At ETH Barcelona on July 6-8, there was the usual mix of geeks, coders, hardcore ethereans, and project founders. With market conditions having flushed out the moonboys and influencers, however, there was a distinct absence of shillers. Its slogan “What happens in Barcelona stays on the blockchain” captured the nerdiness of the event, whose focus was very much on building.
In place of the frothiness that characterizes many crypto conferences, there was an egalitarian ethos: an exploration of how blockchain “can help build a sustainable world full of human potential.” How exactly does this amorphous vision manifest in practice? And can a technology invented to solve the double spend problem really improve the everyday lives of planetary citizens?
Answering those questions calls for taking a closer look at the crypto projects represented at the conference that fall into the ESG bracket: Environmental, Social, and Governance. While mixing and mingling at ETH Barcelona, I met representatives from a number of these projects. Here’s what I learned.
The Giving Block
One of the projects I had the pleasure of meeting at ETH Barcelona was The Giving Block (TGB). These guys are convinced that crypto can change the world for the better. TGB makes it easy for organizations to accept crypto donations and for individuals to donate with crypto. It’s particularly passionate about NFT fundraising and has authored an entire report on the topic.
I was particularly impressed with the fact that The Giving Block seems intent on putting its money where its mouth is: CEO Jared Isaacman of parent company Shift4 is matching donations up to $10M for its Caring With Crypto campaign. Thanks to the efforts of projects such as The Giving Block, NFT philanthropy is really taking off, funneling more funds to social causes and onboarding more people and organizations to crypto.
The Future of Giving
Many of the socially conscious startups to have emerged from the crypto sector lately have been NFT-focused. There are obvious reasons for this synergy: NFTs are highly visual, and thus an effective medium for conveying environmental messages. This mechanism also suits collaborations with artists and creators who share similar values. DoinGud, one of ETH Barcelona’s launch partners, has done more than perhaps any other NFT project to realize this goal.
As the project’s manifesto explains, “We believe that art has always been an incredible tool for influencing change and by…
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