Environmental Law Society Symposium

  • by Kevin R. Johnson
ELS Symposium
Today, I attended the UC Davis Environmental Law Society (ELS) Symposium on “Walking the Walk Toward an Equitable Future: The Urgent Need to Center Environmental Justice in Law and Policy." The conference was designed to foster discussion and educate guests about community environmental justice goals, the government resources available to accomplish these goals, and the strategies to ensure these goals are met when systems fail.
 

I had the honor of welcoming the conference attendees with the conference starting bright and early on a brisk winter morning. We all are proud that UC Davis School of Law has a long history of excellence in environmental law. Professor Hap Dunning founded the program and established the law school’s first environmental law course. In 1979, students founded the Environs Environmental Law & Policy Journal. In 1980, Professor Dunning organized a pathbreaking UC Davis Law Review Symposium on the public trust doctrine. Over the years, he was joined by colleagues Professor Al Lin, Chris Elmendorf, Rick Frank, and Karrigan Bork and others in teaching environmental law. And, King Hall has the California Environmental Law and Policy Center, the brainchild of Professor Frank. Scores of King Hall alumni have practiced environmental law with the government, nonprofits, law firms, and in other capacities. 

The ELS symposium fits in well with the law school’s traditions. It featured leading attorneys, lawmakers, and policy experts in a discussion of environmental justice. Students including Zach Castagnola-Johnson '24, Elizabeth Chi '24, Kay Raya-Morales '24, and Kala Babu '23 organized the event. Zach Castagnola-Johnson introduced the opening keynote speaker, UC Davis Professor of American Studies Professor Julie Sze, who has written extensively on environmental justice.

Score another highly successful event for our students!