Godwoken is expanding its green footprint. Since day one, energy efficiency has been a key feature of Godwoken through its use of optimistic rollup, which scales layer one blockchain. However, now we are planning on taking it to the next level rather than standing still. We want to ensure we're leaving the planet better than we found it. So we have made the leap to partner with Ripple Africa — a U.K.-based charity behind a fuel-efficient cookstove that is transforming kitchens in Malawi — via its carbon offset program.
Godwoken has chosen carbon offsets to compensate for any emissions it cannot reduce. In doing so, the project is becoming one of the industry's leading green blockchains. By integrating carbon offsetting, we are making ourselves accountable for our carbon footprint and will continue to build on this pillar as we achieve future milestones on our roadmap.
Together, Godwoken and Ripple Africa are slashing the firewood required for cookstoves in Malawi and saving trees and muscle power in the process. This results in a safer environment for Malawian families and their children by reducing the risk of burns and smoke inhalation, incidents that were too common before the fuel-efficient cookstove.
Godwoken selected Ripple Africa for many reasons, chief among which is the project's sustainability, allowing it to operate in a self-contained way without relying on any outside entity or technology. In addition, the Godwoken team was drawn to the opportunity to work directly and effectively with Ripple Africa to implement the change needed in the world rather than just arbitrarily sending funds.
“We are excited to be part of a larger ecosystem of solutions for improving the condition of the world for everyone. Ultimately this is where carbon offsetting and blockchain converge when done properly. Ripple Africa's work has been nothing short of transformative. We are honored to be a part of that.” - Eric Vander Wal, Godwoken CEO
Godwoken has partnered with registered U.K. charity Ripple Africa - whose carbon-offset program is UN-certified. As a community-first project focused on transparency and sustainability, Godwoken quickly recognized that its values and mission are aligned with that of Ripple Africa. The charity is confronting Malawi’s environmental issues head-on, genuinely saving trees by slashing the wood required for cooking instead of just kicking the can on climate down the road.
Nowadays, it’s too easy to fall into the trap of greenwashing, where an organization spends more time and money trying to convince the world it is environmentally friendly than it does at reducing its carbon footprint. Through its support, Godwoken is helping to empower communities in Africa while also moving the world closer to the U.N.’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Ripple Africa
Ripple Africa is behind in fuel-efficient cookstoves built for communities in Malawi, where slightly more than 50% of the population lives in poverty. Ripple Africa’s cookstoves are a game-changer for families, providing them with a safer and more sustainable alternative to the continent’s traditional three-stone fire.
Malawi kitchens have relied on three-stone fires, which require a massive amount of wood and generate billowing smoke throughout these small kitchens. Worse, 90% of rural Malawi households depend on these three-stone fires to cook meals.
Consequently, Malawi families, including children, have been known to smoke the equivalent of 40 cigarettes per day — but not from inhaling a single cigarette. Instead, the smoke inhalation is from cooking on three-stone fires, in addition to any burns toddlers have suffered from tumbling into these unsafe structures.
Thanks to Ripple Africa’s fuel-efficient cookstoves, Malawi families no longer have to risk their lives to cook meals. On the environmental side, fuel-efficient cookstoves save the equivalent of over 100 bundles of wood per cookstove each year, not to mention the physical toll carrying the bundles of wood have on the women of the households.
Looking Forward
Blockchain and gaming are two of the most conducive spaces for achieving carbon neutrality across the board, given the volume of completed transactions in both segments. Blockchain gaming alone sees millions of dollars per day in daily volume across more than 1 million gamers. Bolstering the role of the blockchain for social goals such as carbon offsets is one way that projects like Godwoken are giving back to the world.
As a community-focused project, Godwoken is proud to attract developers who similarly care about the environment and embrace the shift toward green power. We look forward to continuing to support and cooperate with Ripple Africa moving forward.
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