Category: Events

Fall 2023 Symposium

We're Bringing Nature Back: Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2023 symposium being held on November 18, 2023. The event will be held virtually and in person from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 9:00am to 5:00pm in the Chase Community Center.

This year’s symposium will foster a positive, solutions-oriented dialogue around restoring natural ecosystems to fight climate change and address social challenges using nature-based solutions. This symposium will include four panels: International Implementation, Blue Carbon, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Contributions.

In addition, there will be a silent auction for the duration of the symposium, with proceeds benefiting the VLGS Animal Law Society and the White River Land Collaborative.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact symposium editors: 

JenniferBass@vermontlaw.edu and KatlynSchafer@vermontlaw.edu

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Event Link:

https://www.vermontlaw.edu/vjel-2023

Schedule:

Click here for a more detailed schedule.

8:00am – Registration

8:30am – Welcome and Land Recognition Presentation

    • Welcome remarks from VJEL
    • Presenter: Rich Holschuh

9:00am – Panel 1: International Implementation

    • Moderator: Professor Yanmei Lin, Deputy Director, VLGS U.S.-Asia Partnership
    • Speakers: Zhiyu Huang, Margot Clarvis, Dr. Fabiano de Andrade Correa

10:15am – Creating Just Transition in Agriculture: The 10 Agroecology Principles

    • Presenter: Ilinca Johnson

10:30am – Panel 2: Indigenous Contributions to Climate Solutions

    • Moderator: Professor Mia Montoya Hammersley, Director, VLGS Environmental Justice Clinic
    • Speakers: Missy Crow, Rebecca Jim, Earl Hatley, Vickie Sutton

11:45am – Wetland Function of Chadwick Meadows in Sutton, New Hampshire

    • Presenter: Alexander Simoneau

12:00pm – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: Mary Wood, University of Oregon School of Law

1:40pm – A Vision for Community Based, Collaborative, and Sustainable Farming

    • Presenter: White River Land Collaborative

2:00pm – Panel 3: Biodiversity

    • Moderator: Professor Delcianna Winders, Director, VLGS Animal Law and Policy Institute and VJEL Faculty Advisor
    • Speakers: Mackenzie Landa, Jamey Fidel, Jennifer Rubis, VT Representative Amy Sheldon

3:15pm – How Municipalities Can Utilize Nature-Based Solutions for Flood Resilience

    • Presenters: Christina Ramsey, Ashton Danneels

3:30pm – Panel 4: Blue Carbon

    • Moderator: Professor Pat Parentau, VLGS Professor Emeritus
    • Speakers: Anastasia Telesetsky, Cymie Payne, Mark Ram, Adam D. Orford

4:45pm – Closing Remarks from VJEL

VJEL Symposium 2022 Poster

Fall 2022 Symposium

Oceans 1.5°C

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2022 symposium being held on November 5, 2022. The event will be held virtually and in person from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 9:00am to 4:00pm in the Chase Community Center.

Oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth, with 40 percent of the world’s population living within 100 miles of a coastline. Ocean governance is a complex legal field mired in domestic law and international treaties. This symposium will foster a proactive dialogue around sustainable use and preservation of our ocean and its resources.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Event Link:

https://www.vermontlaw.edu/news-and-events/event/vjel-vol-24-symposium-our-oceans

VJEL Symposium 2022 Poster

Schedule:

8:00am – Welcome Remarks

8:15pm – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: Professor Robert Percival, University of Maryland Carey School of Law

9:00am – Renewables in the Ocean

10:30am – Policy Management

12:30pm – Ocean Dumping and Pollution

2:00pm – Challenges in Coastal Communities

3:45pm – Closing Remarks from VJEL

VJEL Symposium 2021 Poster

Fall 2021 Symposium

The World of Waste in a Wasteful World

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Hosted Virtually

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2021 symposium being held on October 16, 2021. The event will be held virtually from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Waste is an important environmental topic, now more than ever. The world is ever-changing between climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other elements. It is crucial that people pay attention to waste and learn how to help prevent the world from becoming even more wasteful.

The symposium revolves around four main panels: waste disposal as intended; policy management and litigation; ocean and water pollution; and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (also known as CERCLA or Superfund). The panelists are set to provide a wide range of experiences about the world of waste. Our keynote speaker, materials management section chief at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Josh Kelly, intends to perfectly tie all the main themes to Vermont.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Event Link:

https://livestream.com/vermontlawschool/events/9890551

VJEL Symposium 2021 Poster

Schedule:

8:00am – Registration

8:30am – Introductory Remarks

    • Michelle Amidzich, Editor-in-Chief, VJEL
    • John Echeverria, VJEL Faculty Advisor
    • Carolyn Clark and Lucas Parsell, Symposium Editors, VJEL

9:00am – Waste Disposal as Intended

    • Moderator: Pat Parenteau, Professor, VLS
    • Speakers: Anthu Hoang, Anna “Trashwalker” Sacks, W. Kip Viscusi, Caroline Cecot

10:15am – Break and Raffle

10:30am – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: Josh Kelly, VT Department of Environmental Conservation

11:45am – Policy Management

    • Moderator: Pamela Vesilind, Professor, VLS
    • Speakers: Esther Berezofsky, Madhavi Venkatesan, Clifford Villa

12:45pm – Lunch Break and Raffle

1:45pm – Ocean/Water Pollution

    • Moderator: Sarah Reiter, Professor, VLS
    • Speakers: Ben Eichenberg, Jon Groveman, Michael Stocker, Jaclyn McGarry

3:00pm – Break

3:15pm – CERCLA

    • Moderator: John Echeverria, VJEL Faculty Advisor
    • Speakers: Catherine Millas Kaiman, Shawn Collins, Ana Baptist

4:45pm – Closing Remarks and Raffle

VJEL Symposium 2020 Poster

Fall 2020 Symposium

Don't be a Fossil Fool: Transitioning to, Living in, and Protecting a Decarbonized World

Friday, October 16, 2020

Hosted Virtually

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2020 symposium being held on October 16, 2020. The event will be held virtually from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

As energy consumption continues to degrade the planet, the next decade will be critical in society’s transition to a decarbonized world. The symposium will foster a proactive discussion around the value of transitioning to clean energy.

Four panels of invited experts will cover topics including energy justice, climate goals, nature-based solutions, and protecting the grid. Raphael Heffron, a professor of global energy law and sustainability at the University of Dundee in Scotland, will deliver the keynote address. With work combining energy law, policy, and economics, Professor Heffron is one of the most-cited scholars in his field worldwide.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Event Link:

https://livestream.com/vermontlawschool/vjel20

VJEL Symposium 2020 Poster

Schedule:

8:00am – Registration

8:30am – Introductory Remarks

9:00am – Clean Energy Justice Panel

    • Moderator: Mark Latham, Professor, VLS
    • Speakers: Joel Eisen, Professor of Law, University of Richmond, Shalanda H. Baker, Professor of Law, Public Policy, and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, Meg Sheehan, public interest environmental lawyer, Rebekah Hinojosa, artist and organizer; Texas Gulf Coast Campaign Representative, Sierra Club

10:30am – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: Raphael Heffron, Professor, University of Dundee in Scotland

11:45am – Climate Goals Panel

    • Moderator: Kevin Jones, Professor, VLS
    • Speakers: Ivy Main, lawyer, policy consultant, and writer, Dr. Nancy Ryan, consultant, regulator, environmental advocate, and academic, Mollie D’Agostino, Policy Director, 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program, UC Davis, Nate Hausman, Project Director, Clean Energy States Alliance

12:45pm – Lunch

1:45pm – Nature-Based Solutions Panel

    • Moderator: Sarah Reiter, Professor, VLS
    • Speakers: Jennifer Tabola, Deputy Managing Director, Global Tackling Climate Change Team, The Nature Conservancy, Ronny Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change and Small Island Developing State Issues, Republic of Seychelles, Read Porter, Senior Staff Attorney, Marine Affairs Institute, Dr. Pushpam Kumar, Chief Environmental Economist and Senior Economic Advisor, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

3:00pm – Break

3:15pm – Protecting Our Grid Panel

    • Moderator: Mark James, Professor, VLS
    • Speakers: Sarah Hofmann, Vermont Public Utility Commission, Richard S. Mroz, Managing Director, Resolute Strategies, LLC; Director, Archer Public Affairs, Andy Bochman, Senior Cyber & Energy Security Strategist, Idaho National Laboratory, Dr. Ranjit Gadh, Professor and Founding Director of the Smart Grid Energy Research Center, UCLA

4:45pm – Closing Remarks from VJEL

Fall 2019 Symposium

Bridging the Gap: Reconciling Agriculture with Environmentalism

Friday, October 25, 202019

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2019 symposium being held on October 25, 2019. The event will be held virtually and in person from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 9:00am to 5:00pm in the Chase Community Center.

It is a common belief that environmentalism and the agricultural industry are incompatible with one another. However, as human activity continues to degrade our planet, lawyers, regulators, and even farmers are beginning to explore productive and realistic ways for agriculture to become more sustainable. The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law 2019 Symposium will foster provocative discussions about adapting agricultural and environmental laws, regulations, policies, and practices to help reconcile the goals of the agricultural industry with environmental goals.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Event Link:

https://livestream.com/vermontlawschool/vjel19

Schedule:

8:00am – Registration and Breakfast

8:30am – Introductory Remarks

9:00am – Clean Water and Vermont’s Dairy Industry

    • Moderator: Jennifer Rushlow, Director of the Environmental Law Center, VLS
    • Speakers: Laura Ginsburg, Section Chief of the Agricultural Division at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, James Maroney, Former dairy farmer and organic farming activist, Jack Lazor, Creator and Founder of Butterworks Farm, Tom Berry, Agricultural, Environmental, and Energy Advisor to Senator Leahy

10:30am – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: John Piotti, President and CEO of American Farmland Trust

11:45am – The Growing Cannabis Industry

    • Moderator: Professor Laurie Beyranevand, Director for the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, VLS
    • Speakers: Tim Fair and Andrew Subin, Attorneys and Partners at Vermont Cannabis Solutions, Rye Matthews, Chief Technical Officer of Northeast Hemp Commodities, Rusty Rumley, The National Agricultural Law Center

12:45am – Lunch

    • Featuring locally farmed products

1:45pm – Farms: Energy Consumers and Producers

    • Moderator: Genevieve Byrne, Staff Attorney at the Institute for Energy & the Environment, VLS
    • Speakers: Jimmy Daukas, Senior Program Officer at American Farmland Trust, Katherine Oaks, Energy Fellow for the Farm and Energy Initiative at the Institute for Energy and the Environment, Bill Jorgenson, Co-founder and Counselor of Vanguard Renewables, Catherine Keske, Professor of Environmental Management at the University of California, Merced

3:15pm – Break

3:30pm – Models for Change

    • Moderator: Sophia Kruszewski, Clinic Director for the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, VLS
    • Speakers: Lee Miller, Lecturing Fellow of Law at the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, Steven Winnett, Regional TMDL Coordinator at the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1, Phillip Chavez, Managing Partner at Diamond ‘A’ Farms and Partner at Mohawk Valley Farms, Lisa McCrory, Consultant, teacher, activist, organic farmer, and co-owner of Earthwise Farm and Forest

4:45pm – Closing Remarks from VJEL

5:00pm – Reception in Yates Common Room

VJEL Symposium 2018 Poster

Fall 2018 Symposium

Rights of Nature: Shifting Paradigms and Grounding in the Law

Friday, October 19, 2018

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2023 symposium being held on October 19, 2018. The event will be held virtually and in person from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 9:00am to 5:00pm in the Chase Community Center.

Does nature have an inherent right to exist and flourish? Should it have its day in court? Is this the future of environmental law? Join us in exploring the global movement that recognizes legal personhood for natural entities.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Event Link:

https://livestream.com/vermontlawschool/vjel2018

VJEL Symposium 2018 Poster

Schedule:

8:00am – Breakfast/ Registration

8:30am Introductory Remarks

    • Dillon Post, Journal Editor in Chief
    • John Echeverria, Journal Faculty Advisor
    • Hannah Dean and Margaret Shugart, Symposium Editors

9:00am Introductory Panel

    • Moderator: Tony Zelle, Partner in Zelle McDonough & Cohen, Board Treasurer of Earth Law Center
      Margaret Stewart, Director of Center for Earth Jurisprudence
      Grant Wilson, Directing Attorney at Earth Law Center
    • Speakers: Cormac Cullinan, Shannon Biggs

10:30am – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: Catherine Iorns Magallanes, Professor University of Wellington, National Board Member of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand

11:30am Indigenous Perspectives Panel

    • Moderator: Rachel Stevens, Attorney and Assistant Professor with Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic
    • Speakers: Deon Ben, Grand Canyon Trust and Navajo Nation
      Kirsten Anker, Faculty of Law at McGill University
  •  

12:30pm Lunch

    • Drafting activity with Steven Marx, gubernatorial candidate in Vermont

1:45pm – International Panel

    • Moderator: Tracy Bach, Professor at Vermont Law School
    • Speakers: Hugo Echeverria, Environmental Attorney in Ecuador, Craig Kauffman, University of Oregon, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rachelle Adam, Animal Rights and Environmental Attorney and Activist in Israel, Lecturer and Faculty of Law at Hebrew University

3:00pm – Break/ Snack

3:15pm Applied Law Panel

    • Moderator: Dean Jennifer Rushlow, Director of Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law School
    • Linda Sheehan, Senior Counsel Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Reed Loder, Professor at Vermont Law School,
      Kevin Schneider, Executive Director of the Nonhuman Rights Project, Thomas Linzey, Executive Director of Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF)

4:45pm Closing Remarks

5:00pm-6:00pm Closed Reception in Yate Common Room

    • Only open to speakers and VJEL Staff
VJEL Symposium 2017 Poster

Fall 2017 Symposium

The Energy Transition

Friday, October 20, 2017

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2023 symposium being held on October 20, 2017. The event will be held virtually and in person from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 9:00am to 4:30pm in the Chase Community Center.

The 2017 VJEL Symposium aims to address the legal, regulatory, and policy challenges associated with transitioning from the current energy system to a cleaner energy economy. We are honored to have Dan Reicher to deliver the keynote address. Mr. Reicher is Executive Director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University and has spent much of his career working with energy issues.

After the keynote, there will be four panels, each recognizing a different aspect of the electric industry. First, the Legal Barriers to Renewable Energy will delve into the potential legal challenges associated with renewable electricity generation. Next, the Traditional Generation and the Energy Future panel shall explore what role non-renewable sources will continue to continue to play in our energy portfolio. After lunch, our panel on Energy and the Constitution will consider American Constitutional challenges to existing energy regulations and policies. Finally, the fourth panel, National Security and Grid Reliability, will address concerns associated with smart grids and the implications of decreasing America’s reliance on foreign fuels.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Event Link:

https://livestream.com/vermontlawschool/vjel2017

VJEL Symposium 2017 Poster

Schedule:

8:00am – Breakfast and Registration

8:30am – Opening Remarks

9:00am – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: Dan Reicher, Executive Director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University

10:00am – Legal Barriers to Renewable Generation

11:15am – Traditional Generation and the Energy Future

12:30pm – Lunch

1:30pm – Energy and the Constitution

2:45pm – Break

3:00pm – National Security and Grid Reliability

4:15pm – Closing Remarks

VJEL Symposium 2016 Poster

Fall 2016 Symposium

The Endangered Species Act: Putting the Bite Back in the Law

Friday, October 21, 2016

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2016 symposium being held on October 21, 2016. The event will be held in person from 8:30am to 5:00pm in the Chase Community Center.

This year’s symposium will feature Zygmunt Plater from the Boston College Law School as the keynote speaker, as well as panels on:

    • The ESA and Climate Change
    • The ESA and Animal Rights Intersection
    • The ESA and New England
    • The ESA and the Obama Administration

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

VJEL Symposium 2016 Poster
VJEL Symposium 2015 Poster

Fall 2015 Symposium

TMDLs 2.0: Charting a Course for Clean Water

Friday, October 23, 2015

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

Please join the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law for our Vol. 17 Symposium as we explore Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) under the Clean Water Act, featuring keynote addresses by Oliver Houck of Tulane and Dave Owen of UC Hastings, and panels on:

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

VJEL Symposium 2015 Poster

Fall 2014 Symposium

Cradle to Cradle: The Elimination of Waste

Friday, October 24, 2014

Chase Community Center, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is pleased to announce our Fall 2014 symposium being held on October 24, 2014. The event will be held virtually and in person from with registration beginning at 8:00am and panels from 8:30am to 5:15pm in the Chase Community Center, followed by interactive sessions by VLS staff and a wine and cheese reception. Sponsors for this year’s Symposium include the Environmental Law Center, the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, the Institute for Energy & the Environment, and the Campus Greening Committee.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Free and open to the public and press. CLE credits available.

Videos from this Symposium can be found on our YouTube Page.

Schedule:

8:00am – Registration

8:30am – Welcome and Land Recognition Presentation

8:45am – Keynote Address

    • Keynote Speaker: Lauren Valle, John Todd Ecological Design

9:30am – Lost in Transmission: Energy Waste

10:45am – Coffee Break

11:00am – Flotsam, Jetsam, & Plastic: Ocean Waste

12:15am – Lunch Break

    • Lunch served in Yates Common Room

1:45pm – Interactive Sessions Round 1

    • “Seven Days of Garbage” Art Exhibition – On Display in Oakes Hall
    • Quantifying Food Waste from VJEL Symposium – On Display on Yates Porch

2:00pm – Planning Against Obsolescence: Electronic Waste

3:30pm – Coffee Break

3:45pm – Clean Plate Club: Agricultural and Food Waste

4:45pm – Closing Remarks

    • Megan Backsen & Jack Hornickel, Symposium Editors, VJEL

5:15pm – Interactive Sessions Round 2

    • Jeff Knudsen: Tour of Clivus Multrum Composting Toilets
    • Andrew Brackett: Tour of Renewable Energy on VLS Campus

5:45pm – Wine and Cheese Reception in Yates

With sincere gratitude, the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law would like to thank the following:
John Echeverria, Rebecca Purdom, & Melissa Scanlan
Anne Linehan & the Business Office
Martina Rutkovsky, Chef Jeff, & the Fitz Vogt Team
Bill Bonn, Kory Hirak, & the IT Office
Andrew Brackett, Lori Campbell, & Buildings & Grounds
Maryellen Apelquist
Kathy McCullough
Alix Pentecost Farren
Gregg Segal
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