Environmental Policy Symposium
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Details: Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | 2:00-5:30 | UC Davis Conference Center Ballroom A&B
About the event:
Join us for the 3rd annual Environmental Policy Symposium sponsored by the UC Davis Institute of the Environment and hosted by the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management.
Immerse yourself in a dynamic series of 20-minute presentations delivered by talented and passionate students working at the forefront of environmental science and policy. From the depths of our oceans to the future of sustainable agriculture, this symposium brings together some of the most pressing environmental challenges and solutions.
Highlights include:
- Human dimensions of marine protected area management
- Social and environmental impacts of lithium mining as society shifts to electric vehicles
- Ecological restoration and environmental justice on California's coastline
- Climate-smart farming techniques reshaping food systems in California's Delta
- Critical updates to general plans that include environmental justice tools to frame community development
- Navigating California's evolving environmental legislation landscape in the wake of federal changes
These presentations are based on research that Environmental Policy and Management masters students have been working on with industry partners as a part of the Environmental Policy Clinic, led by Professor Abre' Conner.
Event Agenda:
1:30-1:55 | Check-in
1:55-2:00 | Opening Comments with Abre' Conner
2:00-2:20 | Mapping Lithium Mining Impacts on Indigenous and EJ Communities in the Americas
Client: Laura Forni and Marina Mautner with Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI-US)
2:25-2:45 | Exploring Climate-Smart Farming and Land Use Alternatives in the Delta
Client: Morgan Chow and Annika Ragsdale with Delta Stewardship Council
2:50- 3:10 | Bridging Ecological Restoration and Environmental Justice
Client: Lauren Garske-Garcia, Peter Allen, Javier Padilla, Chinonso Uzowihe, Cameron Denney, Chris Laden and Alanna Casey with California Coastal Commission
3:15- 3:35 | Guidelines for CA Communities to Apply EJ Tools in General Plan Updates
Client: Nils Jepson with Governor's Office of Land-use and Climate Innovation
3:40-4:00 | Climate Forward Cities
Client: Melissa Sparks-Kranz with League of California Cities
4:05-4:25 | Prioritizing Locally Relevant Human Well-being Indicators Linked to Marine Reserves
Client: Sarah Klain with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Mark Schwartz and Ryan Meyer with UC Davis
4:25-4:30 | Closing comments with Jessica Penrose
4:30-5:30 | Reception and networking. Light appetizers and beverages will be provided.