Events

ELS exposes students to environmental law through a variety of events. We believe that first-hand experience and interactive discussions are among the best ways to understand complex issues. We also strive to provide a variety of perspectives to incorporate disciplines such as science, policy, and management into our programming. We always welcome ideas for new events– please contact us with your suggestions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outings and Social Events

Whether you are looking to experience nature, explore job opportunities, learn more about the field of environmental law, or just meet other people with similar interests, we hope that you will find some events on our calendar that interest you. Popular ELS outings in past years have included whale watching, hikes, maple-sugaring, and other trips designed to remind us of the wonders of the environment we work to protect. This year, we hope to combine those outings with local events to build up our campus community and connect with the larger Boston environmental community.

Social Events
On campus, we’ll have regular movie nights and will host get-togethers for environmentally-minded students.  We also hope to make regular trips to Boston’s new environmentalist happy hour, Boston Green Drinks.

Outings
This year’s ELS outings will expose members to the natural wonders of the Boston environment and provide opportunities to positively impact that environment.  Planned activities for the fall may include:

Join us!

If there are other events or outings you would like to see planned, or would like to help plan, please get in touch with us.

Speakers & Panels

ELS invites speakers from the University, the local community, and the nation to discuss contemporary issues in environmental law.  In addition, ELS informs its members about speaker events in Boston and the Harvard community through the ELS mailing list.

A number of exciting speakers are being planned for the 2008-2009 school year.  Speakers, dates and locations will be announced over the coming months.

Past speakers have included:

  • Stephen Kass (Environmental Counsel to Lower Manhattan Development Corporation)
  • Jan Schlichtmann (Pioneering plaintiffs’ attorney in toxic torts litigation; protagonist of “A Civil Action”)
  • Jim Milkey (Associate Justice, Massachusetts Court of Appeals; former Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Chief of Environmental Protection Division)
  • Noah Sachs (Climenko/Thayer Lecturer, Harvard Law School)
  • Mindy Lubber (Executive Director, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies; Founder, Green Century Capital Management)
  • Doug Kysar (Associate Professor of Law, Cornell Law School)
  • Trip Van Noppen (Managing Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center)

ELS also hosts two annual panels for students:

  • Student Summer Job Panel – 2Ls and 3Ls who have worked in environmental law over the summer discuss their employers and experiences and offer advice on the application process.
  • Environmental Law Career Panel – Attorneys working in the field of environmental law discuss their day-to-day work, the pros and cons of working in the field, and advice for landing a post-graduation job in environmental law.

A recording of the 2008 Environmental Law Career Panel, hosted Jan 31, 2008, is available for viewing here. (RealPlayer required to view)

Conferences

Each year a number of ELS members attend major national conferences on environmental law, namely the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) and the annual conference of the National Association of Environmental Law Societies (NAELS).

“I’ve gone to the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference in Eugene the past two years. For me, it’s the biggest perk of being involved with ELS. Many of the really big hitters in US environmental law attend the conference, and there is also a large contingent of international lawyers. The conference is a great chance to be inspired by the amazing things going on in environmental law.”
—Rebecca Noblin, Class of ‘06

In 2009, the NAELS 22nd Annual Conference will take place jointly with PIELC 2009, affording students a unique opportunity to meet like-minded students and explore a range of conference offerings.  The dates for the PIELC 2009 are February 26 – March 1, 2009.  Funding for travel may be available through ELS; stay tuned for more details.

In addition to sending students to outside conferences, ELS participates in the environmental conference hosted at HLS every other year.

HLS-Hosted Conferences:

  • Carbon Offsets: Opportunities and Challenges for State Carbon Trading Schemes (April 11, 2008) – see website.
  • New Prospects for Climate Regulation (March 10, 2006)