The Rainforest Foundation says that it is accepting cryptocurrency donations in Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and other cryptocurrencies.
Rainforest Foundation US is a New York-based, non-profit NGO working in Central and South America, which is now hoping to support anti-deforestation efforts with crypto and blockchain tech.
The Rainforest Foundation, which has musician Sting as one of their founders, is currently working on a blockchain pilot to assure continued transparency, which will allow donors to track the work done by the foundation in the Amazon rainforest and reward local communities who are protecting their forests with crypto.
Deforestation and fires in the Brazilian Amazon
On Sept. 4, the Rainforest Foundation reached out to the crypto and blockchain community to ask for their support to fight against deforestation and forest fires in Brazil. The post on the foundation’s website states:
“Since Bolsonaro took office in January, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is up 75% and forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon have doubled compared to the past year. As guardians of our rainforests, its animals and its people, we are working with The Giving Block to form a coalition of crypto sponsors, donors and media partners who will help stop this devastation.”
Using blockchain to assure transparency
The foundation is also researching the use of smart contracts to stop illegal logging, land trafficking and safeguard forests from gold mining.
Suzanne Pelletier, executive director at the Rainforest Foundation, said that the dire situation in the Brazilian rainforest has pushed them to come up with innovative solutions. She added:
“Business as usual has gotten us to this point. Philanthropy as usual won’t get us out. We need innovative solutions, and no one is more innovative than cryptocurrency users.”
Crypto and charity go hand in hand
Cointelegraph has previously reported that crypto and blockchain technology are increasingly being applied to support a wide variety of charitable organizations. In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, a blockchain company headquartered in the Bahamas is asking the crypto and blockchain communities to help them bring relief to the hurricane victims.
Freelance Employment Platform Receives Developer Grant from MakerDAO
Blockchain-based employment platform Opolis has announced that it received a developer grant from MakerDAO, the creator of stablecoin DAI.
MakerDAO will bring DAI payment integrations to Opolis
On Sept. 17, in a press release shared with Cointelegraph, freelance platform Opolis and MakerDAO announced that they will bring stablecoin DAI to Opolis’ blockchain-based employment platform for freelancers.
The developer grant provided by MakerDAO will enable Opolis to process DAI payments, give companies and freelancers the choice to pay and be paid in DAI, and allow for Opolis members to pay their membership fees in DAI.
Richard Brown, head of community development at MakerDAO, a type of decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that is managed solely by smart contracts and code, explained that while the freelance and gig economy offers freedom to many, it does not come without its downsides, and added:
“Maker is looking forward to seeing how Dai can help de-risk this emerging workforce.”
Through the MakerDAO collaboration, Opolis will also be able to offer health insurance, cryptocurrency and traditional retirement plans, and tax compliance automation to its members.
MakerDAO enters retail
As reported by Cointelegraph on Aug. 16, a London-based banking alternative called Monolith provides a Visa debit card, which began supporting MakerDAO’s crypto, allowing users to pay for goods in Dai. In addition, the card could be used to make bill payments, as well as send and receive money via Dai.
MakerDAO CEO Rune Christensen discussed at the time how this partnership lets Dai holders use their assets for retail, saying:
“Monolith’s solution provides a powerful way for token holders to extend the usefulness of their crypto-holdings. … Their cards create a critical bridge from the world of DeFi to the more traditional world of retail.”
