AESS Conference at American University

Join veteran environmentalist Maya van Rossum at the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences as she discusses her new book, The Green Amendment: Securing our Right to a Healthy Environment, followed by Q&A and signing. Come out and meet Maya, pick up a copy of the book, and learn about the future of environmental advocacy.

The Green Amendment — Empowering Young People to Use Science, the Law & Advocacy to Save The World
This panel presentation will encourage inclusion of/consideration of a new approach for environmental protection in environmental studies classes — an approach that relies on passage of constitutional environmental rights amendments (Green Amendments) at the state and federal level. Success in securing and fully implementing Green Amendments will require an interdisciplinary approach including science, advocacy, the law and community engagement if it is to achieve full success. The goal of this session, led by an environmental activist/attorney in partnership with a high school teacher, is to inspire integration of the Green Amendment concept into the class room and to help students understand their role in advancing this approach for more effective environmental protection.

When:
Conference runs from Wed, June 20th to Sat, June 23rd
Maya’ Session: Saturday, June 23, 2018, 9:00–10:30am
Where:
American University School of International Service, Room 4
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016

Find out more about the AESS Conference here.

This event is hosted by American University.

About the book:
In the decades long fight for a cleaner environment, we’ve been fighting a losing battle. The sad truth is, our laws are designed to accommodate pollution rather than prevent it. People feel powerless when it comes to preserving the quality of their water, air, public parks, and special natural spaces.The solution, argues Delaware Riverkeeper Maya K. van Rossum in a pathbreaking book, is to bypass the laws and turn to the ultimate authority: our state and federal constitutions. In 2013, van Rossum and her team won a watershed legal victory that not only protected Pennsylvania communities from ruthless frackers, but affirmed the constitutional right of people in the state to a clean and healthy environment. Following this victory, van Rossum inaugurated the Green Amendment movement, dedicated to empowering every American community to mobilize for constitutional change. In The Green Amendment, van Rossum lays out an inspiring new agenda for environmental advocacy, one that will finally empower people. We all have the right to pure water, clean air, and a healthy environment. It’s time to claim that right—for our own sake and that of future generations. The Green Amendment includes a powerful foreword authored by Mark Ruffalo, which supports the visionary constitutional path advocated for in the book.

Purchase The Green Amendment here.

About the Author:
Maya K. van Rossum is the Delaware Riverkeeper and leader for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. 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 She has led DRN for over 23 years. During van Rossum’s leadership, the organization, and van Rossum herself, were the lead plaintiffs that brought forth the legal arguments that inspired the PA Supreme Court to breathe life into PA’s long ignored environmental rights amendment. van Rossum is currently advancing The Green Amendment movement, seeking to inspire and secure constitutional protection for environmental rights across the nation.