Displaying items by tag: apiel

APIEL serves as both a legal forum and space for collective visioning

KNOXVILLE — Now in its 16th year, the Appalachian Public Interest and Environmental Law Conference continues to be critical for environmental and public interest advocates across the Southeast. It is hosted annually at the University of Tennessee College of Law, and brings together lawyers, students, grassroots organizers, scientists, and policy experts to address some of the most urgent challenges facing Appalachia and beyond. 

This year’s APIEL conference, set for Oct. 25-26, is free and open to the public and features a wide range of panels and workshops centered on environmental justice struggles that expose the interlocking systems of racial, ecological, and economic harm. One focus is the ongoing resistance to a proposed AI data center in Memphis, which threatens historically Black neighborhoods with toxic waste and unsustainable water usage. 

Other highlights include a panel on the lasting effects of the Trump administration on the National Park Service and public land policy, a discussion of emerging “climate-washing” litigation targeting corporations making false sustainability claims, and a groundbreaking session titled “Abolition is Ecological.” This panel will explore how justice systems contribute to environmental violence, and how community defense strategies in places like Appalachia are reimagining what true public safety and ecological care could look like. 

KNOXVILLE — The 15th Appalachian Public Interest and Environmental Law Conference (APIEL) is set for Oct. 5 at The University of Tennessee College of Law. 

APIEL is an annual gathering of lawyers, scientists, students, and members of the general public to discuss environmental issues and happenings in Appalachia, public policy, and grassroots initiatives.

The purpose is to create dialogue between lawyers, activists, and scientists on the local areas of need and foster engagement within the community to be forces of change in the legal realm.

APIEL is a conference of the student-run Environmental Law Organization (ELO) at the University of Tennessee College of Law. ELO is not directly affiliated with the University of Tennesse or any particular non-profit organization. It is dedicated to providing students and attorneys with learning opportunities and leadership experiences.