Maya K. van Rossum, The Green Amendment: The People's Fight for a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment

This will be an in-store presentation and will be live-streamed on Zoom, register to watch on Zoom here.

The Green Amendment is available to purchase online here or by calling the store to order (505) 988-4226

A veteran environmentalist shares her roadmap to a healthier world—one that uses the law to empower activists and provide hope for communities everywhere.

We have reached a critical tipping point in our fight for the environment: Corporations profit off climate change, natural disasters devastate homes, and the most vulnerable suffer the health effects of pollution. Yet our laws are designed to accommodate this destruction rather than prevent it. Without government support, it’s no wonder people feel powerless.

But there is a solution. In The Green Amendment, veteran environmentalist Maya K. van Rossum presents her radically simple plan for a green future: bypass local laws and turn to the ultimate authority—our state and federal constitutions—to ensure we have the right to a healthy environment.

Through compelling interviews with activists on the ground, clear evidence from experts, and heartbreaking stories from those hit hardest by environmental ruin, The Green Amendment lights the path forward. In this updated edition of her trailblazing 2017 book, van Rossum invites readers to join the movement by sharing:

• Why Green Amendments work where other movements have failed
• How to position Green Amendments and what specific language offers the strongest legal protections
• How to argue in favor of environmental rights, and the economic and health benefits that will help activists make the case
• How Green Amendments address the crucial intersection of environmentalism and anti-racism
• What everyone—from artists and students to scientists and lawyer—can do to further the cause

With the power of The Green Amendment, we can claim our environmental rights, ensuring a clean, safe Earth for generations to come.

About the Author

Maya K. van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For the Generations, a grassroots non-profit inspiring constitutional recognition and protection of environmental rights in every state and ultimately at the federal level. van Rossum is also the Delaware Riverkeeper, leading the 4 state, watershed-based advocacy organization, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for 30 years. She co-hosts Green Genes, an environmental podcast with her daughter. Since launching her Green Amendment movement, New York passed a Green Amendment in 2021, proposals are advancing in 12 additional states, and there is increasing use of amendments in Pennsylvania and Montana. She lives in Delaware County Pennsylvania with her family.

Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez became State Senator for NM Senate District 16 in  January 2019.

Sen. Sedillo Lopez is a long time community leader focused on the critical social, economic, environmental, and civil rights issues affecting the lives of all New Mexicans. After serving as Law Professor at UNM for more than twenty-five years—including eight years as  Associate Dean—she became the executive director of a non-profit serving victims of domestic violence in the Latino immigrant community of Central New Mexico. Her years of community involvement and legal expertise exceptionally qualify her to serve her district while at the state capital.  Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez is dedicated to passing effective laws and policies that benefit all New Mexicans and reflect the will of her district in SE Albuquerque. She is responsive to New Mexicans who want to discuss issues and needs with her. She diligently participates in interim legislative hearings, serving on the Water and Natural Resources Committee, Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee, Legislative Health and Human Services Commitee, the Investment, Pensions and Oversight Committee and Legislative Council. On standing committees, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Water and Natural Resources Commitee, and as a member of the Health and PUblic Affairs Committee. A native New Mexican with deep roots in the area, Antoinette grew up in the small New Mexico farming village of Los Chavez and currently lives with her husband in the southeast heights of Albuquerque.

Representative Joanne Ferrary has served as State Representative for District 37 since winning her election in 2016 and re-election in 2022. She is currently Chair of the Consumer and Public Affairs Committee and a member of the Health & Human Services Committee. She remains dedicated to expanding healthcare in New Mexico, fighting for women’s rights, and investing in public education. Rep. Ferrary has lived in Las Cruces for 32 years, and received her undergraduate and MBA degrees at NMSU, while raising two kids as a single mom. Her passion for public safety has led her to a life of public and community service. She has worked tirelessly with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to reduce underage drinking and the number of DWI crashes throughout the New Mexico, served as co-chair for the Coalition for Pets and People and has been both a Board Member and a dedicated volunteer with the NM Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

Representative Tara Lujan serves as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from the 48th district. Lujan was appointed to the House by the Santa Fe County Commission on July 23, 2020 after the resignation of Linda Trujillo. Prior to her appointment to the state legislature, Lujan worked as the human resources director for the office of the New Mexico Treasurer. She had to resign from her position in the treasurer's office to assume office in the state legislature. Lujan's professional experience also includes working as a campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D). Rep. Lujan is a member on the House Rural Development, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs committee and the House Appropriations & Finance committee.