STOP ECOCIDE
On Passion and Purpose with House of Hackney co-founder Frieda Gormley
I first came across Polly Higgins and The Stop Ecocide movement through the work of activist and writer, Satish Kumar.
Polly asked the question, “How do we create a legal duty of care for the Earth?” In a time of mass destruction to our environment and ecosystems, Polly believed there was a simple solution - make ecocide an international crime.
Her determination and devotion to the cause live on; in Stop Ecocide International, their Foundation, and in the many she inspired to pick up the torch. This is her legacy.
Her determination and devotion to the cause live on; in Stop Ecocide International, their Foundation, and in the many she inspired to pick up the torch. This is her legacy.
Polly was a barrister and visionary, using her fierce intellect, passion and platform to advocate for the natural world. She wanted people to wake up and acknowledge the mass destruction of Nature and take it seriously. She believed that in making this an internationally recognised crime, alongside genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, it would allow people to see ecocide for what it really is - and that is a crime against humanity; against the people whose lives and homes are being destroyed by industrial environmental damage and climate change, and against the generations that will come after us.
With this as her North star, Polly set out to spread the word and raise awareness for the importance of earth law and the rights of Nature.
Polly made her way to the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 2009, with the aim of engaging senior delegates and explaining her mission. She set her sights on the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, who is a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. While travelling to the summit, she ended up on a packed train and squeezed into a spare seat, and sat across from her was none other than the very person she was hoping to meet. They spoke about eco law and the vital role it could play.
At the same conference, Polly was on stage with environmental activist and journalist, George Monbiot, when an audience member suggested a name was needed for crimes against the earth, and now we have one; ecocide.
The legal definition of ecocide is, “The unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.”
I was captivated by this story of serendipity, and how one (albeit remarkable) woman set the wheels in motion for change.
I had the privilege of speaking with Jojo Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Stop Ecocide International (and another inspiring woman), and she explained that this chance encounter was only one of many where the universe paved the way for Polly and her team to deliver on their mission.
It’s as though the cosmos recognised the responsibility humanity had to restore its equilibrium and ecosystems. In 2017, the organisation Stop Ecocide International was founded. The birth of this organisation was part of the growing global movement to recognise ecocide as an international crime and amplify the conversation.
Sadly, Polly passed away in 2019, but her determination and devotion to the cause live on; in Stop Ecocide International, their Foundation, and in the many she inspired to pick up the torch. This is her legacy.
I used to use the word ‘custodian’, but actually we are more like visitors to this wonderful planet, and we need to tend to it with care and consideration for all life on earth. Where once we lived in symbiosis with Nature, we are now exceeding planetary boundaries where we’re using more than we have, at the detriment to our planet and future generations.
As Jojo writes, “Etymologically, ‘ecocide’ comes from the Greek and Latin, meaning literally ‘to kill one's home’. It's an apt description of what is happening on our beautiful planet right now. But more than that, the word has a kind of internal momentum.”
We need to keep this momentum going, to use our voices and make a change. We cannot go on living and taking as we currently are, it’s simply not sustainable, and it’s up to us to follow the path paved by these extraordinary women.
CREATIVITY WITH PURPOSE
HOUSE OF HACKNEY X ANDREA ZANATELLI X STOP ECOCIDE INTERNATIONAL
When my husband Javvy and I began House of Hackney, we wanted to create a brand that was in service to Nature, giving back more than we take. Rooted in the beauty of the natural world, and with Mother Nature and Future Generations on our board of directors, it is imperative to us that we consider them in our actions.
Both artist Andrea Zanatelli and House of Hackney see Nature as our design muse, and our shared ethos of creativity with purpose made him the ideal collaborator. So when the chance arose to work with Stop Ecocide International and support the vital work they do, it seemed like fate.
Stop Ecocide aims to provide an enforceable framework to deter destructive practices to people and planet, safeguarding the natural world and all our futures, which is a mission we are very much aligned with.
We believe that art and beauty can change the cultural narrative; that we can tell a new story through creativity, and use our platforms as a force for good.
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