Executive Board
Reach out to us at anytime at animallaw@wcl.american.edu!
Natalie Landau, 2L
Executive Chair
Natalie is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. She graduated from UC San Diego with a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science. As a vegan for the past eight years (and vegetarian for four years prior to that), she hopes to dispel beliefs that being raised in a meat-heavy culture makes the transition to plant-based foods and vegan products difficult. Natalie is interested in raising awareness about speciesism and the connection that exists between animal rights, the environment, and human rights. Her free time is usually spent in the company of her rescue cat, Atlas.
Xara Shang Yun Sunne, 2L
Events Chair
Xara was raised in Midcoast Maine, nestled between mountains and the ocean. She graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. in Sociology. An avid animal lover, she is interested in raising awareness and advocating for animal welfare rights for both companion animal and farm animals in the agricultural farming apparatus. Xara’s animal advocacy interests extend beyond legal remedies and include policy and legislative avenues for change; she is currently working with a colleague on passing an animal protection law in the Maine state legislature this upcoming legislative session. In her free time, Xara is summiting mountains with her two dogs or exploring the local food scene.
Upcoming & Past Events
Bird Search Contest Jan 25 — Feb 3, 2022
2022 General Interest Meeting
Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | 12:00pm-1:00pm
Zoom Meeting ID: 916 1570 5019
March 29, 2019 | Yuma Y116 | 2:00pm-5:30pm
Reception to Follow: 5:30pm-7:00pm
Opening Remarks (2:00pm-2:10pm): Bonnie Monteleone, Executive Director, Director of Science, Research and Academic Partnership, Plastic Ocean ProjectKeynote Address (2:10pm-2:40pm): Carroll Muffett, President & CEO, Center for International Environmental LawPanel 1: Plastics on Land and Seas—The Related Problems of Trash and Marine Debris
(2:40pm – 4:05pm)
The first segment will discuss the regulation of plastics at the federal, local, and international level; how trash and marine debris are related and impact oceans and lands; and how legal solutions can mitigate the effects of plastic pollution on the environment.
Moderator: Lizzie Lewis, Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP- Martha McCoy, Office of General Counsel, Oceans and Coasts Section, NOAA
- Ken Kopocis, Former Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, EPA
- Julie Lawson, Director of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of the Clean City in Washington, DC
Panel 2: Legal Solutions—Responses from the Public Sector on Government Regulation
(4:15pm – 5:30pm)
The second segment will discuss solutions as well as initiatives taken by domestic and international organizations to influence legislation and replace single-use plastic with reusable and biodegradable alternatives.
Moderator: Lizzie Lewis, Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP- Dr. Winnie Lau, Senior Officer, Preventing Ocean Plastics Project, Pew Charitable Trusts
- Bonnie Monteleone, Executive Director, Director of Science, Research and Academic Partnership, Plastic Ocean Project
- Trey Sherard, Outreach Coordinator and Staff Biologist, Anacostia Riverkeeper
A reception sponsored by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, American University Washington College of Law Animal Law Society, and American University Washington College of Law Environmental Law Society will follow from 5:30pm-7:00pm where attendees will have an opportunity to enjoy the Plastic Ocean Project’s Art Exhibition, which consists of a replication of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave of Kanagawa” constructed entirely of collected plastics from nearly 10,000 nautical miles. Additionally, attendees will be able to learn how to live more sustainably by sampling reusable and plastic-free products.Registration is Free but Required – Go to www.wcl.american.edu/secle/registration
For further information, contact: Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education at 202.274.4075 or secle@wcl.american.eduThe Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief was founded to provide a forum for those interested in promoting sustainable economic development, environmental conservation, environmental justice, and biodiversity throughout the world.
Many of our ALS members "SDLP" staff!
Email the publication to apply for a staff position, to subscribe, become a translator, or to submit an article!
"SDLP" is a student-run initiative at AUWCL that spans a broad range of environmental issues such as sustainable development; trade; renewable energy; environmental justice; air, water, and noise regulation; climate change and ecology; land use, conservation, and property rights; resource use and regulation; and wildlife, habitat preservation, biodiversity, and animal protection.
Our publication also focuses on reconciling the tensions between environmental sustainability, economic development, ecology, and human welfare.
Animal Friends Gallery
Photos of Past WCL Animal Law Society Events
Local Shelters & Sanctuaries
Want to volunteer? Or, give a donation? Check out these wonderful animal folks!
Offering care to neglected, abused, or abandoned farm animals
Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary is a 400 acre non-profit refuge in Poolesville, Maryland for farm animals and wildlife that relies entirely on public donations for support. Our mission is to offer care, rehabilitation, and permanent sanctuary for neglected, abused or abandoned farm animals, as well as providing a protected habitat for wildlife. We promote compassion and the humane treatment of all animals by educating the public on farm animal and wildlife issues.
We are open for tours and visits by appointment.
POPLAR SPRING ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary
P.O. Box 507
Poolesville, MD 20837
Phone: 301-428-8128
info@animalsanctuary.org
Rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife in DC
City Wildlife was created to address the need for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in Washington, DC. Over the past several decades, local wildlife habitat has been severely depleted, and wild animals have had to adapt to living in close proximity with people. Each year hundreds of wild animals in DC are unintentionally harmed by people and the urban environment.
15 Oglethorpe St NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 882-1000
info@citywildlife.org
Finding forever homes for dogs in need
A Forever-Home Rescue Foundation is a non-profit dog rescue group that operates in the Northern Virginia / Washington Metropolitan area. We strive to make quality dogs available for adoption and do our best to match prospective adopters with the right animal!
Animal Law Resources
Interested in Animal Law? Check out these fabulous Animal Protection Organizations! They also accept donations!
Winning the Case Against Cruelty
The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. ALDF accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are punished for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting harmful animal protection legislation, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.
Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization. We and our affiliates provide hands-on care and services to more than 100,000 animals each year, and we professionalize the field through education and training for local organizations. We are the leading animal advocacy organization, seeking a humane world for people and animals alike. We are driving transformational change in the U.S. and around the world by combating large-scale cruelties such as puppy mills, animal fighting, factory farming, seal slaughter, horse cruelty, captive hunts and the wildlife trade.
International Fund for Animal Welfare
IFAW’s mission is to rescue and protect animals around the world.
Founded in 1969, the International Fund for Animal Welfare saves individual animals, animal populations and habitats all over the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW provides hands-on assistance to animals in need, whether it's dogs and cats, wildlife and livestock, or rescuing animals in the wake of disasters. We also advocate saving populations from cruelty and depletion, such as our campaign to end commercial whaling and seal hunts.
Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty
Humane Society International is one of the only international animal protection organizations in the world working to protect all animals—including animals in laboratories, farm animals, companion animals, and wildlife—and our record of achievement demonstrates our dedication and effectiveness.
Because Life is Good . . .
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.
We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive.
Since its founding in 1951, AWI has sought to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by people.
While AWI’s mission is to alleviate suffering of nonhuman animals, the principle followed by AWI of compassion and nonviolence applies to human animals as well as nonhuman animals. The Animal Welfare Institute condemns violence directed against all living creatures. There are no exceptions.
Protecting farm animals by inspiring compassionate food choices and policies
Mercy For Animals believes that a humane society is possible. We are committed to reducing the greatest amount of suffering for the largest number of animals. Our efforts focus on protecting farmed animals—the most abused and exploited animals on the planet—and utilize a broad range of strategic approaches that seek to expose cruelty, prosecute abusers, and inspire consumers to make compassionate food choices.
Wildlife. Not entertainers.
From their regional hubs in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America, we move the world to protect animals.
Providing Resources to Further Understanding and Advocacy
The Animal Law Resource Center provides access to legislation and legal matters pertaining to animals and the law. Information concerning animal cruelty, animal control, laboratory animal welfare, wildlife management and other issues concerning animals in our society. This content is updated regularly and is presented in searchable databases to help legal professionals, students, advocates and the general public make sense of a wealth of information and resources regarding legal and legislative issues.
