By Laura Paskus – Source New Mexico
Phoebe Suina ’94 knows all about systems: “If we’re static, that is unsustainable,” she says.
Even in the engineering world, she explains, nothing is linear. Similarly, to adapt to the warming world, people must stop thinking that the changing climate and its impacts are part of a linear system. To adapt, she says, humans must keep changing and continuously seeking balance.
As a hydrologist, Suina puts her engineering education and training to work restoring and healing landscapes and communities affected by post-wildfire flooding. As an enrolled member of Pueblo of Cochiti, she also draws on her family and traditions to steward the mountains, forests, and watersheds within her care.
“When I look at our mountains, at our river, at our vegetation, I think about what I can do during my lifetime, here, to help ensure that the future generations have these resources to carry on the way of life,” she says. “And the way of life of really being one of balance, one of mindfulness, …[of being] conscious and respectful.”
