Every moment is filled with choices. 

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Is easy to be conscious of my choices when I can see the direct impact on my and other people’s lives. Some choices seem obvious, others, not so much. Some come from habit or experience. Some come from love, others from fear. Some choices go unseen and unthought of.

Getting a glass of water right now is a choice. Looking at my phone is a choice. Continuing writing (or reading) this text is a choice. Taking a deep breath is a choice. There are so many and all of them have a consequence. What do I really want as an outcome of my choices?
 

What about 60 million people say every day?

It is just one plastic bottle. 

 

I believe in science. I see the trouble we are getting ourselves into with our environmental impact. We’re running out of time and just talking about it and waiting for governments and big companies to take action won’t do it for me. It won’t do it for us. Therefore I choose to choose consciously. Whenever I have a choice to do something, purchase something or invest in something that has a lower environmental impact it will most likely be the choice I make.

 

Collective choices have huge consequences.

 

Selling my NFTs on an energy efficiency blockchain was a conscious choice. I was very excited when I heard about NFTs and their potential but when I learned about the energy consumption of each transaction on the Ethereum blockchain I was very bummed. I was about to give it up completely when I learned about the Tezos blockchain. It was in a room on Clubhouse and the person talking about it was received with some negativity and people quickly dismissed it. I was not just curious, I was hyped. My choice was made and so was my statement coming into the NFT world. 

 

Is earth alive? 

 

I like to think that the planet is alive and that we’re part of this giant floating organism. It pulses, it moves, it has energy, and it sustains so many life forms. Putting it this way not just makes me more humble and compassionate about it, but it also reminds me of the need to be in harmony. This was the basis for my video art series called Gaia Viva which marks my entrance into the NFT space. Gaia is the personification of Earth in Greek mythology and Viva means alive in Portugues with a feminine pronoun. In this series, I ask the question “Is earth alive?” and invite the viewer to connect with the living power of nature and its core elements. Can you feel it? 

 

The project was launched on Earth Day (April 22nd) 2021 and minted on Hic Et Nunc, the leading marketplace on the Tezos blockchain at the time. It started as an NFT project but it is finding its way into the physical world with the plan to become an immersive installation where people can view the videos on a much bigger screen with rich sounds so the viewer can feel immersed in an energy vortex. 

 

“Be the change you want to see in the world“

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Andressa Furletti

 

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To see the currently available Gaia Viva pieces visit:

https://teia.art/Andressa 

Organizations supported by the sales of the Gaia Viva pieces:

 

Plastic Pollution Coalition - www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org 

Plastic Pollution Coalition is a growing global alliance of more than 1,200 organizations, businesses, and thought leaders in 75 countries working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impact on humans, animals, waterways, the ocean, and the environment. 

 

Earth Alliance / Amazon Forest Fund https://ealliance.org/amazonfund/

Earth Alliance, a new organization to help address the urgent threats to our planet’s life support systems – born out of the shared passion of its founding co-chairs: environmental activist and Academy Award®-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, businesswoman and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, and investor and philanthropist Brian Sheth.

Launched in response to a growing climate crisis and staggering loss of biodiversity threatening the stability of life on Earth, the Alliance marks a shared commitment to addressing these intertwined threats.

Earth Alliance has formed an emergency Amazon Forest Fund with an initial commitment of $5 million to focus critical resources on the key protections needed to maintain the ‘lungs of the planet.’

These funds are being distributed directly to indigenous communities and other local partners combating the fires, protecting indigenous lands, and providing relief to the communities impacted.

 

Coral Restoration Foundation - https://www.coralrestoration.org/

Coral Restoration Foundation™ is the largest coral reef restoration organization in the world. They were founded in response to the widespread loss of the dominant coral species on the Florida Reef Tract. They are actively restoring coral reefs on a massive scale, educating others on the importance of our oceans, and using science to further coral research and coral reef monitoring techniques. 

The Coral Restoration Foundation™ works to support the reefs’ natural recovery processes through the large-scale cultivation, outplanting, and monitoring of genetically diverse, reef-building corals. They engage and empower the community to join them to save our planet’s coral reefs with dive programs, educational activities, scientific collaborations, and outreach.

 

Rainforest Foundation US - https://rainforestfoundation.org

The Rainforest Foundation works on the ground to secure land rights for indigenous people. They strengthen indigenous land security and train indigenous communities to use technology to protect their forests. By investing directly in indigenous communities, we connect people who are deeply motivated to conserve their ancestral lands with the tools, training, and resources necessary to protect their rainforests.

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