Saul Costa hadn’t planned on supporting the Environmental Advocacy Clinic (EAC) at VLGS—he was interested in preserving beaver ponds. That changed after touring a property he was considering purchasing, when his realtor sent him an article about the work the EAC was doing with its nonprofit client Standing Trees to advocate for the protection of Vermont’s Worcester Range. Costa quickly recognized an opportunity to make an even greater environmental impact in Vermont.  

Costa is the executive director of the Li-Costa Foundation, which awarded the EAC a $250,000 grant to advocate for protection of Vermont’s scenic Worcester Range and a new direction for management of Vermont public lands. The Foundation prioritizes environmental protection initiatives, novel mental health treatment, and caring for cats.

“I am really interested in getting nature to a point where it’s recognized as a defendable entity, like a nature bill of rights,” Costa said. “I think policy and activism are a big piece of that, but at the end of the day, building case law like this is what’s going to help move the needle and create that snowball effect.”

A Systems Thinking Approach to Nature

Growing up on a 12-acre farm in Vermont, Costa was homeschooled, which provided ample outdoor time for exploring the woods and fields. His father was an entomologist at the University of Vermont and worked to protect hemlock trees from the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. His father often took Saul and his five siblings with him on trips to help with field trials. “I was just surrounded by care for the forests and that has stuck with me,” Costa said.

Costa spends as much time as he can in nature—hiking, gardening, camping, and backpacking. It’s not only restorative, but it helps him with his work. “I take mindful nature walks and focus on the physical environment around me,” he said. “My head becomes so much clearer, and I’ve leaned into that as a way of enhancing productivity.”

After graduating early from Norwich University in 2014 with a computer science degree, Costa moved to Silicon Valley for a job as a software developer. While working full time, he created an online coding environment to help students learn computer programming and then grew it into a startup, which was acquired in 2020. He now splits his time between Vermont and California.

Costa applies an engineering framework to his environmental advocacy. “One of the things that excites me the most about supporting nature initiatives is the potential for compounding network effects because natural systems are all integrated,” he said. “Worcester Range is a watershed, and protecting that has benefits to Lake Champlain, as well. My vision is that we have initiatives like these coming together and being more impactful than we thought, because they are all connected systems.” In addition to Standing Trees, the EAC works with other environmental and public interest organizations to support their advocacy goals with student-powered legal representation.

Costa credits his late father for instilling a deep appreciation of nature as a source of strength and purpose. “It would be really exciting to talk to him about this project,” he said. “I still feel him in my life and in this work.”

Small Changes, Big Impact

Costa believes there are many ways people can contribute to their communities, both locally and in the broader sense of how we connect with each other as a part of nature. Systemic change is critical, but no action is too small, and even modest actions can add up to meaningful change. Whether it’s working to keep a little insect from attacking a grove of hemlock trees or students participating in a law school clinic challenging a reluctant-to-change system, the actions can have considerable benefits.

“The clinic is a model that I would love to see more schools adopt,” said Costa. “I think it aligns beautifully with the character of Vermont, and it’s not only a way to provide students with a real-world experience—which is incredible—but also an opportunity to make a statement as a school. These are the types of projects that we want to see play out within a legal space.”

“I’m really excited to be a part of Vermont Law and Graduate School and the incredible work that the Environmental Advocacy Clinic is doing to protect forests in Vermont and New Hampshire.”