Last February, Dinesh Kshatriyan and Janaganandhini Ramaswamy made news as the couple that got married in a Harry Potter-themed metaverse. The Potterheads, with the help of a Chennai-based startup, had recreated the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s Great Hall, the venue for the wedding reception.
A year later, the couple is getting ready to welcome their baby towards the end of February. As with their marriage, this life event, too, is marked by technology for Janaganandhini and Dinesh. This time, they are using Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to represent their attempt to make their baby carbon neutral.
“As we look forward to the arrival of this new life, we are also filled with a sense of responsibility to ensure a safe and sustainable future for our child and for generations to come. So, we are planning to offset our baby’s future carbon emissions with a food forest,” says Dinesh, a project associate at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
Three months ago, the couple acquired a two-acre land in Anchetty village in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. With the help of farmers, Dinesh claims, he and his wife have planted a thousand trees, shrubs, and plants that will provide food and habitat for local wildlife and absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere.
A soon-to-be-minted NFT, called NOVA, will symbolize the couple’s initiative. NOVA, Dinesh says, will also be the “digital name” of their baby.
“As our baby grows, the food forest will grow with it, providing a constant reminder of the love and hope that inspired the NOVA initiative. And that NFT will continue to symbolize the importance of individual action in creating a sustainable future,” he adds.
The NOVA initiative will be a part of Seerakku, a platform started by the couple that combines blockchain technology and gamification to help individuals and businesses offset their carbon emissions. “We want to plant at least 50 trees for every baby born in India,” says Dinesh, elaborating NOVA’s vision.
India has promised to cut its emissions to net zero by 2070 (missing the goal of the COP26 summit for countries to commit to reaching the target by 2050). The NOVA initiative, Dinesh adds, attempts to bridge that gap and reach the target sooner.
