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Mission
The mission of LEAF is to provide legal, technical and educational services that support community efforts to protect and sustain Indiana's natural resources.
Why LEAF is Needed
The State of Indiana is a lovely little ecological gem extending from the shores of Lake Michigan and the prairie ecologies of the north to the banks of the Ohio River and the Hoosier National Forest of the south. Crammed into this state are any number of natural resources that are part of our heritage, and indeed part of the attraction to living here. Indiana is the home to 25 state parks, 9 state reservoirs, 3 national parks, and 1 national forest. The “small-town” appeal of the state is built on the notion that much of the state is like an unspoiled, rural park.
Therefore, when these natural resources are threatened, Hoosiers try to protect their own. As a consequence, citizens of the State of Indiana have long been at the forefront of environmental advocacy to preserve this natural legacy, from the Save the Dunes Council founded in 1952 to the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club in 1975 to Hoosier Environmental Council founded in 1983.
Unfortunately, the many threats to Indiana’s natural resources rely on legal, and sometimes extralegal, means to accomplish their ends. And before LEAF’s arrival, Indiana’s grassroots organizations were at a distinct disadvantage in preserving the state’s resources because they had no meaningful access to lawyers with expertise in environmental and land use law.
Consequently, despite Indiana's ecological treasures and active environmental groups, the state now faces many environmental problems ranging from diminishing wetlands and wildlife habitat due to irresponsible land development to water and air pollution spewed from factory farms, steel plants, oil companies and coal-fired power plants. Further exacerbating these problems, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the state agency responsible for protecting the environment, is underfunded, understaffed, politicized and has curtailed its efforts to enforce environmental laws.
Since the government has failed to protect Indiana's ecosystem, citizen enforcement of environmental laws is essential. LEAF opened its doors in 2007 and now fits within Indiana's home-grown, grassroots environmental organizations by providing complementary services to their efforts. LEAF flows within the gaps between and among the missions of these organizations and provides a bridge to joint advocacy and community education. LEAF serves as the legal resource for these groups in several ways, including acting as “in-house” counsel on a routine basis when legal questions arise; providing training to citizens to act as advocates in their own communities; and providing litigation services when political action, education, settlement and mediation efforts fail.
Our Objectives:
LEAF fulfills its mission by accomplishing four primary objectives:
LEGAL SERVICE: Providing affordable high quality, legal representation to local residents in rural and urban communities, citizen groups, local governments, and environmental organizations working to protect Indiana’s natural resources;
EDUCATION: Educating residents about the public's rights under environmental laws, the science impacting good management decisions, and the importance of preserving our environment;
ACTIVE CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT: Assisting individuals and groups in grass roots organizing to mobilize citizen action needed to effectively right environmental degradation in their communities; and
FUTURE LEADERSHIP: Training the next generation of advocates and professionals working on environmental affairs through student internships and volunteer opportunities.
Our Vision is that all Indiana residents, regardless of income level, have a voice in the public and private decisions that affect their environment.
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