Blog: Surfrider

Minds + Machines is pleased to announce that our parent company, Top Level Domain Holdings, has acquired a further 15% interest in DotEco LLC, which is pursuing the .ECO top-level domain in association with former Vice President Al Gore, the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Sierra Club, and the Surfrider Foundation.

Here’s the text of the TLDH press release:

On 27 May 2009 the Board of Top Level Domain Holdings Limited (AIM: TLDH) announced that it had subscribed for a 10.0 per cent. interest (on a fully diluted basis) in DotEco for a cash consideration of US$200,000 (the “Initial Investment”). The Company has agreed today to acquire a further 15 per cent. interest in DotEco for a cash consideration of US$200,000, financed from its current cash resources, following which its interest in DotEco will amount to 25 per cent. (the “Acquisition”).

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (”ICANN”) announced its intention to allow qualified parties to apply to own and operate new generic TLDs (”gTLDs”). DotEco, which is based in California, intends to build an environmentally-focused gTLD and entered into an integrated partnership with former US Vice President Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection which supports DotEco’s efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change. DotEco intends to submit an application with ICANN for the eco top level domain. The Company expects that the application and approval process could take up to 24 months. As DotEco is a start-up venture it has not to date prepared any financial statements.

When the Company made its Initial Investment, the Board anticipated then the Company’s interest in DotEco may well be diluted over time as DotEco raised additional capital in future. While there can be no assurance at this stage that the ICANN auction and application process for new gTLDs will proceed as expected or that DotEco will be successful in its applications, the Board believes that DotEco is well positioned ahead of the gTLD application process and its prospects, if awarded the eco top level domain, are potentially very attractive. In addition, the Board’s target minimum equity interest in gTLD applicants is generally 25 per cent. and the Acquisition therefore will enable the Company to achieve its preferred minimum equity interest level before any anticipated equity dilution by DotEco should its application be successful.

The vendor of the further interest in DotEco is Clark Landry, a director of the Company and founder shareholder of DotEco and who, as previously announced, has an interest of 24.87 per cent. fully diluted interest in DotEco. Accordingly, the proposed Acquisition is a related party transaction for the purposes of Rule 13 of the AIM Rules. The Independent Directors of the Company (being David Weill, Guy Elliott and Michael Mendelson), having consulted with Beaumont Cornish Limited, the Company’s nominated adviser, unanimously consider the terms of the proposed Acquisition are fair and reasonable insofar as the Company’s Shareholders are concerned.

David Weill, Chief Financial Officer said:

“Awareness is now building for the proposed .ECO domain in the international arena and we are pleased to have been able to increase our holding in ECO ahead of the application process formally beginning. We look forward to .ECO remaining at the forefront of the new top level domains expected to be launched in 2010.”

Recently, Dot Eco released a comprehensive Green Paper (PDF here) detailing its principles and its mission. (Hint: Al Gore, the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Sierra Club and Surfrider think it can help save the planet.)

As the registry provider for .ECO, I decided that we need to support that mission. As I’ve already reported, Minds + Machines DNS services are carbon-neutral and do not contribute to global warming.

Now we’ve undertaken a major initiative within Minds + Machines to make sure we contribute less to global warming, and that to the extent we do, we do something else to offset it. Our goal is to ensure that none of our operations contribute to the destruction of the planet.

Here’s what we’re doing and plan to do:

• As we add or replace servers, replacing them with energy-efficient “green” machines
• Encouraging telecommuting and online communication in our company, and when we must travel, whether long-distance or for commuting, purchasing carbon offsets for each employee.
• At our offices, taking steps to reduce our energy consumption and emissions by upgrading insulation, air-conditioning systems, and (of course) our habits.
• For all of our business, purchasing carbon offsets for our activities that emit greenhouse gasses.
• Doing all of the above for our sister company CoCCA.
• Providing credits to registries and registrars using our systems for specific steps they take to make their operations greener.

The Internet is global, and it’s our view that Internet companies should do what they can to make sure their operations have minimal impact on the planet — because “global” doesn’t make much sense if there isn’t a habitable globe.

Some resources for green operations:

• Green IT: Framework for Building a “Hyper-Green” Virtual Server System
• Interview with Matthew Wheeland, author of the new book The Greening of IT: How Companies Can Make a Difference for the Environment
• Tapping into the Value of Being Virtually Green
• Purchase carbon offsets at Terra Pass
• Purchase carbon offsets at the Carbon Fund

We challenge every top-level domain registry provider to take responsibility, make a difference, and — especially for those registry operators backing ecologically-themed top-level domains — to put their money on the line.

Minds + Machines client Dot Eco LLC released a short film today at the ICANN meeting in Sydney, featuring well-known environmental advocates who support the new .ECO top-level domain.

Included are cameos from former Vice President and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore; Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club; Jim Moriarty, CEO of Surfrider; Jim Dufour of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography; Davis Guggenheim, director of the film An Inconvenient Truth; Richard Muller, popular author and Professor of Physics at University of California Berkeley; Roz Savage, the British transocean rower; and Sir Roger Moore, actor and Unicef Goodwill Ambassador.

The film comes in a short and a long version, available in high quality from Vimeo.

Here’s the press release from Dot Eco:

Dot Eco LLC Debuts Short Film In Support of .eco Web Address Featuring: Former Former Vice President Al Gore, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, & Other Leaders in the Environmental Community

Sydney, Australia, June 20 – On the opening day of the ICANN Conference, Dot Eco LLC –- the organization dedicated to promoting the acceptance and implementation of the .eco top-level domain -– debuted a short film that features environmental leaders endorsing Dot Eco’s application to operate the .eco web address. Examples of other top-level domains include .com, .biz, .org and .edu.

The Dot Eco LLC film features former U.S. Vice President Al Gore stating: “For more than three decades I have been trying to raise awareness about the very real and growing threat of the climate crisis. Today, as part of this effort, I am here to propose a new top-level domain called “dot eco” for corporate, non-governmental, and individual environmental websites.”

Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope states: “We’re delighted to put our support and endorsement behind Dot Eco… Your customers, your friends, and your colleagues will know that you’re putting your address where your values are – at Dot Eco.”

The film also features avid endorsements from Jim Moriarty, CEO of Surfrider Foundation; Davis Guggenheim, Director of “An Inconvenient Truth”; Richard Muller, Professor of Physics at UC Berkeley and contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and Roger Moore, actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; as well as others.

To view the film, please click here: http://www.supportdoteco.com/video

A .eco web address will allow individuals to express their support for environmental causes, companies to promote their own environmental initiatives, and environmental organizations to maintain their websites in a namespace relevant to their core mission. By charter and mission, a majority of Dot Eco profits will be distributed to support environmental causes.

“The Dot Eco initiative has earned the official support of leading scientists, ecological and philanthropic groups, as well as high-profile environmentally conscious individuals,” says Fred Krueger, founder of Dot Eco. “This film highlights their passion for this important effort.”

About Dot Eco LLC

Dot Eco LLC was founded by Fred Krueger, Clark Landry and Minor Childers to secure, operate and promote the .eco top-level domain in order to advance environmental initiatives and awareness. Dot Eco LLC will be applying for the .eco top level domain through the ICANN gTLD application process.

Surfrider today announced that it supports the new .ECO top-level domain. Surfrider has long been a booster for .ECO, but today announced its official endorsement.

Some excerpts from the press release:

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – (Business Wire) Today, Surfrider Foundation announced its official support for Dot Eco LLC’s application for the new top level domain .eco. On the heels of Dot Eco LLC entering into an integrated partnership with former Vice President Al Gore and his philanthropy, the Alliance for Climate Protection, to secure and promote the .eco top level domain, Surfrider Foundation is expressing its support for the .eco application.

Surfrider is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 90 chapters worldwide.

“Dot Eco LLC and Surfrider Foundation share similar missions – to make a significant contribution towards protecting our planet’s environment. Dot Eco has our full support for its application to ICANN for the .eco top level domain.” said Jim Moriarty, Surfrider Foundation’s CEO.”

.eco will be established for individuals to express their support for environmental causes, for companies to promote their environmental initiatives, and for environmental organizations to maintain their websites in a namespace that is more relevant to their core missions. By charter, a majority of the profits of the .eco initiative will be distributed to support environmental causes.

Dot Eco is getting some major endorsements. .ECO is a great example of what this kind of new top-level domains can do — rally support for a cause, give it high Internet visibility, and provide resources to do good in the world.