Business Breakfast and Networking event: Can we give nature a voice on the board? Lecture by Dr Kelsey Leonard: Advancing Protection for the Rights of Mother Earth

This was an Environment and Sustainability Insititute (ESI) with Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS), Cornwall and the Exeter Centre for Environmental Law (ExCEL) event. 

Business Breakfast and Networking event: Can we give nature a voice on the board?

Can Nature help run a company? Have a say on the decisions that impact it? And a legally binding vote? Absolutely it can. A board seat for nature may seem an imaginative concept. It is. It is also a reality at the eco beauty company Faith in Nature.

In August 2022, Faith In Nature became the first company in the world to make Nature a director — giving Nature a voice and a vote on all matters that impact upon it. Which, let’s face it, are all matters. This was a networking breakfast with representatives from the company Faith in Nature, where participants could hear about their experiences, with plenty of time to discuss new ideas about making nature a member of corporate boards.  

Nature on the Board: Expert Workshop

Participants in this workshop explored the legal underpinnings, the creative sparks, the past theoretical and future practical development of nature as a member of corporate boards of directors. The workshop faculty included Alexandra Pimor, who serves as one of nature’s voices on the board, Simeon Rose and Anne Maree Hopkins, two of the human directors, and Anthony Zelle, General Counsel of the Earth Law Center.

Dr Kelsey Leonard: Advancing Protection for the Rights of Mother Earth

We were delighted to welcome Dr Kelsey Leonard to the Penryn Campus. She is a water scientist, legal scholar, policy expert, writer, and enrolled citizen of the Shinnecock Nation. Dr Leonard seeks to establish Indigenous traditions of water conservation as the foundation for international water policy-making.

The rapid growth in the number of ecological law initiatives, as well as their varied legal and cultural expressions, presents opportunities for international learning and policy exchange. With Dr Leonard, we delved into emerging trends in Earth Law for the protection of the Rights of Mother Earth. She explored initiatives led by communities and governments seeking to advance more eco-centric legal and governance systems to help enact the change needed to address our environmental crises.

Watch Dr Leonard's amazing TED Talk 'Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans' which had over 3 million views!