Join Us On Oct. 6th

posted on Friday, September 30, 2016

Annual Conference logo
Thurs., Oct. 6, 2016
DMACC Ankeny Campus -
FFA Enrichment Center
1055 SW Prairie Trail Parkway
Ankeny, IA

The Iowa Environmental Council's 2016 Annual Conference, ECOnomics: Dollars, Sense & Sustainability is right around the corner, and this year's event is one you don't want to miss!

Rob Bilott, a Cincinnati-based lawyer regarded as one of the best lawyers in America for his litigation and environmental practice, and Jon D. Erickson, a fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics working at the forefront of his field, will be our featured speakers.

Bilott is best known for his work on an innovative, ground-breaking environmental class action suit involving tens of thousands of people alleging contaminated drinking water in West Virginia and Ohio. The case, which earned him the 2005 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation and the 2014 Clarence Darrow Award, was featured in The New York Times Magazine story, “The Lawyer Who Became Dupont’s Worst Nightmare,” published January 6, 2016. He is a partner at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLC, where he represents a diverse range of clients on a wide variety of matters involving federal, state and local environmental laws and related litigation.

Erickson has published widely on a variety of topics ranging from environmental management to ecological economics theory and practice, and has led international research and education programs around the world. He has produced Emmy award-winning documentary films on water, energy and food system transitions, and founded and led numerous non-profit organizations including the U.S. Society for Ecological Economics, the Adirondack Research Consortium, Deportes para la Vida and Bright Blue EcoMedia. In addition to his work at the Gund Institute, Erickson is a professor at the Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont.

Erickson and Bilott will be joined by over a dozen dynamic speakers hailing from across Iowa and the Midwest, who will delve into how to seize opportunities to advance policies, programs and practices that offer ecological, economic and societal benefits.

The conference will also feature “Water in Iowa: Voicing the Lexicon,” an exhibition of 30 informational artworks that examine issues related to Iowa’s water quality. The artwork was created in the fall and winter of 2015 by students in the Bluestem Institute at Ames High School in partnership with Project Localize and the Lexicon of Sustainability.

Discounted tickets are available for students. A limited number of scholarships are also available to students facing financial barriers. RSVP Today.

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