Nutritious food in schools is essential for student health, academic success, and a more sustainable future. In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by Linda Breggin, Senior Attorney at the Environmental Law Institute, along with Nancy Weiss, a chef and former Director of Food Services at Santa Barbara Unified School District, and Audrey Sanchez, Executive Director of Balanced, a nonprofit working to improve public health through healthier food environments. Together, they explore how thoughtful school food policies and plant-based menu innovations can improve student wellness while supporting environmental goals. The episode highlights local success stories, including how Santa Barbara became a national leader in integrating plant-based proteins, and discusses practical strategies—from menu analysis to procurement planning and student engagement—that schools can use to create healthier, more inclusive food programs. The conversation also touches on the importance of leadership, community involvement, and systemic support in advancing nutrition equity and sustainability in public schools.

Each year, around one billion birds die from collisions with buildings in the United States—an alarming but preventable crisis driven by modern glass architecture. In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by Viveca Morris of Yale Law School, Dan Piselli of FXCollaborative Architects, and Christine Sheppard of the American Bird Conservancy to explore the scope of the problem and the innovative solutions taking flight. The conversation highlights how science, design, and public policy are coming together to reduce bird-building collisions, with a focus on local laws in cities like New York and San Francisco that are driving industry change. The episode also touches on practical considerations (including challenges) in implementing these policies and the creative ways architects and policymakers are working to make buildings safer for birds—without compromising aesthetics or functionality. Listeners will gain insight into how legal frameworks, community action, and industry innovation are transforming the built environment to better protect wildlife.

Environmental defenders play a critical role in safeguarding natural resources and advocating for human rights, yet they face severe threats—including harassment, violence, and even murder. In this episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht is joined by ELI staff attorney, Kristine Perry, to discuss the challenges environmental defenders encounter worldwide. They explore the staggering risks defenders face, gaps in legal enforcement, and how intersecting identities and extractive industries heighten these dangers.

The episode also introduces ELI’s new platform to track the prosecution and enforcement of crimes against environmental defenders. Kristine explains how the project—starting in Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico—aims to combat impunity and bring accountability to those responsible for attacks. Tune in to learn about the urgent need for protections and how these threats impact communities, ecosystem, and global environmental governance.

Listener discretion is advised due to sensitive content regarding violence against environmental defenders. 

Bees and other pollinators are vital to ecosystems and agriculture, yet their populations face mounting threats from climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide use. In this episode of People Places Planet, Rebecca Riley, Managing Director of Food and Agriculture at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Saff Killingsworth, an Endangered Species Conservation Biologist at the Xerces Society, join host Dara Albrecht to explore how legal frameworks and science intersect to address these challenges. They discuss legislative milestones like New York’s Birds and Bees Protection Act, the role of extinction risk assessments, and how scientific research on pollinator behavior and habitat can shape effective policies. This episode details the importance of science-informed legal frameworks in safeguarding pollinators and the ecosystems they support.

In this special update episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht revisits the landmark youth-led climate case, Held v. State of Montana, after the Montana Supreme Court's ruling in December 2024. Building on the original September 2023 episode, ELI Senior Attorney and Director of the Climate Judiciary Project Helene Krasnoff joins returning ELI Staff Attorney Jarryd Page in conversation with Dara to discuss the Montana Supreme Court's recent decision affirming the trial court’s ruling in favor of the youth plaintiffs. The episode explores the legal significance of the ruling, how Montana agencies are beginning to incorporate climate considerations into environmental reviews, and the broader implications for climate litigation nationwide. Stay tuned after the update to hear the original episode featuring former host Sarah Backer, Jarryd Page, and Science and Policy Analyst John Doherty for foundational insights into the case. 

The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) plays a crucial role in managing U.S.-Mexico border water resources, overseeing treaties that impact millions of people. In this episode of People Places Planet, Commissioner Maria Elena Giner, a civil engineer and veteran in border environmental issues, joins host Dara Albrecht to discuss the IBWC's efforts to address challenges like water scarcity, infrastructure needs, and binational cooperation. They explore groundbreaking agreements like Minute 331, which brings greater predictability to water deliveries from Mexico, and the IBWC's strategies for building climate resilience. This episode provides insight into how legal frameworks, technical expertise, and cross-border collaboration are driving solutions to complex water management challenges in border communities. 

Data centers supporting artificial intelligence consume staggering amounts of electricity, with their energy demands projected to potentially account for up to 10% of total U.S. electricity consumption by 2030—posing both challenges and opportunities for clean energy goals. In this episode of People Places Planet, Jed Anderson, CEO and founder of EnviroAI, and Bob Sussman, a seasoned environmental lawyer and former senior EPA official, join host Dara Albrecht to explore the intersection of AI and the environment. They discuss how AI is transforming environmental protection, from enabling real-time regulatory improvements to empowering under-resourced communities. The conversation also examines the risks posed by AI's energy consumption and its role in climate change, as well as the potential for AI to revolutionize environmental law and sustainability efforts.

More than 35 states have introduced or drafted environmental justice laws as of 2023, and 14 of those states have implemented at least 21 new laws focused on environmental justice. In this episode of People Places Planet, ELI's Environmental Justice Law Clerk, Juliette Stanley, joins host Dara Albrecht to discuss environmental justice policies on the state level, and how they might be impacting change nationwide. They review the current landscape of environmental justice on the national and state levels and explore how past events shape current actions of states on this issue. 

At the Environmental Law Institute, interns have the opportunity to develop independent research projects based off their interests. In this episode of the People Places Planet Podcast, ELI’s summer interns, Sarah Cheung and Aneeza Ahmad, join host Dara Albrecht to share more about who they are, their independent research on the 30x30 Initiative in California and on Environmental Justice in the Farm Bill, and lessons they've taken from their time at ELI.

In this week’s episode of People Places Planet Podcast, three of ELI's four outgoing Research Associates (Sarah Backer, Ella Stack, and Tori Rickman) sit down with host Dara Albrecht to reflect on their experiences as Research Associates. The three share who they are, what brought them to ELI, the research projects they worked on, and the lessons they will take with them moving forward.