico. Adding daily exercise of walking and biking, increases strength and makes you feel good, too. Being present. While using alterna-
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tive transportation people can look around, notice how the seasons are progressing, and connect with the natural world. Reducing anxiety from being in traffic and navigating through busy streets to find parking. Saving money in fuel costs and cre-
ating a positive impact on your wallet. Fuel Savings Calculator: public transportation.org/tools/fuelsavings/Pages/default.aspx
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publictransportation. org/tools/carbonsavings/Pages default.aspx
4 Great Public Transportation Options
Bus
Shuttle North Central Regional Transit District 866-206-0754 or ncrtd.org Fare: Free Serves: Santa Fe, Taos, Rio Arriba, Los Alamos Counties, Ohkay Owingeh, Pojoaque, Santa Clara, Tesuque, and San Ildelfonso Pueblos New Mexico Department of Transportation Park and Ride 505-424-1110 or dot.state.nm.us/content/nmdot/ en/ParkandRide.html Fare: $2-3 one-way; monthly passes available Serves: Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Espaola, Los Alamos, Moriarty, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, White Sands Missile Range, and NM 599
Santa Fe Trails 866-551-RIDE (7433) or santafenm.gov/index.aspx?NID=1244 Fare: $1/trip; $2 day pass; $20 monthly. Reduced or free rates for seniors, disabled and children Serves: Santa Fe City and County
Train Rail Runner 866-795-RAIL (7245) or nmrailrunner.com/schedule.asp Fares: $2 to $11. Reduced fares for seniors, students, and people with disabilities. Discounts for tickets purchased online. Serves: Santa Fe to Belen with stops at NM 599, Kewa Pueblo, Sandoval County, Sandia Pueblo, Albuquerque, Isleta Pueblo, and Los Lunas Connections: Ride airport shuttles, ABQ RIDE, and Santa Fe Trails free with valid Rail Runner pass
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Bicycling/Walking Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization 505-955-6625 or santafempo.org/documents /bikeways-map/ A network of multi-use paths, bike lanes, and
shared-lane bikeways throughout Santa Fe
green technology
Vision Equals Radical Innovation at a Resort in Taos By Lyn Bleiler
U
pon entering through El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa’s massive front doors, one immediately experiences a sense of calm and tranquility due in part to subtle but effective ecologically-minded design features. The front desk, nichos and arched doorways are trimmed with Sapelli mahogany, chosen for its sustainability properties, and walkways are constructed of gunnash— a recycled coal-fired plant ash that emits fewer greenhouse gases than concrete. Similar sustainable touches can be found throughout the resort, but it is thanks to The Living Machine System® and Biolariums that visitors enjoy a truly rare luxury—a year-round lush oasis smack dab in the middle of arid Northern New Mexico. The Living Machine System® is the brainchild of Tom Worrell, founder and chairman of Worrell Water Systems, who built El Monte Sagrado as a “working laboratory” to showcase an ecologically engineered environment. Worrell developed the mini-ecosystems using plants and microorganisms to rapidly process and reclaim wastewater. As a result, all black and greywater from guest rooms and common areas is recycled and used for landscape irrigation—a rich commodity in Taos’ dry climate. The system employs equalization and anoxic tanks to start the degradation of organic matter and converts the resulting oxygen into nitrogen gas, as well as, a covered aerobic reactor where these
gases are cleansed and converted into bacterial cell mass. Hydroponic reactors house a diverse ecology of micro and macroscopic organisms that transform this bacterial cell mass into carbon dioxide, while vertical flow wetlands are intermittently filled and drained thereby filtering and retaining the remaining biomass where it decomposes. Finally, any remaining microscopic organisms are rendered harmless by ultraviolet disinfection. All of this innovative water reclamation and energy resourcefulness takes
place incognito. Two greenhouse-like “biolariums” (a word coined by Worrell) provide protection for plants and microbial organisms used in the process while providing guests with seamless natural experience. El Monte Sagrado’s Aqua Center, with its saltwater plunge pool, wading pool, and hot tub, is contained in a biolarium featuring wooden walkways leading through a rain forestlike grove complete with a waterfall and exotic plants from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brazil. Meanwhile, foliage and water features provide a tranquil atmosphere at El Monte’s Living Spa while camouflaging key water reclamation systems. The fish ponds and waterfalls found throughout the outdoor landscape are pivotal to the overall process as well. In 2006, Tom Worrell moved on to pursue other water treatment opportunities and continues building and staying within his ideals of creating greener environments for people to enjoy and share. Worrell says, “Being responsible towards the world around you doesn't mean you have to give up the better things in life. At a recent project in Florida, I took an abandoned building and parking lot and created an urban oasis, a place where humans and animals can truly thrive. That's what responsibility is—making sure every venture improves upon your surroundings, rather than taking away from them.” ecotrendsource.com 69