20070324
Dear all,
For the record, Ecoshelter is a charity coalition. It is a Trading Name of Tsunami Relief registered with The UK Charity Commission, as is the phrase The Ecoshelter Appeal.
Ecoshelter’s other charity partners include Rotary International, Architects For Aid, Global Promise and The International Aid Trust. Other humanitarian aid agencies will be awarded grants, project funding and direct assistance from Ecoshelter.
Ecoshelter CIC (Community Interest Company) will raise social and philanthropic investment to develop a range of sustainable living solutions, and would examine all proposals on their relative merits.
Ecoshelter and Ecoshelter CIC will seek to support projects that meet the basic "shelter-with-dignity" qualities and standards set by the Shelter Centre, the United Nations and other relevant authorities while promoting an extra sustainability factor.
Ecoshelter supports people and organisations pursuing post disaster shelter solutions as an open source initiative. It will not, however, tolerate misleading leverage off its identity.
The phone number referred to above is that of the registered office of Ecoshelter and Tsunami Relief and was given for anyone who needed further information or clarity to call.
Gareth Strangemore-Jones 24/3/07
For the record, Gareth thinks that I have negative feelings concerning his initiative to establish "EcoshelterAppeal" with Tsunami Refief and this is not true. The Eco Shelter concept incubated here and all of my efforts are for the support of such initiatives. I have only sought and will continue to defend our rights, as original collaborators under our Creative Commons License for this wiki, to continue in our development of Eco Shelter programs and projects, at the same time that Gareth continues to establish his charitable and humanitarian program. If he wanted to work under a distinct Brand then using our Open Source? Brand of Eco Shelter would not do this very well and will result in perceived association. So, if dis-association is the goal then Gareth and Tsunami Relief should consider a distictive name. However, I say live and let live; they can incorporate the coined word ecoshelter into their name if they wish.
Since our use of Eco Shelter has preceeded the registration of any Brand or Trademark that I am aware of and also preceeded the set up or registration of Ecoshelter Appeal, which name was also was first published at this wiki, then this comment makes it clear that Eco Shelter is our Brand. Having set this "record straight" I would also say that there is no objection on our part to the use of Ecoshelter Appeal by Gareth and/or Tsunami Relief as a charitable organization name or as a trademark so long as our Open Source? rights to use "Eco Shelter" are not challenged.
I wish for us all to focus our energy on the critical situation of the victims of disasters, whether natural or man-made. I wish the initiative for Ecoshelter Appeal? every success and more power to the collaborators who are establishing this humanitarian activity here in the UK.
I predict that under our Eco Shelter initiative many more Groups will become active in locations all around the world who hopefully will themselves be cooperative and form a strong network to bring forward emergency and transitional shelter systems that build sustainability into restoration and rebuilding projects. We want poverty to be history and the first step on that path would be to make homelessness history. In a true collaborative spirit, this is within reach!
- with goodwill to all, Sola Roof Guy