CIVILITY AND SECURITY RULES FOR ALL SUBSCRIBERS, MEMBERS, AND VOLUNTEERS

We are a non-profit organization. Part of our mission is to preserve and protect the well-being of all visitors and members. Our rules exist solely to preserve and protect that common well-being.

The rules cover all areas of our website, our website add-on apps, or stand-alone apps (like BaseCamp) used by our staff, the public, volunteers, members, subscribers, or visitors, either in online or offline actions.

Please review our rules as soon as possible. If you feel someone has violated our online or offline safety, communication civility, or security rules, contact us at (info at climatesafevillages dot org). Be sure to copy the violation and any information on the poster in your rules violation email.

Repeatedly violating our online or offline rules can result in being banned or blocked from our website and organization. 

The support team is the final authority on determining if someone has violated a rule and what the punishment should be. If the offense is severe enough, the support team may send warnings as needed or act by banning or blocking without them. These online rules will be amended or added to as necessary.

1. Why these online and offline rules

   Having clear and open rules is essential for productive and healthy relationships. Having clear rules also helps protect and preserve civility, safety, and security, which also is essential for productive and healthy relationships.

   Please do your part to help keep our community civil, safe and secure by reporting violations of our civility, safety and security rules to (info at climatesafevillages dot org).

   As you read our rules, please keep in mind that we are a non-profit organization. Part of our mission is to preserve and protect the well-being of all visitors and members. Our rules exist solely to preserve and protect that common well-being.
   

2. No for-profit self promotion

   CSV is a nonprofit organization, and can’t be used to promote private for-profit efforts. While we are not against for-profits, we must be fair to the community as a whole and comply with IRS obligations. For-profits that are aligned with our mission and that have gone through our process of becoming a trusted sponsor may receive CSV recognition under the Trusted Sponsors program. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us at info at climatesafevillages dot org.

3. Online Conduct Rules for Safety, Civility, and Security

   By using this website or any service provided, you explicitly agree that:

   (a) you will not provide any content or conduct yourself in any way that may be construed as unlawful; illegal; threatening; harmful; abusive; harassing; stalking; tortious; defamatory; libelous; vulgar; obscene; offensive; objectionable; pornographic; designed to interfere with or disrupt the operation of this website or any service provided; infect the website with a virus or other destructive or deleterious programming or routine; or give rise to civil or criminal liability; or in violation of any applicable local, national or international law;

   (b) you will not impersonate or misrepresent your association with any person or entity; you will not forge or otherwise seek to conceal or misrepresent the origin of any content provided by you;

   (c) you will not collect or harvest any information about other users; 

   (d) you will not provide, and you will not use this website to provide, any content or service in any commercial manner or in any manner that would involve junk mail, spam, chain letters, pyramid schemes, or any other form of unauthorized advertising or commerce; you will not use this website to promote or operate any service or content without the website's prior written consent;

   (e) you will not provide any content that may give rise to the website being held civilly or criminally liable, or that may be considered a violation of any local, national, or international law, including -- but not limited to -- laws relating to copyrights, trademarks, patents, or trade secrets.

   (f) you agree and understand that this website might expose you to content that may be objectionable or offensive. ClimateSafe Villages will not be responsible to you in any way for content displayed on this website nor for any error or omission in regulating such content.

   (g) you agree not to use language that is inconsistent with our community standards. Do not swear or use profanity.

   (h) you agree not to impede or otherwise prohibit communication,disrupt the discussion by using screen names in topical chats that are offensive to the topic and repeatedly posting off-topic comments in a topical chat.

   (i) you agree not to use language or images that depicts violence in a gratuitous manner, without journalistic or artistic merit, primarily intended to agitate or cause emotional distress.

   (j) you agree not to use language that is intended to victimize, harass, degrade, or intimidate an individual or group of individuals based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Hate speech or images are always unacceptable anywhere on this website.

   (k) you agree not to post personal information from a minor (under 18 years old). Personal information includes full name, home address, home telephone number, or other identifying information enabling ("offline") contact.

   (l) you agree not to post information to this website that solicits for exchange, sale, or purchase of sexually explicit images and/or material harmful to minors. including, but not limited to, any photograph, film, video, or picture or computer-generated image or picture (actual or simulated).

   (m) you agree not to post information to this website that is illegal or incites illegal activity, such as instructional information on how to build a bomb and/or make counterfeit money.

   (n) you agree not to represent any person or entity in an attempt to deceive, harass or otherwise mislead another member.

   (o) you agree not to get a password or other private information from a user. Remember: ClimateSafe Villages will NEVER ask for your password.

   (p) the website team shall be the sole arbitrator of what does and what does not violate community standards.

   (q) you agree not to use the website email and its private message system to spam other members.

   (r) you agree not to use multiple accounts.

   (s) you agree not to post or comment on behalf of any banned member. This includes all forums, private messages, blogs, comments, and email features.

   (t) If your actions involve a serious civil or criminal level crime, you understand we will provide that information to civil or criminal authorities upon request.

BASECAMP RULES

Welcome to the Basecamp Community! We’re excited to have you here. As you participate, we kindly ask you to adhere to the following rules and guidelines:

1. Respect for Others: Please respect all members of the community. Avoid offensive language and personal attacks. Disagreements and debates are fine, but they should remain civil and focused on the topic at hand.

2. Stay on Topic: Ensure your posts are relevant to the thread or project you're contributing to. Irrelevant posts can be confusing and make it harder for others to follow the conversation.

3. No Spam or Self-Promotion: Spam and self-promotion are not allowed. This includes posting the same message in multiple threads, unsolicited advertisements, or links to external sites that are not directly related to the discussions.

4. Be Constructive: When giving feedback or criticism, make sure it's constructive and helpful. Remember, we're all here to learn and grow together.

5. Respect Privacy: Do not share others' private information without their explicit permission. This includes email addresses, phone numbers, and any other personal information.

6. Acknowledge and Attribute: Always credit others for their work or ideas, and never plagiarize.

Removal Process

Because of our mission's urgency and time-critical nature, we will warn you once about not following our online and offline rules. For your first offense, we will temporarily bar you from our services until in writing, you apologize for your action, verify you have read all our on and offline rules, and promise you will not violate them again. If a community member violates any of the rules mentioned above, the following process will be implemented:

1. First Violation: The member will be issued a written warning via private message, explaining the nature of the violation and providing guidance on adhering to the community rules.

2. Second Violation: The member will be temporarily suspended from the Basecamp Project Community for a period to be determined by the nature and severity of the violation.

3. Third Violation: The member will be permanently banned from the Basecamp Project Community.

Each violation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and CSV reserves the right to skip steps in this process depending on the severity of the violation. We strive to ensure our community is a safe, respectful, and productive space for all members.

Thank you for understanding and respecting these rules. Together, we can make this a thriving and respectful community.

Please read our full Terms of Use, linked at the bottom of this page.

Volunteers are not legal agents or executives of ClimateSafeVillages

You do not make or change the ClimateSafe Village's organizational policy

As an independent, self-organizing volunteer, you are not authorized agents or legal representatives of the Organization for creating, altering, or publishing CSV policies. Only our board of directors or staff may make policy or position statements, take public actions, or make public statements that officially represent our research or non-profit organization.

You choose your own actions

We do not have any form of a central command center that either directs, orders, or selects your or any volunteer's independent projects. As a volunteer, only you choose, plan, and execute your projects to help resolve the runaway global heating  emergency. We may answer your climate questions or offer moral support for actions in alignment with our policies and the climate facts, but we will never tell you what to do or say.

You are solely responsible for materials you may submit or post on our website or forum

Remember that we act as an information distribution and sharing hub similar to Facebook, Reddit, Google Groups, etc. Accordingly, independent individuals and volunteers post their information and comments on our climate information distribution hub in the blog, discussion, or project management forums, our comments fields, and other areas.

Suppose you submit or post any materials on our website as an independent volunteer. In that case, YOU are responsible for ensuring that these materials do not contain ANY copyrighted materials you do not own! If you post copyrighted materials on our website for which you do not own the copyright, you can and will be held legally and financially responsible for those copyright violations with the lawful copyright owner. 

This means that you agree that all information or data of any kind, whether text, software, code, music or sound, photographs or graphics, video or other materials ("content"), made available publicly or privately, by you will be provided and under the sole legal responsibility of the person providing the said content, or of the person whose user account is used.

You recognize that independent individuals who are not legal agents ClimateSafe Villages regularly post information, articles, messages, and comments in numerous places on our climate change information distribution hub. If someone has a copyright issue with something you post, those copyright holders will be directed to contact the independent poster or creator of those materials directly.

ClimateSafe Villages is not liable for any postings in its comments areas, blogs, and message area made by independent individuals. ClimateSafe Villages volunteers are not legal agents of ClimateSafe Villages.

Confidential materials

While volunteering, you may be exposed to or work with confidential materials belonging to this website and organization, such as email lists, donor lists, or other confidential member materials. You may not copy, distribute, or use this information in any way other than what has been shown to you regarding only the uses required for your volunteer position. It is a criminal offense to steal or distribute any confidential information you may have had access to while volunteering unless fully authorized by our organization in writing.

ILLEGAL OR VIOLENT ACTIONS

And finally, never do anything illegal or violent. We NEVER endorse or support ANY illegal or violent activity. If you engage in any unlawful or violent activity because you are an independent volunteer it will be you and not us that could (or will be) held legally responsible by local authorities for your actions. 

Our organization is absolutely against all physical violence or violent revolution. We only endorse peaceful protest and peaceful civil disobedience that would make Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela proud.

1. Copyright Rules

   You agree that all information or data of any kind, whether text, software, code, music or sound, photographs or graphics, video or other materials ("content"), made available publicly or privately, will be provided and under the sole legal responsibility of the person providing the said content, or of the person whose user account is used.

   You recognize that ClimateSafe Villages is a climate change information distribution and sharing hub similar to Facebook, Reddit, Google Groups, etc. Independent individuals who are not authorized legal agents regularly post information, articles, messages, and comments in numerous places on our climate change information distribution hub. These independent individuals are solely responsible for the materials they post, including any copyright violation issues within their postings, messages, and comments they submit or post on our website. 

   If someone has a copyright issue with something you post, those copyright holders will contact you the independent poster or creator of those materials directly. ClimateSafe Villages is not liable for any postings in its comments areas, blogs, and message area made by independent individuals. ClimateSafe Villages volunteers are not legal agents of or for ClimateSafe Villages.

Submission of Any Content to the ClimateSafe Villages Web Site

By providing any content to our website:

(a) you agree to grant to us a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive right and license (including any moral rights or other necessary rights) to use, display, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, distribute, perform, promote, archive, translate, and to create derivative works and compilations, in whole or in part. Such license will apply with respect to any form, media, or technology known or later developed:

(b) you warrant and represent that you have all legal, moral, and other rights that may be necessary to grant us with the license terms set forth in this rule;

(c) you acknowledge and agree that we shall have the right (but not obligation), at our sole discretion, to refuse to publish or to remove or block access to any Content you provide at any time and for any reason, with or without notice.