ABOUT GREEN LAW: We carry out environmental law research in collaboration with academics, NGOs, the private and public sectors
WHAT WE DO
Law is more than litigation. Law provides the building blocks of society, and to change the law is to improve our future. But the environmental movement is currently limited in its capacity to enact legal change. It is expensive to engage lawyers, to develop submissions and to lobby Parliament – and across the environmental movement, few organisations can take up this work. As such, the focus has been on the most urgent environmental cases, often through litigation, but broader policy reform to achieve climate justice needs something more. That’s where we come in. GreenLaw is a young-person led organisation empowering the next generation of lawyers. We work with law schools and academics to refine the legal research and advocacy skills of our members. Climate justice intersects with all areas of the law, and our projects reflect that diversity, allowing students with a range of interests to engage and develop their skills. GreenLaw fills the resource gap for environmental organisations, advocates and other champions for climate justice. We provide legal research and policy development in collaboration with our organisational partners and with the support of world-class academics. We are creating a network of future lawyers and environmental organisations to lay the building blocks of a more sustainable, compassionate future.
WHY WE DO IT
We recognise that we are part of the environment, that it has intrinsic value and must be taken care of by all. We have a responsibility to respect our environment and must care for the environment for its own sake. In doing so, we work towards a balance between human society and the natural world. We have the responsibility to instill this value in future generations and to ensure environmental justice is articulated and achieved by means that protect our most vulnerable. To achieve this vision of environmental justice, we bring these core values to our work and organisation:
• Compassion – Compassion is having empathy for others and the strength to work towards alleviating suffering. Environmental justice occupies an emotionally difficult space. Compassion means recognising and respecting the strength of ourselves, the people we work with and all living beings.
• Empowerment – We will empower our team to be the change we want to see in the world, to be instrumental in bringing about real change for intra- and inter-generational equity. We are a part of the broader movement to empowering our members, partner organisations and the public to further environmental justice.
• Connection – GreenLaw is a conduit between law students, environmental organisations and the broader community. We are a network of empowerment, allowing law students to fight for change and enabling environmental groups to be that change. We recognise the community, between each other, our partners and our environment. We understand the indigenous connection to the land and indigenous stewardship over the places we are seeking to protect.
• Innovation – To address climate change, we must radically alter our society, economy, the legal system, and personal lives. As a movement led by young people, these fundamental changes must be reflected by GreenLaw in its purpose and its management.
We embrace innovation and flexibility, starting with our control, and moving outwards to influence the broader climate justice movement.