Time to be ‘Strong’: Unprecedented NFT Earth Swatch auction to benefit tourism’s post-pandemic recovery, climate resilience, and environmental causes
The parties behind the auction — global initiative for Climate Friendly Travel SUNx — Strong Universal Network and cybersecurity company WISeKey — have created the first ever non-fungible token (NFT) related to climate change and sustainability.
The first-off-the-line “Earth Swatch” watch, designed by climate activist and sustainable development pioneer Maurice Strong for the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, is going up for auction this Earth Day, April 22.
The watch was given to Mr Strong’s widow Hanne Strong by the wife of Swatch founder Nicolas Hayek. Ms Strong, in turn, is donating it for the “cyber auction”.
The Earth Swatch’s image will be digitised and reside on a distributed ledger (blockchain) as a non-fungible token (NFT). Unlike bitcoins — which also reside on a blockchain but are interchangeable, like dollar bills, in terms of their value — a NFT represents a unique item.
Bringing the technical knowhow to the Earth Swatch’s NFT auction is NASDAQ-listed cybersecurity firm WISeKey, the first company in the world to use dual factor authentication combined with a NFT to auction a luxury watch; a vintage “Hublot” piece.
However, this will be the first NFT linked to climate change and sustainability.
Nearly three decades on from its creation, proceeds from the auction of the very first Earth Swatch will go to charitable foundations supporting indigenous people, sustainability, and climate resilience as well as to help kickstart post-pandemic travel recovery. It will also benefit the Earth Charter Foundation that Mr Strong launched with Mikhael Gorbachev in 2000 as a contract between people and the planet.
Fundraising from the auction mirrors the original purpose of the Earth Swatch. Funds from sales of the limited edition Earth Swatch nearly 30 years ago supported the People’s Summit, which took place alongside the Rio Earth Summit itself. The People’s Summit brought together 150 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and helped kickstart civil society’s global environment and climate activism.
The late Maurice Strong was a trailblazing environmentalist who helped organise the 1972 Stockholm and 1992 Rio conferences on the environment. Mr Strong was also instrumental in establishing the United Nations Environment Program and the Canadian International Development Agency. (Video.) As a businessman, Mr Strong had interests in properties as diverse as the Hotel du Rhone in Geneva and TreeTops in Kenya
SUNx — Strong Universal Network is dedicated to Mr Strong’s legacy. SUNx’s Climate Friendly Travel agenda is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. (The x refers to the eXistential threat of climate change, about which Mr Strong warned the world half a century ago.)
SUNx co-founder and president Geoffrey Lipman and Maurice Strong were friends for 25 years. Prof Lipman vowed to help Mr Strong instil his vision for sustainability and climate action in the pivotal travel & tourism sector.
In his capacity as the then President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Prof Lipman was the only major tourism player to attend the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. He is also formerly Assistant Secretary General at the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Executive Directive of the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).
In addition to presiding over SUNx, Prof Lipman currently serves as Chair of the Green Growth & Travelism Institute (GGTI), a European not-for-profit organisation.
Mr Strong’s widow Hanne Strong supports Prof Lipman in his pursuit of her late husband’s vision. Ms Strong chairs the Manitou Foundation, a US-based charity she co-created with her husband as a “global centre for spiritual and indigenous research and advancement”.
The Earth Swatch NFT auction will open April 22 to mark Earth Day. A report on the auction’s progress will be delivered April 29, during the Strong Earth Youth Summit. The auction will close June 5 on World Environment Day.
Featured image (top of post): The Earth Swatch (top left); Maurice Strong by Philip McMaster (CC BY-NC 2.0) via Flickr; and Maurice Strong joins the photo opportunity at the conclusion of Rio Earth Summit 1992, which was attended by 124 Heads of State.
About SUNx — Strong Universal Network
SUNx is a legacy for the late Maurice Strong, father of sustainable development. Its goal is to advance Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) ~ low carbon : SDG linked : Paris 1.5.
SUNx has partnered with Malta’s Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Authority to advance CFT, to create a UNFCCC-linked CFT Registry and to promote CFT education. It plans to put in place 100,000 Strong Climate Champions by 2030 across all UN States.
SUNx President Geoffrey Lipman was formerly Assistant Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and Executive Director of the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).