Law students draft sustainability ordinances for local municipality
For the fifth year, law students stood in front of local lawmakers at a municipal meeting and presented ordinances that would help the community promote sustainability.
Over the years, students have presented ordinances about urban bee and chicken keeping, food trucks, and safe street design.
Commonwealth Professor of Environmental Law and Sustainability John Dernbach works with local municipalities and organizations over the summer to create the list of potential ordinance topics, which are then assembled into a list for students to choose. This past fall, the project was done in conjunction with Susquehanna Township, the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, and the Tri-County Planning Commission.
In the class Professor Dernbach teaches each fall, law students work in pairs to write an ordinance that addresses a pre-chosen topic in the area of sustainability law. Each project also includes a narrative that explains and justifies the ordinance. Each project paper is about 40 pages in length.
Paige Parker, a third-year law student, was surprised by the number of sustainability issues that were right in her own backyard.
“Many people aren’t fully aware of their environmental rights. I gained such a broad knowledge on certain environmental bills and proposals,” said Parker. “I will be able to take away from this class the importance of being informed on environmental topics because they have such a great impact on our everyday lives.”
The practicum course serves to give law students the hands-on experience of drafting an ordinance. Students must also apply all of the aspects of legal research, writing, and learning while working with local government to successfully complete the project. This past fall, seven proposals were presented to Susquehanna Township Board of Supervisors for consideration.
“Sustainability is so important on the local level,” said Dernbach. “It is about making economic development and environmental protection and job creation work together for higher quality of life.”