1 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Ahoy, and welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh and 2 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:11,719 Speaker 1: there's Chuck, and I am a born and raised Toledo 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: win So I am in a very peculiar position to 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: speak about this peculiar meaning special in every way, and 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: I get to show off my slack. Yeah you pink boy, 6 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: I'm gonna kick back and just listen. Did you ever 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: get that key to the city? No, I have not, 8 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: and it bothers me every night while I'm trying to sleep. 9 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: Weren't you offered or No? There was a Toledo and 10 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: I don't remember his name, but he was a dedicated stuff. 11 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: You should know listener some years back who said I 12 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: am going to get Josh the key to the city, 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 1: and you too. I believe um. He was working very 14 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: hard to make it happen, got in touch with some 15 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: local politicians I think was brushed off, and then you 16 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: know called it today. So that moment happens where like 17 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: you and I are standing at the hotel check in 18 00:00:58,320 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: and they look at you and they go, are you 19 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: going any two keys? And you look at me and 20 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: I'm like, I wouldn't mind a key? Sure, yeah, I 21 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: guess too. But but this will be on a podium 22 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: with the mayor. Well, maybe I think that you should 23 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: have the key and and cut with the giant scissors. Okay, 24 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: and I'll just be there and support you. Well either way. 25 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 1: I mean I would be more than happy to share 26 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: the key to the city with you. I mean everything 27 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: that we've done with stuff you should know we've done together. 28 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, but I'm not but you could be an 29 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 1: honorary citizen too. Let's move on from this petty dispute. Wait, 30 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: wait a minute, I'm not done yet. All right, we 31 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: are talking about Toledo today because Toledo, my hometown, did 32 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: something pretty amazing a few years back, and as far 33 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: as I can tell, they are still very much working 34 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: on it. Right. I love this idea and spirit. The 35 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature a k a. 36 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: GARN is a network of organizations and people from more 37 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: than a hundred different countries that are are actually pushing 38 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: for legals, bodies, and systems around the world to recognize 39 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: nature and ecosystems as having rights. Yes, which you're like, what, 40 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: that's stupid. Consider this. Corporations are considered artificial people under 41 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: the law. They have a lot of the same rights. Yeah, 42 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: they have a lot of the same rights as you 43 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: and me. So if corporations can have personal rights, why 44 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: shouldn't nature. It makes even more sense to me than 45 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: a corporation having personal rights. And that's kind of the 46 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: push and the the angle that people are coming from 47 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: is like, look, this thing is being harmed, and sometimes 48 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: it can be really difficult to show you have standing 49 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: which means you are being directly harmed by say, polluting 50 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: into like erie um. And it would be much easier 51 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: to like get something done through the courts if this 52 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: thing that was actually suffering the harm the body of waters, 53 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: say like like yerie had those rights, because then you 54 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: could see on its behalf in court. Yeah. I love 55 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: this idea, like where the ecosystem is the actual injured party, 56 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: but when it clearly is. But yeah, because it is 57 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: Ecuador has done this or that they were the first 58 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: country to recognize rights of nature in their actual constitution 59 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: in two thousand eight. Uh and it is quote it 60 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: means nature has quote the right to exist, persist, to 61 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: maintain and regenerate its vital cycles. It seems like a 62 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: no brainer. No, it really unforced. Nature has the right 63 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: to do that. Ye oh, Bolivia as well in two 64 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: thousand ten with their Universal Declaration of the Rights of 65 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: Mother Earth was adopted there, so that this is actually 66 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: happening at places in the world. Yeah, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Toledo, 67 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: Ohio basically are the leaders in this, and so the 68 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: the whole thing with Toledo started um after I think 69 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: in August of two thousand fourteen, there was a terrible 70 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: incident where there was a cyanobacteria algae bloom and Ciana 71 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: bacteria is very much toxic to humans, and it got 72 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: into the water intake crib uh in Lake Erie that 73 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: supplies Toledo with its um stock for the water that 74 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: it sends through its taps too people's homes, and for 75 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: three days, the people of Toledo could not bathe, they 76 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: had no water to drink, they couldn't cook, they had 77 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: no water all of a sudden for three days until 78 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 1: the water company could figure out what to do about this. 79 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: People are having across state lines to get bottled water. 80 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: It was a nightmare. It was a mess, and that 81 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: really prompted some people to get involved and be like, Okay, 82 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: enough is enough. That's those algae blooms are not supposed 83 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 1: to be happening there the result of irresponsible fertilizing practices 84 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: by local industrialized agricultural groups that are polluting the lake 85 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: through runoff, and we're all suffering from this. We need 86 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: to figure out what to do that's right. And we'll 87 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: take a break right now and talk about a great 88 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: toledo In an American named Marky Miller right after this. Well, 89 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 1: now we're on the road driving in your truck. Want 90 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: to learn a thing or two from Josh dam Chuck 91 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: stuff you should know, all right, all right, Josh Clark 92 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: one great Toledo win. Markey Miller another great toledo In. Yeah, 93 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: I think between me and Markey Miller, Markey Miller should 94 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: probably get the key to the city. Jamie far great 95 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: to lead. And Jamie Farr was really from Toledo, right, Yeah, 96 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: he really was. It wasn't just part of Klinger's character. 97 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: He really was. He always talked about Tony Pacos, which 98 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: is still around. I love it. So mar Key Miller 99 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: is a long time to Ledowin, who after this water 100 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,479 Speaker 1: fiasco got fed up and started trying to get some answers, 101 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: went to the town hall meetings, said all the things 102 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: as a citizen that you can do and they like, 103 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: how can we, you know, make sure this doesn't happen again, 104 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: And they basically said, let's move forward about mitigation, but 105 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: we don't really want to talk about what caused this 106 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: in the first place, Like let's just kind of brush 107 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: that under the rug. And Markey Miller said, no, not 108 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 1: good enough yet yet. And so Markey Miller in her 109 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 1: late twenties started attending these meetings with and getting kind 110 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 1: of people kind of riled up on her side. And uh, 111 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: they named themselves the Toledo Wins for Safe Water. And 112 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: this eventually led to what's known as drawing up the 113 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 1: Lake Eerie Bill of Rights. Handful of people saying that 114 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,840 Speaker 1: they're fed up and this lake, this exquisite, great lake, 115 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: actually needs to be protected with its own bill of rights. Yes, um, 116 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: And what one of the said things about Lake Erie 117 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: is like it used to be really bad off, like 118 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: it was not a thing that you want to swim in, 119 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 1: which coincidentally was the time when I was swimming in 120 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: Lake Erie as a kid. But I remember catching fish 121 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: and like some guy going past out to the lake 122 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: on his boat and my dad and I fishing on 123 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: this channel and him being like, do not eat that 124 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: like just throw it back. And I remember being like, 125 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: what is this guy talking about? My dad's like, yeah, 126 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: we really shouldn't eat the fish out of here. Raster stripe. Right, 127 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: it was still alive in my mouth. Um. But but 128 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: but lake Erie got cleaned up. It was a success story. 129 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: And then now it's getting repolluted again. So that makes 130 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: it even more tragic, and it makes that campaign for 131 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: the Lake Area Bill of Rights like even more vital. 132 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: And it wasn't just Markey Miller and the Toledo Wins 133 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: for Safe Water who were all about protecting Lake Erie. 134 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: They had to get a bunch of signatures to get 135 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: a to get on a petition to have a bill 136 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: introduced to be put up to a vote on how 137 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: to protect Lake Eries rights. And they got I think 138 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: double the amount needed of signatures to get the petition 139 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: on the ballot. Easy, peasy, lemon squeeze. Everybody's on board. 140 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: Everybody wants to support uh lake Erie and get it 141 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: cleaned up and give it its own Like let's let's 142 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: get a lawsuit going on behalf of Lake Erie. Like 143 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: how cool is that? Yeah, So they get double the 144 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: signatures and they knew that was step one and getting 145 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: it actually to a vote would be tough. And I 146 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: believe they we're up against you know who. You would 147 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: think they would be up against these big industrial companies 148 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: that said no, actually, that'd be really bad for us. 149 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: If we couldn't pollute the lake, would be bad for 150 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: our business. There was a three hundred thousand dollar anti 151 00:08:54,480 --> 00:09:00,200 Speaker 1: Lee Boar campaign. Um. Even though it passed by in 152 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: they came out with a victory, a very sad and 153 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: short lived victory because about twelve hours later, uh an 154 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: agricultural company, filed a lawsuit against the city and said 155 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:14,599 Speaker 1: this law is detrimental to our business. We got to 156 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: pollute that lake, you guys right. Um. There was a guy, 157 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:24,960 Speaker 1: the judge in the case, Judge Jack Suhari, basically said, like, 158 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 1: this is terrible. This is a terrible law that Toledo passed. 159 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: Like it makes sense in its spirit, and like I 160 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: respected for that, but it was really poorly written. And 161 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 1: basically what he said was two fold. One, it's way 162 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: too vague to be constitutional. He said that you could conceivably, 163 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: under the law, be prosecuted for fishing in Lake Erie. Um. 164 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: A second one is that Toledo extended its protections across 165 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: Lake Erie. Lake Erie is shared by a bunch of 166 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 1: different cities from Toledo to Cleveland to Buffalo, New York 167 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: to Erie, Pennsylvania. They're all on Lake Erie. And this 168 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: this this the law cross state boundaries and state jurisdictions, 169 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: like like Toledo was the You could you could dump 170 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 1: something in Buffalo, New York, and you could be sued 171 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: in Toledo, Ohio for it because of this law. So 172 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: it was an overreach, but it was a good first step. 173 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: And I think it shows that the public is like 174 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: on board with this. It's just that they they we 175 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 1: need to figure out how the law needs to be 176 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: written to to make it survive court challenges. Right. And 177 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: also and I think, uh, I think Miller is right 178 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 1: in in her contention that, like she said, quote, you 179 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: have to redefine what it means to win. Like, I 180 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: don't think they thought, well, this is it, We're done. 181 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: They knew it would be short lived, they knew it 182 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:54,319 Speaker 1: would probably be overturned. But what it did was make 183 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: the news. And it's one more step closer to change exactly. 184 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,720 Speaker 1: And so there are UM there are more UM Rights 185 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: of Nature movement UM movements. I guess that are kind 186 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: of popping up around the country and around the world, um, 187 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 1: in places like Hawaii and Florida, like you would expect 188 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: in Washington State. UM. And it's a I think it's 189 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 1: a great way to to I think that's a good 190 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: direction to be progressing. I think it's a it's I 191 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: think it's the future. Agreed. Well, cool, Well, there's not 192 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: much more to say about it right now, but who knows, 193 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: we'll be talking about it hopefully in a few years. 194 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: When is the law of the land across the globe. 195 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:40,360 Speaker 1: And by the way, we found this article originally on 196 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: how stuff works and you can go read it there 197 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: if you like. And with that short stuff is out. 198 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know is a production of I Heart Radio. 199 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,680 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart 200 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 201 00:11:58,679 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: favorite shows.