The Global Environmental Democracy Project prepares students to be advocates for global change by exploring the principles of public participation, freedom of information, and access to the judicial system and how those principles play out when confronting international environmental problems.
Professor Wood's Bedrock Lecture on Atmospheric Recovery Litigation at Oregon State University
Faculty
GEDP Fellows
Danielle Cunningham - 1L - Dean's Distinguished Environmental Law Fellow
Danielle was born and raised in Navesink, New Jersey, but feels a stronger connection to North Carolina, where she spent her undergraduate years at UNC Chapel Hill. During her time at UNC, Danielle worked with the National Park Service as a biological technician monitoring sea turtle nests on the Outer Banks, volunteered in Southeast Asia on sustainable agriculture and green building projects, conducted research for NASA using GIS technology to examine the effects and implications of climate change on the coffee growing regions of Central America, and completed her capstone research project focused on the carbon sequestration potential of living shorelines. After graduating in 2019 with a degree in environmental studies and minor in geography, Danielle spent a year living in Berkeley, CA working at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab helping to develop a device to nondestructively measure soil carbon content. Danielle hopes to use her scientific background in conjunction with her law degree to better bridge the gap between scientists and policy makers when it comes to environmental issues. In her off hours, Danielle can be found running a lot of miles, or taking yet another road trip replete with as many national park visits as possible.
Robert Mellinger - 3L - Bowerman Fellow
Rob grew up in northwestern New Jersey near the Appalachian Mountains and Delaware Water Gap. Before law school, Rob worked for ten years in the environmental field, most recently as Land Steward for the Whidbey Institute in Washington State and founding board member of a grassroots environmental non-profit. Rob holds a BA in History from Vassar College and an MSc in Holistic Science from Schumacher College. At UO Law, Rob has served as a 2020 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference Co-Director and researched natural climate solutions with Professor Mary Wood. After 1L, he interned with Our Children's Trust where he worked on youth climate litigation. Last summer, he interned with the Law Offices of Charles M. Tebbutt where he worked on groundwater contamination caused by concentrated animal feeding operations and with the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts’ pro bono program, including research on conservation easements and carbon markets. During the spring semester of 3L, he will extern with United States District Judge Ann Aiken.
Gaby Penvenne - 1L - Dean's Distinguished Environmental Law Fellow
Gaby grew up on the central coast of California swimming, surfing, kayaking and hiking. Exploring open spaces across the western United States and Alaska solidified Gaby’s love and appreciation for the environment. She attended the University of Denver for one year before transferring to UC Santa Barbara, where she competed as an NCAA swimmer and earned a BS in Environmental Studies. While studying at UCSB, Gaby became fascinated with the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration to address environmental problems affecting people and the land on which they live. At University of Oregon, Gaby hopes to develop the tools to cultivate that inspiration in her legal career.
Sierra Waetcher- 3L - Bowerman Fellow
Sierra is from the Reno/Lake Tahoe area where she learned to love hiking, skiing, and the outdoors at a young age. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Nevada, Reno. Additionally, she is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer where she spent 2 years living and working on youth development in Kosovo. She has been to 30 countries and loves any opportunity to travel. At Oregon, she is focusing on international environmental law. During law school, she has interned at the Center for Sustainable Economy, ELAW, and Western Resource Advocates. She is a Co-Director for Land Air Water and the Executive Operations Editor for the Oregon Review of International Law. After law school she hopes to work in environmental policy.
Summary Sheet
Archive of the events and scholarship of the GEDP.