We help communities and groups like yours.
We are not a typical environmental organization. We assist communities to develop first-in-the-nation, groundbreaking laws to protect rights – including worker, environmental, and democratic rights, and rights of nature. CELDF provides free and low cost legal services, grassroots organizing, and education, to communities, states, and countries facing injustice. We help them to assert their rights to fight the harms they face. Learn more about how we work, or call us now at: 717-498-0054.
News from the Grassroots
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The Remarkable Advancement of the NH Community Rights State Constitutional Amendment
A landmark legislative session was held this winter in New Hampshire. It marked the first time a Community Rights state constitutional amendment was debated and voted on by a state House of Representatives.
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Press Release: PGE Continues Efforts to Bankrupt Grant Township
PGE continues to harass Grant Township, a small community in rural Pennsylvania, by attempting to force the Township to pay attorney's fees. Grant residents are protecting their water by fighting PGE's proposed fracking wastewater injection well.
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When Good Faith is Punishable By Sanctions
CELDF attorneys arguing the inalienable and constitutional rights of Grant Township, PA, residents to local community self-government are sanctioned for daring to do so.
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CELDF at the May 2018 Permanent People's Tribunal
On May 16, 2018, CELDF's Mari Margil, Associate Director and leader of our International Center for the Rights of Nature, presented at the PPT on fracking as a violation of the Rights of Nature and the human right to a healthy environment.
View All Upcoming Events
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Thomas Linzey – Earth at Risk Conference 2014 on Link TV
May 6, 2018 — May 20, 2018CELDF's Thomas Linzey spoke at the Earth at Risk conference in 2014. Link TV streams his keynote annually. Check out the schedule for May 2018!
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The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) Tribunal on Human Rights, Fracking and Climate Change
May 14, 2018 — May 18, 2018CELDF is participating in the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal Session on Human Rights, Fracking and Climate Change. Judges will be asked to consider Rights of Nature, and apply the standards of international human rights law. Join us!
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We the People 2.0 in Staunton, VA
May 20, 2018Check out We the People 2.0: The Second American Revolution in Staunton, VA.
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Colorado’s Merrily Mazza headlines Oregon Community Rights Tour
May 22, 2018 — May 24, 2018Colorado local elected councilwoman Merrily Mazza is leading the Community Rights movement in Colorado, and brings her experience and inspiration to Oregon communities fighting pesticides and pipelines. Join us!
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Always know the latest news from the front of the movement. Aside from donating time or money, joining this list is the best way to support the ongoing efforts of CELDF.
Featured Articles
Press Release: Colombia Supreme Court Rules that Amazon Region is “Subject of Rights”
April 5, 2018In the growing recognition of ecosystem rights around the world, today the Colombia Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the Amazon region in Colombia possesses rights.
Blog: The NRA, Gun Violence, and Ceiling Preemption
March 14, 2018Communities can't adopt the gun laws they believe would best protect their health, safety, and welfare. Here's why - and what communities can do about it.
Blog: Black History Month, White Supremacy, and Community Rights
February 25, 2018CELDF's Tish O'Dell shares discoveries of her own white privilege when fracking came into her community - and how Dr. Martin Luther King and Black Lives Matter inform her work with communities today
A Problem: Corporations have been granted rights allowing them to wreak havoc in communities for over 200 years.We can stop this. Here's how...
Fight for a more democratic tomorrow, today.
Our democracy has been usurped by corporations. Please give today to help CELDF return the democratic process to the people. CELDF uses every dollar of your donation to fight for rights.
Immerse yourself in the fundamentals of our current legal system.
Learn how to better understand the issues of our time.
Discover the keys to affect lasting change.
Learn MoreShow Your Support. Take Action Now.
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Water Protectors in Nottingham, NH
Show Your SupportNottingham, NH, residents have stood their ground to protect the Lamprey River Watershed, a water ecosystem supporting innumerable human and natural communities. They are up against water thieves – corporations taking their water against the will of the people.
For over a decade they have enforced their Community Bill of Rights banning corporate water withdrawals. CELDF stands with them.
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Lincoln Co, OR, Residents & the Siletz River Challenge the Timber Industry
Show Your SupportFor decades, Lincoln County, OR, residents and surrounding ecosystems have been subjected to toxic aerially spraying of pesticides by the timber industry.
Today, they’ve had enough. Working with CELDF, they are asserting the rights of the Siletz River, their own rights to clean air and pure water, and – together – they are challenging the timber industry.
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Grant Township, PA: A Stand to Protect Their Water & Their Community
Show Your SupportFor more than 3 years, Grant Township, PA, residents have been fighting PGE’s proposed frack wastewater injection well. Now their own Department of Environmental Protection has turned on them as well. Grant residents are unwavering in their commitment to protect their community.
CELDF is standing with them.