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COLUMNS
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University of Florida Levin College
of Law Update |
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Alyson C. Flournoy |
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Spring Events at the
Levin College of Law
Thirteenth Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference
The annual Public Interest Environmental Conference, co-sponsored by the
Section, brought over 200 people to the Levin College of Law campus for two days
of panels and plenary sessions, on March 1-3. Among the highlights, Jill
Zilligen, Vice President, Sustainable Business Practices at Nau, Inc., gave a
fascinating view into a start-up outdoor apparel company with a central focus on
sustainability at the opening reception on Thursday, which was also a Section
affiliate mixer. Among other insights, she described challenges the organization
faced in incorporating a commitment to sustainability in the company’s charter.
At the Friday evening banquet, Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman of Interface,
provided a detailed picture of how a focus on sustainability enables a company
to reap significant financial benefits while minimizing the costs it
externalizes on the rest of society. The facts and figures Anderson cited made
abundantly clear that a large part of sustainability is simply good business
practices that should interest every business leader interested in the bottom
line. The final plenary session featuring Phyllis Harris, Vice President for
Environmental Compliance at Wal-Mart and John Henry Hankinson concluded with a
rousing song “Testify” written specially for the conference and performed (with
harmonica) by Hankinson (with audience assistance on the refrain).
Plenary presentations included Professor David Driesen from Syracuse University
College of Law discussing the concept of an Environmental Competition Statute,
Professor J.B. Ruhl of Florida State University College of Law on ecosystem
service payments, Professor Charles Kibert of UF College of Design Construction
and Planning talking about green building trends, Professor Joseph Tomain from
University of Cincinnati College of Law on the intersection of energy and
environmental law and policy, and Professor Pat Parenteau of Vermont Law School
on the role of litigation in advancing sustainability. The UF Leadership
Development Institute organized a very popular interactive Saturday morning
workshop on communicating about sustainability with corporate leaders. Special
thanks to all the ELULS Public Interest Committee members who helped in
organizing and moderating the twelve very successful panels that spanned Friday
and Saturday.
Next Generation Environmental Law Roundtable
The Levin College of Law was host to a roundtable meeting on Thursday, March
1, that brought together a group that included environmental and land use law
professors and experts in economics, political science, environmental and
chemical engineering, ecology, urban planning, and sociology to discuss
collaborative projects to inform the development of the next generation of
environmental laws. Representatives of a wide array of disciplines from the
University of Florida joined with legal scholars from around the country for a
day of discussions to identify future needed research and ideas that warrant
further development. The roundtable was funded by a seed money grant from the UF
School of Natural Resources and the Environment.
UF Environmental Speaker Series and Capstone Colloquium
One more speaker will be visiting UF as part of this spring’s Environmental
Speakers Series: Marc Mihaly, Acting Associate Dean for the Environmental
Program and Acting Director of the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law
School, will speak on Kelo and Public-Private Redevelopment on Thursday March 29
from 3-5 pm in the Faculty Dining Room in Bruton-Geer Hall.
The Environmental Speaker Series is supported by the Environmental and Land Use
Law Section, Hopping Green & Sams P.A., and Lewis Longman & Walker P.A. This
support enables UF to bring in nationally recognized scholars to speak on
current environmental and land use law topics. Students in UF’s ELUL Certificate
Program and UF faculty participate in the seminar with the speaker as part of
their Environmental Capstone Colloquium, and section members are invited to
attend. Because space is limited, please contact us at elulp@law.ufl.edu to
reserve a seat if you plan to attend a presentation.
New Programs at UF
IFAS Conservation Clinic collaboration on Smart Growth and Sustainability
The IFAS Cooperative Extension Service and the UF Law Conservation Clinic
have developed an initiative to provide legal services to the Florida extension
community on issues relating to land use and sustainability. The collaboration
has allowed the Conservation Clinic to retain an Assistant In Environmental Law
(Thomas Ruppert) who assists Clinic Director Tom Ankersen in the supervision of
students providing policy products to statewide and local extension personnel.
Sustainability at UF
The Office of the Provost retained Legal Skills Professor Tom Ankersen and
Conservation Clinic Student Brenda Appledorn to prepare a review of UF’s
campuswide sustainability curriculum, including centers, institutes and programs
and sustainability programs at peer or other institutions, with conclusions and
recommendations. The Provost accepted the report and directed the UF
Sustainability Committee to pursue implementation, including development of a
minigrants program, an interdisciplinary graduate certificate and a legislative
budget request.
