This lake now has legal rights, just like you: The movement behind the Lake Erie Bill of Rights

Through the groundbreaking case of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (passed by Toledo, Ohio residents in 2019) this video explores the Rights of Nature movement. The law gives Lake Erie’s ecosystem legal standing, allowing citizens to sue on its behalf if it’s harmed. Framing nature as a rights-bearing entity, this effort connects to similar global initiatives and highlights a growing shift toward legal systems that protect ecosystems directly. Through this lens, this movement can be considered a transformative step in environmental work in its redefinition of how communities defend their long-term survival and relationship with the natural world.