Australia Zoo Partners to Launch NFTs on Carbon Negative Blockchain

Time and again, NFTs have proven to be viable tools for funding noble causes. They’ve been used to raise money for wartime refugees, medical debt forgiveness, and conservation efforts. That last application for NFTs is particularly poignant, considering how the environmental impact of Ethereum — the most widely used blockchain for NFTs — is one of the most often levied points of criticism towards NFTs as a whole.

This is part of what motivated Australian green NFT startup Meadow Labs’ to partner with Australia Zoo on the Wildlife Warriors NFT drop. The drop celebrates the 20th anniversary of the wildlife conservation organization of the same name founded by Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter.

It’s set to launch on June 14, with prices starting at $50 AUD ($36.13 USD) with the Warrior Crocs token. This initial run will consist of 2,000 NFTs that resemble members of the Irwin family in some way, all of which are guaranteed to be “non-deterministic, utility-driven, and 100 percent unique to the buyer” according to its press release.

Building environmentally-positive NFT projects

In an interview with nft now, Meadow Labs co-founder and CEO Martin Kelly explained that the whole genesis for this project “came from wanting to use NFTs for good.” This desire heavily informed what organization they would partner up with for this project since ideally, it would highlight the world’s first carbon-negative blockchain: Algorand. “We’re big believers in supporting our planet and doing good with the NFTs we build,” said Kelly.

According to Kelly, “the first thing that came to mind was Australia Zoo. Everyone around the world has fond memories of growing up with the Crocodile Hunter. Especially our team at Meadow Labs, with most of us based in Australia.” 

With Australia Zoo being run by the Irwin family, Meadow Labs knew that they would be the perfect stewards of the family’s legacy into Web3, offering them an opportunity “to tell the story of the impact they have with the zoo, the animal hospital and the conservation efforts of Wildlife Warriors,” said Kelly. Meadow Labs is committed to aiding Wildlife Warriors and Australia Zoo with their conservation efforts and will pledge 100 percent of primary sales to go towards funding for these two initiatives. “It was particularly important to us that we uphold the values, the vision, and the legacy that the Irwin family have worked so hard for,” said Kelly.

Future uses

While these NFT purchases may go a long way towards getting Australia Zoo more much-needed funding, the team behind the Wildlife Warriors NFTs has some surprises in store for holders. Hopefully, they’ll function similarly to National Park NFTs that offer holders unique IRL experiences to go with each purchase of an artwork.

Regardless of what extra experiences may open up to holders of Wildlife Warriors NFTs, Kelly urges that “holding NFTs for this project is a badge of honor [in itself], showing you have contributed to the good of our wild places and our wildlife.”