This editorial by the editorial board of The Toledo Blade appeared in said paper, December 4th, 2018. -- Toledoans for Safe Water gathered petition signatures and have fought a legal battle to get the issue before voters after years of frustration over inaction by state and federal environmental regulators. They’ve tried to get the U.S. [...]
This story about Monica Christofili was published on the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund's website on, November 29, 2018. Pregnancy nightmares: they’re “a thing” guidebooks and obstetricians don’t often discuss. Yet for Monica Christofili of Newmarket, where CELDF began assisting community members to advance Community Rights in the summer of 2017, her sleeping and waking [...]
The 2 minute audio and text of this news story by Michael Bratton appeared on 13ABC WTVG, November 28, 2018. TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - When it comes to Lake Erie's health perhaps no other group of citizens is more passionate. I think it's important that we have a strong local voice," said Markie Miller of Toledoans [...]
This letter to the editor by Hilary Tore appeared in the Toledo Blade, November 28th, 2018. In August, the Lucas County Board of Elections unjustly voted to keep the Lake Erie Bill of Rights off the November ballot. However, through subsequent Ohio Supreme Court rulings it was learned that Toledo City Council has the power to enact [...]
Nature has been treated in law as property, and exploited. But there is growing legal recognition that nature has rights, and affirming these is essential to both a healthy environment and human rights. This article by Mari Margil appeared on Open Global Rights, November 14th, 2018. The human right to a healthy environment is gaining [...]
This article by Rina Chandran was published on Rueters, November 13th, 2018. GAJAH BERTALUT, Indonesia (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In a community hall, a group of men sit cross-legged on mats, poring over documents and maps marked with forests, farmland, a river and the village of Gajah Bertalut in Indonesia’s Sumatra island. They are gathered [...]
Mother Nature’s allies have a new attitude. This Editorial by Pay Bywater appeared in GoErie.com, November 11th, 2018. Far-reaching implications are on the line as the movement to redefine America’s cultural and legal notion of nature takes root in our region. Perceived threats to Lake Erie and the Allegheny River have brought concerned residents, Native [...]
This 49 minute interview with Thomas Linzey happened on October 28th, 2018. This interview can be listened to and downloaded at the Progressive Radio Network, Deep Green Resistance Blogspot, and YouTube. Clicking on the highlighted label will take you to the respective media outlet. Thomas Linzey is the executive director and an attorney for the [...]
Organizers in Toledo work to save their drinking water. This article by Valerie Vande Panne was published on Alternet, September 27th, 2018. Imagine for a moment, putting the rights of nature into public policy: Your town charter, your state constitution, or even federal law. Imagine, for a moment, giving the Great Lakes—the world’s largest source [...]
A brief reflection about the Rights of Nature idea and movement by Ben Price of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. CELDF’s National Organizing Director Ben Price remembers 2008, when CELDF assisted in the drafting of Rights of Nature provisions for Ecuador’s new constitution. The Ecuadorian people adopted their new constitution overwhelmingly, with nearly 64% of [...]
