Each summer, the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) assembles an exciting group of scholars, students, and distinguished visitors to study environmental law and policy during the most glorious time of year in northern New England.
Courses are taught by faculty from VLGS and other schools, international law scholars, leaders of nonprofit advocacy groups, and private practitioners. Whether a student is interested in a specific area of study—such as energy law, international environmental law, water law, land use law, animal law, or agricultural law—or wishes to pursue a multidisciplinary approach, the summer program offers a wide array of options.
The 2025 Summer Session featured over 20 residential courses in climate and environmental law and policy. New classes this summer included Climate and Environmental Sustainability with Karen McGaffey of Perkins Coie LLP; Federal Environmental Policy under Trump II with Sean Donahue of Donahue, Goldberg & Herzog; and The Rights of Nature, taught by professor James Salzman of UCLA and UC Santa Barbara.
Read on for more Summer Session highlights.
Special Workshop on Disaster Law
In July, VLGS hosted an in-person disaster simulation presented by Dr. Kirsten Bookmiller JD’26, professor in the Department of Government, Law, and International Relations and a faculty associate with the Center for Disaster Research and Education at Millersville University. A world-renowned expert on disaster law, Dr. Bookmiller led a practical workshop that provided an introduction to natural and man-made disasters, an increasingly relevant topic.
Following the simulation, Dr. Bookmiller was also featured on the Hothouse Earth podcast to discuss the complex impact of disasters on every level, including human rights, migration, and displacement, as well as the need for robust interdisciplinary frameworks to further inform the development of the emerging field of disaster law.
2025 Distinguished Summer Scholars
Each year, leaders in the fields of environmental law, climate law, energy law, and animal advocacy are invited to campus as distinguished summer scholars.
The 2025 scholars were (above, from left to right) Madison Condon, Boston University School of Law (Climate Law Scholar); Mijin Cha, University of California Santa Cruz (Energy Law Scholar); Marianne Engelman Lado, director of the Environmental Justice Lab, New York University School of Law (Environmental Law Scholar); and Kristen Stilt, Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law and Policy Program, Harvard Law School (Animal Law Scholar).
2025 Environmental Media Fellows
Six individuals were selected as environmental media fellows for summer 2025. This unique opportunity is open to full-time journalists who cover issues such as natural resources, energy, food systems, animal policy, and other environment-related subjects. Media fellows are invited to audit a summer course, meet with our faculty, and deliver a lecture in the Hot Topics in Environmental Law series.
This year’s cohort of environmental media fellows included (left column, descending) Dana Drugmand, an independent climate journalist who runs Climate in the Courts; Julia Sklar, who covers climate science and coastal issues; and Valerie Volcovici, who covers energy and environmental policy for Reuters.
The animal law media fellows were (right column, descending) Stephanie Hanes, lead climate change and environment writer for The Christian Science Monitor; Julianne Hill, an award-winning writer and producer; and Marin Scotten, an independent journalist focusing on industrial farming policy and its impact on animals.
Hot Topics Summer Lecture Series
Throughout the summer, our distinguished summer scholars, media fellows, and other invited experts delivered lectures on a variety of current issues in environmental law and policy. This year’s series featured presentations on environmental justice, plastic pollution, lab animal policy, the just energy transition, and the changing federal policy landscape, among other timely topics.
The Hot Topics in Environmental Law lecture series was recorded, and you can view the complete playlist below.