Natural Systems Landscaping: Restore Health in Our Relationship to the Land
with Mark Cantrell, Lone Mountain Natives.

Learn techniques to build landscape to accommodate both human activity and habitat , working from the soil up. Choose materials, methods, and native plants to create diverse, productive, and sustainable land. Discover the native plants that provide the best food, shelter, and reproduction for wildlife.

Starting Your Own Green Business: Developing Green Business and Marketing Plans
with Mary Vigil-Tarazoff and Victor Carbajal, Small Business Development Center.

Learn how to write a well constructed business plan for your green business. Create a marketing strategy that will allow your green business to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

Traditional Agriculture and Native Foods: Relationship, Stewardship, and Habitat.with Miguel Santistevan, University of New Mexico and Sol Feliz, Taos, NM.

This presentation covers the history and ecology of agriculture in New Mexico, reflecting on indigenous, acequia, and contemporary culture. Relationships to the land and water in agriculture for food security are emphasized while taking into account the parallel goals of land stewardship, promoting habitat for wildlife diversity, and land restoration. Participants will learn about agricultural conservation efforts that use hands-on experience and media production to reconnect students with the land, culture, and community to inspire a future generation of farmers, ranchers and land stewards.

Animal Husbandry for Beginners: How You Can Raise Your Own Protein Even If You Grew Up Eating Big Macs. Doug Fine, author of Farewell, My Subaru. Global Resource Center Auditorium

Doug Fine grew up in the New York suburbs, subsisting on Dominoes Pizza and Brady Bunch reruns. Now he gets a half gallon of goat milk and a dozen eggs every day on his New Mexico ranch. Hear how easy it is to wind up with yogurt, cheese, and an artery-clogging amount of omelet fixin’s once you decide to live local.

Energy Efficiency at Home
with Jeff Granger, Granger Technologies, Inc.; Douglas Campion, Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico

A typical U.S. home uses about 44 cents out of every energy dollar for heating and cooling. Another 14 cents goes to water heating and 9 cents is used for refrigerators and freezers. The remaining 33 cents is used for appliances, electronics and lighting. Learn about the low-cost & no-cost actions you can take to save money and energy and the resources available for free energy audits and weatherization for low-income households. *

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Going Solar at Home and Business
Craig Wentz, Wentz Electric and Rich Bigelow, Richard Bigelow Construction

Learn about photovoltaic (PV) and solar water systems, their costs and the federal and state credits available to finance these systems. Solar product literature, websites and a list of local installers will be provided.

The Car Culture and Active Transportation: Reducing Carbon in Transportation Systems While Creating Healthier Communities
with Josh Landess, WilderHill New Energy Finance, Joanne McEntire, Albuquerque Alliance for Active Living.

Shifting to a “low-carbon diet” will require changes in what we drive and how much we drive. What will the cars of the future be like and how will they reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Josh will discuss “green” vehicles capable of city and highway speeds some of the lessons-learned over the last 10 years and where transportation policy may go in the future. Are there healthier alternatives to the car culture? Joanne will discuss the connection between transportation and community planning, and how we can make our communities more amenable to “active transportation,” which supports personal mobility while reducing our dependence on vehicles, leading to more equitable, healthier communities.

3: 15pm – 4:15 pm
Meeting Room A, B

Alternative Transportation Solutions
with Michele Giese, Silver City Bicycle Advocacy Group/Walkability Accessibility Advocacy Group (BAG/WAAG); Dave Baker, Bikeworks; Carol Grady, Las Cruces Rideshare.

Local communities are already working on alternatives to our car-dependent culture. This panel will showcase these exciting projects, from Silver City’s inner loop bicycle and walking corridor and River Walk Trail to the new Yellow Bike Project and Las Cruces’ Rideshare program.

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Global Resource Center Auditorium

Conference Tracks Wrap-up: Turning Steps into Strides within your own Community

Where do we go from here? Join us as we explore strategies for developing innovative projects, building community and maximizing our effectiveness! Come develop next steps and network with others in one of Viva Verde’s several solution-oriented focus groups.

Solar Toy Car Building Workshop and Race Organized by Aldo Leopold High School students.

Participants of this activity will take part in building, testing, and racing solar toy cars. Solar toy car kits will be available for purchase.

Local and Wild Foods Tasting Organized by Aldo Leopold High School students. Thanks to Silver City Food Co-op and Curious Kumquat for their contributions to this event. Global Resource Center, Vendor area.

Eat within your local food shed. Try a variety of wild and local foods from here in New Mexico, such as Cactus Jerky, Salsa, Sun Chokes and more!!

Bike Repair Workshop with Bikeworks

Bikeworks, a community bicycle workshop, will offer a bicycle repair workshop for kids and adults. Bring your bike to get it checked out and learn to maintain your bike and avoid costly repairs.

Kid Care Co-op

Viva Verde will offer parents a chance to go to workshops while the kids play in our nearby family room with toys, activities and supervision from other parents and qualified volunteers. For kids 3 – 10 years. Fun conservation education activities provided by Gila Conservation Education Center. Donations appreciated.

• Aldo Leopold High School
• Bear Mountain Motorcycles
• Beehive Technical Services
• Black Range RC&D
• Cissy McAndrew, United Coutry Mimbres Realty, EcoBroker
• Curious Kumquat
• Factor Population!
• Fuller Enterprises
• Gila Eco-Design Center
• Gila-Mimbres Community Radio
• Gila Resources Information Project
• Gila WoodNet
• Green Energy Now
• Habitat for Humanity Gila Region
• Material Good
• Mountain Ridge Ace Hardware
• Mr. Ed’s Stoves and More Natural Building Resources
• New Mexico Environment Department
• New Mexico Solar Energy Association /Silver City Chapter
• Regalos de la Tierra Pottery Company
• Silver City Farmers’ Market
• Southwest Environmental Center
• Stream Dynamics
• Sun and Moon
• Sun Valley Hardware
• Terra Nova Landscaping
• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City
• Volunteer Center of Grant County
• Zomeworks

• Solar Dehydrator Demo with Rich Olson, Black Range RC&D. Learn how to build a solar dehydrator to preserve your garden’s harvest.

• Solar Hot Water Demo with Asher Gelbart, Green Energy Now. Learn to capture the sun’s energy for heat, hot water, cooking & more.

• Simple Solar Panel with Gila Wood Net. Check out the fundamentals of a simple solar panel that you can implement yourself at home with inexpensive materials.

• Solar Oven with Jean Eisenhower, Sun and Moon. Learn the basics of solar cooking with this demonstration.

• Sun Chaser Demo with NM Solar Energy Association Silver City Chapter. Check out the table full of solar educational activities and displays.

• Heliostats and Tracking Racks with Zomeworks. See these passive energy products in action.

10:15 am – 11:15 am
Silco Theater, 311 N. Bullard St.

Transition Towns Movement with Zaida Amaral, Ecovillage Design Southwest; Maggie Seely, University of New Mexico.

The Transition Movement is spreading like a virus. People are excited about using the dual crises - economic and environmental - to create a new quality of life Learn about this movement through discussion about climate change, peak oil and creating a positive, sustainable future.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Silco Theater,
311 N. Bullard St.

Making Larger Strides, Leaving Smaller Footprints
with Brian Propp, Insulated Component Structures- Rocky Mountain, Inc.

Learn how to design and build energy-efficient buildings which will save money and energy using current technologies. Brian employs the “ODESA” concept which focuses on Orientation, Design, Envelope, Systems and Alternative energy.

12:30 pm – 1:15pm
Silco Theater,
311 N. Bullard St.

Digital Homesteading
with Mikey Sklar, homesteader at Holy Scrap Hotsprings

Learn how a little bit of embedded hardware can empower anyone interested in getting back to the land. Topics to be covered include: Water, Power, Fuel, Lighting, and Construction.

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Silco Theater,
311 N. Bullard St.

Past, Present and Future of BioFuels
with Asher Gelbart, Green Energy Now.

Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of biofuels in today’s world. Topics include BioDiesel, SVO, Ethanol, waste to fuel techniques, future feed stocks (including algae), land-use requirements, and concerns about GMO's

2:45 pm – 4:15 pm
Silco Theater,
311 N. Bullard St.

Renewal: Stories from America’s Religious-Environmental Movement
with Fine Cut Productions, LLC and Center for Independent Documentary. Produced and directed by Marty Ostrow and Terry Kay Rockefeller. Eight stories about people of faith from Catholic, Protestant, Indigenous, Muslim, Evangelical, Interfaith and Buddhist traditions who are moved and inspired by their spirituality to take a variety of actions to care for the Earth.

“The religious-environmental movement is potentially key to dealing with the greatest problem humans have ever faced, and it has never been captured with more breadth and force than in Renewal. I hope this movie moves many more people off the fence and into action.” Bill McKibben, Environmentalist and Author.

4:30pm - 5:30pm

A Celebration of Creation: An Outdoor Interfaith Service
Co-Lead by Sister Joan Brown.

All faith and spiritual traditions respect and care for creation and express these values through songs, prayers, rituals and expressions of worship. This interfaith outdoor celebration offers a rare opportunity for people of various faith and spiritual traditions to come together to celebrate the wondrous gift of living in this moment on Earth while deepening a commitment to care for the earth, water, air and all creatures.

Permaculture Workshop: Reading the Landscape and Practical Applications
with Ben Haggard. Location : Esperanza Hils . Workshop fee, $30. Map and directions provided upon registration.

We will learn techniques and technologies for reading the landscape and how to use that understanding for healing the land and providing for our own needs. Prepare to be outside.

Residential Energy Evaluations & Audits: It’s Deja Vu All over Again!
with Jeff Granger, Granger Technologies Inc. Workshop fee, $20;

The 3-hour workshop will review basics of heat loss & gain through a home’s outer shell, and the impact these surfaces and infiltration (air leaks) have on your heating and cooling bills. In addition, workshop participants will learn about: -Heat losses that can be identified by simple visual examinations and cured at minimal cost (the low-hanging weatherization fruit); -Estimating Heating Requirements in a building; and - When to consider a new heating system and other appliances. The workshop will be conducted on-site at a residence in Silver City, NM 88061. Simple spreadsheets will be used to illustrate principles & calculations discussed during the workshop. A CD with the files will be provided. What you should bring: a basic calculator, pen or pencil and a tablet for sketching and/or taking notes. What you should wear: clothing appropriate for exploring all areas of a home.

Natural Systems Landscaping Lab with Mark Cantrell, Lone Mountain Natives. Location: Lone Mountain Natives, 14 Cooper Vista, off of Kirkland Road. Workshop fee = $15; map and directions will be provided upon registration.

Learn how to create and enhance whole plant communities as gardens. Explore a variety of working water harvesting, erosion control techniques and natural system landscapes that are functional and beautiful.

The Viva Verde Green Home and Garden Tour is your opportunity to see first-hand the implementation of principles and techniques discussed throughout the Viva Verde Expo. Speak to homeowners and gardeners about their inspirations and learning experiences. TICKETS - $15. Purchase tickets on-line or with mail-in registration (see page ??). Tickets will also be available at the Viva Verde Expo. Maps available here and with ticket purchase.

PLEASE NOTE: Garden Number #3 has been cancelled from the tour due to a mischevious javelina that trampled the garden.

Detailed Map Here
HOMES

1) 34 Estrellita Lane (off Ridge Rd.) RS Bigelow Construction, Inc. Demonstrating active, freestanding, off-grid, P V panel system. This home’s observatory is one of three solar-powered observatories in the country. The house is passive solar, with fiberglass insulation called “Ultrafit”, and 61kWh of battery storage.

2) 910 West St. Lizard Stone Builders A high-end example of passive solar design, active solar array, solar hot water heating (whole-house hydronic) and service water, thermal mass floors and structure. The house is constructed of AAC block, with locally- produced wood trusses, and many natural finishes. 2.1 kw of active solar thin-film panel directly adhered to standing seam metal roof.

3) 125 Country Road (off Rosedale Road) Mark Bighley Construction. The focus of this home is the pumice-crete construction, passive solar design with notable custom finishes, such as ornamental art glass inserts of concrete and recycled bottles, colored concrete floors, and adobe interior walls for thermal mass.

4) 2329 Cottage San Road RS Bigelow Construction, Inc. A renewable energy “retrofit” that includes two enclosed porches, rooftop PV panels for house electricity and a PV system for well pumps.

5) 1421 W. 8th St. Todd Anderson, Jeff LeBlanc and Robby Eagle. Todd Anderson, Jeff LeBlanc and Robby Eagle. This is a straw-bale build in process. The design features a steel frame with super-insulation of straw bales on the ground floor and passive solar heating and cooling strategies. The builders plan to use many natural and handmade finishes, including cotton insulation on the second floor, poured adobe floor with radiant heat, earth interior wall plasters, and poured concrete countertops. See this build in progress.

6) 207 West 23rd St. Lizard Stone Builders. Passive solar design, active solar array, with thermal mass floors and structure. 2.4 kw of active solar thin-film panel adhered to standing seam metal roof. Also features dual flush toilets, harvested rainwater to charge toilets and recycled brick flooring.

Gardens

1) Guadalupe Montessori School Community Garden. In production for seven seasons, the garden has terraced beds, perennials and annuals, a pollinator garden, 2400 gallon rainwater harvesting system, and a drip irrigation system. The garden neighbors the chicken and goat coops and has been developed as an outdoor classroom, with appropriately sized children’s tools and integrated garden activities for children.

2) Silva Creek Botanical Gardens. Virginia St. and State St. Storm runoff that used to contribute to flooding and erosion problems is now helping to turn an abandoned city maintenance yard into a neighborhood park. Silva Creek Botanical Gardens is a one-acre city property where Aldo Leopold High School students built a water harvesting diversion system of earth basins and raised path spreaders that feature a passive flow limiter. During summer monsoon rain storms, street runoff water that used to go directly from this 75-acre urban watershed into the Big Ditch now irrigates a variety of native and food plants.

Hi Desert Organic Gardeners

3) Shems and Basira’s Garden 2106 N. Juniper St. (enter through the front gate). This garden has been cancelled from the tour due to a mischevious javelina that trampled the garden.

4) Anaia & Scott’s Garden 1919 N. Bartlett St. A second-year vegetable garden, with raised beds made from scrap lumber and found materials, in a very small back yard. Planted by the moon, and based on the principles of intensive gardening with trellises as well as companion planting. Hoop cold frames for year round greens. A self-designed watering system utilizes soaker hoses with filtered city water. Also features a rainwater catchment system and extensive mulching.

5) Margaret and Frank’s Garden 1017 Santa Rita St. A year-round vegetable garden which has been growing for nine years, utilizing shade cloth, reemay, and portable mini-cold frames to mitigate temperatures and extend seasons. Continuous salad greens on postage-stamp plots through mid-October, with perennial herbs amid landscape shrubs. A compost tumbler, a rustic rainwater catchment system, and straw mulch are a few of these gardeners’ tools.

6) Terry and Dianna’s Garden 811 Oak St. A permaculture, organic-registered garden designed to grow produce for sale. Year-round produce is obtained using raised beds, cold frames, shade cloth and row cover, utilizing bio-intensive planting, crop rotation, companion planting, biodiversity and rainwater harvesting. The garden is watered with rainwater, by hand above ground and drip irrigation below ground from three cisterns totaling 5000 gallons.