According to a story in today’s Santa Fe New Mexican, ex-President Bill Clinton has commissioned three Santa Fe folk artists to craft the prizes for the Clinton Global Citizen Awards. 

Not only does folk art broaden cultural representation, these folk artists also send out an eco-friendly message, using recycled metals in their work.

Meanwhile, KOB-TV is reporting that Bernalillo County has rolled out quite a few new pet ordinances, many that should be common sense.  On the list of new rules: animals can no longer be chained to stationary objects, the altering of an animal’s appearance can only be performed by a veterinarian, and training animals to fight is strictly outlawed.

With a $23M price tag, the University of New Mexico will begin construction on its Science and Mathematics Learning Center.  Set to be finished in the fall of 2010, the building will include study areas, more classrooms and an auditorium.  The building is also set to receive a silver rating under U.S. Green Building Council’s standards, so reports the New Mexico Business Weekly.

And if you can believe it, the U.S. Army is going green, so to speak.  White Sands Missile Range will begin using electric vehicles in place of sedans.  The Army also plans to reduce fossil fuel consumption by 11.5 million gallons over a six-year period by converting 4,000 cars to electric alternatives, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News.