Pasadena- ( August 31, 2005 ). The Western Justice Center Foundation and UCLA
Institute of the Environment collaborate to create EcoLogue , a nonprofit center
for environmental mediation and dialogue. EcoLogue , funded in part by a UCLA
in LA Community Partnerships grant, will focus the combined expertise of the Western
Justice Center Foundation, UCLA Institute of the Environment, UCLA School of Law
Evan Frankel Law and Policy Program and Frank G. Wells Environmental Law
Clinic to convene and resolve Southern California environmental disputes.
WJCF Board Chair and founder, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Dorothy W. Nelson stated,
"The Western Justice Center Foundation is pleased to announce this innovative approach
to Southern California environmental disputes. EcoLogue will be an invaluable resource
to policymakers and their constituents, developers and neighborhoods, government
and environmental advocates alike." EcoLogue will offer programs for Mediation Services,
Capacity Building , and Education and Community Building . The Center will provide a
pool of neutral mediation experts, including scientists, lawyers, and policymakers,
who are knowledgeable about the environmental issues at hand. The Center will also
strive to convene dialogue at an early stage so that solutions may be reached before
the parties undertake litigation positions. Western Justice Center Foundation will help
communities build their capacity for creative conflict resolution with trainings, workshops,
and symposia. EcoLogue was founded by Paula Daniels, as senior fellow at both the
Western Justice Center Foundation and the UCLA Institute of the Environment. Daniels
is an attorney and mediator, with extensive background in environmental policy issues.
"There is an unmet need for an institution like EcoLogue to help resolve the complex
environmental issues facing Southern California ," said Daniels. "The collaboration
between UCLA and the Western Justice Center will bring invaluable resources to
the community." A UCLA Community Partnerships grant enabled EcoLogue to
recruit Project Coordinator Brette Steele and Research Fellow Eyal Rabinovitch .
Steele is an experienced mediator and facilitator currently studying law at UCLA.
Steele will serve as Project Coordinator developing trainings, workshops, and
symposia. Rabinovitch recently received his PhD in Sociology at UCLA. Rabinovitch
will be evaluating and deriving best practices from past Southern California
environmental collaborative processes as Research Fellow of the
WJCF.
Najeeba Syeed -Miller, WJCF Executive Director, said, "Environmental disputes require
a creative and intellectually rigorous search for solutions that are legally and
economically sound. We are excited to bring these resources to this landscape and
help communities develop the capacity to work collaboratively towards agreements
that are durable and inclusive."
Contact: Brette Steele to learn more about this project.
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