"Enjoy the process of your search without succumbing to the pressure of the result. Trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard, don’t listen to the critics, and you will figure it out." Will Farrel
There was a video making in the process when the thought arose - how about we launch it as an NFT? That thought changed the trajectory of the artwork we were initially planning to use for a campaign, AND it led us onto an entirely new path and a project called HYPER TREE.
Non-fungible tokens, NFTs - there’s been a lot of buzz around it and blockchain technologies. Our knowledge was close to none when the team gathered to dive into this market. After months of research, meetings, and calls, we accomplished the goal of setting our foot into the NFT world by putting a product into the market.
Not only that!
Through all the research, we arrived at TEZOS, the clean blockchain technology (there’s a lot of controversy around NFTs and the extensive energy they require)
Three art pieces were sold, and a few hundred US dollars were directed towards planting trees in Madagascar through Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership. (you can check the NFT artwork gallery here)
We got connected with a British organization EcoMint and here the journey takes us all the way to Ghana... and THAT is a whole different story - stay tuned to hear about this juicy adventure! :D
Once again, we’ve been shown that the path is not linear. You got to keep throwing the darts with conviction that, at some point, you’ll score. That’s precisely what happened with our NFT experiment!
So much learnt!
So much more to learn!
What an adventure!
Thank you for being a part of it!
VIRTUAL CHAIRS
I’m sitting here with Erika, one of our fantastic volunteers, who has been supporting us with research. She initially researched forest fires worldwide, helping us understand their nature, causes, and the work done locally in response to those emergencies.
How has your experience on the research team been so far?
I first joined the forest fire team, where I researched the situation of forest fires in different countries (affected area, cause, death toll, etc.). I knew that forest fires were one of the most severe environmental issues. Still, I was unaware of their causes and solutions, so exploring what I could contribute while researching was interesting. Then, I moved to the Forespiracy team, where I am currently researching the current situation in each country (mainly African countries), organizations we could partner with for forest conservation, and critical conservation areas such as nature parks or forest reserves. I am now focusing more on the Congo Basin, the basin of the Congo River, and am researching local organizations that we can work with for forest conservation.
What have you learned?
In researching forest fires, I found that one of the significant causes of forest fires is humans setting fires to expand farmland and pastureland and that some countries do not have systems in place to prevent such fires. While it is, of course, necessary to prevent naturally occurring fires, I believe that these human-caused fires are a problem that should and can be solved as quickly as possible. Similar to forest fires, through the research of the Congo Basin, I found that anthropogenic activities such as illegal logging are causing deforestation. Since the Congo Basin has the second-largest tropical rainforest on earth and is home to a variety of endangered species, I believe it is essential to take action to protect the forest.
AROUND THE WORLD 🌏
by Kenny
IS IT WORTH IT?
Sometimes we have to fight for what we believe in, and it’s never an easy thing going against the masses. For many environmental activists, the aforementioned sums up their stories. In extreme cases, their lives are threatened, and unfortunately, some lose their lives fighting for what they believe in.
According to an analysis by Front Line Defenders and the Human Rights Defenders Memorial, at least 358 murders of human rights activists happened worldwide in 2021, 60% of which were land, environment, or Indigenous rights advocates. Sadly, we see the need to take lives but even more so when the life snuffed out is that of one fighting for a worthy cause and a cause that will ultimately benefit us all. According to the report, environmental activists put their lives on the line, especially in countries such as Columbia, Mexico, and Brazil, where the highest death tolls of activists were recorded.
With the threat to self and life, it’s a wonder that activists continue to fight, and those fighting continue to increase. There are countries with umbrella organizations that support local activists, but that's not the case in a lot of countries. Yet, the fight continues. I guess the goal of the greater good supersedes that of the individual. Let’s do what we can to support and protect those willing to fight. It is worth it.
MAKE MONEY MATTER
How can we make our money matter? There are myriads of things we can do, but a recent movement, the Make Money Matter, is bringing light to a new way this can be achieved by pensioners through a campaign dubbed #DeliverTheTruth, which features a short film directed by Richard Curtis. This new campaign aims to challenge companies behind “deforestation, damaging the environment, and threatening lives and livelihoods across the planet.”
What’s the connection between UK pensioners and deforestation? According to the campaign, over 300b pounds of UK pension is invested in companies and institutions with high deforestation risk. The campaign aims to bring this to the fore and sensitize British pensioners on how they are indirectly contributing to the global crisis. By doing this, the hope is to spark curiosity among pensioners, start the conversation around company pension schemes, and encourage them to adopt more sustainable and environmentally-friendly investments. People have the power to effect change, but we need to act on it. Let’s make our money matter.
WHAT WE'RE READING
AUK and EU to enforce Deforestation Due Diligence Law that would require companies importing affected commodities to ensure their production abides by local law? Read here
With the global fertilizer shortage, President Bolsonaro pushes for mining Indigenous land? Read here
Biden administration has launched a $1 billion program for states, tribes, NGOs, etc to apply for grants for conservation and restoration projects? Read here
With more than 785,000 supporters for a petition by high schoolers, Kellogg’s updates its international palm oil policy? Read here
Giant sinkhole with a forest inside found in China - species unknown to science could be hiding in this gaping hole? Read here
There you have it, dear friends!
As you can see, a new column is here! From now on, at the very end of each weLOG, you'll find a list of articles that we feel inspired to share with you. Our team members create this selection while surfing the online world of news and reports. Hope you enjoy it!
Wishing you a month full of wonders!
Joanna Arai
💛
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