James Chandler Jr., director of the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP), will present a public lecture titled "Trends in Environmental Legislation," at Coastal Carolina University on Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Wall Auditorium. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Coastal's chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the international sociology honor society.

For more than 13 years, Chandler has been SCELP's sole staff attorney. He has represented national, state, and local organizations in environmental cases before state and federal courts and agencies. His cases have involved a variety of issues, including wetlands, coastal management, water quality, air quality, solid and hazardous waste landfills and incinerators, and mining.

Prior to forming SCELP, Chandler practiced law in Columbia for 10 years. His environmental work has been recognized by several state and national awards, including the Sierra Club's William O. Douglas Award, the South Carolina General Assembly's Environmental Awareness Award, and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation's Conservationist of the Year Award.

Chandler, who grew up in Georgetown and lives in Pawleys Island, received a bachelor's degree in economics from Davidson College in 1972, a master's degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina in 1973 and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1977.

AKD is dedicated to the encouragement and recognition of academic excellence and achievement in sociology and to promoting an interest in sociology, research in social problems, and activities leading to human welfare. Founded in 1920, AKD takes its name from three Greek words, "anthropon" (humankind), "katamanthanein" (to investigate thoroughly) and "diakonesein" (for the purpose of service). AKD has more than 430 chapters in the United States and several other countries.

For more information, contact Sylvia Kenig Snyder, associate professor of sociology at Coastal, at 349-2471.