Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania’s environment and “create a just future where nature, communities, and the economy thrive.”

Over the past two decades, we have achieved significant legal and policy victories that reduce pollution and protect the environment and our communities. We have provided millions of dollars in pro bono legal services while setting critical precedents and enforcing environmental laws across the Commonwealth.

But as PennFuture looks forward to the next 20 years, we recognize that we need to be more involved with cultivating the people that will continue to support our mission. Our staff have a long history of mentoring interns, externs, and fellows, and we wanted to create a more formal program to inspire the next generation. 
With the generous support of the George and Miriam Martin Foundation and the Otto Haas Charitable Trust, PennFuture created a paid legal internship program to inspire and mentor students interested in making a difference for our environment. 

Ultimately, the goal of this program is to provide the organization a cadre of young legal and policy minds interested in taking on the myriad challenges impacting Pennsylvania as well as to further their potential environmental careers. We’ve seen success on this front as many of our legal interns have found work in the Pennsylvania environmental legal space. We also hope that providing for a funded internship will help to bring more diversity and inclusivity into the non-profit environmental advocacy sphere. 

Over the past four years, our interns have made it possible for PennFuture’s legal team to do more, faster, and better! They have supported our litigation efforts against water polluters and fracked-gas facilities, they have drafted comments in support of stronger regulatory protections across the Commonwealth, and they have helped our attorneys strategize and execute impactful legal actions. We are grateful for all of the hard work, passion, and dedication of our legal interns. 
This summer, we have three fantastic students for our internship, representing a range of backgrounds and experiences. We’ve asked our new interns to explain, in their own words, what environmental law and PennFuture’s mission means to them:

Veronic Porter, Third Year student at Widener University Commonwealth Law

When I was a child I loved to be outdoors and loved helping any animal I came across. It was for this love for the environment and wildlife that I knew from a young age that I wanted to do my part in helping to protect and conserve the environment.

It was this passion that drove me to obtain my undergraduate major in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida. From courses taken in my undergraduate education and from my strong passion to protect the environment, I was motivated to attend Widener University Commonwealth Law School with the hopes to pursue a career in Environmental Law after graduation. At Widener University Commonwealth Law School, I am a member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and I am pursuing a Certificate in Environmental Law.

I was drawn to apply as an Intern with PennFuture because I related to PennFutures’ dedication to protecting the environment and fighting for sustainable communities for generations to come.  I also really admired PennFutures’ efforts to educate and outreach to citizens in Pennsylvania to help empower them to fight for change in our communities. 

Interning with PennFuture has given me the ability to expand my knowledge in Environmental Law by sharpening my research and writing skills as well as providing me with opportunities to learn first-hand about the litigation process surrounding current Environmental issues affecting Pennsylvania residents. PennFuture has solidified that Environmental Law is the field of law that I want to go into and has given me the opportunity to work with an organization that prioritizes advancing an environmentally friendly and sustainable community.

Jeremy Zimmerman, Second Year student at Penn State Dickinson Law

Growing up in Lancaster County, I have seen drastic changes in our local environment as forests and farms have been turned into parking lots and strip malls time and time again. Growing up in such a dynamic environment piqued my interest at a young age into environmental issues and political issues in my local community.

These two passions guided my educational journey, enrolling in a dual degree program which coalesced my interests. I received a Bachelor of Arts from the Paris Institute of Political Science and a second bachelor's degree from Columbia University in Sustainable Development. I never lost sight of home though, for my senior honors thesis I examined the socio-economic impacts of hydraulic fracturing on Pennsylvania's Northern Tier and continued to be involved with local issues.

After undergrad I joined my municipality's Sustainable Advisory Committee and became a technical consultant for the private sector helping businesses to achieve and keep compliance with environmental regulations. For two and a half years I inspected factories, collected field samples, wrote reports, and gave staff trainings to help ensure businesses were keeping our environment clean. 

It was ultimately this exposure to environmental regulations that sparked my interest in the law and led me to attend Penn State Dickinson Law where I am currently in my second year. I am tremendously excited to be at PennFuture where all of my passions in life— the environment, Pennsylvania, and the law come together!