In celebration of Ecotrust’s 35th anniversary, we are hosting a film festival highlighting the incredible stories in the region we call home. Through a series of three events, we’ll be inviting audiences to join us at the Redd on Salmon Street in Portland, Ore., to enjoy films, food from local purveyors, and foster joy in community.
PARTNER VOICES | Hear from nutrition services director Kara Carsner on how she incorporates local produce and foods into culturally relevant meals and engaging classroom activities for the Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) Head Start and Early Head Start program
STAFF VOICES | Meet Ecotrust’s new Vice President of Development & Communications!
STAFF VOICES | Next on the “Tending the Tides” podcast: Discover how businesses and research organizations are solving sea urchin population and disappearing kelp forests
PARTNER VOICES | Full Cellar farmers Emily Cooper and Amy Wooley share their insights from building strong relationships with Mt. Hood Community College and other meal programs
PARTNER VOICES | Hear from Thomas Kyelberg, food service director at Reedsport School District, on how farm to school supports producers in the community and provides students with fresh, culturally diverse foods
PARTNER VOICES | Lucy De León returns to Ecotrust’s blog to share how her farm to school journey has progressed since first selling to schools in 2018
PARTNER VOICES | Hear how Patrick Roelle got Fishpatrick’s Specialty Canned Tuna products into school menus in Oregon
STAFF VOICES | Raphael Guzman, Program Manager of Food Systems Equity, reflects on the necessity of programs like Local Link to support regional food sovereignty
STAFF VOICES | The fourth episode of the “Tending the Tides” podcast explores the vibrant world of seaweed: from foraging to farming to deep cultural connections.
PARTNER VOICES | Meet Zandi Saleem, the farmer and director behind Flowers to the Folks at Feed’em Freedom Foundation
PARTNER VOICES | A conversation with Jamie Arredondo, executive director of Capaces Leadership Institute
STAFF VOICES | The third episode of the “Tending the Tides” podcast explores the history and significance of the Olympia oyster, the only native oyster on the West Coast.
STAFF VOICES | A bonus episode of the “Tending the Tides” podcast on how to shuck an oyster.
Microgrants to support small farm businesses in the Portland metropolitan area
STAFF VOICES | The second episode of the “Tending the Tides” podcast dives into the history and challenges with Pacific oyster farming!
PARTNER VOICES | Kiyokawa Family Orchards reflects on their intergenerational history and succession planning for the future
PARTNER VOICES | Read about Tony A. (naschio) Johnson, a recipient of the 2025 Indigenous Leadership Awards
STAFF VOICES | Introducing a new podcast from Ecotrust called, “Tending the Tides: Stories of Mariculture on the Oregon Coast”
PARTNER VOICES | Hear from Beth Froembling, owner of Atypical Roots
PARTNER VOICES | Reeba Daniel, founder of Keep Growing Seeds, reflects on their journey in the farm to school movement
Upwell Community Capital is an integrated capital fund investing in capacity-building efforts across our bioregion—Oregon, California, Washington, and Alaska—in alignment with Ecotrust’s 3E approach of racial equity, ecology, and economy.
PARTNER VOICES | Speaking with Tara Violetta, farmer and founder of Sun Moon Fields
PARTNER VOICES | Learn more about Robert Kentta, a 2025 Indigenous Leadership Awardee
PROGRAM UPDATE | A recap of the 2025 Indigenous Agroforestry Network Gathering: Partnership Workshops
A podcast exploring how mariculture on the Oregon coast can build community wealth, an equitable economy, and climate resilience.
Financing and business planning for Pacific Northwest food retailers and businesses.
PHOTO ESSAY | A look at the rising problem of American shad in the Columbia River
A collaborative initiative advancing an equitable, resilient food economy in the Portland region.
PROGRAM UPDATE | A reflection of the Farm to Early Childhood Education Institute Winter Retreat
PARTNER VOICES | Leilani Mroczkowski and Jihelah Greenwald, founders of Kasama Farm, speak about their roots in community organizing and farming.
A bioregional fellowship for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) working at the intersections of food, land, culture, and climate.
Connecting land stewards, traditional gatherers, agroforestry and partners across the Northwest to uphold Indigenous agroforestry practices by Indigenous communities
PARTNER VOICES | An interview with Paula Champagne, the artist behind the new mural at the Natural Capital Center
PARTNER VOICES | Highlighting the Community Grants program and four former grant recipients
INTERVIEW | In this conversation with Catherine Nguyen, she discusses her pathway into farming and her family story as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees
Meet the six Farm to Early Childhood Education advisors educating children ages 0-5 in the garden, at the table, and in the classroom
INTERVIEW | In the third interview of a series about Asian American farming, Emilie Chen speaks with Malia Myers, whose maternal grandparents immigrated from the Philippines to Hawai’i.
PROGRAM UPDATE | Explore the first-ever retreat for the Farm to Early Care and Education Institute in Oregon and Washington states.
INTERVIEW | Communications Manager Emilie Chen speaks with Chantal Wikstrom, whose childhood on a small farm influenced her present-day interest in growing food and natural resources.