ELAW Fellows Arrive From Czech Republic

The Czech Republic depends on lignite—a particularly hazardous form of coal—to meet its electricity needs. 2026 ELAW Fellows Eliška Beranová and Jan Bakule are working to help the Czech Republic phase out coal by 2033, by accelerating the adoption of renewables and advancing community-based green energy.

Eliška and Jan arrived in Eugene yesterday from Brno, Czech Republic. They are lawyers on the Responsible Energy Team at Frank Bold, a nonprofit environmental law organization with a vision to speak frankly and act boldly.

“Our energy sector is lignite dependent,” says Eliška. “We need to work together with communities and authorities to clean up the air and protect the climate from polluting fossil fuels.”

Eliška and Jan are working closely with the ELAW Team and local and regional energy experts to advance their work to decarbonize the Czech Republic.

If you are in the Eugene area, please join us at the 44^th Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC). Eliška and Jan will present their work on a panel “Opportunities for a Just Energy Transition,” March 14, 8:30 – 10:00 am, University of Oregon School of Law, Room 141. The ELAW Fellows will be joined on their panel by Dr. Megan Egler, ELAW Ecological Economist, and Jeff Vogt, Rule of Law Director of the Solidarity Center and co-founder of the International Lawyers Assisting Workers (ILAW) Network.

ELAW’s Jen Gleason, Law Program Director, will also participate on a panel at PIELC, directly following Eliška and Jan’s panel: “Creative Litigation Strategies to Address the Plastic Pollution Crisis,” March 14, 10:15-11:45 am, University of Oregon School of Law, Room 241.

Big thanks to Shannon Micheel, Michael Kresko, and Wendy Hunter for serving as host families for Eliška and Jan.

Learn more about the ELAW Fellows Program here.

All the best, 

Maggie Keenan
Partnerships & Communications Director
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide