This week’s guest in the column Cardano SPO is a stake pool that donates at least 20% of the profits made by the pool to support organizations that help prevent electro shock of monkeys: Stop Monkey SHOCKs [SHOCK].
Last week’s guest was one stake pool run by 3 vegans from Venezuela who you undertake to decentralize the Cardano ecosystem in a sustainable way.
This initiative is a point of reference for everything Cardano-related and every week or two we will invite one Stake Pool Operator (SPO) to answer some questions and give us an update directly from within the Cardano community.
Considering that many of our readers are new to the crypto space, we will have a mix of simple and technical questions.
Cardano SPO, interview with Stop Monkey SHOCKs [SHOCK]
Hi, I’m happy to have you here. Tell us something about your team, where are you based and what are your backgrounds?
Arjuna – lives in Costa Rica and has a diverse background in many areas of work and life. World traveler, he has worked in hospitality, mushroom farmer and hunter, humanitarian, community builder, meditating yogi, seeker of true freedom (the constant dialogue of the mind).
Alex – lives in Estonia and has a rich and comprehensive background in computer science with a degree in computer engineering and a new passion for artificial intelligence. He has a degree in cybersecurity and works as a researcher in the application of AI to cyber threats.
We both share the enthusiasm for Cardano and the love for animals and we thought about combining our different skills to make a difference.. Who doesn’t want to save a monkey?
Why did you choose the Cardano blockchain, and how does it compare to the competition?
The qualities of Cardano are many and surprising, but we like it in particular the vision of the community and how it can make a difference in the worldattracting a multitude of bright people who have very intelligent conversations.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Project Catalyst – $ 1.5 billion in funding
- Multi-functionality of the blockchain
- Research, research, research … integrity
- Availability and use in the real world
- Relationships and partnerships (now and in the future) – African countries, American companies – Dish, New Balance
- Equal human rights and privileges – Digital identification
Cardano is in a category of its own and is not comparable to other blockchains.
What does a typical day for a Stake Pool Operator look like?
Eat, sleep, Cardano. It definitely looks so jerky… not always, as it’s not sustainable.
Arjuna currently spends a good amount of time on Twitter and Discord keeping informed and updated on the fast and changing Cardano ecosystem as a whole. By making connections with people who are interested in supporting the mission of the monkeys and Cardano in general. Speaking and getting clearances with the charities involved, as well as spreading the good word about Cardano and cryptocurrencies. Having assisted nearly 100 people here in Costa to obtain crypto using fiat currencies (mainly Cardano), opening wallets, transferring funds and answering a plethora of questions about the world of cryptocurrencies.
Alex is the technical arm, dealing with IT and other technical stuff. This includes the management of the pool servers for the functionality, security and optimization and updating of the website.
You are a mission-driven stake pool, what does this mean? And what is your mission?
Yup, being a mission-drive stake pool is a way to give real-life situations purpose and possibilities. It is thrilling! SHOCK’s mission is to bring awareness and funding to a growing problem in Costa Rica, one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the world.
In short, with human progress and the construction of houses in the jungle, the canopy (upper layer of the jungle) on which the monkeys travel are cut down and subsequently replaced with electric cables. Monkeys rarely walk on the ground and now have to use these electrical cables to navigate to different food sources as well unfortunately they can easily be electrocuted.
There are 3 charities working in tandem to address this problem, some of which have been in operation for nearly 20 years.
- IAR Costa Rica it was known as Nosara Wildlife Rescue and recently became the official Costa Rican branch of International Animal Rescue. Volunteers here handle emergency calls and take in and rehabilitate orphaned baby monkeys who survive shock and falls while attached to their mothers.
- Stop the Shocks developed a way to insulate the hot spots of electric poles. The Costa Rican government recently contributed one week workgroups on a quarterly basis for installations. More than 350 poles have been isolated in the past 10 years.
- The Sibu Wildlife Sanctuary deals with monkeys as they become teenagers before their release into the wildwhich can take another 2 years.
So, there are systems and people in place to make a significant impact, but funding is lacking.
Thank you kindly for your time. Anything to add? Where can people find you?
We are working with a 3D artist to deliver token to delegators who will have some utility in the Cardano ecosystem.
Another approach is to raise money for the insulation packages that go on the electric poles as well sell packages as NFTs. Each NFT holder does not get ownership of the stake, but in exchange for providing the funds to insulate the stake he receives;
- a GPS position of the pole
- a photo of the pole
- a close-up photo of one of the monkeys that passed through the shelter
- an animated monkey pfp (seem to be popular)
- a tax donation receipt
- And I talked to metaverse developers who could implement this NFT as an electricity utility
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Disclaimer: The views and views of the PES are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Cardano Foundation or IOHK.
