GO OUTSIDE #17: MINT WAVE | What to Say to The Crypto Bro at Thanksgiving
Have you been outside today?
Climate Report:
Like Californians waiting for “The Big One,” a small town called Grindavik in Iceland has been evacuated as residents await a volcanic eruption that has been teasing for the past few days.
Founders Intro:
Stewards! Guess what??
Mint Wave #2 launches Monday at 12PM EST with our special co-host, Isaias Hernandez, a leading environmental justice activist and educator -- you may recognize them as their online persona Queer Brown Vegan.
Isaias breaks down his own learnings and unlearnings in the web3 space with this video: Can NFTs help scale climate solutions? This mint wave not only funds our eight incredible climate non-profit partners but also activists and educators like Isaias to move the climate movement forward IRL and online.
In other news, if you’re based in the U.S. then that controversial (albeit delicious) holiday called Thanksgiving is around the corner. Here’s how to respond to the crypto bro sitting next to you at the Thanksgiving table.
Crypto Bro: NFTS are all about getting rich quick!!
Steward: Sure, this may have been the case at the beginning but NFTs strategically weren’t built as a “get rich quick” scheme, it’s a complete shift in how we transparently view ownership and digital id for real-world assets including nature. There are already so many real world applications from digital identity verification, supply chain management, DeFi, virtual real estate, intellectual property rights, gaming, and the music and entertainment industry.
Crypto Bro: Who cares about the energy usage? Everything uses energy like that iPhone.
Steward: Energy consumption is always a valid concern. As you know, not all blockchains are created equal and not all energy is created equal. The more important question is: how can we transition the energy sector at large to renewables and how web3 can be a leader in driving this shift? If web3 is truly revolutionary and uprooting the current systems, then it wouldn’t rely on the same energetic resources that have caused the climate crisis.
Crypto Bro: NFTs are dead! Just buy crypto…
Steward: First off, these are two different use cases. Crypto is a financial representation and NFTs have utility beyond a “dollar” amount. NFTs are not dead, but evolving. Your Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT breeds exclusivity, hierarchy, and status -- the antithesis of what Web3 was meant to stand for. STEWARD and other impact collections have utility beyond the artwork, from funding nonprofits to rewarding users. While always ensuring artists and creators can have ownership over their work. Imagine every time you buy something, it has a digital id/NFT attached to it that transparently shows the human and nature cost of creating that product while also having a percentage fund climate solutions with one barcode. This is just the beginning of the utility we’re going to see...
(Note: no crypto bros were harmed in the making of this Substack)
Hope that helps? Let us know how those “crypto bro” conversations go down at your turkey day table!
Oh and btw, the fourth Thursday in November is also National Day of Mourning to mourn the genocide of Native Americans. Five out of eight of STEWARD’s nonprofit partners are Indigenous led and centered for a reason-- they are our original stewards <3
Grateful for YOU, stewards!
Steward Sophia
What’s going on in Climate 3.0?
Google has released a new AI weather forecasting model called GraphCast that can predict extreme weather events further into the future than ever before. In addition to day-to-day weather, these predictions can help communities prepare for increasingly frequent hurricanes, heat waves, drought, and other extreme weather. Traditional weather forecasting is not going to be replaced just yet, though we are entering a new frontier for understanding real-time weather and long-term climate patterns.
Steward Spotlight:
This week, we’re spotlighting the British Columbia government and First Nations Leadership Council - which just signed a historic agreement to channel $1 billion to permanently protect 1.3 million hectares of old-growth forests in BC! The agreement also includes commitments to support Indigenous-led conservation initiatives, conserve enough old forest habitat to support the recovery of 250 spotted owls, and restore 140,000 hectares of degraded habitat within the next two years. 💪
Lucky links:
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Want to become a STEWARD?
1. have a digital wallet (step-by-step guide)
2. join and share this Substack community
3. get ready to buy a piece of digital art for our second mint wave November 20th!