Law School to host Environmental Justice Summit Oct. 23

The Earth Jurisprudence Committee and the Environmental Law Society at Barry University School of Law will present the 2009 Environmental Justice Summit, “Serving the Underserved: Improved Representation for Environmental Justice Communities,” on Oct. 23. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will take place at Barry Law School, 6441 East Colonial Drive, Orlando.

Environmental justice is an area of law that focuses on the impact of wrongful environmental practices on disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Summit consists of panel discussions about various aspects of environmental justice and the need for expanded action in this field.

Lois Marie Gibbs, a 2003 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and executive director/founder of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, will be the keynote speaker for the event (noon). Gibbs became involved with environmental justice in 1978, when she discovered that her child was attending an elementary school built on top of a 20,000 ton, toxic-chemical dump in Niagara Falls, New York. She is the founder of the Love Canal Homeowners Association and directly influenced the creation of the federal Superfund program to clean up waste sites. She now serves as a resource to communities engaged in their own environmental struggles. Gibbs is the recipient of the 1990 Goldman Environmental Prize, the 1998 Heinz Award, and the 1999 John Gardner Leadership Award from Independent Sector.

Residents from Tallevast, Ocala, and the Ft. Walton area will be present for a panel discussion on how they have been impacted by environmental injustice in their own backyards and to describe their experiences during the legal process (10:15 a.m.). Other panels (1 p.m., 2:30 p.m.) will present the views and experiences of attorneys working in the environmental justice field, and collaborators from other fields including academics and community organizers, will explore how their expertise could provide more help to environmental justice clients.
Panel members include Joan Flocks, director of the Social Policy Division, Center for Governmental Responsibility, University of Florida College of Law; Timothy C. Varney, Ph.D., ENVIRON of Tampa, Fla.; Matt O’Malley, Esquire, staff attorney at WildLaw; and Jeannie Economos, pesticide health and safety project coordinator, Farmworker Association of Florida.

The day will conclude with a 4 p.m. wine and cheese roundtable discussion on ways to expand remedies and deliver greater justice for communities and people affected by environmental hazards.

Lawyers, students, activists, and community members are encouraged to attend. The Florida Bar has approved this program for 7 hours of continuing legal education credit, including 1.5 hours of ethics credit. Pre-registration is encouraged, but registrations will be accepted at the door. The fees (including lunch) for registering by Oct. 16 are: attorneys for CLE $25; students $5; general public $10. Registering after Oct. 16: attorneys $35; students $10; general public $15. A charge of $5 will be for students attending the wine and cheese roundtable.

To register or for more information, call Jane M. Goddard at (321) 206-5788. e-mail jgoddard@mail.barry.edu, or visit http://www.barry.edu/law/studentlife/EJS.htm.