Earth Day began in 1970 as a collective call to action with millions of people coming together to demand better protection for the environment and a healthier future for all. It was rooted in a simple but powerful belief: that people, working together, can create meaningful change. More than 50 years later, that spirit feels as important as ever.

The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board hearing on New Brunswick Power’s proposed RIGS Project concluded on April 1st. We represented the Conservation Council of New Brunswick in the proceeding, with staff lawyer Tina Northrup taking the lead on the file. 

We’ve been preparing a series of youth environmental law workshops focused on the right to a healthy environment in New Brunswick. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be meeting with youth across the province to explore how environmental rights take shape through law, policy, and public participation. 

We continue to engage in law reform initiatives in Atlantic Canada to protect wetland ecosystems. Check out our most recent blog post that discusses the ongoing review of New Brunswick’s Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, highlighting our staff lawyers’ recommendations to strengthen environmental protection, transparency, and enforcement.

As the year comes to a close, we want to say thank you to everyone who has supported East Coast Environmental Law and worked alongside us to advance our mission in 2025. We wish you all a very Happy New Year. 

A Few Highlights From 2025

Thank you to everyone who has given today and in the last few weeks to support our wetlands protection work. If you want to support the work that we do and help us to protect wetlands in Atlantic Canada, there’s still time!

Today is Giving Tuesday, and we’re asking for your support to help us expand our wetlands protection work across Atlantic Canada. Wetlands are vital ecosystems that need stronger legal protection. Despite the growing need for advocacy and support, much of our work to protect wetlands is not directly funded. 

Blue carbon refers to carbon dioxide that is sequestered (stored) by coastal or marine ecosystems such as salt marshes and seagrass meadows. These blue carbon ecosystems draw down and store significant amounts of carbon in their sediments long-term, reducing the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere more than terrestrial ecosystems like forests do. In Atlantic Canada, both salt marshes and seagrass meadows are under threat of being degraded and destroyed by industrial activities and coastal development.