(By Christina Stucker-Gassi, Healthy Food and Farms Program Manager) I come from an Idaho farm family and have become a US pesticide policy expert. It is my job to lay bare the industry motives behind House Bill 653 and urge our supporters to actively oppose it. This bill would shield pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits when users of their products are injured. Legislation like this is popping up around the country and is unfair to people who have been harmed, despite their compliance with product labels.   ..read more

(By Sharalyn Peterson, Healthy Wildlife & Water Program Manager) The Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP), under contract with the City of Gresham and Oregon Metro, are conducting professionally led landscaper workshops. Working with 8 Latinx landscaping businesses, these workshops promote best practices for pesticide reduction, and the education of human and environmental pesticide risks in Multnomah and Clackamas County ..read more

The Impact of Deicer and Alternatives to Salt (By Alisa Howell-Smith, Communications Manager) We have started experiencing some treacherous winter weather here in the Pacific Northwest, which means we are finding ways to combat snow and ice. Your first instinct might be to use salt to help defrost the ice in your driveway. But what about pickle juice? Because although salt may seem harmless, you may not be aware of the harm it could do to your pets, our water, and especially the environment. In this post we will go over the damage done by salt and environmentally friendly de-icing alternative ..read more

(By Tommy Diaz, Healthy People and Communities Program Manager) With Hispanic Heritage Month in the rear view mirror, we at NCAP have important updates and lots of work to do regarding our Latine-serving programs ..read more

Photo by: Ruth Hartnup By Teresa Joaquim It is a common misconception that when we see the label "organic" on fresh produce that it is free of chemical pesticides. However, the term "organic" does not necessarily mean "pesticide-free". Organic produce can have pesticide residue from organic pesticides used in their cultivation ..read more

Image by Bonnie Gestring/Earthworks showing the Smoky Canyon Mine in southeast Idaho, also owned by Simplot and mainly mined for phosphate ore (By Christina Stucker-Gassi & Sidney Fellows, NCAP Program Staff) Recently, the hard work of many paid off when a federal judge blocked a permit that had previously been granted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the Caldwell Canyon Mine outside of Soda Springs in Southeast Idaho.1 This permit was submitted by the multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and common household name Bayer. In 2018, Bayer acquired Monsanto and the ..read more

Image: Pexels (By Chris Tweten, Perfect Plants) There’s nothing better than the juicy sweetness of fresh fruits you just brought home to enjoy. But wait—have you ever wondered about the pesticides lurking on those store-bought fruits you typically consume? Pesticides, used to protect crops from pests, weeds and disease, can leave harmful residues that make their way into our bodies as well as the environment ..read more

Every season, many of us spend countless backbreaking hours working on our lawns and gardens. But are our efforts actually harming the planet? Are we condemning our local flora and fauna and choosing instead flowers that are decorative, but also invasive and possibly poisonous to birds and other wildlife (not to mention our beloved pets)? If you want to get your yard in gear AND help the planet at the same time, we’ve got you covered ..read more

(By Christina Stucker-Gassi, Healthy Food & Farms Program Manager) Since December of 2022, NCAP has been spearheading an informal coalition of organizations with the goal of adding language from the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA) into the Farm Bill. While pesticides are often left out of the Farm Bill, we have successfully raised five priorities and continue to see engagement around them from Senate and House Agriculture Committee staff and PACTPA legislative champions ..read more

We recently bid farewell to Co-Directors Ashley Chesser and Dominica Navarro Martinez. Both were pursued to work for wonderful organizations in the environmental field. We cannot thank Ashley and Dominica enough for the passion and dedication they have brought to NCAP! With that staff transition, we wanted to share an update on how our use of shared leadership is evolving in the absence of Co-Directors ..read more