Author Archives: UNM Sustainability Studies Program

Climate change poses significant threats to farming in the Southwest. Changes in climate such as scarcity of water, longer periods of drought, and warmer temperatures leave farmers wondering how they will adapt to the changing conditions. Mushrooms are a climate-resilient crop … Continue reading →

The aim of this article will be to exemplify a few different takes on the residential agroforestry system that could be applied well to a house’s ¼ acre landscape area. A backyard food forest (or front yard for that matter) … Continue reading →

If I told you that 70% of our freshwater usage – as a globe – goes towards agriculture, would you believe me? In New Mexico alone, 76% of water is used for irrigated agriculture while livestock accounts for 1.05% of total water withdrawals. Obviously, the number … Continue reading →

Vegan Chicken ReviewI tried four different brands of vegan “chicken” and am going to share my findings of each brand’s taste, cost and any sustainability efforts done by the companies. This is for anyone who is a vegan, always on … Continue reading →

By now you probably have heard about composting as it has picked up momentum in the sphere of sustainability. But when most of us think of composting we likely have a monolithic image in our minds – a big heap … Continue reading →

Farmers in central New Mexico have long relied on the nourishing waters of the Rio Grande to sustain their crops through the sweltering summer growing season. Water from the Rio Grande is delivered to farmers through a complex network of … Continue reading →

We all have heard of the new alternative meat that is too good it has to be impossible. A meat alternative that tastes, smells, and even bleeds like real meat. The Impossible corporation is a meat alternative that claims to … Continue reading →

Introduction Why should you start your own garden? The importance of having yor own personal garden  is to have access to fruit and veggies to live a healthier lifestyle, this also lessens one’s dependence on grocery stores. You have the … Continue reading →

Few people have ever thought about the unfathomable amounts of time that it takes to make soil. Healthy soil takes so long to create that it may as well be measured in geological time scales. Let me briefly explain how … Continue reading →

Just like many other human activities, raising cattle for human consumption can be very bad for our planet. Cattle are a part of a group called ruminants. Ruminants produce large amounts of methane as part of their digestion cycle. Methane … Continue reading →