Widener Law Commonwealth environmental law professor honored with lifetime achievement award
Widener Law Commonwealth Environmental Law and Sustainability Professor John Dernbach has been awarded the Curtin Winsor Award from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council for his longstanding diligence and commitment to environmental leadership.
PEC is a nonprofit statewide organization that aims to protect and restore the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education and advocacy.
Dernbach, who also serves as director of the law school’s Environmental Law and Sustainability Center, is a nationally and internationally recognized expert and lecturer on sustainable development, climate change, and environmental law. He is also the author of several books, including one recently published by the American Bar Association designed to help lawyers incorporate sustainability into their law practice.
“When I arrived in Pennsylvania as a young lawyer in 1981 to work at what is now the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Curtin Winsor was legendary. There were few statewide environmental advocacy organizations, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council was almost certainly the most prominent of them. So, I am humbled to receive this honor,” said Dernbach.
“Yet there is a lot more to do. Everyone has a role to play in creating a more sustainable future – all of us – wherever we live, whatever work we do, whatever our skills are. This generation has an enormous opportunity to create a world in which every human being can thrive in harmony with nature,” he added.
“This award is well-deserved recognition of Professor Dernbach’s long-standing dedication to environmental law and sustainability issues,” said Dean Michael Hussey. “His continued contributions to the law generally and to our law school in these areas are beyond commendable.”
A video of Professor Dernbach made in honor of his award can be found at this link.
Widener University Commonwealth Law School is the Pennsylvania capital’s only law school, with three specialized centers of legal scholarship through its Law & Government Institute, Environmental Law and Sustainability Center, and Business Advising Program. Widener Law Commonwealth offers an exceptional learning experience that is personal, practical, and professional. Please visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu for more information.
