SWIMMING FOR JUSTICE — DEFINITIONS PAGE (v1.3)
A Public Glossary of Terms for the Living World Justice Framework. First Updated: February 2025. Last Updated: November, 17, 2025 (All definitions are original work by Christopher Swain.
This page establishes clear definitions for the core concepts, metrics, standards, philosophies, and frameworks used across the work I do—including the Swimming for Justice campaign, the Living World Justice Funds, the Corporate Social Justice Framework, Climate Impact Units, and the Justice Equation.
It serves as the canonical reference for collaborators, institutions, partners, advisors, and the public.
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I. CORE PHILOSOPHY
Courage
Courage = taking right action on behalf of the living world and each other.
Courage is the willingness to act before it is easy or convenient.
It is devotion made visible.
Courage is the prayer of the body, and the foundation of repair.
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Care
Care = opening our hearts to each other and to the living world.
Care is love in action — tending what is vulnerable, protecting what is sacred, and practicing relational responsibility.
Care is how we remember we belong to the world, and that the world belongs to those who come after.
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Repair
Repair = healing wounds across generations and ecosystems.
Repair is how we mend what has been broken:
in the land,
in the waters,
in our communities,
in our histories,
in each other,
and in ourselves.
Repair restores harmony — healing in all directions: past, present, and future.
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The Justice Equation
Courage + Care + Repair = Justice
This simple moral framework underpins all Living World work, from Finance to Story to Repair.
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Justice
Justice = Courage + Care + Repair.
Justice is the downstream gift —
a world made safe and whole,
so future generations can live in beauty and belonging.
Justice is not retribution.
Justice is restoration, continuity, and care made durable across time.
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II. UNITS, METRICS, & STANDARDS
Climate Impact Unit (CIU) Standard — v1.1
Definition
A Climate Impact Unit (CIU) is a verifiable, non-offset metric representing one completed act of ecological or community repair.
A CIU is not a carbon credit or a carbon offset and cannot be used to claim neutrality, compensation, or offsetting.
Instead, a CIU represents:
• a real repair action,
• completed in a real place,
• with measurable ecological or community benefit,
• verified by community partners and scientific advisors,
• fully and transparently documented in the Living World Archive, and aligned with the Swain Justice Equation: Courage + Care + Repair = Justice.
CIUs measure healing, not balancing.
Repair, not compensation.
Impact, not absolution.
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CIU Taxonomy (v1.1)
Different types of Climate Impact Units include:
• CIU-R — Refrigerant Recovery Unit
• CIU-M — Methane / Mine Vent Closure Unit
• CIU-E — Electronics Waste Recovery Unit
• CIU-W — Watershed Repair Unit
• CIU-S — Cooling Safety Impact Unit
• CIU-CJ — Climate Justice Impact Unit
• CIU-C — Community Health Impact Unit
Additional CIU categories will be added as standards evolve.
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Why CIUs Are Not Offsets
CIUs do not:
• claim equivalence with emissions
• compensate for pollution
• grant neutrality claims
• function as tradable commodities
• participate in carbon markets
CIUs track:
• repair
• healing
• community resilience
• ecological restoration
• justice-based impact
• intergenerational continuity
This is repair accounting, not offset accounting.
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Living World Funds
The overarching financial architecture that supports repair, care, continuity, and justice across communities and ecosystems.
Under this umbrella sit the Living World Justice Funds (LWJF).
The Living World Justice Funds (LWJF) are two parallel funds working in harmony:
1. Corporate Social Justice Fund (CSJ Fund)
A fund enabling companies to:
• fulfill repair responsibilities
• meet CSJ Certification requirements
• support ecological & community repair
• partner ethically with affected communities
• contribute to continuity for future generations
The CSJ Fund performs repair on behalf of corporate participants (“delegators”) or verifies repair done internally (“self-implementers”).
2. Community Social Justice Fund (ComSJF)
A public pathway for individuals and communities to:
• sponsor repair
• fund repair stories
• support frontline communities
• contribute to continuity and belonging
• participate directly in the decade of repair
ComSJF democratizes repair.
LWJF Repair Projects are projects funded by either CSJ Fund or ComSJF:
• mine remediation
• methane vent closure
• refrigerant recovery
• electronics recycling
• watershed repair
• seagrass / wetlands restoration
• cultural & historical repair
• community cooling + resilience programs
• justice storytelling
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III. CERTIFICATION, GOVERNANCE & REPORTING
Corporate Social Justice (CSJ) : A corporate accountability and repair framework grounded in the Justice Equation.
CSJ replaces the logic of CSR and offsets with:
• harm assessment
• repair plans
• regenerative investment
• Future Generations Statements
• Courage/Care/Repair Reports
• Rights of Nature alignment
• transparency through the Living World Archive
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CSJ Certification: A multi-tiered certification system recognizing companies that fulfill repair obligations and demonstrate Courage, Care, and Repair in practice.
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CSJ Index (v1.0)
A 21-point scoring system assessing:
• Corporate Courage
• Corporate Care
• Corporate Repair
• Climate Justice
• Community Partnership
• Rights of Nature Alignment
• Future Generations Stewardship
Tiers:
• 0–5: Non-aligned
• 6–10: CSJ Candidate
• 11–15: CSJ-Compliant
• 16–21: CSJ Leader
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Community Review Panels
Local groups who co-govern repair projects to ensure:
• community benefit
• equitable participation
• informed consent
• prevent greenwashing
• uphold narrative and ethical integrity
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Scientific Advisory Council: Experts who verify ecological outcomes and ensure scientific credibility.
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Public Transparency Portal
All repair projects, budgets, and outcomes — and all associated stories — will be documented in the Living World Archive.
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IV. MOVEMENT ARCHITECTURE
Repair Phase: A period (beginning in 2026), focused on mending ecological, historical, and community harms.
Care Phase: A period devoted to deepening relational responsibility — connection, diplomacy, community, and intergenerational care.
Justice Phase: A period where Repair and Care converge into visible, shared, cross-community justice and continuity work.
Continuity: The inheritance made possible by Justice: a world still living, still whole, still beautiful, where belonging becomes a baseline.
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Pacts: Declarations anchored in the Justice Equation, binding participants to uphold:
• repair
• care
• rights of nature
• rights of future generations
• community partnership
• story stewardship
The Delaware Pact is the first of these.
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Living World Archive
A global commons of:
• repair stories
• climate stories
• oral histories
• testimonies
• intergenerational messages
• ecological memory
The Archive ensures that memory becomes part of repair,
and story becomes part of justice.
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V. USAGE GUIDANCE
How to Cite These Definitions
Swain, Christopher. “Swimming for Justice Definitions Page v1.1.”
SwimWithSwain.org/definitions (February 2025).
Versioning
All definitions listed here will be updated over time.