Rights of Nature (Virtual) College Tour · Fall 2020
Thomas Linzey, CDER’s senior legal counsel, is hitting the road (virtually) for CDER’s Fall 2020 College Speaking Tour.
Linzey will present “Who Speaks for the Trees? The Movement for the Rights of Nature” at college and universities in both presentations and speeches, on virtual platforms, between September 15 - December 15.
Linzey will focus on the growing international movement to recognize legal rights of ecosystems and nature. He will speak about his role in drafting “rights of nature” laws for cities, towns, and counties across the United States, and his involvement with the Ecuadorian constituent assembly in 2008 as it wrote a new national constitution (the first in the world) recognizing the rights of nature, or Pachamama. As well, Linzey will speak about recent lawmaking and policy developments with tribal nations and parliaments across the globe, as well as with courts in India, Bangladesh, and Colombia that have begun to establish legal precedent recognizing the rights of nature.
During the Tour, Linzey will also speak about an initiative appearing on the Orange County, Florida, ballot this November, which would recognize legal rights of rivers. As the 30th largest county in the U.S., the adoption of the initiative would be a watershed moment for the rights of nature movement in this country.
The following tour dates have been scheduled:
October 14 · West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania
October 20 · University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TBD · University of Michigan
TBD · Wayne State Law School
To learn more or to schedule a tour date, please contact us.
