People Places Planet

Environmental law is complex, technical, and often inaccessible to the very people it’s meant to protect. In this special episode of People, Places, Planet, host Dara Albrecht sits down with members of the ELI podcast team—Associate Vice President of Communications Nick Collins, Communications Associate Maya Sokoloff, and Research Associate and incoming host Sebastian Duque—for a candid conversation about the challenges an...

What is CERCLA, and why does it matter for environmental law and justice? In this episode of People, Places, Planet, host Dara Albrecht sits down with environmental law veterans Mike McLaughlin, Sam Boxerman, and Jack Raffetto to unpack the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act—better known as Superfund. From the law’s dramatic origins in the wake of toxic disasters like Love Canal to its fa...

If you're interested in purchasing Adapting to High Level Warming: Law, Governance, and Equity, please visit ELI's website for more information.

What happens when climate projections exceed our current legal frameworks and planning models? In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht explores the provocative premise behind Adapting to High Level Warming, the fifth volume in the Environmental Law Colla...

Wetlands play a critical role in protecting communities from climate change, but restoring and sustaining them in a shifting climate is no easy task. In this episode of People, Places, Planet, host Dara Albrecht examines the impact of climate change on wetland sites through the lens of compensatory mitigation, a process through which developers offset permitted impacts to wetlands and streams by funding or conducting ecolo...

In this special ELPAR edition of People, Places, Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by guest co-hosts Linda Breggin and Mara Pusic to explore one of this year’s top Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR) articles: “A Contractual Relationship with Environmental Justice,” authored by Professor Seema Kakade. Joined by guests Maia Hutt of the Southern Environmental Law Center and Shanika Amarakoon of Eastern Rese...

In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by Jeffrey Peterson, environmental policy expert and author of A New Coast: Strategies for Responding to Devastating Storms and Rising Seas. Together, they unpack the science behind sea level rise, its regional impacts, and the urgent challenges it poses for coastal communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

The conversation explores the key drivers of...

In this installment of the People Places Planet Explained Series, host Dara Albrecht is joined by Robin Rotman, Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri, and Camille Pannu, Associate Professor at Columbia Law School and Director of the Environmental and Climate Justice Clinic, to break down the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)—the cornerstone law protecting America's drinking water.

The conversation covers SDWA’s or...

In this special episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht and ELI Senior Attorney Linda Breggin take us to Nashville for Food Waste Prevention Week, where local leaders across sectors are driving innovative efforts to reduce food waste. With nearly one-third of U.S. food going uneaten each year—impacting the environment, economy, and communities—this conversation showcases how one city is tackling the challenge h...

Nutritious food in schools is essential for student health, academic success, and a more sustainable future. In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by Linda Breggin, Senior Attorney at the Environmental Law Institute, along with Nancy Weiss, a chef and former Director of Food Services at Santa Barbara Unified School District, and Audrey Sanchez, Executive Director of Balanced, a nonprofit wor...

Each year, around one billion birds die from collisions with buildings in the United States—an alarming but preventable crisis driven by modern glass architecture. In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by Viveca Morris of Yale Law School, Dan Piselli of FXCollaborative Architects, and Christine Sheppard of the American Bird Conservancy to explore the scope of the problem and the innovative s...

Environmental defenders play a critical role in safeguarding natural resources and advocating for human rights, yet they face severe threats—including harassment, violence, and even murder. In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by ELI staff attorney, Kristine Perry, to discuss the challenges environmental defenders encounter worldwide. They explore the staggering risks defenders face, gaps i...

Bees and other pollinators are vital to ecosystems and agriculture, yet their populations face mounting threats from climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide use. In this episode of People Places Planet, Rebecca Riley, Managing Director of Food and Agriculture at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Saff Killingsworth, an Endangered Species Conservation Biologist at the Xerces Society, join host Dara Albrecht to e...

In this special update episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht revisits the landmark youth-led climate case, Held v. State of Montana, after the Montana Supreme Court's ruling in December 2024. Building on the original September 2023 episode, ELI Senior Attorney and Director of the Climate Judiciary Project Helene Krasnoff joins returning ELI Staff Attorney Jarryd Page in conversation with Dara to discuss the M...

The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) plays a crucial role in managing U.S.-Mexico border water resources, overseeing treaties that impact millions of people. In this episode of People Places Planet, Commissioner Maria Elena Giner, a civil engineer and veteran in border environmental issues, joins host Dara Albrecht to discuss the IBWC's efforts to address challenges like water scarcity, infrastructure nee...

Data centers supporting artificial intelligence consume staggering amounts of electricity, with their energy demands projected to potentially account for up to 10% of total U.S. electricity consumption by 2030—posing both challenges and opportunities for clean energy goals. In this episode of People Places Planet, Jed Anderson, CEO and founder of EnviroAI, and Bob Sussman, a seasoned environmental lawyer and former senior ...

More than 35 states have introduced or drafted environmental justice laws as of 2023, and 14 of those states have implemented at least 21 new laws focused on environmental justice. In this episode of People Places Planet, ELI's Environmental Justice Law Clerk, Juliette Stanley, joins host Dara Albrecht to discuss environmental justice policies on the state level, and how they might be impacting change nationwide. They revi...

At the Environmental Law Institute, interns have the opportunity to develop independent research projects based off their interests. In this episode of the People Places Planet Podcast, ELI’s summer interns, Sarah Cheung and Aneeza Ahmad, join host Dara Albrecht to share more about who they are, their independent research on the 30x30 Initiative in California and on Environmental Justice in the Farm Bill, and lessons they'...

In this week’s episode of People Places Planet Podcast, three of ELI's four outgoing Research Associates (Sarah Backer, Ella Stack, and Tori Rickman) sit down with host Dara Albrecht to reflect on their experiences as Research Associates. The three share who they are, what brought them to ELI, the research projects they worked on, and the lessons they will take with them moving forward. 

Many municipal buildings, schools, hospitals, restaurants, and workplace cafeterias do not offer plant-based entrees. Making plant-based meals the default or even simply offering a plant-based option can help to reduce food-related emissions. In this episode, hosts Sarah Backer and Linda Breggin explore the rang of actions in municipal climate action plans aimed at increasing the availability of plant-based proteins. Hear ...