Classes and Instructors
The 2022 Class will begin on Thursday, February 17th, 2022 and will meet virtually on Thursdays through April 28th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (excluding Passover). We anticipate awarding 12 CLE credits during the term.
Instructors of NYCELLI Classes include leading attorneys from all sectors of environmental practice, including NYCELLI alumni. NYCELLI applies for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits in the Area of Professional Practice category for most classes, which are appropriate for new and experienced attorneys. We also anticipate holding at least one ethics class. Participants typically earn approximately 15 CLE credits.
Instructors vary by year. The 2020 class schedule and instructors were as follows:
- Class 1 (Introduction). Eric Goldstein, NRDC and NYCELLI Executive Board
- Class 2 (Air & Energy). Radina Valova, Pace, Rachel Spector, NYLPI, Stephan Roundtree, WE ACT
- Class 3 (Land). Paula Segal and Daniel Carpenter-Gold, TakeRoot Justice, Chris King, Law Department
- Class 4 (Waste). Melissa Iachan, NYLPI, Bob Martin and Chris King, Law Department
- Class 5 (Water). Daniel Estrin, Riverkeeper, Shiva Prakash, Law Department, Patrick Foster, NYS DEC
- Class 6 (Methods of Change). Nancy Marks, NRDC, Meagan Chen, NYC City Council
- Class 7 (NYCELLI 2019 Class project presentations)
- Class 8 (NYCELLI 2020 project proposal presentations)
Tours
The class goes on several tours of environmentally significant sites during and after the course. Tours in 2020 were entirely virtual, including Sims Recycling Center, Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, and a virtual walking tour of environmentally significant sites in Manhattan. In 2021 we toured the Gowanus Canal on the Riverkeeper Boat and toured the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatement Plant. The class helps select the tours.
Environmental Quality Improvement Projects
Working together in small groups, NYCELLI participants develop and implement a one-year project designed to improve the quality of the New York City environment and the health of its residents. Participants develop their project proposals throughout the course of the program, calling on their personal interests, the material covered in meetings, and the guidance of the presenters, Board of Advisors, and NYCELLI alumni, and present their final project plan to the class at the eighth (and final) meeting.
While the ultimate form of the projects can vary greatly, depending on the interests, creativity, and skills of the project teams, all projects advocate for reforms in law, policy, and/or practices, that contribute to the preservation, restoration, and/or enhancement of the City’s environmental health. Strategies include legislative or regulatory advocacy, educational tools or campaigns, innovative partnerships, and the provision of litigation or pro bono legal assistance to an environmental organization or stakeholder group in support of a specific outcome.
With the ongoing support of the Director and the broader NYCELLI community, participants implement their projects over the year and return to present their projects to next year’s class: to describe their experiences, present the outcomes, and share the lessons they’ve learned in order to assist the participants of that class in finalizing their own project plans.
For examples of past projects, see the Past Projects page.