“Soon .ECO domain names will be available for registration all around the world and it is critical that the environmental community has a united say in how those names are used and how the benefits of .ECO are shared,” said Richard McLellan, Council Co-Chair and WWF International representative.

For decades, the environmental community has shared many common paths in the pursuit of their principles and goals, with the “ECO” label long being a familiar association. However, in order for the community to ensure it secures and safeguards a “.ECO” domain, all concerned environmental organizations should rally to this unifying flag.

“For .ECO, a community led approach is critical to our collective efforts of driving a global shift towards sustainable consumption. We look forward to working with our partners to build this new community tool.” said Helio Mattar, Council Co-Chair and Akatu Institute representative.

Members of the .ECO Council are calling upon all major environmental organizations to get behind this community initiative before the Thursday, April 12th deadline for environmental groups to voice support for protection of this valuable community resource.

“We invite all interested environmental groups to join us now in protecting .ECO in the best interests of the entire environmental community,” said Richard and Helio.

For more information please contact Trevor Bowden (trevor@doteco.org).

.ECO Council members:

• Akatu Institute
• B Lab
• Conservation International
• David Suzuki Foundation
• Development Alternatives
• Green Belt Movement
• Green Cross International
• Greenpeace International
• ISEAL Alliance
• Underwriters Labratories & Terrachoice
• Verite
• WWF International

With ICANN set to start accepting applications for new top level domains this week, our .ECO effort has become one of the top examples of a New TLD in the press. It’s great to see people talking about .ECO as a natural domain extension for the environmental community in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and on Bloomberg.

It also means that .ECO needs support from the environmental community now more than ever. We are honored to have groups like the Dogwood Initiative, the Golf Environment Organization and People 4 Earth adding their voices to our initiative this past week.

We have until April 12th to include letters of support for an environmental community voice in .ECO with our application to ICANN.

If you are an environmental organization that would like to join the campaign to protect .ECO please email us, and we’ll tell you how you can get involved.

We are proud to announce that international organization Ocean Conservancy is the newest Partner to support our bid for .ECO. We’re thrilled to have one of the world’s foremost advocates for our oceans as a supporter and advocate for our commitment to environmentalism online.

Ocean Conservancy promotes healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems and opposes practices that threaten ocean life and human life. Through research, education and science-based advocacy, Ocean Conservancy informs, inspires and empowers people to speak and act on behalf of the oceans.

Building upon their experience working on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Ocean Conservancy has played a crucial roll in the restoration of the Gulf following the BP oil spill. Their team understands that the people who live in the Gulf depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, and are therefore expanding their commitment to the region, establishing a Gulf Restoration Center in Louisiana, which will work in collaboration with their Texas and Florida offices.

Center staff will interpret scientific information on impact and recovery, and provide a point of entry that will enable fishermen, community representatives, and other groups to engage positively in the damage assessment process and to help shape the restoration plan developed by federal and state governments. Ocean Conservancy will coordinate development of a Citizens’ Restoration Plan, which will inform and influence the government’s restoration plan.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at Dot Eco and we’re proud to announce the partnership of four new organizations with headquarters in India, China, England and Australia. The addition of these organizations is an exciting step for us as we work towards a .ECO that represents the goals and demands of the international sustainability community. True sustainability is only possible if the social, economic and environmental concerns of every citizen and community are considered. Our newest partner organizations represent this goal and we are pleased to welcome them aboard as we move towards a .ECO for our collective community.

China Dialogue

China Dialogue is the world’s first fully bilingual website devoted to the environment. Their mission is to promote direct dialogue and the search for solutions to our shared environmental challenges. China Dialogue is an independent, non-profit organisation based in London, Beijing and San Francisco.

Cicero

Cicero, A Trans National Advisory, is a sole proprietary, founded in 2004 by Oopali Operajita, one of India’s Senior Political and International Affairs Advisers, to foster understanding and partnerships between nations and cultures, and top international political and business leaders, with special focus on education, the environment, sustainable development and climate change, and women’s empowerment.

Friends of Nature

Friends of Nature is the oldest environmental NGO in China. They have been working for over a decade to promote environmental awareness about China’s most pressing environmental problems. In particular, they have focused on protecting endangered species such as the Tibetan antelope and the snub-nosed monkey; environmental education through camps, field trips, and most importantly, teacher-training; and awareness-raising campaigns such as photo exhibitions and publications.

Smart Approved Watermark

Smart Approved WaterMark is Australia’s water saving label for products and services which help reduce water use. They are a not-for-profit organisation supported by Government and industry. Their vision is of an Australia that is aware of, and actively engaged in, water conservation. They work to identify and promote innovative products and services that help conserve water.

We are proud to announce that international conservation organization RARE is the newest organization to Partner with us in support of our bid for .ECO. We are thrilled to have them on-board as we make our application to operate .ECO on behalf of the international sustainability community.

RARE recognizes that true conservation can only be achieved through community-based solutions that account for people’s needs. Ultimately, conservation comes down to people – their behaviors toward nature, their beliefs about its value, and their ability to protect it without sacrificing basic life needs. Therefore, conservationists must become as skilled in social change as in science; as committed to community-based solutions as national and international policymaking.

Nowhere are community-based solutions needed more than in the world’s areas of highest biodiversity – from Latin America and the Caribbean to Africa and India to Asia and the Pacific islands. These areas may be rich in natural resources, but poverty is also high, making social and environmental change a challenge for hundreds of thousands of communities.

RARE and its partners in 50+ countries throughout these regions are committed to designing conservation programs that benefit both people and nature – ensuring that change is embraced and sustained.

We are proud to announce that London-based Project Dirt is the newest organization to Partner with us in support of our bid for .ECO. We are incredibly excited to have them on-board as we make our application to operate .ECO on behalf of the international sustainability community.

Project Dirt’s mission is to make green living more accessible and easier to understand. Through their website hub, they provide individuals, community groups, organizations and government authorities with a platform that allows them to come together and collaborate on real world environmental projects.

They facilitate and promote a number of Projects that are helping to green the UK.
Additionally, they moderate a Forum where eco-minded individuals can ask questions, find answers and connect with like-minded citizens in their community.

We are proud to announce that Beijing-based Global Environmental Institute is the newest organization to Partner with us in support of our bid for .ECO. We are incredibly excited to have them on-board as we make our application to operate .ECO on behalf of the international sustainability community.

The Global Environmental Institute is a China-based non-profit, non-governmental organization that was established in Beijing in March 2004 and obtained a DUNS code number in 2009. As a China-based NGO with an international focus, GEI fuses best practices in environmental protection, energy conservation and community livelihoods with innovative market mechanisms to drive sustainable development.

GEI works on a diverse array of Projects, including sustainable rural development, biodiversity conservation and environmental governance. The lasting impact of their projects domestically, and their strong emphasis on international cooperation has allowed them to assume a leading role in improving China’s environmental impact abroad.

This collaboration is an important achievement for the environmental community because it has brought together such a diverse group of organizations, which represent a variety of causes, and it has created a forum for all of their voices to be heard. Our goal from the start has been to ensure that .ECO represents the sustainability community, which means that we have considered the needs of the environmental, social and economic communities. For us, this is the only way that a truly sustainable world will ever exist and we are proud to be contributing to this world online.

The below graphic illustrates the major achievements that our Community Council has made over the last 2+ years.