GREENER PASTURES: A NEW ERA OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY?

April, 7th, 2009 | 7-9 pm | Christopher Center Community Room | Valparaiso University

Panelists will discuss U.S. environmental policy in connection with the movement towards international environmental regulation, including the Kyoto accords. Panelists will share their views on policy options on the national level as well as their experiences regarding the effects of environmental regulation on Indiana.

The panel will include: Dana Dobosz, a second-year law student and a former Park Ranger at the Indiana Dunes; Marty Irwin, director of Indiana’s Center for Coal Technology Research; and Kim Ferraro, a graduate of the Valparaiso University School of Law and the Executive Director of the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation of Northwest Indiana. The discussion will be moderated by two second-year law students; Nathan Vis and Joshua (J.J.) Hermes. J.J. is also the leader of the Valparaiso’s Environmental Law Society.

Dana Dobosz graduated from Valparaiso University in 2007 with a bachelor of arts in geography, professional writing, and Native American cultural studies. She did an internship at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the fall of 2006 and then was hired as a Park Ranger at the National Lakeshore in May 2007. She is currently a second-year student at the Valparaiso University School of Law and hopes to use her experience in the environmental area in her legal career.

Marty Irwin holds a B.S. degree from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from Indiana Wesleyan. In 2006 he was appointed by Indiana’s Lieutenant Governor as director of Indiana’s Center for Coal Technology Research (CCTR), located at Purdue’s Energy Center, Discovery Park. He is responsible for prioritizing coal research projects in the State of Indiana and, in consultation with the CCTR Advisory Panel, allocates appropriate levels of research funding. Prior to his CCTR appointment, he headed up the Indiana Energy Group, served as Program Manager of the Indianapolis Urban Revitalization Program, and as an energy use analyst. He has a broad background in economics, government, and energy planning.

Kim Ferraro graduated from the Valparaiso University School of Law in 2007, winning the Kohlhoff Award for Excellence in Environmental Law, the Corpus Juris Secundum Award and the Gromley Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement and community service. Immediately after graduating, Kim founded the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation (LEAF), a non-profit, public-interest environmental law firm, of which she is the Executive Director. She is also an adjunct professor in VU’s MBA program, where she teaches a course on Business and the Natural Environment.

The main purpose of the Conversations Project is to promote mutual education, understanding and political reconciliation through dialogue and to forge connections between Valparaiso University and the wider Valparaiso community.

All Conversations Project Events are free and open to the public. The conversation will continue following the event during a reception at which refreshments will be provided.

This event is funded by the Valparaiso University School of Law and the Project on Civic Reflection. The Conversations Project also enjoys the support of many student organizations. For further information, contact Professor Jeremy Telman, Valparaiso University School of Law, 465-7811 or Jeremy.Telman@valpo.edu.

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Forty Years Gone: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Many Guises of Prejudice - April 3, 2008

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Honoring Our Veterans: Theory and Practice - November 7, 2007

Living Out Loud (LOL): The Eroding Division of Public and Private Lives - October 2, 2007

Gay Marriage: Civil Right or Civil Wrong? - April 3, 2007

Universal Versus Private Health Care: Pros and Cons - January 29, 2007

Do the Parties Represent You? Democrat, Republican or...? - November 1, 2006

A 9/11 Commemoration: Remembering the Day, Looking Ahead - September 11, 2006

 

About the Conversations Project