More than 150 attend environmental justice conference

More than 150 environmental law professors, organizers, advocates and students from across the country converged Friday, Jan. 26, at Wayne State University Law School for “Environmental Justice in Practice.”

The day-long conference focused on emerging legal issues related to environmental injustice and exploration of career opportunities.

The panelists at the event discussed careers in environmental justice; energy and climate justice; water access and affordability; and urban air quality.

Delivering the morning keynote address was Mustafa Santiago Ali, senior vice president of climate, environmental justice and community revitalization for the Hip Hop Caucus; delivering the lunch keynote address was Charles Lee, senior policy advisor for the Office of Environmental Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The event was presented by Wayne Law’s Transnational Environmental Law Clinic and Environmental Law Society; University of Chicago Law School's Abrams Environmental Law Clinic; American Bar Association's Environmental Justice Committee of the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Great Lakes Environmental Law Center; Environmental Law Institute; and CURES at Wayne State University.