In the Economics and Finance Research Group, community members explore areas including post and degrowth economic alternatives, the Pluralist Commonwealth, the solidarity economy, ecosocialism, regenerative systems, “Donut” economics, mutual aid and cooperative social structures. 

In the Law and Governance Research Group, student and faculty researchers are currently focussing, in partnership with the Ecological Law and Governance Association (elgaworld.org), on developing ecological law as a comprehensive ecologically-bound alternative to the dominant forms of contemporary law (including environmental law). Relevant ecological law themes include Earth jurisprudence, restorative and contributive justice, trusteeships for an expanded global commons, Indigenous legal traditions and rights of nature, all of which stand in sharp contrast to the punitive systems of justice, criminalization, Cartesian dualism, reductionism, privatization and ethical utilitarianism that dominate contemporary law.  The governance implications of a shift to ecological law include decentralized and horizontal governance structures; nested placed-based governance institutions; ecological constitutionalism; and direct, participatory democracy and decision-making.

In the Philosophy and Ethics Research Group, students investigate deep ecology, environmental ethics, Post-Darwinism, and the land ethic, among other frameworks.

The Ecozoic Alternatives Group contributes to policy development as related to priorities of L4E and partners, including agroecology and regenerative agriculture, ecological economics and governance, and energy and climate justice.