In 2025, the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative (HELI) convened students, scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and community members across Iowa and the nation to examine urgent questions in environmental law and policy. Through two semesters of programming—spanning climate risk, food systems, worker protections, water law, wildlife ethics, and Mississippi River Basin governance—HELI continued to build a platform for informed dialogue and cross-sector collaboration.
By the Numbers
This year, HELI events drew 1,354 unique registrants, reflecting strong and growing engagement with environmental challenges across the region. Across all programming, 1,270 people attended in person or virtually, with 872 joining us in the Boyd Law Building and 398 tuning in online. HELI hosted 45 speakers and panelists throughout the year, contributing expertise from academia, journalism, government, advocacy, and industry.
Spring Semester
HELI’s spring 2025 programming opened with an emphasis on emerging environmental challenges that are reshaping economic, legal, and social systems across the Midwest. Discussions explored how climate change is altering financial risk and regulatory frameworks, examined the industrial and political dynamics driving modern food systems, and traced the evolution of U.S. environmental law to better understand today’s rapidly shifting landscape. HELI also featured a major conference linking labor rights, climate adaptation, and public health. By centering the lived experiences of workers and communities on the frontlines of environmental change, HELI broadened perspectives on how environmental law intersects with workforce protections and economic well-being. These events provided essential context for students, scholars, and practitioners seeking to navigate an increasingly complex era of environmental governance.
Fall Semester
In fall 2025, HELI expanded its focus on collaboration, regulatory change, and cross-regional environmental governance. Programming examined ecological ethics, species conflict, the evolution of environmental reporting, and shifting federal authority, underscoring the need for transparent governance and adaptive legal frameworks. Students, community members, and practitioners engaged actively with speakers, reinforcing HELI’s commitment to accessible scholarship. HELI also co-hosted the annual Iowa State Bar Association Environmental CLE Seminar, which will continue as we strengthen our connection with the Bar.
The fall semester also deepened HELI’s commitment to watershed-scale thinking, particularly around federal jurisdiction and Mississippi River Basin policy. A Driftless-region convening marked HELI’s first trial of an “expert-in-residence” model, with visiting partners from Tulane’s Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy and The Nature Conservancy spending almost a week on campus with students and stakeholders, sharing regional priorities. These basin-wide conversations connected upstream decision-making to downstream impacts, strengthening HELI’s role in bridging legal scholarship with on-the-ground environmental challenges. Stay tuned for future expert-in-residence opportunities!
Looking Ahead
In 2026, we will bring together academics, journalists, industry leaders, scientists, policymakers, grassroots workers, and the community to confront complex environmental problems and strengthen work across our network.
Thank you for your continued support of all HELI’s events and programming. If you have a speaker or event topic suggestion, contact lawmail-heli@uiowa.edu.
