Podcasts about green amendments for the generations

As federal environmental protections face weakening, a grassroots movement is gaining strength across the U.S., focusing on environmental rights rather than policy adjustments. Maya van Rossum, environmental attorney and founder of the Green Amendments For The Generations movement, returns to Sustainability in Your Ear to discuss that states' response to cuts to federal environmental regulations. Maya explains how state-level constitutional amendments are redefining environmental protection as an inalienable right, akin to freedom of speech. She outlines the importance of constitutional change for achieving genuine environmental justice, the necessary steps for mobilizing community support, and how rights-based environmental movements are establishing sustainable, community-driven strategies for a healthier future. For over a decade, Maya has spearheaded this initiative, successfully passing Green Amendments in Pennsylvania, Montana, and New York. Currently, more than 20 states, including Oregon, are contemplating similar amendments. The discussion also addresses the recent rally at the Oregon state capitol, which showcased the momentum behind the Right to a Healthy Environment Amendment (SJR28) and signifies the evolving role of grassroots environmental advocacy. Unlike typical legislation that can be reversed with changing political climates, Green Amendments establish essential protections for clean air, water, and climate at the constitutional level. This framework provides citizens and communities with a robust legal foundation to challenge polluters and safeguard the environment for future generations, particularly during periods of political regression. For more information about the Green Amendment movement and to track developments nationwide, visit forthegenerations.org

(Airdate 1/13/25) Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. Green Amendments recognize and protect environmental rights on par with other inalienable civic and political freedoms. She is the author of the book "The Green Amendment, Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment."https://forthegenerations.org/ https://www.dominiquediprima.com/

(Airdate 1/13/25) Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. Green Amendments recognize and protect environmental rights on par with other inalienable civic and political freedoms. She is the author of the book "The Green Amendment, Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment." https://forthegenerations.org/ https://www.dominiquediprima.com/

What can we learn from whales, the ways they communicate, and how their life cycle affects whole ecosystems, absorbing carbon and helping cool the planet? How have we contributed to the ecological degradation of the environment? How does language influence perception and our relationship to the more than human world?NAN HAUSER (Whale Researcher; President, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation; Director, Cook Islands Whale Research) describes how a whale protected her from a tiger shark during an underwater filming session and reflects on their emotional connection.DAVID FARRIER (Author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils · Professor of the University of Edinburgh) explores the long-term impacts humans have on the environment, emphasizing the material legacies we leave behind for future generations.DANA FISHER (Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity; Author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action) discusses her "apocalyptic optimism," arguing that significant social and environmental change is likely to occur in response to extreme risk events, which will drive mass mobilization.SIR GEOFF MULGAN Author of Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social & Political Imagination; Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Innovation at University College London) on the evolution and potential of the circular economy. He elaborates on how adopting practices that promote reusing and recycling can drastically reduce waste and resource consumption.LEAH THOMAS (Author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet; Founder of @greengirlleah & The Intersectional Environmentalist platform) advocates for an inclusive approach that addresses the specific environmental injustices faced by marginalized communities and encourages incorporating social justice into environmental advocacy.MAYA VAN ROSSUM (Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations; Leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment) underscores the profound impact of pollution and environmental degradation on human lives and stresses the significance of storytelling that address these deep-rooted issues.MICHAEL CRONIN (Author of Eco-Travel: Journeying in the Age of the Anthropocene; Senior Researcher at the Trinity Centre for Literary & Cultural Translation) argues for horizontal relationships with the environment, moving away from hierarchical views, and emphasizes the need to recognize the non-human world.To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

What can we learn from whales, the ways they communicate, and how their life cycle affects whole ecosystems, absorbing carbon and helping cool the planet? How have we contributed to the ecological degradation of the environment? How does language influence perception and our relationship to the more than human world?NAN HAUSER (Whale Researcher; President, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation; Director, Cook Islands Whale Research) describes how a whale protected her from a tiger shark during an underwater filming session and reflects on their emotional connection.DAVID FARRIER (Author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils · Professor of the University of Edinburgh) explores the long-term impacts humans have on the environment, emphasizing the material legacies we leave behind for future generations.DANA FISHER (Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity; Author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action) discusses her "apocalyptic optimism," arguing that significant social and environmental change is likely to occur in response to extreme risk events, which will drive mass mobilization.SIR GEOFF MULGAN Author of Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social & Political Imagination; Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Innovation at University College London) on the evolution and potential of the circular economy. He elaborates on how adopting practices that promote reusing and recycling can drastically reduce waste and resource consumption.LEAH THOMAS (Author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet; Founder of @greengirlleah & The Intersectional Environmentalist platform) advocates for an inclusive approach that addresses the specific environmental injustices faced by marginalized communities and encourages incorporating social justice into environmental advocacy.MAYA VAN ROSSUM (Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations; Leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment) underscores the profound impact of pollution and environmental degradation on human lives and stresses the significance of storytelling that address these deep-rooted issues.MICHAEL CRONIN (Author of Eco-Travel: Journeying in the Age of the Anthropocene; Senior Researcher at the Trinity Centre for Literary & Cultural Translation) argues for horizontal relationships with the environment, moving away from hierarchical views, and emphasizes the need to recognize the non-human world.To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

What can we learn from whales, the ways they communicate, and how their life cycle affects whole ecosystems, absorbing carbon and helping cool the planet? How have we contributed to the ecological degradation of the environment? How does language influence perception and our relationship to the more than human world?NAN HAUSER (Whale Researcher; President, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation; Director, Cook Islands Whale Research) describes how a whale protected her from a tiger shark during an underwater filming session and reflects on their emotional connection.DAVID FARRIER (Author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils · Professor of the University of Edinburgh) explores the long-term impacts humans have on the environment, emphasizing the material legacies we leave behind for future generations.DANA FISHER (Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity; Author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action) discusses her "apocalyptic optimism," arguing that significant social and environmental change is likely to occur in response to extreme risk events, which will drive mass mobilization.SIR GEOFF MULGAN Author of Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social & Political Imagination; Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Innovation at University College London) on the evolution and potential of the circular economy. He elaborates on how adopting practices that promote reusing and recycling can drastically reduce waste and resource consumption.LEAH THOMAS (Author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet; Founder of @greengirlleah & The Intersectional Environmentalist platform) advocates for an inclusive approach that addresses the specific environmental injustices faced by marginalized communities and encourages incorporating social justice into environmental advocacy.MAYA VAN ROSSUM (Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations; Leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment) underscores the profound impact of pollution and environmental degradation on human lives and stresses the significance of storytelling that address these deep-rooted issues.MICHAEL CRONIN (Author of Eco-Travel: Journeying in the Age of the Anthropocene; Senior Researcher at the Trinity Centre for Literary & Cultural Translation) argues for horizontal relationships with the environment, moving away from hierarchical views, and emphasizes the need to recognize the non-human world.To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

What can we learn from whales, the ways they communicate, and how their life cycle affects whole ecosystems, absorbing carbon and helping cool the planet? How have we contributed to the ecological degradation of the environment? How does language influence perception and our relationship to the more than human world?NAN HAUSER (Whale Researcher; President, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation; Director, Cook Islands Whale Research) describes how a whale protected her from a tiger shark during an underwater filming session and reflects on their emotional connection.DAVID FARRIER (Author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils · Professor of the University of Edinburgh) explores the long-term impacts humans have on the environment, emphasizing the material legacies we leave behind for future generations.DANA FISHER (Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity; Author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action) discusses her "apocalyptic optimism," arguing that significant social and environmental change is likely to occur in response to extreme risk events, which will drive mass mobilization.SIR GEOFF MULGAN Author of Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social & Political Imagination; Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Innovation at University College London) on the evolution and potential of the circular economy. He elaborates on how adopting practices that promote reusing and recycling can drastically reduce waste and resource consumption.LEAH THOMAS (Author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet; Founder of @greengirlleah & The Intersectional Environmentalist platform) advocates for an inclusive approach that addresses the specific environmental injustices faced by marginalized communities and encourages incorporating social justice into environmental advocacy.MAYA VAN ROSSUM (Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations; Leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment) underscores the profound impact of pollution and environmental degradation on human lives and stresses the significance of storytelling that address these deep-rooted issues.MICHAEL CRONIN (Author of Eco-Travel: Journeying in the Age of the Anthropocene; Senior Researcher at the Trinity Centre for Literary & Cultural Translation) argues for horizontal relationships with the environment, moving away from hierarchical views, and emphasizes the need to recognize the non-human world.To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

What can we learn from whales, the ways they communicate, and how their life cycle affects whole ecosystems, absorbing carbon and helping cool the planet? How have we contributed to the ecological degradation of the environment? How does language influence perception and our relationship to the more than human world?NAN HAUSER (Whale Researcher; President, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation; Director, Cook Islands Whale Research) describes how a whale protected her from a tiger shark during an underwater filming session and reflects on their emotional connection.DAVID FARRIER (Author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils · Professor of the University of Edinburgh) explores the long-term impacts humans have on the environment, emphasizing the material legacies we leave behind for future generations.DANA FISHER (Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity; Author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action) discusses her "apocalyptic optimism," arguing that significant social and environmental change is likely to occur in response to extreme risk events, which will drive mass mobilization.SIR GEOFF MULGAN Author of Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social & Political Imagination; Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Innovation at University College London) on the evolution and potential of the circular economy. He elaborates on how adopting practices that promote reusing and recycling can drastically reduce waste and resource consumption.LEAH THOMAS (Author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet; Founder of @greengirlleah & The Intersectional Environmentalist platform) advocates for an inclusive approach that addresses the specific environmental injustices faced by marginalized communities and encourages incorporating social justice into environmental advocacy.MAYA VAN ROSSUM (Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations; Leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment) underscores the profound impact of pollution and environmental degradation on human lives and stresses the significance of storytelling that address these deep-rooted issues.MICHAEL CRONIN (Author of Eco-Travel: Journeying in the Age of the Anthropocene; Senior Researcher at the Trinity Centre for Literary & Cultural Translation) argues for horizontal relationships with the environment, moving away from hierarchical views, and emphasizes the need to recognize the non-human world.To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

What can we learn from whales, the ways they communicate, and how their life cycle affects whole ecosystems, absorbing carbon and helping cool the planet? How have we contributed to the ecological degradation of the environment? How does language influence perception and our relationship to the more than human world?NAN HAUSER (Whale Researcher; President, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation; Director, Cook Islands Whale Research) describes how a whale protected her from a tiger shark during an underwater filming session and reflects on their emotional connection.DAVID FARRIER (Author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils · Professor of the University of Edinburgh) explores the long-term impacts humans have on the environment, emphasizing the material legacies we leave behind for future generations.DANA FISHER (Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity; Author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action) discusses her "apocalyptic optimism," arguing that significant social and environmental change is likely to occur in response to extreme risk events, which will drive mass mobilization.SIR GEOFF MULGAN Author of Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social & Political Imagination; Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Innovation at University College London) on the evolution and potential of the circular economy. He elaborates on how adopting practices that promote reusing and recycling can drastically reduce waste and resource consumption.LEAH THOMAS (Author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet; Founder of @greengirlleah & The Intersectional Environmentalist platform) advocates for an inclusive approach that addresses the specific environmental injustices faced by marginalized communities and encourages incorporating social justice into environmental advocacy.MAYA VAN ROSSUM (Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations; Leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment) underscores the profound impact of pollution and environmental degradation on human lives and stresses the significance of storytelling that address these deep-rooted issues.MICHAEL CRONIN (Author of Eco-Travel: Journeying in the Age of the Anthropocene; Senior Researcher at the Trinity Centre for Literary & Cultural Translation) argues for horizontal relationships with the environment, moving away from hierarchical views, and emphasizes the need to recognize the non-human world.To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

What can we learn from whales, the ways they communicate, and how their life cycle affects whole ecosystems, absorbing carbon and helping cool the planet? How have we contributed to the ecological degradation of the environment? How does language influence perception and our relationship to the more than human world?NAN HAUSER (Whale Researcher; President, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation; Director, Cook Islands Whale Research) describes how a whale protected her from a tiger shark during an underwater filming session and reflects on their emotional connection.DAVID FARRIER (Author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils · Professor of the University of Edinburgh) explores the long-term impacts humans have on the environment, emphasizing the material legacies we leave behind for future generations.DANA FISHER (Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity; Author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action) discusses her "apocalyptic optimism," arguing that significant social and environmental change is likely to occur in response to extreme risk events, which will drive mass mobilization.SIR GEOFF MULGAN Author of Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social & Political Imagination; Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy & Social Innovation at University College London) on the evolution and potential of the circular economy. He elaborates on how adopting practices that promote reusing and recycling can drastically reduce waste and resource consumption.LEAH THOMAS (Author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet; Founder of @greengirlleah & The Intersectional Environmentalist platform) advocates for an inclusive approach that addresses the specific environmental injustices faced by marginalized communities and encourages incorporating social justice into environmental advocacy.MAYA VAN ROSSUM (Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations; Leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment) underscores the profound impact of pollution and environmental degradation on human lives and stresses the significance of storytelling that address these deep-rooted issues.MICHAEL CRONIN (Author of Eco-Travel: Journeying in the Age of the Anthropocene; Senior Researcher at the Trinity Centre for Literary & Cultural Translation) argues for horizontal relationships with the environment, moving away from hierarchical views, and emphasizes the need to recognize the non-human world.To hear more from each guest, listen to their full interviews.Episode Websitewww.creativeprocess.info/podInstagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

As the climate crisis and toxic pollution worsen, environmentalists are using new strategies to challenge the power of the fossil fuel, petro-chemical and other polluting industries. The "Green Amendments" movement would put environmental protection in state and federal, constitutions and make it an unquestionable right. It already exists in three states (Montana, Pennsylvania and New York) and they are working to add it to more state constitutions. In our latest, we talk with Green Amendments founder and Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum (@MayaKvanRossum) about Green Amendments. Bio// Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. . She is author of "The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment." -------------------------- Outro// "Be the Rain" by Jean-Luc Le Tenia Links// Green Amendments for the Generations (https://forthegenerations.org/) Green Amendments Will Empower Environmental Protection (https://bit.ly/3Ht9m3B) Delaware Riverkeeper Network (https://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/) Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast https://greenandredpodcast.org/ Support the Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR **Our friends with Certain Days now have their 2023 calendar available and we bought ten copies. With a $25 (or more) donation to Green and Red, we'll mail you one! Just contact us at greenredpodcast@gmail.com This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Scott.

Maya van Rossum is the Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations and a veteran environmentalist.

“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment."It's very, very important that people are fully informed about what is the current situation when it comes to the environment and environmental impacts within their community. And what does the science say about a proposal that's coming down the pike? It's also very important that they understand the laws that are implicated? What are the agencies that have a role in deciding whether or not they will be exposed to whatever the proposal is that's coming down the pike?But I think also something that's very important, whether people have a Green Amendment or not, is really for them to take into their hearts and their minds this understanding and belief that the right to a clean, safe, and healthy environment is truly an inalienable right that belongs to all people by virtue of the fact that we are here on this Earth.It's not something that government has given to us. Government doesn't give us the right to clean water and clean air. We're born with that. The question is what do we do to protect those environmental rights from harm by industry, by developers, and by unscrupulous lawmakers? One of the things that we do is we try to pass and enforce good laws. The problem is the way all the laws are written nationwide is they really, at the state level and on the federal level, they really start from a place that pollution and degradation is acceptable. And so we need to just manage it, and they manage it by issuing permits that very literally legalize the environmental harm that's about to happen."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

"I am hopeful because I see so many people who care and who care deeply and who are really embracing this Green Amendment movement. It's amazing how powerfully it resonates with people because, while they can't get their heads around what does the Clean Water Act say? Or the Clean Air Act say? Or this law or that law, they can get their heads around I have a right to clean water and clean air, and I'm going to advocate for it. And so that's a beautiful, powerful thing. And it's really so empowering to see how people advocate for the environment in general, but also advocate for this Green Amendment movement because the message is so accessible. I also just had this real belief, if I can't be positive and hopeful, what's my option? To become depressed and sit down and shut up? Well, if I sit down and shut up, that's one less voice for the earth. That's one less voice for nature.That's one less voice for victimized people who are being sacrificed to industry. So I don't really feel like I have the luxury of wallowing in defeat or despair and sitting down and shutting up. I feel that I have a duty and an obligation to speak for the Earth. And while fundamentally the Green Amendment movement and constitutional Green Amendments are about the Rights of the People, I believe that by framing our Green Amendments in the way traditional constitutional rights are framed where it is the right of the people, we give so much power to nature because we really are giving the people the power they need to protect our natural resources, to speak in defense of our critters and our wild places and our wild spaces and for future generations to rise up in the most powerful way for our climate. I believe 100% in the Rights of Nature."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment."I am hopeful because I see so many people who care and who care deeply and who are really embracing this Green Amendment movement. It's amazing how powerfully it resonates with people because, while they can't get their heads around what does the Clean Water Act say? Or the Clean Air Act say? Or this law or that law, they can get their heads around I have a right to clean water and clean air, and I'm going to advocate for it. And so that's a beautiful, powerful thing. And it's really so empowering to see how people advocate for the environment in general, but also advocate for this Green Amendment movement because the message is so accessible. I also just had this real belief, if I can't be positive and hopeful, what's my option? To become depressed and sit down and shut up? Well, if I sit down and shut up, that's one less voice for the earth. That's one less voice for nature.That's one less voice for victimized people who are being sacrificed to industry. So I don't really feel like I have the luxury of wallowing in defeat or despair and sitting down and shutting up. I feel that I have a duty and an obligation to speak for the Earth. And while fundamentally the Green Amendment movement and constitutional Green Amendments are about the Rights of the People, I believe that by framing our Green Amendments in the way traditional constitutional rights are framed where it is the right of the people, we give so much power to nature because we really are giving the people the power they need to protect our natural resources, to speak in defense of our critters and our wild places and our wild spaces and for future generations to rise up in the most powerful way for our climate. I believe 100% in the Rights of Nature."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

"So the first thing I learned is that you need to live what you believe. Whether it's environmental justice, social justice, environmental protection, do whatever you can, live your best life to try to advance that good objective goal and belief. We can all do better in our own personal lives. And that's really important. I think the other thing that I learned, my parents did it in a different way than I do it, but they did it every day - when they saw, just like when I see injustice, no matter how large or how small, they spoke up, and they did something about it. When, you know, it came to my opa, he stood up against the Nazis and did not allow them to take his sons to have to work in service to the Nazi movement.And so did my Tante Truus. My great aunt is recognized with saving on the order of 10,000 children, Jewish children, from the Nazis. With my mom, she had so many beliefs in the importance of living a good life. And so she always carried that forward. Even if it was seeing somebody behaving inappropriately in the supermarket, butting in line, or being unkind to the check register person unnecessarily, my mom was always the first to speak up and say, "Hey, don't do that!" And so I just learned from them by watching them, by being supported by them, that again, you live what you believe and when you see injustice in the world, you do what you can to address it, whether it's large or whether it's small."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment."So the first thing I learned is that you need to live what you believe. Whether it's environmental justice, social justice, environmental protection, do whatever you can, live your best life to try to advance that good objective goal and belief. We can all do better in our own personal lives. And that's really important. I think the other thing that I learned, my parents did it in a different way than I do it, but they did it every day - when they saw, just like when I see injustice, no matter how large or how small, they spoke up, and they did something about it. When, you know, it came to my opa, he stood up against the Nazis and did not allow them to take his sons to have to work in service to the Nazi movement.And so did my Tante Truus. My great aunt is recognized with saving on the order of 10,000 children, Jewish children, from the Nazis. With my mom, she had so many beliefs in the importance of living a good life. And so she always carried that forward. Even if it was seeing somebody behaving inappropriately in the supermarket, butting in line, or being unkind to the check register person unnecessarily, my mom was always the first to speak up and say, "Hey, don't do that!" And so I just learned from them by watching them, by being supported by them, that again, you live what you believe and when you see injustice in the world, you do what you can to address it, whether it's large or whether it's small."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment."So the first thing I learned is that you need to live what you believe. Whether it's environmental justice, social justice, environmental protection, do whatever you can, live your best life to try to advance that good objective goal and belief. We can all do better in our own personal lives. And that's really important. I think the other thing that I learned, my parents did it in a different way than I do it, but they did it every day - when they saw, just like when I see injustice, no matter how large or how small, they spoke up, and they did something about it. When, you know, it came to my opa, he stood up against the Nazis and did not allow them to take his sons to have to work in service to the Nazi movement.And so did my Tante Truus. My great aunt is recognized with saving on the order of 10,000 children, Jewish children, from the Nazis. With my mom, she had so many beliefs in the importance of living a good life. And so she always carried that forward. Even if it was seeing somebody behaving inappropriately in the supermarket, butting in line, or being unkind to the check register person unnecessarily, my mom was always the first to speak up and say, "Hey, don't do that!" And so I just learned from them by watching them, by being supported by them, that again, you live what you believe and when you see injustice in the world, you do what you can to address it, whether it's large or whether it's small."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

"So the first thing I learned is that you need to live what you believe. Whether it's environmental justice, social justice, environmental protection, do whatever you can, live your best life to try to advance that good objective goal and belief. We can all do better in our own personal lives. And that's really important. I think the other thing that I learned, my parents did it in a different way than I do it, but they did it every day - when they saw, just like when I see injustice, no matter how large or how small, they spoke up, and they did something about it. When, you know, it came to my opa, he stood up against the Nazis and did not allow them to take his sons to have to work in service to the Nazi movement.And so did my Tante Truus. My great aunt is recognized with saving on the order of 10,000 children, Jewish children, from the Nazis. With my mom, she had so many beliefs in the importance of living a good life. And so she always carried that forward. Even if it was seeing somebody behaving inappropriately in the supermarket, butting in line, or being unkind to the check register person unnecessarily, my mom was always the first to speak up and say, "Hey, don't do that!" And so I just learned from them by watching them, by being supported by them, that again, you live what you believe and when you see injustice in the world, you do what you can to address it, whether it's large or whether it's small."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment."It's very, very important that people are fully informed about what is the current situation when it comes to the environment and environmental impacts within their community. And what does the science say about a proposal that's coming down the pike? It's also very important that they understand the laws that are implicated? What are the agencies that have a role in deciding whether or not they will be exposed to whatever the proposal is that's coming down the pike?But I think also something that's very important, whether people have a Green Amendment or not, is really for them to take into their hearts and their minds this understanding and belief that the right to a clean, safe, and healthy environment is truly an inalienable right that belongs to all people by virtue of the fact that we are here on this Earth.It's not something that government has given to us. Government doesn't give us the right to clean water and clean air. We're born with that. The question is what do we do to protect those environmental rights from harm by industry, by developers, and by unscrupulous lawmakers? One of the things that we do is we try to pass and enforce good laws. The problem is the way all the laws are written nationwide is they really, at the state level and on the federal level, they really start from a place that pollution and degradation is acceptable. And so we need to just manage it, and they manage it by issuing permits that very literally legalize the environmental harm that's about to happen."www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

“What is a Green Amendment? It is language that recognizes the rights of all people to clean water and clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments, and obligates the government to protect those rights and the natural resources of the state for the benefit of all the people in the state, or if it was a federal green amendment in the United States, and they become obliged to protect those environmental rights and those natural resources for the benefit of both present and future generations, that's functionally what it does. But to help people understand what it accomplishes, a green amendment actually obligates the government to recognize and protect our environmental rights in the same, most powerful way we recognize and protect the other fundamental freedoms we hold dear. Things like the right to free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, and private property rights. We all know how powerfully they are protected from government overreach and infringement. Well, when we have Green Amendments, now the environment and our environmental rights are added to that list of highest constitutional freedoms and protections."Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation, and also at the federal level when the time is right. She is an environmental attorney, community organizer, and the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the regional advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation to protect the Delaware River and its tributaries. She is the Author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment.www.ForTheGenerations.orgwww.delawareriverkeeper.orghttps://forthegenerations.org/the-green-amendment/https://twitter.com/MayaKvanRossumwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org

You have a right to free speech and the right to own a gun, but a right to clean air, land and water? You may be surprised to hear the answer in our conversation with the women behind the Pine Tree Amendment: Andy Burt and Michelle Henkin along with Maya van Rossum, author of The Green Amendment and the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations.This is part 2 of 2 episodes on the Pine Tree Amendment. Later in the episode we will hear the new single from Percy Hill.

You have a right to free speech and the right to own a gun, but a right to clean air, land and water? You may be surprised to hear the answer in our conversation with the women behind the Pine Tree Amendment: Andy Burt and Michelle Henkin along with Maya van Rossum, author of The Green Amendment and the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations.This is part 1 of 2 episodes on the Pine Tree Amendment.

Think you have a right to a healthy environment? You don't. Green Amendments For the Generations, led by Maya van Rossum, has been working to establish rights of all people to clean water and air along with a stable climate in our state constitutions. Elevating the environment on par with free speech, bearing arms and voting has the potential to empower constitutional change, protect our welfare and prevent environmental racism. Maya is also the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the watershed-based advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for 25 years in its efforts to protect the health of the Delaware River and its tributaries. Maya was a lead petitioner in the 2013 landmark Robinson Township, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, et. al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania case that breathed new life into Pennsylvania's long ignored environmental rights amendment. A skilled activist, attorney, strategist and community organizer, since launching Green Amendments For The Generations, Maya has assisted constitutional amendments to be proposed in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Vermont and West Virginia. Green Amendments for the Generations https://forthegenerations.org Get involved with Tacoma LNG Resistance: Hear about campaign updates and calls to action―to subscribe, just send an email to: standwithpuyallup-subscribe@lists.350seattle.org Ecuador is the first country to recognize Rights of Nature in its Constitution.  The country rewrote its Constitution in 2008 and it was ratified by referendum by the people. Rather than treating nature as property under the law, Rights for Nature Articles acknowledge that nature in all its life forms has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles. Dr. David R. Boyd https://twitter.com/SREnvironment, the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment Music on this episode was DJ Williams on YouTube Tell a few friends about the show and follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @treehuggerpod Review treehugger podcast on iTunes

On our latest episode Shana with Maya K. van Rossum. Maya is the Delaware Riverkeeper and founder of the grassroots non-profit Green Amendments For the Generations. She is the leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, who works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science, and litigation. van Rossum, who is skilled as an author, environmental attorney, strategist, community organizer, facilitator, coalition builder, and manager, has led DRN for over 25 years. She is the author of a book titled, The Green Amendment, Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment. She is currently seeking to inspire and secure constitutional protection for environmental rights across the nation and since launching Green Amendments For The Generations, constitutional amendments have been proposed in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Vermont, and West Virginia. Together Shana and Maya discussed many important topics concerning the environment in Pennsylvania. They talked extensively about how the oil and gas industry has been toxic to our state in several ways, most importantly the destruction it has caused. During their conversation, Maya and Shana talked about the grand jury report that was released by PA's Attorney General, Josh Shapiro in late June 2020. In addition, the AG also issued indictments of several companies, and there is an ongoing investigation that could lead to criminal charges. Most importantly Maya and Shana talked about PA's Green Amendment, it's history, and how it plays a critical role in investigations like the Attorney General's grand jury report. Maya stressed the importance of Pennsylvania's Green Amendment of how we need to learn about all our inalienable rights as Pennsylvanians including a healthy environment and climate. Maya has hope that one day soon there will be a Green Amendment in every state, not just in Pennslyvania. That is only possible if we work together and fight for a better tomorrow.

Maya K. van Rossum has served as the Delaware Riverkeeper and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network since 1994. Maya is the founder of the national Green Amendment Movement. In her role as the Delaware Riverkeeper, Maya has dedicated her life to being the “voice of the Delaware River.” She has taken on industry, government, and even the U.S. Army, preventing harm to the River, communities, and environments she bravely champions. Now, Maya is working to empower individuals across the nation to stand up for their environmental rights by pioneering the Green Amendment Movement through her organisation the Green Amendments For The Generations.. The goal of the Green Amendments For The Generations initiative is to advance a Green Amendment movement that sweeps the nation and secures for all people constitutional recognition and protection of their inalienable rights to clean water, clean air and healthy environments. We cover all this and more in this fascinating conversation!  ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Find the show notes here ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ *** SOCIALIZE WITH US *** Website Instagram Facebook Twitter YouTube