Past Events
Discover HELI’s Legacy of Environmental Programming
Explore a rich archive of past events hosted by the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative—ranging from in‑person lectures and fireside chats to virtual panels and CLE seminars. Featuring thought leaders in climate law, biodiversity, energy policy, labor and climate, water law, and more, these events highlight the Initiative’s ongoing role in fostering scholarship, public engagement, and professional development across environmental law at Iowa Law and beyond.
Past Events From Most Recent
The Making of Environmental Law in the United States with Richard J. Lazarus
Thursday, April 17, 2025 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative and the College of Law in welcoming Richard J. Lazarus, Charles Stebbins Fairchild Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, for a talk about The Making of U.S. Environmental Law - with a particular emphasis on the Midwest.More about the discussion:Richard J. Lazarus offers a new interpretation of the past three decades of this area of the law, examining the legal, political, cultural, and scientific factors that have shaped — and sometimes hindered —...
Workers on the Frontlines of a Hotter Planet
Saturday, April 12, 2025 9:00am to 3:00pm
Iowa Memorial Union (IMU)
The UI Labor Center and the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative will host the 2025 Labor and Climate Conference on Saturday, April 12 at the Iowa Memorial Union, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The topics of focus for this event are rising heat, public health, and worker safety. National speakers will be featured, as well as breakout sessions on topics including:How rising heat impacts Iowans health and safety;Local and state laws and national policy initiatives to mitigate the effect of heat on...
Environmental Law Career Panel at Iowa Law
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative and the Environmental Law Society are hosting an Environmental Law Career Panel on Tuesday, March 4 at 12:45-1:45 p.m. in 245 BLB. The panelists will give unique perspectives on their careers in different fields of environmental law. Careers in private firms, government, and nonprofits will all be represented! Lunch is provided for those who attend in person.
Panelists include:
Bret Dublinske, Iowa Law alum and Shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron, PA...
"Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry" with Austin Frerick
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Join agricultural and antitrust policy expert Austin Frerick, who will be at lowa Law to discuss his new book Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry. Barons is the story of seven corporate titans in the food industry and their rise to power, with a lens on Iowa and the Midwest.
Barons has received universal acclaim, including a coveted starred review from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, and has been named one of the “Best Books of 2024” by the latter. The...
Climate Change Basics
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 12:45pm to 2:00pm
Boyd Law Building
Iowa Law students are invited to join Professor Shannon Roesler to discuss the basics of human-caused climate change. We will cover the basics of the scientific consensus around the causes and impacts of climate change. If time permits, we will also discuss some of the challenges we face in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Registration in advance is required: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_77f28qbyVAu3y5M
The "Iowa Effect": Insurance and Climate Change with New York Times Reporter Christopher Flavelle
Friday, February 14, 2025 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative at the University of Iowa College of Law for a discussion with New York Times climate reporter Christopher Flavelle and Martin Grace, Professor of Finance at the Tippie College of Business about insurance markets in a changing climate.
Christopher Flavelle has been writing about the impacts of climate change on insurance markets for years. In May of 2024, Christopher reported on a recent trend in insurance coverage, calling it the “Iowa effect,”...
Environmental Law Seminar: A Continuing Legal Education Session
Monday, November 18, 2024 8:00am to 5:00pm
Boyd Law Building
The annual Environmental Law Seminar will be held on Nov. 18, 2024 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Boyd Law Building in Iowa City. There will be a joint session in Des Moines. This event is for practicing attorneys and will feature updates about environmental and natural resources law in Iowa. Presenters include representatives from EPA and DNR, as well as individuals to present topics in relevant case law.
Agricultural Workers and Extreme Heat: OSHA’s Proposed Heat Safety Rule
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Virtual
The UICHR Fall 2024 Webinar Series will examine Industrial Agriculture: Impacts, Advocacy, and Community. Join experts from across the United States for a series of panels discussing the impacts of industrial agriculture on the environment, community, and health of agricultural states.
Agricultural Workers and Extreme Heat: OSHA’s Proposed Heat Safety Rule
Wednesday, Nov. 13
Noon to 1 p.m. CST
Zoom ID: 977 5557 6923
Join occupational safety, labor, and environmental experts discussing...
One Community, One Book
Sunday, October 20, 2024 3:00pm to 4:15pm
Old Brick
One Community, One Book - Author Keynote
Sunday, Oct. 20 from 3 to 4:15 p.m. at Old Brick
The Fall 2024 One Community, One Book selection is Wastelands: The True Story of Farm Country on Trial, by Corban Addison. The program is an annual community-wide reading project! This event is free and open to the public and sponsored by the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights, Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, and the Iowa City Book Festival.
We look forward to seeing you for the event! Here...
Legal Advocacy and Environmental Litigation: From North Carolina to Iowa
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Virtual
The UICHR Fall 2024 Webinar Series will examine Industrial Agriculture: Impacts, Advocacy, and Community. Join experts from across the United States for a series of panels discussing the impacts of industrial agriculture on the environment, community, and health of agricultural states.
Legal Advocacy and Environmental Litigation: From North Carolina to Iowa
Wednesday, Oct. 16
Noon to 1 p.m. CST
Zoom ID: 977 5557 6923
During the second webinar, join environmental...
RESCHEDULED: Jill Sanchez, VP at John Deere: "Making It Make Business Sense: Aligning Climate Solutions with Customer Opportunity" with the Iowa Law Review
Friday, September 20, 2024 9:00am to 10:00am
Boyd Law Building
This event has been rescheduled for later in the semester. With questionsm contact lawmail-HELI@uiowa.edu.
Join Jill Sanchez — the Vice President, Financial Reporting for Deere & Company — for a keynote lecture at the Iowa Law Review's 2024 Symposium, The Economics of Climate Change. Jill will deliver a keynote addressing industry's perspectives in a climate changed world.
At John Deere (Deere & Company) Jill is responsible for overseeing the preparation of the company's consolidated financial...
Canceled
The Economic Implications of Climate Change: Iowa Law Review’s Volume 110 Symposium
Thursday, September 19 to Friday, September 20, 2024 (all day)
Boyd Law Building
The Iowa Law Review’s Volume 110 Symposium is The Economic Implications of Climate Change.
Presented by Iowa Law Review, The Classical Liberal Institute at NYU, the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, and the UI Center for Human Rights.
Sept. 19–20, 2024 in the Boyd Law Building on the University of Iowa campus.
Industrial Animal Agriculture: Impacts on the Environment, Communities, and Health
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Virtual
The UICHR Fall 2024 Webinar Series will examine Industrial Agriculture: Impacts, Advocacy, and Community. Join experts from across the United States for a series of panels discussing the impacts of industrial agriculture on the environment, community, and health of agricultural states.
Industrial Animal Agriculture: Impacts on the Environment, Communities, and Health
Wednesday, Sept. 18
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. CST
Zoom ID: 977 5557 6923
During the first webinar, join experts for a...
Countering Eco-Anxiety
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 12:30pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Join Sam Ramsey and Environmental Law Society as they unpack a common point of concern: Eco-Anxiety. Whether doom-scrolling Twitter, considering the pace of climate action, or reading case law, we all need tools to identify, manage, and adapt to changes in our world and psyche!
Wetlands Conservation after Sackett v. EPA: Federal Implications and State Responses
Friday, April 5, 2024 (all day)
Boyd Law Building
Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative on Friday, April 5, 2024 as we convene federal and regional partners for a series of panels discussing wetlands conservation after Sackett v. EPA.
Food and beverages will be provided for those who register in advance. Registration for this event is open here: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1CegdZIlH6K9NTE.
International Perspectives on Environmental Enforcement: Plastics, Climate, Monitoring Technologies, Environmental Justice and More
Monday, March 18, 2024 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
On Monday, March 18, 2024 join HELI in welcoming LeRoy Paddock (77JD) to campus to reflect on the work occurring at the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, as they prepare for an international summit on plastics, climate, monitoring technologies, environmental justice, and more.
Food and beverages will be available for those who register in advance. Registration for this event is open here: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Hpq229EHbxACH4.
More...
Rob Verchick - 'The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience'
Friday, February 23, 2024 12:45pm
Boyd Law Building
On Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative in welcoming to campus author Rob Verchick - a leading climate law scholar who designed and implemented climate-resilience policies in the Obama administration. He holds the Gauthier-St. Martin Chair in Environmental Law at Loyola University New Orleans, is the Frances B. Cashin Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, is a senior fellow in disaster resilience at Tulane University, and...
The Inflation Reduction Act in Iowa: Implementing the Clean Energy and Climate Provisions
Friday, February 16, 2024 10:00am to 4:00pm
Boyd Law Building
Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, Rewiring America, the UI Labor Center, and the Iowa Environmental Council for a series of panels discussing the Inflation Reduction Act in Iowa. Sessions will focus on national trends in the landmark climate legislation, state and local opportunities currently underway, and labor and prevailing wages in Iowa.
Keynote:
Kristin G. Eberhard, JD, MEM
Senior Director of State & Local Policy at Rewiring America
Keynote time: 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. in the...
Environmental Law CLE
Thursday, November 16, 2023 (all day)
Antarctica: Bellwether of the Planet
Wednesday, November 8, 2023 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Please join the Environmental Law Society as we hear from visiting Professor Robert Andersen about the law governing Antarctica, the Continent's role in understanding environmental science and climate change, and his experiences working there. Lunch will be provided!
Environmental Law Internships Student Panel
Friday, October 27, 2023 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Boyd Law Building
*DATE CHANGE - This panel was originally scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 26. As of 10/20, it has been changed to Fri, Oct. 27 (same room).
The Environmental Law Society is excited to host a student panel on environmental summer internships. A list of environmental legal internships will be provided and students will discuss their experiences applying for and interning in the legal field. Lunch will be provided!
Water in the 21st Century: Fireside Chat
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 5:30pm to 6:30pm
Boyd Law Building
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, HELI will host a fireside chat style discussion between Dean Kevin Washburn and Tanya Trujillo, Iowa Law graduate (92JD) and former Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the US Department of the Interior. Assistant Secretary Trujillo is currently the Water Policy Advisor to the New Mexico Governor and Deputy State Engineer. Assistant Secretary Trujillo will discuss her perspectives as an Iowa law graduate whose winding career path took her from private practice to the...
Land Use and Biodiversity in an Ag State: Policies and Programs for Habitat and Species Conservation in Iowa
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Panelists will discuss the 30 by 30 Initiative, existing laws, current conservation programs, as well as legal and policy tools available for increasing habitat and protecting biodiversity on privately owned agricultural land across the state.
Panelists for this event are:
Anna Gray, Public Policy Director & Counsel at the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
Ingrid Gronstal, Research Fellow at the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative
Kate Hansen, Senior Policy Associate at the Center for...
Adapting to a Warming World: Perspectives from the Environmental Law Collaborative
Friday, April 14, 2023 (all day)
Boyd Law Building
Join environmental scholars from around the country for a series of talks exploring what it means to adapt to a warming world. This event will take place in Levitt Auditorium, in the Boyd Law Building on the University of Iowa campus. The panels and talks for the day are as follows:
9:30 a.m: Welcoming Remarks
9:30 - 10:45 a.m. - Panel One: Adapting Law to a Warming World
Introduction to the Environmental Law Collaborative Project and the Disruptions of a Warming World
Western Water Rights...
Our Common Ground: Why America’s Public Lands Are a Political and Conservation Success Story with Author and Professor John Leshy
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Author and Professor John Leshy discusses his new book, Our Common Ground: A History of America’s Public Lands on April 4, 2023. Professor Leshy’s talk highlights the main themes of this history and lessons it offers for dealing with contemporary challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and the dramatic increase in visitation.
More information will be available at: heli.law.uiowa.edu/publiclands
John Leshy is the Emeritus Distinguished Professor at University of California College of...
The Human Rights Conundrum: Climate Change Interventions as Both Problem and Solution
Friday, March 31, 2023 8:50am to 6:15pm
Virtual
Join The Journal of Gender, Race & Justice (JGRJ) and Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems (TLCP) for discussions on the human rights implications of voluntary carbon markets and emerging geoengineering technologies developed to combat the climate crisis.
Our panelists will explore the pragmatic implications of these approaches as well as possible regulatory frameworks, nationally and internationally. Throughout these discussions, we will center global Indigenous voices speaking on self...
Careers in Environmental Law Panel
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Join the Environmental Law Society and the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative in a panel session with environmental law professionals, who will discuss various career paths in environmental law. Those career paths include professionals working in private firm work, nonprofit work, and government work.
Panelists for this session include:
Andy Andersen, Environmental Consultant, Sole Proprietor
Eric Dirth – Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa
Ingrid...
A Spotlight On: The Endangered Species Act
Friday, February 17, 2023 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative for a fireside chat between Dean Kevin Washburn and Kierán Suckling, a Founder and the Executive Director of the Center for Biological Diversity. They will discuss how the Center has become a successful litigant and change-maker for endangered species and critical habitat.
Lunch will be provided for those who register in advance.
More information about the event is available at: https://heli.law.uiowa.edu/endangeredspecies
Please register at the...
Panel Discussion: Carbon Pipelines Across Iowa
Monday, November 7, 2022 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
You are invited to join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative (HELI) at the UI College of Law in a panel discussion about the “Carbon Pipelines Across Iowa.” This discussion between policy experts, pipeline representatives, landowners, and environmentalists will take place on Monday, Nov. 7 from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. in the Boyd Law Building. You can register to attend this event in person or virtually here: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0ImZceYO2qwkZYq.
HELI will be providing...
Solar Energy in Iowa: Policies and Practices at the Municipal, County, and State Levels
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 9:00am to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
UPDATE: On 10/4, this event has been moved to the Levitt Auditorium in Boyd Law Building. Attendees can arrive any time after 9 a.m.
Join policy experts, researchers, industry members, public employees, and nonprofit organization representatives for a series of panel discussions focusing on solar policies and practices across the state of Iowa. Each panel will focus on solar topics at different levels—from municipal level issues (net metering), to county level (utility scale, land use, siting)...
Supreme Court Preview Co-Hosted by the American Constitution Society and Federalist Society
Thursday, September 30, 2021 12:45pm to 1:45pm
Boyd Law Building
Come see the annual Supreme Court Preview panel, co-hosted by the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society. Professors Hughes, Muller, and Pettys will discuss some of the most important and controversial cases on the docket for the upcoming term. Lunch will be provided. Room 200. The Environmental Law Society with also be collaborating with the ACS and Federalist Society. The ELS has invited Professor Roesler to speak on City and County of San Francisco v. EPA.