“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”

— Margaret Atwood

Cardano means different things to different people, which is the magic behind our diverse ecosystem- dreams can truly become reality. An example of this is Earth Natives, an NFT project with great graphics and a story to tell. Here’s the revolutionary part: the proceeds from NFT sales are building houses in places where they are needed the most. This is Cardano turning dreams into reality. Let’s take a look at the NFT side of the project.

In the future, humans have moved underground to avoid the harsh effects of climate change. Over time, they have evolved and changed to accommodate their new surroundings. There are three collections, or types of Earth Natives: Armadalus, Adants, and Meerkadas. The second collection, Adants, is minting now and each miner is designed with unique characteristics and gems. There are two more collections coming soon.

While the NFTs can stand on their own, in this case they are only the beginning. What they are, in fact, is a funding mechanism for the revolutionary part of this project: building houses. Earth Natives is affiliated with Ecoterm — an institute committed to developing sustainable building practices. This isn’t merely a dream or a concept. These folks have actually developed a brick made from earth and recycled mining waste. In addition to using recycled products, these bricks do not require heating to harden, which drastically reduces the energy needed to manufacture them. The bricks have also been designed with energy consumption in mind — their structure allows air to move through the thermoacoustic chamber in the brick, controlling temperature and noise by using the heat from the sun.

Here is the magical part: when you purchase an NFT, those funds will help build real houses for real people in Africa and Brazil. This is why this project is so important and worthy of your attention. It is cryptocurrency helping people in ways unimaginable just ten years ago. It is Cardano being used to make a better world. These folks are using NFT proceeds to solve real life problems- simultaneously teaching about the properties of earth’s minerals, AND looking at sustainable building construction (literally earth, recycled waste, sun and air as building materials) AND building houses for people in Africa and Brazil. This is a truly dedicated team, working hard for things they believe in.

This brief write up doesn’t do them justice. Please check out their website and their video: How you can help people to help our planet with interlocking bricks.