Our Mission
Our mission is to build sustainable communities by assisting people to assert their right to local self-government and the rights of nature.
We help communities create a more democratic future.
For over 25 years, we have assisted communities to develop first-in-the-nation, groundbreaking laws for worker rights, houseless rights, democratic rights, and the Rights of Nature. We also provide free and low-cost legal services, grassroots organizing, and education support, to thousands of communities and governments facing injustice locally, nationally, and globally. Contact us now.
“Wouldn’t You Say?”
Welcome to CELDF’s new commentary series that focuses on key concepts in our work to advance Community Rights and the Rights of Nature.
Superficially, these may appear to be separate movements for legal rights but, as we have come to understand, everything’s connected and the artificial separation of human communities from the natural communities that we refer to as “ecosystems” allows the migration of imprudent and commercially biased dogmas into environmental and political policies. Like our “Fast Facts Friday” whiteboard videos, “Wouldn’t you say?” treats key legal, political and ethical concepts with an eye to brevity and accessibility. We hope they’ll be helpful to you and all of our CELDF community.
Blogs
Wouldn’t You Say? – From Rights of Nature to Right Relationship
We are used to extracting not only metallic ores and fossil fuels, but ourselves and our communities from the natural world, and yet we don’t…
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Blogs
Wouldn’t You Say? – Saving the Economy Means Not Saving Nature
At the risk of expediting the die-off of most life on the planet, including most humans, judges continue to turn a blind eye toward the…
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Blogs
Wouldn’t You Say? – Materialism is Substance Abuse, Literally
Let’s be generous and call the COP–15 agreement a plan for conserving 1% of Earth’s biodiversity. That means that negotiators agreed to sacrifice 99% of…
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News from the Grassroots
East Palestine: “We Basically Nuked a Town with Chemicals So We Could Get a Railroad Open”
We can’t turn back time, but we can change this disastrous system so no company…
Read More | News
In Times of Increasing Uncertainty, We Already Have What We Need
We must start trusting in ourselves and in our community members to be able to…
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Watch the video: “Water is Us”
“Water Is Us” was moderated by ORCRN’s board member and CELDF organizer Kai Huschke. Joining him was: On February…
Read More | Community Rights
Guest Blog: We Must Overturn SCOTUS Decisions That Effectively Deny Rights to Black People
The posting of this piece is a reflection of CELDF’s commitment to featuring diverse perspectives…
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Conservation Today: Kai Huschke and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
Kai Huschke, with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, talks to us about the hierarchy…
Read More | Community Rights
Wouldn’t You Say? – From Rights of Nature to Right Relationship
We are used to extracting not only metallic ores and fossil fuels, but ourselves and…
Read More | Blogs
Fast Facts
Our Fast Facts are quick introductions to big ideas and concepts tackled by the Community Rights Movement! Check out our Fast Facts and find resources to more information to further your knowledge on the topics! Watch them all here.
Rights of Nature
Community Rights
Box of Allowable Activism
[The Community Rights and Rights of Nature movement] is the beginning of a social movement that is greater than just the oil and gas industry, it is a potential game changer for all of corporate America.
Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico