Friday, February 28 marks the third annual ELC Research-a-thon at UVic Law. The event, which gathers students together for a day of focused research on one topic, was modelled after the 2017 Research-a-thon organized by McGill law students to assist the Canadian Council of Refugees. The first UVic Environmental Law Research-a-thon in 2018 examined the history of mining law in BC. Last year, students looked at water law and governance in BC, examining both Indigenous and colonial laws and relationships with water.
This year’s topic tackles plastic— a major source of pollution worldwide. Each student volunteer will research an assigned country or Canadian province to learn how the manufacture, use, and disposal of various types of plastics is regulated. Law students from UBC and Thompson Rivers University will also participate remotely, and Environmental Studies undergraduates have also been invited to participate.
Organized by students in the Environmental Law Club with the assistance of ELC, UVic Law and Law Library staff, the 2020 Research-a-thon has been months in the planning. The goal is to collate individual students’ research together in an infographic— an annotated world map showing plastic-related legal initiatives. This infographic will give a big picture view of trends in plastic regulation and may facilitate the sharing of strategies across international borders.
This year’s Research-a-thon committee is so excited to be working with the ELC to explore the theme of international plastics waste policy. This issue truly is relevant in all of our lives, so we are looking forward to engaging students and learning more about what lawmakers can do to protect the environment from plastics waste. We really hope that this timely and important theme will attract interest from students both within and external to the Faculty of Law. It’s definitely going to be a fun and informative experience for everyone involved!
Laura Bullock, UVic law student and Research-a-thon organizer