New Mexico, A Hot Bed For The Emerging Green Economy

April 12, 2009 · Posted in Personal Reflections · 2 Comments 

New Mexico is a “Hot Bed” for the emerging Green Economy.  It’s a garden bed nurturing the seeds of change to fruition.  I have been on a job search for five months in the Land of Enchantment, and during this time I have found a myriad of self employed people and businesses built on the foundation of sustainability.  My searches have been focused primarily in Albuquerque and the surrounding region, and my Google searches have brought me to people and businesses through out the entire state.  For the first time I have experienced a land filled with the desire to become Earth based - not plastic based.  I assume this is because of New Mexico’s deep roots in Earth Buildings.  With Adobe, Rammed Earth, and Natural Plasters as the back bone of traditional building materials is it any wonder that New Mexico has organizations like:

Just to name a few!

The magic is only just beginning there though.  This land is also filled with many environmentally conscious and down to earth organic farmers with CSA’s, and permaculturalists with training institutes and landscape companies.  Here are a few:

The City of Albuquerque’s “Sustainability Page” has been a tremendous resource and a great insight into this areas commitment for a fertile future - www.cabq.gov/albuquerquegreen.

I have loved reading about all of Albuquerque’s green works and future goals.  I can see a wonderful future laid out.  The New Mexico Solar Energy Association has been indispensable in my job search, and an educational powerhouse of information - www.nmsea.org. New Mexico’s U.S. Green Building Council Chapter was the ground breaking site in my job search with their green business directory, and they have kept me excited about networking and social opportunities at their Green Drinks and Salon events. Albuquerque’s social network, Duke City Fix -www.dukecityfix.com ( It’s Green Social network started by Sustainable New Mexico - www.sustainablenewmexico.org) has been a great support in our establishment here in the Land of Enchantment.

I know I have only brushed against the tip of the iceberg in this article.  New Mexico’s focus on sustainable energy and water conservation is vast enough for me to keep writing articles in this blog in days and years to come, and my focus is to be able to work with and experience many of these good people and businesses first hand.  Look forward to highlighting people and businesses in future posts on The Knipfing Report, featuring those who are digging their way out of the Petroleum-based Economy and into a brighter way of living.

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Nobody Needs a Super Hero

March 28, 2009 · Posted in Personal Reflections · 2 Comments 

I work in the field of construction and I am a site supervisor with Furbish Company (a small but rapidly growing sub-contractor installing Green Roofs and Living Wall systems).  One habit I have adopted and developed is the state of being the “go to” guy to get something done.  At face value, that title appears great, but, that title was achieved through impatience and pride.  I realized there is nothing great about being the one person who everyone can trust in getting the job done well.  Greatness only comes from how well the people we serve are operating, and wellness is only present with the right knowledge, the right understanding and the right action.  If I am the one who is doing all the technical and skilled work, what happens when I am pulled away on a phone call or by a site visit from the General Contractor?  Our operational system is paralyzed because I held onto vital information that needed to be expressed to my team and I withheld the time needed to properly train my team members.  We are floored by the “dis-ease” of confusion, misunderstanding and non action.  I have heard the saying “many hands make light work.”  Well, I am saying “many well informed and trained hands make easy work.”

I felt rich inside because of the aptitude, comprehension, skills and abilities I have achieved.  Now, I feel poor inside because of the empowering gifts I have held and not given.  I put budget and schedule pressures, and my own self image before my team’s well being in the field.

Wisdom has taught me that as a leader I must consider:  (numerically prioritized)

1.  The safety of my team and others around me.

2.  The well being of my team (Are they well informed?  Are they properly trained?  Do they understand what I’m communicating?)

3.  THE JOB (being effective, efficient, focused, and respectful; staying on budget and schedule)

4.  Responsibility/answering to my boss.  Achieving their desires in the business.

5.  My desires about work (achievement, self image, goals).

Too often in the past numbers 3, 4, 5 have become numbers 1’s and 2’s creating a work site filled with dangers, mistakes, inefficiencies, poor workmanship, and unnecessary pressure.  I am now facing the mistakes I have created, and I am climbing out of the hole I have dug for myself over the past year and a half.  I am facing a need to change before my eyes and embracing it with the continual pressures of budget, schedule, and image.  My lesson is simple.  Give to my team what I see, what I am looking for, what I am thinking about, and what I know (and use time to be sure each person understands); using the time wisely to teach, train, and develop my team to do what I can do.

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