In a moment when cities across the country are waking up to the hidden health hazards that surround us, Santa Rosa stands at a crossroads. The City’s forward-thinking 2022 ordinance banning new gas stations was a landmark move, protecting neighborhoods, water, and air from an outdated and toxic fossil fuel […]
Environmental Health
10 posts
A recent investigative report by ProPublica has shed light on a troubling development at the federal level, one that could have profound consequences for communities across the country, including here in Sonoma County. The Environmental Protection Agency, once seen as the last line of defense against industrial pollution, is now […]
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides some of the strongest evidence yet that PFAS contamination in public water systems harms infants and newborns. This research looked at more than 11,000 births in New Hampshire between 2010 and 2019 and found that […]
As Sonoma County continues to grapple with the twin challenges of climate disruption and ecological degradation, our choices in public and private landscaping are more consequential than ever. Among the most pressing and often overlooked concerns is the rise of artificial turf, plastic grass marketed as a water-saving, maintenance-free alternative […]
By Martin J. Bennett Last year the trade publication Wine Enthusiast recognized Sonoma County as the ‘Wine Region of the Year,’ and the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association announced that 99 percent of the county vineyards achieved their ‘sustainability’ certification. But the county’s farmworkers–who produce the wealth of the wine country–are […]
Urgent Action Alert: Please join us at the Board of Supervisors Meeting Tuesday, June 4th, 2019 8:30am Location: Board of Supervisors Chambers 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa Agenda Item to be Discussed: Toxic Free Future in and around Sonoma County Public Areas The Board of Supervisors will be […]
On Wednesday night, September 5 2018 the Town Council of Windsor voted unanimously to ban the use of all synthetic pesticides, effective immediately. This decision is the result of over a year of work initiated by a local Windsor resident, Rosa Gray. Rosa noticed the Town spraying a walking trail […]
Conservation Action celebrated a victory last week when the City of Santa Rosa banned the use of synthetic pesticides like RoundUP in City public spaces. Volunteers for the Toxic Free Future campaign have been working with the City to adopt nontoxic landscape methods for several years. The City’s decision […]
by Chris Grabill, SCCA Board Member 12/1/17 More than 100,000 acres burned in the October wildfires, including hundreds of homes along Sonoma County’s streams and creeks. This scale of disaster has a sizable and devastating effect on our water sources. As winter rains pick up, they add the serious danger […]
By Megan Kaun, Nichole Warwick, Lendri Purcell 12/1/17 California will restrict farmers’ use of certain pesticides near schools ac- cording to a new rule announced this November. Taking effect Jan. 1, farmers will no longer be allowed to spray certain pesticides within a quarter mile of public K-12 schools and […]