UConn’s Center for Energy and Environmental Law’s annual Earth Day conference will tackle the question of what it means to be a “green consumer,” and will seek to understand how the law can protect both consumers and the planet.

Our day begins with keynote speaker, Maxine Bédat, an ethical fashion expert and author of Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment, who will lay out the legal and ethical problems of the fast fashion industry.

Our first panel will then seek to define the "green consumer" in fashion and beyond. Hilary Jochmans, a leading policy advocate for transparency in the fashion industry, will join Ms. Bedat and Professor Sarah Ku of Loyola University-Chicago for a conversation about "greenwashing" and the relationships between law, business and individual consumer choice.

Next, Bob Langer, a co-author of the leading treatise on the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) will kick off our second panel with the story of how Connecticut's "Little FTC Act" came to be a powerful legal tool for protecting consumers. He is joined by Annie Ugurlayan of BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division, and Lesley Fair of the Federal Trade Commission, who will discuss their successes at the federal level in combating greenwashing in advertising.

We are honored to have an afternoon keynote, Attorney General William Tong, joined by members of his Environmental and Consumer Protection divisions, who will tell us about their current efforts to fight for Connecticut consumers and the environment.

Our final panel will look to the future, exploring ways to promote more transparent, innovative, sustainable, and accountable business practices in the fashion industry and beyond. Moderated by UConn School of Business professor Stephen Park, the conversation will feature perspectives from across business and law, including Ellie Chen and Jensen Neff, founders of the recycled clothing company Oddli; Aaron Yoon, a professor at Kellogg School of Management specializing in ESG investing; and Maya Van Rossum, founder of the movement for state "green amendments."

After the third panel, we invite you to continue these conversations over UConn Dairy Bar ice cream, while exploring a live "clothing swap" on the UConn Law campus. More details about the clothing swap, and how to participate by donating, will be forthcoming.

Registration is free for students, faculty, staff and the general public. RSVP by April 17 at http://law.uconn.edu/earthday23

If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability, please contact the Law School at 860-570-5079 or via email at law.access@uconn.edu at least two weeks in advance.