Maya K. van Rossum - Green Amendment for the Generations Movement
Click here to view Maya K. van Rossum's 2024 GLEF presentation.
Maya K. van Rossum is the Founder of the national Green Amendments For the Generations movement and organization. Maya, in her role as the Delaware Riverkeeper, was the lead and only environmental plaintiff in the landmark case Robinson Township, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, et. al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania case that breathed new life into Pennsylvania’s long ignored environmental rights amendment.
In the wake of this victory, van Rossum conceived of the vision that every state across the nation should have a constitutional environmental right as powerful as Pennsylvania’s, and that ultimately an amendment of this kind should be passed at the federal level. In 2014, van Rossum coined the term “Green Amendment”, carefully defined it, and proceeded on her Green Amendment journey. van Rossum wrote her award winning book, The Green Amendment: The People’s Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment, which is now in its second edition.
Since its founding, Green Amendments For The Generations has inspired Green Amendment proposals (proposed or anticipated) in nearly 2 dozen states, as well as helping to lead the effort that secured passage of the New York Green Amendment in 2021.
van Rossum is also the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the watershed-based advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years in its efforts to protect the health of the Delaware River and its tributaries.
Maya has received numerous awards and accolades over her career including earning the Giraffe Hero award, given to those who have the courage to stick their necks out for the common good. Her writings have been featured in such publications as Fortune Magazine, BloombergLaw, Law360, the Boston Globe, and TIME Magazine.
Maya K. van Rossum is the Founder of the national Green Amendments For the Generations movement and organization. Maya, in her role as the Delaware Riverkeeper, was the lead and only environmental plaintiff in the landmark case Robinson Township, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, et. al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania case that breathed new life into Pennsylvania’s long ignored environmental rights amendment.
In the wake of this victory, van Rossum conceived of the vision that every state across the nation should have a constitutional environmental right as powerful as Pennsylvania’s, and that ultimately an amendment of this kind should be passed at the federal level. In 2014, van Rossum coined the term “Green Amendment”, carefully defined it, and proceeded on her Green Amendment journey. van Rossum wrote her award winning book, The Green Amendment: The People’s Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment, which is now in its second edition.
Since its founding, Green Amendments For The Generations has inspired Green Amendment proposals (proposed or anticipated) in nearly 2 dozen states, as well as helping to lead the effort that secured passage of the New York Green Amendment in 2021.
van Rossum is also the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the watershed-based advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for over 30 years in its efforts to protect the health of the Delaware River and its tributaries.
Maya has received numerous awards and accolades over her career including earning the Giraffe Hero award, given to those who have the courage to stick their necks out for the common good. Her writings have been featured in such publications as Fortune Magazine, BloombergLaw, Law360, the Boston Globe, and TIME Magazine.
