Introducing PennFuture's New Legal Interns!

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 25 years, 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 25 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 of legal minds.

In 2020, 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. The program is now fully funded through PennFuture’s Legal Environmental Advocacy Fund (LEAF), our dedicated legal fund supported through individual donations.

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 six 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 polluters, 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 joining us who bring their unique backgrounds and experiences to our mission. We’ve asked our new interns to explain, in their own words, what environmental law and PennFuture’s mission means to them:

Melissa Kampf, Rising Second-Year Student at Rutgers Law School

I decided to attend law school to make a difference in the frameworks that govern environmental initiatives.
Before law school, I worked as a project manager in both the public and private sectors. At the municipal level, I oversaw projects related to environmental concerns, such as stormwater management, composting, ordinances, bid specifications, and contracts. In the private sector, I served as a commercial project manager for a solar company, where I managed over 100 solar and energy storage installations, ranging from residential homes to large warehouses and dairy barns.

I earned my B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont, with a minor in Community and International Development. During college, I developed a passion for communicating about climate issues affecting my community and for understanding the local stakeholders and networks that influence broader climate initiatives.
Environmental law represents an intersection of my background in environmental studies, construction, land use, and zoning. I am excited to join PennFuture to explore these interests further and learn more about the landscape and current issues facing Pennsylvanians.

Eryn Banton, Rising Second-Year Student at Temple Beasley School of Law

I grew up in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, where nature has always been a significant part of my life. Whether it was walking the Wissahickon trails with my dad, spending time with our family pets, or riding horseback, connecting with nature was an integral part of my routine. Those experiences fostered a deep appreciation for the natural world, but as I grew older, I noticed that not every community enjoyed the same connection to nature. I found myself wondering why some neighborhoods were lined with trees while others were not, and why access to a healthy environment often seemed more like a privilege than a basic human right.

This curiosity led me to pursue a degree in Global Development and Sustainability, where I learned about the significant role of economic development and resilience planning in ensuring everyone has access to a healthy environment. Since then, I have been named an Emerging Leader in Green Finance by GreenBiz and served as a Board Member of the American Sustainable Business Council, where I contributed to efforts that successfully overturned Texas Senate Bill 13.

Ensuring that everyone in my community is included in the just transition is what excites me most about interning with PennFuture this summer. While I am grateful for the national exposure I have gained through my previous experiences, I have been seeking an opportunity to better understand the unique dynamics of the communities I call home and how the law can be leveraged to advance environmental sustainability at the local level. I am excited to learn from PennFuture's talented team, deepen my understanding of how energy law can be used to promote sustainable economic development, and gain a greater appreciation for what it means to collaborate meaningfully with the communities we serve on these legal and policy initiatives.

Heather Callahan, Rising Second-Year Student at Harvard Law School

I have been interested in nature for as long as I can remember. As a kid growing up in Newark, DE, I spent countless hours exploring the plants and insects in my family’s suburban yard. We had a big oak tree where I’d find gall wasps, acorn weevils, and ants, which got me hooked on ecology.

This interest stuck with me through college. I earned my bachelor’s in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, which gave me opportunities to study in ecosystems as diverse as the Kenyan savannah, the rainforests of Panama, and the plains of Montana. Despite these amazing experiences, I still wanted to learn more about the ecosystems around where I grew up. This brought me back to Delaware, where I earned my master’s in entomology at UD. My thesis focused on controlling the invasive emerald ash borer.

Studying entomology illuminated how diverse and interconnected life is—even a single oak tree can support countless species! I decided to pursue law school because I want to protect the natural world that I’ve spent so long studying, as well as the human communities who depend on it. Fighting for a livable climate, clean air, and clean water is key to safeguarding the ecosystems that we all depend on.
I’m happy to be joining PennFuture this summer so that I can develop and hone my environmental advocacy skills. I’m especially excited to learn about particular environmental challenges facing Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region, as this is where I hope to practice after graduation.

Donate to Support our Legal Internship Program

Our ability to continue our Legal Internship Program depends on the generosity of supporters like you. Please help us develop the next generation of attorneys dedicated to protecting Pennsylvania’s environment.