Making a Difference: ELI Successes

ELI has a proud record of accomplishment in environmental protection. We have:

Trained over 50,000 lawyers and managers as well as 800 judges in 13 countries in basic and advanced environmental law and practice. Graduates of ELI programs are working on environmental problems all over the world.

Defended sound wetlands law and policy and worked with federal and state government to recognize citizen leadership in wetlands protection. ELI's work supported maintaining broad federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act and a strong federal-state partnership in protecting critical wetland resources. Since 1989, ELI has sponsored the National Wetlands Award Program with five U.S. agencies.

Helped develop state healthy schools policies. ELI's innovative research has informed state laws and programs around the country. In Connecticut, ELI's work provided policy options for writing the state's new law to improve indoor air quality in schools.

Helped develop biodiversity coalitions in Delaware, Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and New Hampshire working to adopt new programs to protect and restore biodiversity in their states. Recent ELI publications educate the public on ways to halt the spread of non-native invasive species, a major threat to biodiversity.

Strengthened the legal and policy framework for cleanup and reuse of contaminated sites— brownfields. ELI has surveyed state cleanup programs; sponsored conferences with all stakeholders; and developed policies for long-term management of sites. ELI's work was used to develop recommended uniform state laws on institutional controls for such properties.

Advanced environmental justice. For the past ten years, ELI's handbooks, videos, and training courses have shown how environmental laws can be used by both citizens and the government to combat adverse health and environmental impacts on people of color and the poor. Current activities include training for citizen groups in the U.S./Mexico border region.