In nature, dead trees degrade, yielding their carbon to fuel new life. What if we give forests an extra hand, in which we utilize dead tree branches to reforest the physical world via the metaverse?
A 3d replica of a tree branch can cross the digital world a hundred times in a minute. If we link its digital proliferation to IRL (in-real-life) reforestation, we embue the tree with a new kind of corporeal reproduction: every time a replica is printed or minted, we plant trees. Especially considering that NFTs are carbon-costly, eventually we can not only offset but perhaps even negate our carbon footprint.
Well, here’s our first opportunity! At this year’s MassArt Auction, I will be offering a hand-made porcelain cast of a dead birch’s branch. A fossilized preservation of what was. With this sculpture comes its NFT component, a 3d model of this fossil. If you buy this sculpture and its NFT from me, I plant 2 or more trees with 30% of the proceeds (in keeping with the Golden Ratio and close counter part, the rule of thirds). If you then print you own copies (with the 3d model NFT) and sell them, you then also must plant 2 or more trees. The dead tree not only gives itself back to the earth, but now extends its gift beyond the grave into space it has never been before. Cyber replication? What do you think? Nifty NFTree?
Note: these NFTs will be minted on Polygon and/or Tezos. While not carbon-neutral, with the regenerative properties of these NFTs, we can make it so.
