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The Use of Sandboxes and Testnets

Parts were published as part of this Medium article on April 17, 2021.

By Jennifer Tran

The Challenge

Early research suggests that minting an NFT on Ethereum, the world’s most popular blockchain, requires 35 kWh or 8,600 grams of CO2. This is the average energy consumption of a European Union resident for four days [1]. Though there are controversies on how carbon footprint data of blockchain transactions are calculation, recent debates have led creators and technologists to seek more ecologically sustainable solutions on minting NFTs.

The Sub Problem

Many new entrants in the NFT space are experimenting. Oftentimes, they mint NFTs that they will never advertise or on marketplaces that they end up not preferring or committing to. Instead of creators wastefully minting NFTs to test out the technology or different platforms, they should have a carbon-free space that allows them to tinker around.

Sandbox Solutions

MintGate created a sandbox solution that allows creators to test out NFTs with their community and fans prior to minting. This solution uses no more energy than creating a social media post, which consumes 0.2 grams of CO2 (8,599.80 grams or 199% less CO2) [2].

How It Works

  1. A creator uploads a graphic or image and gives it a name or description, just like creating an NFT. Optionally, they can add lockable content behind the off-chain token.
  2. The off-chain NFT is created. The creator then can create airdrop links and send the individual off-chain NFT to their fans via their Twitter handle.
  3. A fan receives the off-chain NFT by claiming it by clicking an airdrop link or getting it from the creator. If the fan sees the value in the off-chain NFT, they have the option to mint it themselves testnet chains.

Testnets

Since testnets have a lower hashrate than mainnet, creators should utilize testnets to mint their NFTs if they are testing out NFTs. Marketplaces with testnets include:

Marketplace Testnets Available Website
OpenSea Ethereum Rinkeby, Polygon Mumbai, Klaytn Baobao https://testnets.opensea.io/
Rarible Ethereum Rinkeby https://rinkeby.rarible.com/
Mintbase NEAR testnet https://near.mintbase.io/

References

  1. https://memoakten.medium.com/the-unreasonable-ecological-cost-of-cryptoart-2221d3eb2053
  2. https://www.fastcompany.com/1620676/how-much-energy-does-tweet-consume