The Environmental, Energy, and Climate Justice (EECJ) Fellows at Temple Law are increasingly committed to making environmental justice a crucial part of legal education. At Temple Law, students learn how local, federal, and international law all play roles in this work—from local battles over cleaning up legacy contamination, creating green space, and fostering resilience in overburdened communities; to understanding how our vast network of federal law and policy is both promoting and hindering the clean energy transition; to studying the global impact of international trade deals and global supply chains on public health, resilience, and biodiversity.
Last year’s Fellows built on the great accomplishments of the first year of Fellows in 2024-2025. They hosted an event with the Temple Environmental Law Society (TELS) and the Artificial Intelligence Law Society (AILS), featuring Eleanor Breslin from Clean Air Council and Aaron Stemplewicz from Earthjustice, to discuss how environmental law professionals are addressing the rise of data centers. These conversations continue to expand and evolve as data center regulations change in Pennsylvania, and they remain of huge interest to the region at large.
Additionally, the EECJ program helped coordinate a panel on Environmental Justice in the Age of Mass Incarceration. Panelists included BP Lyles, Director of the Human Rights Coalition’s Toxic Prisons Campaign; Christopher Markos, Esq., a partner at Williams Cedar with a background in civil rights law; and Dr. Jaquelyn Jahn, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health. This intersectional conversation explored how prisons and mass incarceration are environmental justice issues and what can be done, including supporting efforts for safe drinking water in New Jersey state prisons and the Human Rights Coalition’s Toxic Prisons Campaign.
All this action culminated in last semester’s Environmental Justice Conference: “Meeting the Moment: Building a Resilient Environmental Movement.” Panels covered the clean energy transition and movement lawyering as career paths in environmental law. The Fellows supported community service efforts in Philadelphia with Owls for Philly. Keynote speaker Robert Bilott spoke to the law students about his story and his work on PFAS litigation, which inspired the movie “Dark Waters,” featuring Mark Ruffalo.
This year, the EECJ Fellows are exploring how Temple can harness students’ interests in environmental law to advance environmental justice. They launched the EECJ Blog, with more student articles to come, covering EECJ Events and Programming, People and Practice in environmental law, and the broader environmental justice landscape in Philadelphia and PA. This year, EECJ programming continues to expand into other areas of environmental law, such as public interest and plaintiff litigation, to demonstrate how environmental advocacy crosses everyone’s path.
Meet the 2026-27 Fellows
Ilana Sanchez, 3L, grew up in central New Jersey and developed an interest in environmental justice while studying Business Administration at Northeastern University. While participating in campus civic engagement programs, she chose to spend her time at various animal shelters and sanctuaries across the country. Through these experiences she recognized the impact climate change was having not only on the health and safety of animals, but also on the health and safety of surrounding communities at large. After working in the legal industry for a bit after graduating, she applied to Temple Law with the intention of pursuing a career in environmental law and climate justice. While at Temple, Ilana has participated in the ABA SEER Bridge Mentorship Program, and is co-founder and President of the Temple Disabled and Allied Law Students Association (DALSA). Through the EECJ Fellowship, Ilana hopes to continue her mission of advocating for vulnerable populations, championing sustainable climate policy, and highlighting how environmental law affects all other areas of law. She also hopes to broaden access to environmental legal opportunities to students, especially those that may be newcomers to the field. Outside of the law, Ilana enjoys going to as many concerts as she can, hiking, and going to the movies with friends.
Laís Ramirez Santoro, 2L, is originally from Brazil and sees how environmental justice issues affect the world differently and disproportionately. She first got involved in community organizing in high school, canvassing for candidates and working to prevent a pipeline extension in her town. At Johns Hopkins University, she studied Public Health and Environmental Studies and was heavily involved in the environmental movement on campus and in the city. She advocated for ending contracts for dining and pouring rights, food justice on campus, and organizing against incineration and for a local compost facility. She was also a Sustainable Design Fellow with the Ecological Design Collective. She is currently on the Law School Sustainability Committee. She is interested in pursuing a career in plaintiffs’ litigation, working on mass torts, toxic and otherwise, and advocating for justice. Other career interests include working in international law and human rights or public defense. She hopes to engage in pro bono and public interest work with community organizations and to see how Temple can better support these efforts through EECJ and other programs. She loves her monstera, reading memoirs and novels, and going to yoga.
Rahul Singh, 2L, is from Canada but grew up in the United States. He spent many summers in the forests of British Columbia and was interested in environmental work from a young age. He is on the executive board of the Temple Environmental Law Society and is interested in protecting the natural beauty of Philadelphia, and the country at large. After graduating, he is interested in working in energy regulation and hopes to build a career advocating for environmental rights as a whole. Outside of law school, he enjoys watching movies, taking photos, and daydreaming.
Zach Lytle, 2L, has always loved playing outside – whether gardening, hiking, swimming, or playing with dirt. While at Swarthmore College, Zach learned about the extent of the climate crisis. After focusing his studies on solutions to the climate crisis, he was a Sustainability Research Fellow focused on campus food systems. After college, Zach worked in the energy industry because electricity is one of the largest sources of global emissions. After seeing the law often prevent innovative clean energy systems from being implemented, Zach decided to apply to and attend Temple Law. After law school, Zach intends to support people trying to build resilient infrastructure and energy systems. Through the EECJ Fellowship, Zach is contributing to efforts to grow student opportunities in the energy transition and to deepen Temple Law’s work in the local environmental movement.
Returning Fellows
Gabrielle Lemonier, 3L, grew up outside of New Orleans and studied political science at Columbia University. After reading The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, she felt a sense of urgency around climate change and started volunteering with environmental groups outside of her work as a writer and editor. Through the Fellowship, Gabrielle wants to collaborate with other student groups to highlight how environmental law intersects with so many other areas of law. She also wants to play to Temple’s strengths as a leader in public interest, garnering wider support for the movement to advance climate justice.
Nour Elkassabany, 3L, grew up outside of Philadelphia and studied Health and Societies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her interest in EECJ work grew out of taking an environmental health class, which was a case study exploring the legacy of asbestos manufacturing in Ambler through oral histories, local archives, and community theater. This interest further developed through months of volunteering at local farms in Chester County and Philadelphia. These experiences highlighted experiential expertise and equitable decision-making, shaping her interest in environmental justice and community development. Through the Fellowship, she wants to show students that their work across many sectors still has a stake in environmental justice and to build a robust set of resources at Temple to make ongoing EECJ work more visible and easily accessible for students.
Continuing the Trend of Environmental Advocacy
The EECJ Fellowship program at Temple Law is more than just an educational opportunity. It is a platform for students to engage deeply with pressing environmental issues, connect with like-minded professionals, and contribute to a legacy of advocacy that extends beyond the law school into the broader community. As these Fellows work to build bridges between students, alumni, and environmental advocates, they are not only shaping their own futures but also the future of environmental justice and sustainability.