Australia Zoo uses carbon negative blockchain technology for NFT collection

Australia Zoo has partnered with Meadow Labs to create a pool of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Algorand, a carbon-neutral blockchain.

The NFT collection is part of Australia Zoo’s 20th anniversary Wildlife Warriors project, with 100% of proceeds going to a variety of conservation projects at the zoo.

Warrior Koala is the second NFT in the collection, following its first drop – Warrior Croc – which sold out in the first 10 hours.

The Warrior Croc was released on June 14, 2022, with 2000 NFTs available. Warrior Koala – scheduled for release on Tuesday 23 August at 21:30 AEST – will only have 1900 NFTs available.

Image of Australia Post’s Warrior Croc NFT. Source: NFT Calendar.

Each of the 1,900 Warrior Koala NFTs will be randomly generated for each buyer, making them all completely unique.

The Warrior Koala NFTs will cost $60 each, and the drop comes “just in time for trauma season, when patient admissions to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital historically triple”, Australia Zoo explained in a statement.

With sustainability and conservation Australia Zoo’s mission statement, Robert Irwin, son of the late Steve Irwin, said it is both “exciting and humbling to see how the NFT community has come together to help us make the world a better place”.

“…Our passion is to preserve wildlife and wild places while inspiring others to join the fight,” the statement read.

“Through this fantastic partnership, we can do just that in a new and exciting way.”

A sustainable step

In the same statement, the Algorand Foundation’s head of communities, Adriana Belotti, said the Algorand blockchain is “very pleased” that the Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors have chosen the sustainable blockchain for the project.

“Algorand’s carbon offset demonstrates our commitment to the environment and makes it the ideal platform for Australia Zoo’s initiative and organization looking to use the power and transparency offered by a sustainable blockchain,” Belotti said.

The use of more sustainable cryptocurrency and blockchain solutions is growing in popularity, following increased public awareness of the negative environmental impacts Web3 projects can have.

As Gemini chief compliance officer Andy Meehan wrote for SmartCompany in January, “public concern over the negative environmental impacts of cryptocurrency mining has been one of the biggest challenges the industry has faced in recent years”.

“As the rest of the world moves towards creating a more sustainable future, there is a growing need for crypto to tackle its own carbon footprint,” Meehan wrote.

And this effort has extended to NFTs, the latest boom in the Web3 and cryptocurrency sectors, reaching businesses, artists and zoos alike.

Australia Zoo will continue its five-part Animal Collector Series over the coming months, with the fifth and final animal only available to buyers who have one NFT from the previous drops.