TL;DR: Susan Sarandon is minting her first NFT right off of her Instagram using cocoNFT. The proceeds from the auction of the NFT, a photograph of her wearing her iconic Bad Moms jacket, go towards exonerating Steven Donziger, who has been sentenced to prison after holding Chevron accountable for excessive pollution in the Amazon.
True, timeless icons keep us on our toes and dabbing at our eyes through honest and emotional performances. When we name drop Susan Sarandon, are you ready to start sobbing over Little Women or Elizabethtown? Or what about Step Mom? (Can we borrow your phone? We have the sudden urge to call our Mama.)
While that perception is definitely not wrong, we have to remember that being timeless isn’t just about finding a shtick.
A true icon evolves.
Susan Sarandon is the perfect example of a woman who keeps up with the times. Sarandon not only uses her star power to call much-needed attention to philanthropic issues; her latest endeavor shows us the utility of NFTs in the world of charitable giving — and honestly, the space could use some disruption.
If you’re part of the Sarandon fandom (😜), it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the actress-turned-philanthropist is once again on the proverbial picket line. But what exactly is this new undertaking, and how (and why) do NFTs play into her current crusade?
Chevron Corp. v. Donziger
It started in 1993 — up and coming NYC lawyer Steven Donziger was asked by an Environmentalist and Civil Rights group to seek remuneration for Ecuadorians living in areas of the Amazon rendered hazardous to human health — as a result of extensive oil drilling. Texaco (which became a subsidiary of Chevron in 2001) had been contaminating the area since the 1970s, filling lakes and streets with crude oil. In the early days, Steven represented over 30,000 Ecuadorians in a class-action suit against Chevron.
Subsequently, in 2011, Ecuador’s highest court found Chevron guilty and awarded the plaintiffs 9.5 billion dollars in damages. However, that same year, Chevron retaliated by filing a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) suit against Donziger, accusing him of bribery and tampering with scientific evidence in order to build his case against them. In 2014, the hard-won ruling against Chevron was overturned as a result of the RICO suit. After appealing this decision, Donziger was ordered to submit his phone and computer to the court. When he refused to do so (citing attorney-client privilege), the judge charged Donziger with criminal contempt of court. Donziger had been under house arrest, awaiting trial, since August, 2019. And in October of 2021, he was sentenced to six months in prison.
Sarandon’s statements on the Donziger case emphasize the injustice at work: “It was just a Chevron showcase of their strength, and it didn’t even seem like a trial.” The big, bad oil tycoon shows how easy it is to crush the little guy: it sounds like another blockbuster starring Sarandon herself. Unfortunately, you can’t make this stuff up.
Why NFTs, Susan?
In her call for justice in the case against Donziger, Sarandon is actively changing the landscape of charitable giving. NFTs are opening new doors and transforming the way we see philanthropy — fractionalized ownership makes NFTs more accessible, giving people who couldn’t afford to buy an entire piece of art the ability to own a piece of the whole.
Crypto is volatile, which has an upside: if not transferred into a traditional currency immediately, it could accrue a significant amount of value. It also has the benefit of radical transparency: the blockchain is an unchangeable public record of crypto transactions, so when an NFT is sold at auction for a certain cause, anyone can track exactly where it goes and what it’s spent on.
Essentially, selling NFTs for philanthropy cuts out all the middlemen that usually have to facilitate charitable transactions. It shifts the locus of power, emphasizing the potential impact one individual can have when they give straight to people in need. All you have to do is find the proper platform.
Auctioning NFTs allows funds to be delivered instantaneously, helping people when they need it most. Elon Musk and others who run in his circle have already donated over $25 million in crypto to charitable causes using GiveDirectly.
Sarandon is using cocoNFT to mint her NFT because it’s fast and simple. If an Oscar-winning actress who recently had her third grandchild can find the time to mint her first NFT using cocoNFT, so can you!
What about the environmental impact of NFTs?
Both Sarandon and Donziger are fighting to protect the environment, which we’re here for. But it’s no secret, the computing power it takes to keep the blockchain up and running releases a significant amount of greenhouse gases, too. So we’re doing something about it.
cocoNFT is committed to fighting against degradation of the environment, and to put our ETH where our mouth is, we’ll be offsetting the carbon footprint of Susan’s NFT…and much, much more.
We’re working hand-in-hand with Aerial, a sustainability platform that tracks the carbon output of activities (like travel, website hosting, and minting an NFT, for example) and then allows you to offset them by donating to environmental initiatives. In this special partnership, cocoNFT’s first 1,000 NFTs sold will be carbon-neutral, too. 👍
What’s Susan got in mind for her first NFT?
The token itself is a photograph of Sarandon in her iconic Bad Moms jacket (you know the one: perfectly worn-in leather with those über cool studs). You’ll find it posted on her Instagram. Using cocoNFT, she minted her NFT right from her feed.
The auction kicks off October 12th, and the highest bidder will walk away with ownership of the NFT and the jacket itself — both are absolute one-of-ones! Funds will go towards helping to exonerate Donziger.
Join Sarandon in her fight for environmental justice and corporate responsibility! Maybe you’ll even own her instantly iconic NFT.
