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Following an eight-week Vermont Law School course on Environmental Governance in the Developing World, students have the opportunity see their classroom knowledge come to life while spending two weeks traveling through Cambodia, Vietnam, and/or Myanmar.

The U.S.-based section of the course focuses on issues facing both Southeast Asia and China, including the Belt and Road Initiative, Environmental Impact Assessments in Southeast Asia, regional cooperation within the Mekong River region, and environmental governance within China. The optional field study component allows students to observe firsthand the process and the challenges of implementing strong environmental governance in Southeast Asia. Trips include visits to local law firms and NGOs, visiting with indigenous communities affected by land concessions and land grabs, and forest hikes through some of the most remote and biodiverse habitats in Southeast Asia.

"This trip was an invaluable opportunity to not only see environmental governance in action, but also to engage directly with local peoples about the issues they are facing. I would recommend this opportunity to anyone, and if I could, I would go back in a heartbeat.”
– William Northrop JD/MELP’20

 

Students outside in a green field in Vermont
Vermont
Study forestry, ecology, and more in the rural landscapes surrounding Vermont Law School.
Students sitting in a circle at a campsite next to an alpine lake
Montana
Learn about public lands management while backpacking through the Montana wilderness.
A group of VLS students poses for a group shot on the steps of the University of Havana, Cuba
Cuba
Visit urban and rural areas of Cuba to learn about sustainable energy and agriculture. 
Students pose for a group shot in the red desert at Canyonlands park
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Travel through Arches, Canyonlands, and Bears Ears to learn about the federal laws governing public lands. 
Students pose next to a sign for the 25th UN Climate Change Conference
UN Climate Change Conference
Attend the world's most important climate conference—held in a different country each year—to serve as a delegate.
Jack Tuholske
Tuholske Institute Home
Learn how the institute promotes place-based learning where law, nature, and people meet.