How to Create Regenerative Art NFTs
(regenerative art NFT from the VenerAIted series by Maya Frost)
Worried about the environmental impact of crypto currencies and NFTs? You’re not alone.
Many people who care about the environment flag the growing trade in NFTs (non-fungible tokens) as a crypto crisis on top of the climate crisis. Crypto mining operations have had notoriously high energy requirements, and the surging demand for crypto and NFTs is adding to the already-critical need to switch to renewables.
But not all cryptocurrencies or NFTs are created in the same way, and should not be painted with the same planet-bruising brush.
Some states (and entire countries) are banning or placing moratoriums on crypto mining in an effort to protect energy resources and reduce negative environmental impacts. Others are embracing the crypto mining industry and establishing special zones and tax advantages to lure them.
Now that Ethereum has completed its complex Merge process to switch from the energy-intensive Proof of Work consensus mechanism to Proof of Stake (requiring 99.9% less energy), it has become a viable option for those seeking to mint NFTs without using excessive electricity, along with Solana, Tezos, Algorand, and many more cryptocurrencies that have been using the low-energy Proof of Stake process from the beginning.
Get Started
So, where do you start if you want to create an NFT that not only avoids harming the planet but actually contributes to positive climate action?
Use only Proof-of-Stake (or similar) options. This requires a currency/marketplace/wallet fit that allows you to mint on a particular platform using a wallet that is tied to that currency. For example, you could create an NFT using a Solana wallet (such as Phantom or Solflare) on a Solana marketplace (such as Exchange.Art, Kairos, or Magic Eden.) Or you might select Tezos, using a wallet that supports Tezos ( Atomic, Exodus, BInance) on a Tezos marketplace (such as ojjkt, Kalamint or FXHash.)
Here is a list of some of the Proof of Stake currencies and related marketplaces for NFTs:
UPDATE: Ethereum is now using Proof of Stake, and OpenSea remains a top NFT marketplace based on Ethereum
Solana: combines Proof of Stake with Proof of History (PoH), ensuring that a blockchain is very fast while keeping its security decentralized. Solsea, Magic Eden, Solanart, DigitalEyes, Metaplex, Kairos, Exchange.Art and finally, OpenSea´s Solana option
Tezos: objkt, Hic et nunc (HEN), Kalamint, FXHash, Teia, Rarible’s Tezos option
Cardano: CNFT, Galaxy of Art, jpg.store and high-end art site Arkhouse
Flow: Disrupt Art, Block Party, Rarible’s Flow option
Stellar: (not a PoS blockchain, uses a different consensus mechanism, but very low-energy use) Litemint, StellarNFT
Algorand: (a carbon-negative blockchain that reduces its small carbon footprint via a partnership with Climate Trade) Zest Bloom, Artsquare, Aorist, Abris
Rarible: this NFT marketplace, in addition to offering a Tezos option, is now partnering with Nori, a carbon removal marketplace, to empower users to make their NFTs carbon negative. To kick off the partnership, Rarible purchased 906 tonnes of carbon removal through Nori.
Voice.com: an NFT marketplace for those who don’t own crypto or wallets, offering payment by credit card and paying artists via USDC. NFTs are minted using a DPoS (Delegated Proof of Stake), which is similar to PoS but featuring a voting and delegation mechanism that claims to make the process more democratic. The company´s own carbon footprint is offset through a partnership with Native. In addition, during Earth Month, Voice planted over 30,000 trees, or one for every NFT minted.
Eighty percent of people in the U.S. do NOT own crypto, and new earth-forward cross-chain marketplaces will be launched in the months ahead, some incorporating GooglePay, ApplePay, MoonPay, etc.
Give a percentage of your NFT sales to a vetted non-profit organization doing good work to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
You can do this yourself by simply sending donations each month or quarter to your chosen organization, or mint on a giving website such as DoinGUD.com which makes it easy to select from a list of non-profits to support. When your NFT sells, the percentage you have chosen is sent directly to your selected organization.
Buy NFTs that are focused on helping the planet.
Check out the collections at https://www.nftswithaheart.com/
Share this climate-positive message with other artists and NFT collectors who want to participate in buying and selling digital art and feel good about it.
In your conversations with friends and family, on your social media posts, and in your own work, choose to be a spokesperson for the positive role that NFTs can play. There is a growing group of individual artists, projects, and NFT collections making a powerful impact by supporting regenerative projects in forestry, agriculture, marine preservation, and more. Follow their work on social media using climate and regeneration-related hashtags, and spend time learning about the positive work being done using NFTs as art or smart contracts on blockchain to verify environmental action. Join a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) working to create and support environmental projects. Be part of a group exhibition (online or in your community) that supports climate work.
Still not sure about turning your art into NFTs? There is no need for anyone to dive into the world of NFTs if it’s not appealing, so resist feeling that you have to participate. Support the critical climate work being done by volunteering or donating to causes that matter to you.
As artists and citizens, we have a role to play in creating work that educates and inspires others to protect our planet. Find ways to partner with others who are committed to climate action, and use your art, your heart, and your new knowledge to make a positive impact.
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
Want to share this article in your blog or link it on your social media? You can! Just include the following credit:
Maya Frost is an artist, activist and strategist. Her work celebrates and supports climate change solutions.
Learn more at https://MayaFrost.com
Many people who care about the environment flag the growing trade in NFTs (non-fungible tokens) as a crypto crisis on top of the climate crisis. Crypto mining operations have had notoriously high energy requirements, and the surging demand for crypto and NFTs is adding to the already-critical need to switch to renewables.
But not all cryptocurrencies or NFTs are created in the same way, and should not be painted with the same planet-bruising brush.
Some states (and entire countries) are banning or placing moratoriums on crypto mining in an effort to protect energy resources and reduce negative environmental impacts. Others are embracing the crypto mining industry and establishing special zones and tax advantages to lure them.
Now that Ethereum has completed its complex Merge process to switch from the energy-intensive Proof of Work consensus mechanism to Proof of Stake (requiring 99.9% less energy), it has become a viable option for those seeking to mint NFTs without using excessive electricity, along with Solana, Tezos, Algorand, and many more cryptocurrencies that have been using the low-energy Proof of Stake process from the beginning.
Get Started
So, where do you start if you want to create an NFT that not only avoids harming the planet but actually contributes to positive climate action?
Use only Proof-of-Stake (or similar) options. This requires a currency/marketplace/wallet fit that allows you to mint on a particular platform using a wallet that is tied to that currency. For example, you could create an NFT using a Solana wallet (such as Phantom or Solflare) on a Solana marketplace (such as Exchange.Art, Kairos, or Magic Eden.) Or you might select Tezos, using a wallet that supports Tezos ( Atomic, Exodus, BInance) on a Tezos marketplace (such as ojjkt, Kalamint or FXHash.)
Here is a list of some of the Proof of Stake currencies and related marketplaces for NFTs:
UPDATE: Ethereum is now using Proof of Stake, and OpenSea remains a top NFT marketplace based on Ethereum
Solana: combines Proof of Stake with Proof of History (PoH), ensuring that a blockchain is very fast while keeping its security decentralized. Solsea, Magic Eden, Solanart, DigitalEyes, Metaplex, Kairos, Exchange.Art and finally, OpenSea´s Solana option
Tezos: objkt, Hic et nunc (HEN), Kalamint, FXHash, Teia, Rarible’s Tezos option
Cardano: CNFT, Galaxy of Art, jpg.store and high-end art site Arkhouse
Flow: Disrupt Art, Block Party, Rarible’s Flow option
Stellar: (not a PoS blockchain, uses a different consensus mechanism, but very low-energy use) Litemint, StellarNFT
Algorand: (a carbon-negative blockchain that reduces its small carbon footprint via a partnership with Climate Trade) Zest Bloom, Artsquare, Aorist, Abris
Rarible: this NFT marketplace, in addition to offering a Tezos option, is now partnering with Nori, a carbon removal marketplace, to empower users to make their NFTs carbon negative. To kick off the partnership, Rarible purchased 906 tonnes of carbon removal through Nori.
Voice.com: an NFT marketplace for those who don’t own crypto or wallets, offering payment by credit card and paying artists via USDC. NFTs are minted using a DPoS (Delegated Proof of Stake), which is similar to PoS but featuring a voting and delegation mechanism that claims to make the process more democratic. The company´s own carbon footprint is offset through a partnership with Native. In addition, during Earth Month, Voice planted over 30,000 trees, or one for every NFT minted.
Eighty percent of people in the U.S. do NOT own crypto, and new earth-forward cross-chain marketplaces will be launched in the months ahead, some incorporating GooglePay, ApplePay, MoonPay, etc.
Give a percentage of your NFT sales to a vetted non-profit organization doing good work to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
You can do this yourself by simply sending donations each month or quarter to your chosen organization, or mint on a giving website such as DoinGUD.com which makes it easy to select from a list of non-profits to support. When your NFT sells, the percentage you have chosen is sent directly to your selected organization.
Buy NFTs that are focused on helping the planet.
Check out the collections at https://www.nftswithaheart.com/
Share this climate-positive message with other artists and NFT collectors who want to participate in buying and selling digital art and feel good about it.
In your conversations with friends and family, on your social media posts, and in your own work, choose to be a spokesperson for the positive role that NFTs can play. There is a growing group of individual artists, projects, and NFT collections making a powerful impact by supporting regenerative projects in forestry, agriculture, marine preservation, and more. Follow their work on social media using climate and regeneration-related hashtags, and spend time learning about the positive work being done using NFTs as art or smart contracts on blockchain to verify environmental action. Join a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) working to create and support environmental projects. Be part of a group exhibition (online or in your community) that supports climate work.
Still not sure about turning your art into NFTs? There is no need for anyone to dive into the world of NFTs if it’s not appealing, so resist feeling that you have to participate. Support the critical climate work being done by volunteering or donating to causes that matter to you.
As artists and citizens, we have a role to play in creating work that educates and inspires others to protect our planet. Find ways to partner with others who are committed to climate action, and use your art, your heart, and your new knowledge to make a positive impact.
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
Want to share this article in your blog or link it on your social media? You can! Just include the following credit:
Maya Frost is an artist, activist and strategist. Her work celebrates and supports climate change solutions.
Learn more at https://MayaFrost.com