With Leslie Anne St. Amour, a lawyer, champion of Indigenous rights, a social activist and the Campaigns Director of Raven, we get up close and personal in trying to understand the Indigenous perspective. Because, despite the critical role Indigenous communities can play in environmental stewardship, there is a noticeable reluctance to integrate their voices. This reluctance can be attributed to several factors:

Historical Marginalization: Indigenous communities have been historically marginalized and excluded from decision-making processes.

Lack of Awareness: There is a general lack of awareness about the depth of indigenous knowledge and its relevance to contemporary environmental issues.

Systemic Barriers: Institutional and systemic barriers often prevent Indigenous participation in environmental governance.

To overcome these challenges, it is essential to:

Educate and Raise Awareness: Promote education about Indigenous history, rights, and environmental knowledge.

Foster Inclusive Policies: Develop and implement policies that actively include Indigenous voices in environmental decision-making.

Support Indigenous-Led Initiatives: Provide support and resources to Indigenous-led environmental initiatives and organizations.

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.

What can we quickly learn and incorporate about Indigenous viewpoints into our environmental projects, task forces, work, careers and studies? In this episode we uncover

Indigenous Perspectives in Environmental Initiatives:

• Discover why it’s crucial to include indigenous voices in conservation and sustainability projects.
• Learn how indigenous knowledge can transform our approach to environmental work.

Stewardship of the Land:

• Understand the profound concept of stewardship from an indigenous viewpoint.
• Explore how indigenous people see themselves not as owners, but as caretakers of the land.

Impact of Human Actions:

• Reflect on the effects of our actions on the environment and non-human beings.
• Gain insights into making decisions that benefit the highest good of all.

Empirical Evidence and Indigenous-Led Conservation:

• Hear real-life examples where indigenous knowledge has proven to be invaluable in conservation efforts.
• Trust the wisdom and experiences of indigenous communities in environmental initiatives.

By incorporating indigenous knowledge and understanding the concept of stewardship, we can make more informed and compassionate decisions for the environment. If you'd like to learn more, visit Raven Trust, a helpful and knowledgeable organization for anyone interested in helping, standing with and learning from the Indigenous Tribes.

And go here, if you'd like your own copy of How to Survive and Thrive the Next Few Decades.

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.

This is our final episode of the four-part series for using the law to make permanent changes with the highly respected environmental justice and human rights lawyer Rebecca Bratspies. (The first episode can be found here; the second here, and the third episode here.)

Rebecca is the founding director of the Centre for Urban Environmental Reform, an award winning author, a college professor at the City University of New York School of Law and the go to expert for the basic human right to live in a healthy environment. You reach out to Rebecca on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

This episode we get even more granular as we look at:

-How can individuals or executives take legal action against companies for environmental violations?

-Legal Support and the Balance of Interests

-Shareholder Primacy and Corporate Responsibility

-Rebecca's Vision for the Future

-The Profitability of Going Green

and we end with a dose of

-Gratitude and Optimism

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.

This is the third episode of the four-part series about using the law to make permanent changes with the highly respected environmental justice and human rights lawyer Rebecca Bratspies. (The first episode can be found here; the second here.)

Rebecca is the founding director of the Centre for Urban Environmental Reform, an award winning author, a college professor at the City University of New York School of Law and the go to expert the basic human right to live in a healthy environment. You reach out to Rebecca on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

This episode we get even more granular as we look at:

-The David and Goliath of Environmental Litigation

-A Global Perspective on Environmental Impact

-The Role of Law in Shaping Consumer Behavior

-The Slow Grind of Justice

-The Intersectionality of Law, Sustainability, and Justice

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.

This is the second episode of a four-part series on using the law to make permanent changes with the highly respected environmental justice and human rights lawyer Rebecca Bratspies. (The first episode can be found here.)

Rebecca is the founding director of the Centre for Urban Environmental Reform, an award winning author, a college professor at the City University of New York School of Law and the go to expert for the fundamental human right to live in a healthy environment. You reach out to Rebecca on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

This episode we uncover:

The Power of Litigation in Environmental Change

Moral Suasion vs. Greenwashing

The Cost of Doing Business and the Environment

How Laws Lead the Way

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.

We begin the first episode with the highly respected environmental justice and human rights lawyer Rebecca Bratspies. Rebecca is the founding director of the Centre for Urban Environmental Reform, an award-winning author, a college professor at the City University of New York School of Law and the go-to expert for the fundamental human right to live in a healthy environment. You can reach out to Rebecca on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

We begin the series with a look at the convergence of Law, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights and dig into:

-The Swiss Case: A Legal Milestone for Climate Justice

-Environmental Justice and Human Rights

-The Human Right to a Healthy Environment

-The Impact of Waste Management on Communities

-The Convergence of Law, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.

What does the cloak of cynicism have to do with masterful communication? Absolutely everything. The world has changed and so too has the way people receive messages. Therefore, like everything else, we need to shake up the status quo and make some changes. Why, you ask? To counteract --

-The Business-Leader Double Life

Far too many of us are eco-warriors at home but profit-driven executives at work. This dichotomy raises a critical question: Why hasn't the message of environmental stewardship permeated the corporate psyche? As we pondered this, it became clear that the pursuit of short-term often overshadows the long-term health of our planet.

-The Battle for Beliefs

Corporate propaganda and lies have been slowly and systematically destroyed over the past fifty years. Yet many of us continue to believe the wrong facts. To make informed decisions, we must first dismantle the myths we've been sold.

-The Psychological Despair

This is not about succumbing to despair, but about harnessing it as a catalyst for change. It's about transforming our anxiety into a powerful force for positive action, and that begins with how we talk about the climate crisis.

-The Detrimental Impact of our Defense Mechanism

Many of us who don the cloak of Cynicism spread the poison that seeps into every facet of life, from our health to our economy. But it's particularly toxic when it comes to leadership and environmental advocacy. The impact is not just personal, but societal. It's time to recognize and address this issue.

I leave you with many ideas to rethink your roots, adjust your perspective, amend your messaging and memorialize your messages.

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.

None of us ever want to ruffle feathers, say the wrong thing or come across like a jerk. That's one of the reasons why mastering the art of masterful communication is so helpful. But what if there were a better way? That's what we are getting into today chatting with Chin Chang. (The first episode of the series is here, the second is here.)

Chin is an entrepreneur focused on increasing profits for Social Impact Businesses. Through his business Classy Narwhal he has helped more than 500 international purpose-driven companies scale and amplify their impact by building their sales processes and providing ethical sales training. This the link to his forever free book titled Selling Ethically with the CARE Methodolgy.

In this episode, Chin goes deeper into

-The Kindness Factor

-The CARE Methodology

-Standing Out in the Market In a sea of competitors

The 5Cs podcast, book and community are about shining a light on a better path. Think of it as a global village of business people giving Planet Earth a hand up. You can find Charlene Norman on LinkedIn and here. Consider joining the community here and subscribe for more thoughts from the 5Cs on Substack.