Enviros on Campus for Conference

Starting in 1983, the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference has been uniting environmentalists, activists, students, scientists and attorneys under the common interest of how to best protect Mother Earth. Put on by Land Air Water, a student group at the University of Oregon Law School, the theme of this year’s 43rd annual conference is “Rising to the Challenge: Justice on the Horizon” to discuss how to make positive environmental change in the world. PIELC co-director Lily Millers says that the theme is Land Air Water’s effort to show the public productive things that they can do to help the environment instead of using fear to show what the future could look like. “We just want to inspire hope and community amongst the population,” Millers says. Over three days, Feb. 28 to March 2, there will be 80 different panels held in the UO Law School and the Erb Memorial Union building. In addition, there are four workshops to discuss science and policy, confined animal feeding operation ligation, the Freedom of Information Act and ethical lawyering. The conference is open to both the public and legal professionals looking for continuing legal education credit. “We get around 5,000 people every year from across the country, even internationally,” Miller says. Keynote speakers include Tara Houska, a citizen of Couchiching First Nation and a tribal attorney, land defender, environmental and Indigenous-rights advocate as well as the founder of the Giniw Collective, an Indigenous-women, two-spirit-led frontline resistance to defend the sacred and live in balance. Miller urges anyone who would like to learn more about public interest laws and ethics to come. “There’s so much learning and education you can do by coming to this conference, even if you’re not interested in environmental law,” Miller says.

The 43rd Public Interest Environmental Law Conference is Feb. 28 to March 2 at University of Oregon. The conference is free to the public; however, attorneys wanting continuing legal education credit can sign up to register at PIELC.org.

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