In recent centuries, rights have been a catalyst for the abolition of slavery, the emancipation of women, the end of apartheid, and the resurgence of Indigenous cultures. In the face of a planetary environmental crisis, can rights-based approaches spark the systemic changes needed to achieve a just and sustainable future?
Listen as our keynote, Dr. David Boyd shares about recent and important legal precedents being set around the world while also sharing the state of our local context.
In this webinar, we also welcome Laura McKillop, grade 2 teacher from White Rock Elementary who will share about how she and her students engage with the UN Sustainability goals in the context of the “Year of the Oceans” and beyond.
Dr. David R. Boyd is the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment (2018-2024) and a professor of law, policy, and sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Boyd is also the author of ten books and over 150 reports and articles on environmental law and policy, human rights, and constitutional law. His books include The Rights of Nature, The Optimistic Environmentalist, The Right to a Healthy Environment and The Environmental Rights Revolution. He lives on Pender Island on the west coast of Canada with his partner and their daughter, and loves to run, hike, kayak and cycle!
Laura McKillop is a teacher with Surrey School District. Laura currently teaches Grade 2 in the Fine Arts Intensive Program at White Rock Elementary. As the caretaker of a saltwater aquarium at her school, Laura delights in learning from (and co-teaching with) a peculiar group of marine invertebrates native to the coast of British Columbia. Laura is passionate about ocean education because it nurtures wonder, empathy, and ecological awareness in learners. Laura completed a BFA and BEd at Simon Fraser University. When she’s not in the classroom, Laura can be found exploring the beaches, mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes of coastal British Columbia with her best friend (and dog) Chuka.