Building a More Resilient Santa Fe: Dr. Erica Renaud Steps Into Sustainability Leadership
When Dr. Erica Renaud speaks about sustainability, she does so with the perspective of someone who has studied it across continents — and now sees it taking shape on the ground in Santa Fe.
Recently appointed as Sustainability Supervisor in the City of Santa Fe’s newly formed Conservation and Sustainability Division, Dr. Renaud brings international academic experience and a systems-level view to a city already known for environmental leadership. During a conversation on KSWV 99.9 FM and 810 AM, she described both her journey and the ambitious goals now guiding her work.
“It’s a Dutch university, and they are the leading agricultural research university in the world. Wageningen. In the Netherlands,” she said of Wageningen University, where she earned her PhD in plant breeding. Her academic path also includes a master’s degree in agroecology and sustainable systems and undergraduate studies in environmental and resource management and international development.
But degrees, she suggested, are just part of the story.
A New Division with a Unified Mission
Dr. Renaud recently joined the newly merged Conservation and Sustainability Division, which brings together multiple city functions under one umbrella.
“The new division, Conservation and Sustainability, as you mentioned, is led by Christine Chavez. She’s our director of the new division. And there’s three sections within this new division. Keep Santa Fe Beautiful and Water Conservation and Sustainability. They’ve all been merged into this new division. And I’ll be leading one of these sections, Sustainability, as you mentioned.”
The restructuring reflects an effort to integrate environmental priorities across city government rather than treat them as isolated initiatives. Sustainability, in Dr. Renaud’s view, is not a single project — it is a framework that touches nearly every system residents rely on.
“Sustainability can be manifested in a lot of different ways. But in the context of the city environment, we will be focusing a lot on reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a major goal,” she explained.
That focus extends into city facilities, home energy retrofits, transportation systems, landfill reduction, composting expansion, tree canopy growth, and stormwater runoff gardens. From electrifying city fleets to encouraging renewable energy in residential neighborhoods, the scope is broad and interconnected.
The 2040 Carbon Neutrality Goal
At the center of the work is Santa Fe’s commitment to carbon neutrality.
“The city has an approved governing body resolution to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040,” Dr. Renaud said. “And all of the objectives of this new department are aligned to that overarching objective.”
She pointed to earlier groundwork, including a 2018 sustainability plan and greenhouse gas emissions studies conducted in 2015 and 2021. “We’ll redo it in 2026 to look at how the greenhouse gas emissions have come down in the city and how we can continue to measure this measurable goal.”
Measurement, she emphasized, matters.
Beyond environmental metrics, Dr. Renaud underscored the human dimension. “I think they have significant impact on the civilian population, both for our health, public health reasons, and for enjoying the nature-based solutions in the community,” she said.
As temperatures rise, she noted, energy use increases. “The warmer the city becomes, the more uncomfortable it is for the population, but also energy costs go up and air conditioning requirements go up.” Increased heat and drought, she added, also heighten fire risk: “If we have increased drought, increased heat, we have increased potential for fire.”
Collaboration Across Departments
Although her title places her within a specific section, Dr. Renaud is quick to describe the work as collective.
“These are definitely cross-functional projects,” she said. “We are working, you know, with the environmental services division and the transit division and the fleet and facilities, et cetera, to bring these goals to reality.”
She described the division as “a cross-functional team” responsible not only for implementation but also for communication and accountability. A public-facing sustainability dashboard tracks goals and progress, helping translate policy into measurable outcomes.
Among current initiatives is a seed grant from the New Mexico Energy Department targeting low-income homes for energy-efficiency retrofits. “Specifically, there’s a seed grant that we received from the New Mexico Energy Department targeting low-income homes for retrofits for energy efficiency so we can bring greater energy efficiency to civilian homes and communities, reduce their energy costs.”
The city is also participating in a statewide Community Solar program, allowing municipal facilities — and potentially residents — to subscribe to larger solar arrays.
Environmental Impact with an Equity Lens
For Dr. Renaud, the work is not only technical — it is also equitable.
“I think the amazing thing about this new division is it has so many prongs to its components of what it’s going to achieve, but it has such a significant environmental focus, but it also has an equity focus,” she said. The dual emphasis, she added, brings satisfaction because it improves both environmental systems and community resilience.
The division is also expanding. Dr. Renaud announced that a sustainability coordinator position would soon be posted. “I’ll be hiring a sustainability coordinator and they will be working with me and the sustainability team,” she said, noting the role will focus on greenhouse gas emissions studies and development of the city’s climate action plan.
As Santa Fe continues to build on its reputation for water conservation and environmental leadership, Dr. Renaud’s role signals a broader, integrated approach to sustainability — one that connects energy, transportation, waste, open space, and equity under a unified strategy.
And while the goals are ambitious, her message is rooted in collaboration and measurable progress — a reminder that sustainability, in Santa Fe, is both a long-term vision and daily work in motion.
Santa Fe’s Conservation and Sustainability Division is moving forward with its climate goals under new leadership, as Dr. Erica Renaud begins her role as Sustainability Supervisor. In the conversation, Dr. Renaud explains the city’s plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2040. She also highlights how the city is working to reduce emissions, use energy more efficiently, and build stronger, more resilient communities.
