Environmental Law Summit Returns for its 31st Year with a Focus on the Frontlines of the Future
The Tulane Environmental Law & Policy Summit (TELS) returns this spring for its 31st year, continuing a three-decade tradition of student-led dialogue on the environmental law and policy issues shaping the Gulf South and beyond. Entirely organized by students and free to attend, the Summit has long served as a space where future lawyers engage directly with practitioners, scholars, activists, and community leaders working at the forefront of environmental change.
This year’s theme, Frontlines of the Future, centers on the people and ideas driving solutions to some of today’s most urgent environmental challenges. Over the course of the Summit, more than 40 speakers will participate in panels exploring topics such as tribal water rights settlements, the future of sustainable AI, ethylene oxide and mass toxic exposure, legacy lawsuits and coastal reclamation, and the impacts of carbon capture and storage on the Gulf South. In addition to panel discussions, the Summit will feature networking opportunities, volunteer trips with local nonprofit partners, and the first-ever Summit Soiree. CLE credit will be available for practicing attorneys.
Among this year’s keynote speakers is Franziska Trautmann, co-founder and CEO of Glass Half Full, whose work reflects the Summit’s emphasis on practical, forward-looking environmental solutions. A native of Carencro, Louisiana, Trautmann is a Tulane University graduate with a degree in chemical engineering and has become a leading voice in sustainable materials management and coastal restoration.
Trautmann co-founded Glass Half Full in New Orleans, where the company recycles glass into sand and cullet for use in coastal restoration projects and bottle manufacturing. What began as a small, grassroots effort has grown into a scalable operation that has diverted more than 12 million pounds of glass from landfills, transforming waste into a resource for environmental resilience.
In addition to her work with Glass Half Full, Trautmann helps lead ReCoast, a National Science Foundation–backed research team conducting research on the use of recycled glass sand in coastal restoration. The team has completed six restoration projects, resulting in the restoration of thousands of meters of coastline and contributing to broader efforts to protect vulnerable coastal communities.
Trautmann also brings an educational lens to her work, using social media to make complex environmental systems more accessible. Through short-form videos on topics including recycling, climate change, and wastewater treatment, she has built an audience of more than 300,000 followers and reached millions of viewers.
By featuring speakers like Trautmann, this year’s Summit highlights the intersection of law, science, innovation, and community engagement: an approach that has defined TELS since its founding. As students once again take the lead in shaping the program, the 31st annual Tulane Environmental Law & Policy Summit offers a forum for meaningful conversation about the environmental challenges ahead and the solutions already taking shape.
