Is a River Alive? A conversation with Robert Macfarlane

hosted by Sierra Club BC

Around the world, rivers and other bodies of water are being impacted by pollution, drought, damming, tanker traffic, and more. But a movement is also underway to recognize the rights of rivers and other bodies of water, and to re-imagine our relationships with them.

Join us on Thursday, June 19, at 2:30 PM for an online event featuring author Robert Macfarlane and the launch of his new book ‘Is a River Alive’, which explores the idea that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings, who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law.

This event will be moderated by Sierra Club BC Lead Organizer Flossie Baker, who will lead a conversation with Robert Macfarlane followed by a short reflection from environmental lawyer and SCBC Executive Director Hannah Askew.

About

Robert Macfarlane is the bestselling author of an award-winning trilogy of books about landscape and the human heart: Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places, and The Old Ways. He is also the author of Landmarks and Holloway. His work has been translated into a dozen languages and is published in more than 20 countries, and his books have been widely adapted for TV, film, and radio by the BBC, among others. Macfarlane has contributed to Harper’s Magazine, Granta, The Observer (London), the Times Literary Supplement (London), and the London Review of Books. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2012, and is currently a Fellow in English of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Hannah Askew is the Executive Director of Sierra Club BC. She loves plants, animals, trees, water and rocks, and is passionate about ensuring healthy wild spaces for present and future generations. She is a lawyer and practiced public interest environmental law prior to joining Sierra Club BC. Her work focused on addressing the cumulative impacts of industrial development on ecosystems, and advocating for proactive and inclusive planning processes for the land and water. Over the past ten years of her career, Hannah has also been deeply involved in learning from Indigenous communities about their systems of law and governance.

Flossie Baker is a climate justice organizer. Her passion is supporting different communities to engage in building a new story about the future we face. With a background in journalism and communications, Flossie is interested in how the narratives we create shape our imagination for action.

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