WHO: Widener Law Distinguished Professor John C. Dernbach [1], co-director of the school’s Environmental Law Center and principal author of the forthcoming book, Acting As If Tomorrow Matters: Accelerating the Transition to Sustainability [2]. He will be joined by Carl Bruch, co-director of international programs at the Environmental Law Institute and Jacob Scherr, director of global strategy and advocacy at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

WHAT: On the cusp of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, the speakers will share what media should watch for at the international event and what they expect will be hot topics of discussion. They will explain what has changed in the 20 years since the first Earth Summit and what the United States must do to foster sustainability policies and practices. 

WHEN: Noon to 1 p.m., Eastern time zone, Monday, June 11, 2012. The hour will include 30 minutes for journalist questions.

REGISTRATION: Email your name and association to mcmurrin@eli.org [3]. You will receive log-on and dial-in information.

WHY: Story ideas, helpful background, trend alerts, source building. This is an opportunity to ask questions and get educated, thoughtful answers in simple terms.

MORE: Dernbach has led the only nongovernmental effort in the United States to comprehensively assess U.S. sustainability activities and make recommendations for future actions. He attended the first Earth Summit 20 years ago and each meeting since. He will speak at a side conference to the summit, on Sustainability and the Law, to be held June 16 at the Botanical Garden Research Institute in Rio de Janeiro.