HELI Events and Programming
The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative hosts a wide range of events that bring together legal experts, policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and the public to explore timely environmental law and policy issues. HELI programming includes panel discussions, book talks, faculty presentations, and symposia that foster dialogue on the intersection of law, climate change, and environmental justice. Events are open to all - from students, faculty, professionals, and community members - and often include both in-person and virtual attendance options.
Upcoming HELI Events
The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative events are here.
For our past events, visit our previous events here.
Upcoming Events
The Current State of Climate Regulation: Revisiting the Endangerment Finding
The EPA’s proposal to reconsider its long-standing Endangerment Finding raises major questions about the future of climate and public health protections in the United States. In this discussion, panelists will begin by explaining what the Endangerment Finding is, why it matters, and how administrative law shapes EPA’s authority to revisit it. The discussion will then turn to the scientific response to EPA’s proposal, including how a coalition of more than 100 climate and health experts came...
Beyond ESG: How Environmental Governance Actually Works Inside Companies
Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, Vanderbilt Law School’s Private Climate Governance Lab, and the Tippie Social Impact Community for the fourth and final program in the Private Sector and the Planet series. We are pleased to welcome Jessica Hinman, Director of Sustainability & CSR at Krause Group.
In her talk, “Beyond ESG: How Environmental Governance Actually Works Inside Companies,” Jessica will move beyond the public-facing conversation about Environmental, Social, and Governance...
The Private Sector and the Planet: Jessica Hinman, Director of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility at Krause Group
Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, Vanderbilt Law School’s Private Climate Governance Lab, and the Tippie Social Impact Community for The Private Sector and the Planet speaker series.
For our last speaker of the 2025-2026 speaker series, we are excited to welcome Jessica Hinman, Director of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility at Krause Group.
In her talk, “Beyond ESG: How Environmental Governance Actually Works Inside Companies,” Jessica will move beyond the public-facing...
The Social Impact of AI Roundtable Discussion
Protecting Water, Protecting Community: Short Films & Dialogue on Indigenous Land and Water Defense
Join us for an evening of short films and community conversation exploring movements to protect water, land, and community.
The program will feature a curated selection of short films highlighting water protection movements in the Midwest, and beyond. Following the screenings, Dakota elder and historian Tim Mentz Sr. and Sikowis Nobiss, Cree-Saulteaux of the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan and the founder and executive director of the Great Plains Action Society, will participate in a...
Who Defends the Defenders? Exploring layers of sovereignty, legitimacy, human rights, and activism in land and environmental protection
Across the globe, Indigenous people who oppose large-scale development projects face harassment, wrongful arrest and prosecution, and, in some cases, lethal violence. In 2024 alone, more than 150 environmental defenders were reportedly killed in circumstances linked to their work against powerful commercial and government interests. Under international human rights law, many “frontline” defenders, who disproportionately come from poor, Indigenous, and rural communities, are recognized as vital...
In Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning Science Writer & Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert
A Recap of 2024-2025 Events
During the 2024–2025 academic year, HELI hosted a dynamic lineup of events focused on climate governance, industrial agriculture, environmental litigation, and climate science. Highlights included the Economic Implications of Climate Change Symposium, a conversation with author Corban Addison on Wastelands, a panel on climate change and insurance with New York Times climate reporter Christopher Flavelle, a book talk with Austin Frerick on Barons, and a keynote lecture by environmental law scholar Richard Lazarus. These events reflected HELI’s commitment to elevating critical environmental issues and creating space for diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary engagement.
Some highlights of our events are here.
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What kinds of events does HELI organize and support?
The HELI team hosts various kinds of events during the academic year. Those events generally fall into the following categories:
Hubbell Lecture Series
Leading voices from academia, government, environmental groups, and industry. Some lecturers are co-sponsored by other schools and programs at the University of Iowa or the larger community. The lecture series provides Iowa Law students the community the opportunity to learn from leaders of the environmental movement in the United States, builds relationships between the Law School and the environmental community, and contributes to debate about the environmental challenges facing our nation and the world. Students have the opportunity to meet privately with speakers during their visits to Iowa Law. All lectures are free and open to the public.
Careers in Environmental Law Speaker Series
HELI offers an event series focusing on careers in the large umbrella of environmental law. This event series includes public service and public interest attorneys, as well as attorneys in private practice and within larger firms and corporations. The practice areas encompass areas of environmental law, such as energy and sustainability programs, as well as more traditional compliance counseling and enforcement practices. Most speakers in this series are Iowa Law alums.
Panel Discussions and Special Events
HELI routinely sponsors panel discussions and special events throughout the year on current issues in environmental law with a particular emphasis on issues affecting the state of Iowa and the midwest region. The panel discussions are moderated by members of Iowa's distinguished and extensive environmental and sustainability faculty, staff and researchers. The discussions include presentations by academics, practitioners, and policy makers. Many of the events and panels are presented in conjunction with classroom discussions.
News about past events
HELI welcomes New York Times reporter, authors, and scholars to Iowa Law this Spring
HELI's Fall Programming Highlights Campus, Community, and Academic Partnerships
