News From the Community Rights Movement

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May 9, 2019

Media Statement: The First State in U.S. History Has Mentioned Legal Rights of Nature

Media Statement: The First State in U.S. History Has Mentioned Legal Rights of Nature

Today, the Ohio House adopts provisions to block communities and local governments from enforcing recognized legal rights for ecosystems.

Read More | Community Wires, News, Press Releases

May 8, 2019

Media Statement: A Human Right to Survive is Born in Denver

Media Statement: A Human Right to Survive is Born in Denver

“This idea of a real human right to survive in the 21st century … was born – through the determination and commitment of the people who live [in Denver].”

Read More | Community Wires, News, Press Releases

May 8, 2019

Media Release: Judge Denies Toledoans and Lake Erie Access to Court

Media Release: Judge Denies Toledoans and Lake Erie Access to Court

As a judge denies Toledoans and Lake Erie intervention to defend the Lake Erie Bill of Rights against an agribusiness lawsuit to overturn it, community members file an appeal.

Read More | Community Wires, News, Press Releases

May 7, 2019

Truthout: UN Report Says Indigenous Sovereignty Could Save the Planet

Truthout: UN Report Says Indigenous Sovereignty Could Save the Planet

It’s time to recognize the rights of ecosystems and the authority of communities to stop harmful projects. “[T]he best defenders of nature and biodiversity are the communities themselves.”

Read More | News from the Grassroots

May 6, 2019

DC Media Group: Biodiversity in Collapse: How to Save 1 Million Species from Extinction

DC Media Group: Biodiversity in Collapse: How to Save 1 Million Species from Extinction

“[It’s time to] enact laws that recognize the inalienable rights of ecosystems to exist, flourish and naturally evolve, and the authority of the community to protect [it]”

Read More | News from the Grassroots

Apr 29, 2019

Standard Speaker: Supervisors want to hear from nonprofit about well issue

Standard Speaker: Supervisors want to hear from nonprofit about well issue

Community members in North Union Township, Pennsylvania, engage with CELDF and its partner Network to discuss using Community Rights to protect their water from being siphoned off.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Apr 27, 2019

ANI News: Ecuador native community defeats government in court, gets oil exploration banned

ANI News: Ecuador native community defeats government in court, gets oil exploration banned

Oil corporations were forced to back off native lands in Ecuador. A court decision held that their actions were “inadequate and violated the ‘community’s right to self-determination.'”

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Apr 24, 2019

National Geographic: A Voice for Nature

National Geographic: A Voice for Nature

More than just recognizing legal rights, the growing Rights of Nature movement is a paradigm shift in the relationship between human beings and nature.

Read More | News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Apr 22, 2019

The Blade: Watch: Lake Erie activist addresses the United Nations

The Blade: Watch: Lake Erie activist addresses the United Nations

Community Rights leader Markie Miller, from Toledo, Ohio, speaks to the UN General Assembly. She was invited to talk about the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, an historic law adopted by Toledoans in February.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Apr 22, 2019

Environmental News Service: Earth Day 2019 Marked By Climate Concerns

Environmental News Service: Earth Day 2019 Marked By Climate Concerns

Earth Day celebrations span the globe, highlighting Earth’s beauty and the threat of climate change devastation. Rights of Nature is a growing movement to stop climate change and other harms.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Apr 16, 2019

Media Statement: Crowdfunding to Defend Lake Erie

Media Statement: Crowdfunding to Defend Lake Erie

The oil and gas industry tried to quash the Lake Erie Bill of Rights at the ballot. The agriculture industry is trying to quash it in court. CELDF is crowdfunding as we represent Lake Erie and Toledo community members to protect the Lake’s rights.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

Apr 14, 2019

The Blade: BP wasted money fighting LEBOR

The Blade: BP wasted money fighting LEBOR

The Editorial Board of the Toledo Blade calls out the irony of Houston-based BP Corporation funding the anti-Lake Erie Bill of Rights campaign, which attacked the citizen initiative as led by “outside influencers.”

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Apr 6, 2019

Toledoans for Safe Water: Campaign Finance Report Sheds Light on Corrupt Corporate Influence Against the Lake Erie Bill of Rights

Toledoans for Safe Water: Campaign Finance Report Sheds Light on Corrupt Corporate Influence Against the Lake Erie Bill of Rights

BP Corporation was the sole monetary donor behind the campaign to quash the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR). The measure won with 61% of the vote.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Apr 3, 2019

The Blade: United Nations invites Lake Erie activists to speak about bill of rights

The Blade: United Nations invites Lake Erie activists to speak about bill of rights

Community members from Toledo, Ohio, are invited to the United Nations this month to speak about the Lake Erie Bill of Rights adopted by citizens in February.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Apr 2, 2019

Media Release: Not an April Fools Joke in Grant Township

Media Release: Not an April Fools Joke in Grant Township

GRANT TOWNSHIP, INDIANA COUNTY, PA: On April 1, federal Judge Susan Paradise Baxter issued an order that was not a joke: Grant Township (pop. 741), Baxter declared, owes Pennsylvania General Energy (PGE) over $100,000 in attorney’s fees and costs.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

Mar 25, 2019

Fosters.com: State reps block local rights effort

Fosters.com: State reps block local rights effort

The people of New Hampshire have the right to govern themselves and protect their communities from corporate harm – yet the state legislature blocks them from securing that right in the state constitution.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 25, 2019

Media Release: New Hampshire Community Rights Amendment Hijacked by Party Politics

Media Release: New Hampshire Community Rights Amendment Hijacked by Party Politics

The New Hampshire Community Rights Amendment, CACR8, went before the state House of Representatives last week. It was blocked from advancing to a vote by New Hampshire citizens.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

Mar 19, 2019

Media Release: Lake Erie and Local Residents File Court Motions to Defend Rights of Lake

Media Release: Lake Erie and Local Residents File Court Motions to Defend Rights of Lake

Lake Erie files a motion to intervene in a lawsuit filed by industry to overturn the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

Mar 19, 2019

Cleveland.com: Lake Erie – yes, the body of water – asks to be let into lawsuit over bill of rights

Cleveland.com: Lake Erie – yes, the body of water – asks to be let into lawsuit over bill of rights

The Great Lake Erie files to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the agricultural industry to overturn Toledo, Ohio’s, Lake Erie Bill of Rights.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 13, 2019

Media Release: First Right to Climate Law Adopted in New Hampshire

Media Release: First Right to Climate Law Adopted in New Hampshire

Yesterday, Exeter, New Hampshire, residents adopted their Right to a Healthy Climate Ordinance at Town Meeting. This is the first right-based climate law in the state.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs, Success Story

Mar 10, 2019

The London Free Press: What an Ohio city’s bold move to protect Lake Erie tells us

The London Free Press: What an Ohio city’s bold move to protect Lake Erie tells us

“What we really need to do is look at the (lake) as a whole, as an ecosystem that has inherent rights, that transcends the political parties of the day.”

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Mar 1, 2019

Smithsonian Magazine: Toledo, Ohio, Just Granted Lake Erie the Same Legal Rights as People

Smithsonian Magazine: Toledo, Ohio, Just Granted Lake Erie the Same Legal Rights as People

“We’ve been using the same laws for decades to try and protect Lake Erie. They’re clearly not working.” Thus, Toledo, Ohio, community members recognized the rights of Lake Erie via the ballot.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 28, 2019

The Telegraph: US lake wins its own ‘human rights’ in landmark ruling

The Telegraph: US lake wins its own ‘human rights’ in landmark ruling

Lake Erie joins growing numbers of ecosystems around the world where people and governments are recognizing their rights to exist, flourish, and evolve.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 28, 2019

The Hill: Ohio city votes to give Lake Erie same legal rights as a person

The Hill: Ohio city votes to give Lake Erie same legal rights as a person

Lake Erie’s legal rights are now acknowledged following Toledo, Ohio’s, special election on Tuesday.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 27, 2019

The Progressive: Toledo Residents Vote to Recognize Personhood for Lake Erie

The Progressive: Toledo Residents Vote to Recognize Personhood for Lake Erie

Lake Erie now has legally-enforceable rights, with the overwhelming majority of Toledo, Ohio, residents voting in support of their Lake Erie Bill of Rights citizen initiative.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 27, 2019

Vox: Lake Erie just won the same legal rights as people

Vox: Lake Erie just won the same legal rights as people

A groundbreaking election in Toledo, Ohio, puts this midwestern city on the map – voters recognized the rights of Lake Erie and can take legal action to protect it.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 26, 2019

Vox: Ohio voters are about to decide if Lake Erie has legal rights

Vox: Ohio voters are about to decide if Lake Erie has legal rights

Today, Toledo, Ohio, residents are voting on recognizing the rights of Lake Erie to exist and flourish – the next step in a changing landscape where the rights of ecosystems are expanding globally.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 25, 2019

Mother Jones: Holy, Toledo! This Ohio City Is Voting to Give Legal Rights to a Lake

Mother Jones: Holy, Toledo! This Ohio City Is Voting to Give Legal Rights to a Lake

After decades of failed regulations to “protect” Lake Erie and several years of record-breaking algae blooms, Toledo, Ohio, residents prepare to vote on the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 21, 2019

CNN: An Ohio city will vote on whether Lake Erie has the same rights as a person

CNN: An Ohio city will vote on whether Lake Erie has the same rights as a person

Government representatives, acting on behalf of industry, have failed to protect Lake Erie. Toledo, Ohio, residents advance a Lake Erie Bill of Rights ballot measure to protect the Lake, their water, and their community. They vote next Tuesday.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 19, 2019

The Guardian: Fighting pollution: Toledo residents want personhood status for Lake Erie

The Guardian: Fighting pollution: Toledo residents want personhood status for Lake Erie

While elected officials do nothing substantive to protect Lake Erie, Toledo residents follow in the footsteps of indigenous and other communities, voting next week on a groundbreaking citizen initiative to recognize the rights of the Great Lake.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 18, 2019

New York Times: Legal Rights for Lake Erie? Voters in Ohio City Will Decide

New York Times: Legal Rights for Lake Erie? Voters in Ohio City Will Decide

As the well-being of Lake Erie deteriorates, Toledoans are taking action, voting next week on a Lake Erie Bill of Rights citizen initiative. This is part of a growing strategy to recognize the Rights of Nature.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 9, 2019

The Daily Sentinel: Meigs BOE among defendants in Civil Rights lawsuit

The Daily Sentinel: Meigs BOE among defendants in Civil Rights lawsuit

Meigs County, Ohio, residents join six other communities in a federal Civil Rights lawsuit. The suit alleges Ohio government officials have routinely blocked valid citizen initiatives from the ballot.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 9, 2019

StarTribune: Minnesota tribe asks: Can wild rice have its own legal rights?

StarTribune: Minnesota tribe asks: Can wild rice have its own legal rights?

Traditional indigenous legal principles view nature and people as part of a whole. Today, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe is part of a growing movement to recognize these principles in modern law.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Feb 8, 2019

The Rights of Wild Rice

The Rights of Wild Rice

The Rights of Nature is growing. Now, a Chippewa tribe recognizes, in law, what they have known and respected for generations: manoomin has the right to exist and flourish.

Read More | Success Story

Feb 6, 2019

Press Release: White Earth Band Enacts First-of-its-Kind Rights of Nature Law

Press Release: White Earth Band Enacts First-of-its-Kind Rights of Nature Law

CELDF assisted Honor the Earth to develop the first Rights of Nature law to protect a plant species, which was adopted by the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs, Success Story

Feb 5, 2019

The Gazette: Boards of elections, secretary of state sued over ballot rejections

The Gazette: Boards of elections, secretary of state sued over ballot rejections

Medina County, Ohio, residents are part of a federal Civil Rights lawsuit filed to protect the rights of Ohio citizens to vote on proposed citizen initiatives. The lawsuit was filed after years of state officials blocking community members from the ballot.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 4, 2019

21WFMJ: Environmentalists from Youngstown, six counties file federal lawsuit

21WFMJ: Environmentalists from Youngstown, six counties file federal lawsuit

Ohio officials have blocked citizen initiatives advancing communities and nature’s rights since 2015. In response, citizen have filed suit against Ohio’s Secretary of State and local Boards of Elections.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 4, 2019

The Columbus Dispatch: Federal lawsuit seeks to stop elections boards from blocking ballot initiatives

The Columbus Dispatch: Federal lawsuit seeks to stop elections boards from blocking ballot initiatives

Fighting to protect Ohioans’ right to citizen initiative, seven communities partner with CELDF to file a Civil Rights lawsuit in federal court.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 4, 2019

News Release: Ohio Community Members File Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit

News Release: Ohio Community Members File Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit

Communities from across Ohio file a federal lawsuit against local Boards of Elections and the Ohio Secretary of State for multiple rights violations – including the right to vote.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs, Success Story

Feb 3, 2019

The Blade: To the editor: Vote for Lake Erie Bill of Rights

The Blade: To the editor: Vote for Lake Erie Bill of Rights

An Ohio resident urges support for the Lake Erie Bill of Rights in Toledo to overcome devastating harms to the Lake’s ecosystem and communities’ drinking water.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 1, 2019

Yes! Magazine: The White Earth Band of Ojibwe Legally Recognized the Rights of Wild Rice. Here’s Why

Yes! Magazine: The White Earth Band of Ojibwe Legally Recognized the Rights of Wild Rice. Here’s Why

Winona LaDuke speaks to the White Earth band of Ojibwe passing a law formally recognizing the Rights of Manoomin, or wild rice, in December.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Jan 29, 2019

Cleveland.com: Toledoans to vote on Lake Erie Bill of Rights

Cleveland.com: Toledoans to vote on Lake Erie Bill of Rights

“If there’s a problem to be treated, there’s a problem to be solved.” Toledoans take steps to solve the problem of contaminated water in Lake Erie on February 26th’s special election, with their Lake Erie Bill of Rights.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Jan 28, 2019

CELDF is Hiring!

CELDF is Hiring!

CELDF is hiring a Communications Coordinator. Learn more here!

Read More | Uncategorized

Jan 27, 2019

Lake Erie Bill of Rights!

Lake Erie Bill of Rights!

Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) is on the February special elections ballot. Check out news coverage and the growing support for Toledo residents’ pioneering efforts to recognize the Lake’s rights.

Read More | Community Wires, Success Story