Nature nourishes us – let's give back
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
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Donate today! Dear Paov,
Those who make their home in BC are blessed to be surrounded by rugged mountaintops, old-growth giants, an expansive Pacific coastline, and other stunning features that enrich our well-being, feed us and support our livelihoods – in territories that have been shaped and cared for by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial.
In whatever ways we appreciate nature’s bounty, we also hold the responsibility to honour the Earth’s delicate balancing act, and respect humans’ place within it as well as the other beings we share it with.
Below, we outline some legal pathways to reciprocate nature’s gifts and care for the lands and waters that sustain us.
A new BC biodiversity law, co-developed with First Nations, can give species and ecosystems a fighting chance against over-exploitation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. This much-needed new legislation could support lasting solutions for community and ecosystem resilience.Read about related resolutions at the upcoming Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention, and take action for nature by encouraging your local government to vote for biodiversity at UBCM! You can also learn more in a webinar we’ll be hosting on Sept. 8th – register here. Sharing is the law here: Co-learning on ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) Territory
Every year our RELAW (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water) team hosts a series of retreats as part of our Co-learning Program, open to our RELAW partners and to members of any Indigenous nation who wish to deepen their capacity to support their people’s work on Indigenous law revitalization.Have you ever been curious about what happens during these retreats? Articling Student Navjot Jassar recaps her experience at the recent retreat in ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) territory. How better ocean management can promote food security
Millions of people around the world rely on the ocean and its seafood for sustenance. But faced with alarming trends in food security and the strain of depleting fish stocks, an obstacle to wider buy-in for marine protected areas (MPAs) seems to be the perceived trade-off between ocean conservation and food production.What if we told you that we can have our fish and eat it, too? Learn more in part 6 of our series on the benefits of MPAs. Suing big oil to protect taxpayers and the planet has a solid legal basis
As a direct result of fossil fuel pollution, the City of Vancouver is already spending roughly $50 million annually to deal with climate impacts, or $75 per taxpayer. So why the outrage over spending $1 per resident to try to recover some of these costs?Staff Lawyer Andrew Gage explains why Vancouver's first steps towards suing Big Oil are good for taxpayers and the planet in this op-ed in the Vancouver Sun. 2022 summer law students brighten up our work at West Coast
West Coast really lucked out this year with our incredible cohort of summer law students! As their placements come to a close, our intrepid interns reflect on a summer spent getting a taste of what practicing environmental and Indigenous law looks like.We wish them all the best as they continue their studies and we can’t wait to see what they do next.Introducing our new Director of Development
Sambriddhi Nepal joins us with over ten years of fundraising experience in the non-profit sector.Prior to West Coast, she led the development programs at the BC Civil Liberties Association and WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre. Read her full bio here.
Our RELAW (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air & Water) team is now accepting Expressions of Interest to participate in our RELAW Co-learning Program for 2022-23.Are you interested in learning about ways to research, apply and enforce your own Indigenous laws? Are you working with Indigenous stories, laws, and knowledge holders, or bringing people together to make decisions? Learn more about RELAW and apply now! First consideration will be given to Expressions of Interest received by Sept. 16, 2022.
West Coast Environmental Law is a non-profit that depends on people like you. Please make a donation to support our work today. Your gift will allow us to continue protecting the environment through the law. Together, we can transform the legal landscape.