The symposium, titled "Cradle to Cradle: The Elimination of Waste," will focus on four areas of waste—energy, oceans, food and agriculture, and electronics.
"The amount of rubbish and leftovers we leave behind is itself absurd, but the truly foolish notion is how unimaginative we've been in designing such inefficient systems," said Jack Hornickel '15, VJEL symposium editor. "As lawyers, advocates, policymakers, and activists, I believe we can find a systemic solution to waste, and this year's VJEL symposium seeks to inform and inspire that necessary work."
Hornickel and his peers drew inspiration for the symposium from "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things" by William McDonough and Michael Braungart.
"Waste management lacks the allure that the rest of mainstream environmentalism possesses—there are no mass protests, no charismatic endangered animals," said Andrew Minikowski '15, VJEL editor-in-chief. "However, the rampant inefficiency of our current waste systems is a specter that lurks within our other environmental problems and fans their flames."
"The disposal of waste may be one of the oldest environmental problems in human history, but the current generation of environmental activists, lawyers, and policymakers have the tools to arrive at creative and innovative solutions to ameliorate the problem," Minikowski added. "This year's symposium is dedicated to the idea that if we can change the world in the ways we already have, then there's no reason we can't pick up our trash along the way."
John Todd and Lauren Valle of John Todd Ecological Design will give the symposium keynote address, which will be followed by a full day of panels with experts on ocean waste, energy waste, electronic waste, and food waste.
Energy waste panelists include Scudder Parker of Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Adam Kron of Environmental Integrity Project, and Hillary Hoffman of Vermont Law School. Ocean waste panelists are Kara Lavender Law of Sea Semester, Jordan Diamond of the Environmental Law Institute, Nicholas Mallos of Ocean Conservancy, and Megan Herzog of UCLA School of Law. Electronic waste panelists are Dynda Thomas of Squire Patton Boggs, Deborah Albers of Dell Computers, Sarah Westervelt of Basel Action Network, and Cathy Jamieson of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. And agricultural and food waste panelists are Jean Bonhotal of Cornell Waste Management Institute, Karl Hammer of Vermont Compost Company, and Theresa Snow of Salvation Farms.
Interactive sessions will follow the panels and include an art exhibit, "Seven Days of Garbage," and tours of renewable energy and composting systems on the Vermont Law School campus.
"Our goal is for symposium attendees to come away feeling enlightened about our dramatic waste problem and empowered to make real, substantive changes both in their personal lives and for the betterment of our world," said Megan Backsen '15, VJEL symposium editor.
"Cradle to Cradle: The Elimination of Waste" is open to the public and press. For more information about the symposium, including registration and continuing legal education (CLE) credits, visit vjel.vermontlaw.edu/symposium or email jackhornickel@vermontlaw.edu. For more information about the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, visit vjel.vermontlaw.edu.