| | | | Earth Law Monthly Update
July 2023 | | Dear Friends: This month, we highlight the launch of the Earth Law Portal, litigation to protect legacy forests in Washington State, Earth law advancements throughout Latin America, and the final week of the Summer Earth Law course. Be sure to stay tuned for a full schedule of Earth Law Center's activities during Climate Week NYC, September 17-24, in next month's newsletter. We hope to see you there! Thank you, as always, for the support. -Earth Law Center Team | | | | | | | | Earth Law Portal Launches to Inspire Advocacy and Action for the Planet Earth Law Center and partners proudly announce the soft launch of the Earth Law Portal, a groundbreaking digital platform designed to empower environmental advocacy and drive action for the protection and restoration of the planet. Description The Earth Law Portal serves as a dynamic hub, providing accessible legal models, letters, videos, podcasts, reports, and other tools to empower communities, governments, and individuals to take action for Nature and the well-being of local communities. This innovative platform, set for an official launch during Climate Week NYC in September 2023, helps usher in a new era of environmental legal innovation, inviting global participation to lead a generation of Earth-centered laws & movements. The Portal is initially focused on legal and political action within the United States, learning from emerging ecocentric law developing globally. Vision The Earth Law Portal was created to be a fusion of LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer’s access to templates and Avaaz’s advocacy tools, but with a clear mission to transform the legal system. We believe this platform will help elevate and scale transformative legal movements for the planet & its people. Try one of the customizable letter templates supporting Earth law education here! Join Us Leading Up to Climate Week NYC, Sept. 17-24 We are using the period in between the soft & formal launches to solicit more partnerships, templates, and resources, ultimately developing a shared space with dozens or hundreds of Earth law collaborators. All submitted template laws, letters, videos, etc., receive full attribution and a link to your website. You can make a submission here. We hope that many of our partners & friends submit something! Elevating Movements The Earth Law Portal showcases transformative legal movements, such as Rights of Nature, rights of future generations, ecocide, and the human right to a healthy environment, providing access to robust legal models to drive tangible change. Also emphasizing the vital role of Indigenous communities, the platform features an Indigenous Circle to highlight legal models rooted in Indigenous law and wisdom. Additionally, it offers engaging videos and a literature review to stay informed about the latest Earth Law advancements worldwide, and a research and development lab for experiments exploring future legal and political systems. Empowering U.S. Leadership One goal of the Earth Law Portal is to help the United States catch up to other governments that have embraced Earth Law movements in recent years. The U.S. was once an environmental leader, passing a series of laws in the late-1960s and 1970s to protect air, water, and lands. However, recent political stagnation and shifting priorities have caused a decline in environmental commitments. Notably, the U.S. stands as the only country in the world yet to ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity. By amplifying cutting-edge Earth law campaigns, the portal aims to reignite the nation's commitment to innovative environmental protection. Acknowledgments A special thanks to the entire ELC team (particularly Rachel Bustamante, Ciara Shea, Kelsey Leonard, Jonathon Keats, and Grant Wilson), our many partners, web designer Angelabelle Abarientos, Hack4Impact Cornell, and especially ELC's volunteers & interns, particularly Hayley Thomas and Rebekah Pranga. Thank you as well to ELC's amazing funders & other supporters. First Earth Law Portal Podcast! Finally, don't miss the Earth Law Portal's first podcasts, posted here and available on the site! Special thanks to our host, Kerry Hudson. Learn more here: www.earthlawportal.org | |  | | | | | Earth Law Center Fights for the Elwha, Featured in Seattle Times On June 30, Earth Law Center, the Center for Whale Research, and the Keystone Species Alliance filed a legal action in the state of Washington challenging the “Power Plant” timber sale. This critical 126 acre stretch of forest in the Elwha River Watershed in Washington State's Olympic Peninsula is in urgent need of protection. If this timber harvest takes place, it will threaten the river’s health, vulnerable orca and salmon populations, and drinking water access. Logging activity could begin as soon as early to mid-August, ruining this vibrant forest ecosystem along the banks of the Elwha River. But Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz can still cancel the sale and save this forest. Please tell her to cancel "Power Plant" - (360) 902-1000 or hilary.franz@dnr.wa.gov. The Elwha River was the home of the largest dam removal in U.S. history, with two dams removed in 2012 and 2014. When the dams came down, the native salmon and steelhead came back. However, misguided logging within the Elwha River Watershed threatens this iconic victory for nature. ELC’s Elizabeth Dunne lives in the Elwha River Watershed and has been working to protect legacy forests in the Elwha Watershed and across Western Washington. She has long advocated for the rights and interests of this forest, including the duty of forest managers to consider the interests of future generations, the interconnected health of ecosystems, and future climate change impacts. She also works closely with a committed network of community activists and NGOs in the region. The legal action is just one piece of a multifaceted strategy. The Elwha Legacy Forests coalition, of which ELC and Dunne are founding members, launched a crowdfunding initiative—the Elwha Forest Fund, managed by ELC. Your donation is our best chance! Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) sells timber to generate revenue for beneficiaries, like counties, schools, libraries, and fire districts. The revenue from "Power Plant" to these beneficiaries is $459,200. Of course, DNR shouldn't be logging in this area at all. Period. But, if we offer DNR this money, it no longer has any excuse to log. We aim to make a deal to "buy out" the extractive timber harvest lease, so we can protect the forest rather than log it. You can keep your money in the Elwha Forest Fund or request a refund if we can’t "buy out" the Power Plant timber harvest lease. Any donation, no matter how small, makes a huge difference. Read more about this campaign in a Seattle Times article featuring Elizabeth and this case. | |  | | | | | Successful 'Intro to Earth Law' Summer Course Nears End Earth Law Center's summer course is entering its final week! We are so thrilled by the quality of the program as well as the extremely talented and inspiring students. Over 100 people have remained engaged with the course. Taught by industry experts and practitioners, this class covers the shortcomings of environmental laws, the emergence of Earth law, the rights of Nature and future generations, and many other topics. Last week we were honored to have a special guest, Jojo Mehta of Stop Ecocide International! Now we move onto the goal of retention to ensure that students stay engaged with the Earth law movement in a variety of ways. ELC's Tony Zelle, the course's lead instructor, gave the following quote: "Most fun ever!" | |  | | | | | Support Expands to California for the Rights of the Southern Resident Orcas The city of Arcata, California, signed a proclamation on July 19 declaring its support for action by local, state, federal, and Tribal governments that secure and effectuate the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas, becoming the first city in California to do so. Arcata’s proclamation follows a few months after the adoption of similar proclamations by five cities and three counties in Washington State and one city in Oregon. You can see the growing list here and check out the awesome map on Legal Rights for the Salish Sea showing our progress! | |  | | | Sign on to Support a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights Add your name to the One Blue Voice petition: a campaign dedicated to encouraging people worldwide to support Ocean Rights. Sign the petition, which has already gathered over 30,000 signatures, to join the one global voice calling for protecting and restoring the Ocean. Together, with The Ocean Race and partners, we'll present the petition to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September 2023. Let's unite in our mission to safeguard precious marine ecosystems and call for the recognition of the inherent rights of the Ocean. | | | |  | | | | | Seeking Rights for Peru's Marañón River in the Courts This month, ELC participated in a public forum on the rights of the Marañón River, organized by the Federation of Indigenous Women Kukama Kukamiria and the Instituto Defensa Legal (IDL). The objective of the Forum was to raise awareness about the legal actions in defense of the Marañón River promoted by the Kukama Indigenous Women Federation, which has requested a constitutional ruling to declare the Marañón River a subject of rights. The dialogue was led by the local organizations with support from international organizations, such as the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), International Rivers, and ELC. Natalia Greene, International Coordinator of GARN, highlighted that "the defense of the Marañon River is at a critical moment to strengthen and recognize the Rights of Nature." Juan Carlos Ruiz, the plaintiff's attorney, stated that "many people are becoming aware that without the river, there is no life." Finally, Mariluz Canaquiri, president of the Federation of Indigenous Women Kukama Kukamiria, said that "Our rivers and Mother Earth feed us. Beginning when we live in our mother's womb, we live in water. We need to save rivers and lakes and understand they are life." Since 2020, ELC and partners have been working to explicitly recognize the rights of the Marañón River and the corresponding duties of the State of Peru to restore its health and ensure its ecological functions for present and future generations. ELC filed an amicus brief in support that will be considered in September 2023. Watch a video on the campaign here [ES,EN]. | | | | | | | | Efforts Continue to Recognize Rights of Nature in Chile's Constitution In June & July 2023, ELC and partner groups Defensa Ambiental & GARN represented the interests of Nature in Chile's new constitutional process, proposing ecocentric language that is now under reviewed by the Constitutional Council. The primary focus of our recommendations is to strengthen the proposed right to a healthy environment (art. 16) by also recognizing the intrinsic value of Nature. On June 30, Camila Palma Millán, representing the ONG Defensa Ambiental, ELC, el Movimiento Ambiental Intercultural, and GARN, spoke at a Public Hearing at the University of Chile, extensively advocating for the Rights of Nature. Check out our full proposal and presentation video here. ELC was also part of the coalition "Articulación Ambiental Constituyente," which jointly presented three constitutional initiatives: 1) Protecting water sources, 2) Recognizing the intrinsic value of Nature, and 3) Protecting Nature for current and future generations. Finally, ELC and Defensa Ambiental jointly held a dialogue where our attorneys answered legal questions on the effort. The new constitution will be finalized in November 2023 and voted on by the public on December 17, 2023. | | | | | | | | Coalition Advances New River Protection Law in Colombia ELC is honored to be part of a coalition developing an ecocentric law to protect Colombian Rivers along with Fundación Boca de Cenizas (Waterkeeper Alliance), Censat, Agua Viva Asoquimbo, Red Nacional del Agua, Fundación Yumaná, Universidad del Atlántico, and International Rivers. On July 24, after years of preparatory work, ELC's Constanza Prieto and Javier Ruiz joined other members of the coalition to present a bill to a group of Colombian parliamentarians. This will be followed by a series of technical meetings to prepare the presentation of the bill before the National Assembly. For more than two years, ELC has participated in this citizens' movement to safeguard Colombia's watersheds and promote a law that permanently protects freshwater sources, actively working on drafting the text of the law and offering expertise. A special thank you to our partner International Rivers and many others for collaborating with us in this journey! Learn about the bill, visit the campaign's website, and follow us on our Instagram account. Please use #leyderioscolombia when doing social media! | | | | | | | | | | ‘Thing’: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood It’s well known that elephants have a complex mind and a deep social, intellectual, and emotional life, yet they are “things” in the eyes of the law. How can that be? Thing: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood dares to answer that question as it profiles Happy the Elephant in the Bronx Zoo. This stunning graphic novel is the first to ever explore nonhuman rights. It chronicles the legal trials of Steven M. Wise, lawyer and founder of the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP). ELC Counsel Kevin Schneider was also a key lawyer on that case as then Executive Director of the NhRP and continues to promote the rights & interests of animals and their ecosystems today. Moving imagery throughout Thing conveys to readers a visionary new way of relating to the nonhuman world. Get your copy of Thing: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood, illustrated and written by Sam Machado and Cynthia Sousa Machado, from Island Press for 20% off using code THING at checkout. | |  | | | | | | | ELC Seeks Experienced Volunteers & Candidates for Development Advisory Board Interested in volunteering with Earth Law Center? Our amazing team of volunteers & interns have been instrumental to our success, helping with everything from our newsletter to legal drafting to event planning. We are now seeking experienced, ongoing volunteers in a few key areas: 1) Media, 2) Volunteer management, 3) Major gifts, 4) Membership, and 5) Web management. Relatedly, ELC is also seeking candidates for a Development Advisory Board to help ELC continue its growth. Express your interest at this link, or send a quick email to info@earthlaw.org. | | | | ELC's mission is to transform the law to honor and protect Nature's inherent right to exist, thrive, and evolve. | | | | | | | | | | Contact Us Earth Law Center
530 Main Ave, Suite F
Durango, CO 81301 Info@earthlaw.org | | | | | | | |
