Entertainment can help people become more aware of and responsive to the problems we face. That’s why Polygon has joined forces with the Ocean Conservation Exploration and Education Foundation (OCEEF) to advance ocean literacy by finding new and engaging ways to give people exposure to deep sea missions.
The shared goal of this effort is to ensure that the ocean and its preservation remain the topics of discussion for generations to come. OCEEF is opening doors to its state-of-the-art research vessel, the RV Odyssey, to let the general public explore all of the ship’s facilities and real-time data via immersive, interactive experiences in the Metaverse.
In addition to supporting the project through purchase of NFTs, Polygon’s distributed governance platform will help OCEEF increase engagement. Participants will be able to assist in decisions, including:
Missions: Following scientific committee recommendations, the community will be able to support in the selection of missions from the shortlist.
Participation: OCEEF will open submissions for students to join the team onboard and will select groups from the applications for each mission. There will also be the opportunity to take part in dives themselves, which will be made available through funding support NFTs.
Locations: Out of future itineraries, the community will be able to support the selection of countries. OCEEF is able to get Special Research Permits and conduct operations in unique locations that are closed to all other visitors. This is also an exciting opportunity for the participation pillar.
“Being able to facilitate a global endeavor such as the one that OCEEF is undertaking is very humbling,” said Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon. “I know that our technology is up to the task of bringing these types of immersive, educational and change-making experiences to people all over the globe.”
Polygon’s own sustainability story began in April when the core team announced its commitment to becoming carbon negative by the end of the year and committed $20 million to climate-related projects. Since then, Polygon has achieved carbon-neutral status, eliminating 104,794 tonnes of greenhouse gasses, more than the entirety of the network’s CO2 debt since inception.
Last week, OCEEF Founder Alex Moukas took part in Green Blockchain Summit 2.0 hosted by Polygon to discuss the significance of this collaboration and how the foundation plans to leverage Polygon’s blockchain technology to save the seas. You can see the keynote below.
“Using our Polygon partnership and its carbon-neutral tech as a launchpad, we will be using technology to democratize access to the vessel through multiple Web3 platforms as well as provide participants with the ability to help decide the vessel’s future itinerary and research,” Moukas said.