Crypto Altruists: Real-World Stories of Social & Environmental Impact with Web3

TLDR - Exploring conflict and trust in DAOs and decentralized communitiesFor episode 4 of the Impact on Optimism miniseries, we’re excited to welcome Juan Carlos Bell, Project Lead at Gravity DAO, a conflict management DAO that offers alternative dispute resolution and community building services for web3 projects. We’ll explore the origins of Gravity DAO, dive into the unique challenges DAOs face when it comes to conflict resolution, and learn more about the services they offer to help Web3 projects foster trust and resolve disputes. Juan will also share insights into their experience receiving funding through Optimism’s RetroPGF and how Web3 can help advance conflict management as a public good.--Key Takeaways--One of the foundations of Web3 is this idea of trustlessness. However, behind every DAO is people, and the community needs to trust in the reputation of DAO members, especially those in leadership positions. As such, it’s important to focus on activities to intentionally foster trust within your decentralized community.When compared to traditional organizations, DAOs have added layers of complexity that come with tokens, online communications, and collaboration digitally across borders. With this added complexity comes unique conflict management challenges. DAOs are still very new, so we are still figuring out and experimenting with conflict management, and it’s important for DAO leaders to take regular temp checks in their communities.Many Web3 projects rely solely on grants in the early days, but grants can be very time consuming and unreliable. Optimism’s RetroPGF, on the other hand, gives projects an opportunity to focus on building, rather than seeking out funding. This was essential in helping Gravity DAO grow and succeed.If you are in a Web3 community experiencing conflict, reach out to Juan and the Gravity DAO team for support!--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-impact-on-optimism-episode-4-gravity-dao-resolving-conflict-and-building-trust-in-web3-communities🎙️ This podcast was recorded on Zencastr! Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrPlease note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltru

In episode 171, which is part 1 of a 2-part series, we’re excited to welcome five amazing guests: Njeri Muhia and Abeera Akhtar from Mercy Corps Ventures, Greg Schneider and Marie-Odile Zanders from Empowa, and Irthu Suresh from Atlantis. We explore the pilot projects that Empowa and Atlantis recently completed with the help of Mercy Corps Ventures which leverage Web3 to scale climate-resilient housing in Mozambique and improve clean water access in India. We discuss the key findings, challenges, and impacts of these projects.--Key Takeaways--In Mozambique, it is very difficult for the average individual to purchase a home. This is especially true as many individuals in Africa have informal or inconsistent incomes, making it difficult to get a mortgage. Empowa addresses this through their unique on-chain Rent-to-own project where individuals contribute capital over time to the principle as they pay their rent.When it comes to climate resilience, access to clean water is essential. Currently, access to energy and water is highly centralized in India. However, these centralized networks can be susceptible to climate shocks. To address this, Atlantis explored how decentralized networks can help communities coordinate around clean water access and build greater resiliency to climate shocks.When designing Web3 interventions, especially in traditionally underserved and excluded communities, it is important to focus on building solutions that are easy to use and don’t require the user to have knowledge of Web3. Blockchain is simply the plumbing behind the initiative.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-171-piloting-change-exploring-web3-innovations-for-real-world-impact-ft-mercy-corps-ventures-empowa-and-atlantis🎙️ This podcast was recorded on Zencastr! Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrPlease note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.

In episode 170, we’re excited to welcome Agustin Liserra, CEO and Co-Founder of Num Finance, an organization on a mission to democratize investing with tokenized Real World Assets. We dive into what exactly a tokenized RWA is, how they can democratize investment opportunities, the role of RWAs in climate finance and the Regenerative Finance movement, how blockchain can bring greater transparency and trust to investing, and much more. --Three Key Takeaways--Due to the challenges in Argentina related to inflation and financial inclusion, crypto has played an important role in the lives of Argentinians. This has helped create a flourishing environment for builders focused on DeFi and FinTech.Tokenized Real World Assets can help democratize investing by making investment opportunities accessible to investors without traditional jurisdictional complexities, while also enabling the fractionalization of shares to lower the price of entry.Tokenized RWAs can help bring more liquidity and transparency to climate asset markets, while driving greater efficiency by cutting out intermediaries. --Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-170-num-finance-democratizing-investing-catalyzing-financial-inclusion-with-tokenized-real-world-assets✨Interested in Octant’s 4-week accelerator program? More info on this incredible opportunity for builders HERE.🎙️ This podcast was recorded on Zencastr! Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrPlease note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.

For episode 3 of the Impact on Optimism miniseries, we’re excited to welcome Will T, Founder of KFMEDIA℠, a Web3 educational platform on a mission to “inspire, excite, educate, & motivate people to support the regeneration of knowledge.” We explore how Web3 can improve traditional education systems, their innovative Learn for Impact program that rewards students for their achievements, insights on the growing Optimism ecosystem, and much more.--Three Key Takeaways--Web3 can help regenerate education by developing innovative incentive mechanisms for learners and educators, onchain credential tools, and by making education more accessible and transparent.Learn2Earn is a new movement within Web3 that creates tools to reward learners for educational achievements, often with crypto tokens. KFMEDIA’s℠ Learn for Impact program rewards users with impact tokens to recognize their educational achievements while issuing onchain certifications.KFMEDIA℠ and Let’s GROW DAO decided to build on Optimism due to the vision of the Superchain. This includes interoperability amongst L2s, ease of use of the OP Stack, and a strong community of builders--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-impact-on-optimism-episode-3-kfmedia-empowering-the-regeneration-of-knowledge-with-web3-learning-mechanisms🎙️ This podcast was recorded on Zencastr! Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrPlease note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.

In episode 169, we’re excited to welcome Jose Santiago Gomez Piedrahita, CEO of Alternun, a ReFi project that’s revolutionizing the gold industry through “Digital Gold Mining”. We dive into the challenges of traditional gold mining, explore how Alternun is leveraging blockchain to decentralize and democratize investment opportunities in gold, and discuss how they’re using liquidity pools and tokenization to fund local environmental initiatives.--Three Key Takeaways--Gold mining has significant environmental impacts, including the destruction of habitats and the release of significant carbon emissions, yet 93% of extracted gold is stored in vaults rather than utilized. This raises the question: why continue mining this precious resource and destroying environments only to sequester it away? This is the problem underlying Alternun’s Digital Mining approach.Blockchain is essential in building a Digital Mining platform because it brings greater transparency, ensuring there is no double counting of tokens, while also democratizing access to gold investment opportunities through tokenization.Alternun decided to build on the Stellar Blockchain due to the low costs, fast transaction times, on-ramps and off-ramps, and the ability to charge small fees on transactions as a revenue generation tool. They also have a good grants program which has been helpful to Alternun’s startup.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-169-alternun-creating-wealth-regenerating-the-environment-with-onchain-digital-gold-mining🎙️ This podcast was recorded on Zencastr! Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrPlease note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.

For today’s episode we’re excited to return to the Impact on Optimism Series for the second episode! In this series, we highlight gamechanging public goods projects in the Optimism Ecosystem, and today, we have a super interesting conversation in store centered around the Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem.For episode 2 of the Impact on Optimism miniseries, we’re excited to welcome Tobias Schreier, Co-Founder of growthepie, a Layer 2 fundamentals and blockspace analytics platform on a mission to help scale Ethereum!  We dive into the complex Ethereum L2 ecosystem,  the exciting momentum around the Superchain, the Web3 public goods funding ecosystem, Optimism’s RetroPGF program, and much more.--Three Key Takeaways--The L2 ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with new L2s launching on a regular basis. Given the complexity of the L2 ecosystem, and the various use cases of L2s, it can be difficult to stay up to date and understand the L2 ecosystem, especially for those that are new to Web3. As such, it’s important to have open, accessible, and transparent metrics and analytics to help navigate this complex landscape.There are several metrics that can be helpful in evaluating the sustainability of L2s and which one to build or transact on. These include the cost per transaction, the stablecoin market cap on the L2, chain profitability, and the types of activity (i.e. DeFi, NFT sales) that are most prominent on the chain.The Superchain is a network of layer 2 blockchains that are built on the open source OP stack. This allows builders to launch their own chain, giving them the freedom to optimize for their use case while still keeping consistency and connection between the different chains. Participants in the superchain get the benefits of the OP stack as it pertains to security, bridging, and updates from the OP Collective.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-impact-on-optimism-episode-2-growthepie-scaling-ethereum-l2s-and-the-superchain-as-a-positive-sum-game🎙️ This podcast was recorded on Zencastr! Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrPlease note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.

In episode 168, we’re excited to welcome Mark Pascall, Co-Founder of The Wellbeing Protocol, an organization on a mission to build a world where local communities are empowered to support their own wellbeing. We discuss how their participatory grantmaking tool is giving communities the power to allocate capital, the role of quadratic and conviction voting mechanisms, the future of hyper local DAOs, why Web3 is a powerful tool to scale localism, and much more!✨Tell us your public goods story for a chance to win 500 $GLM!--Three Key Takeaways--One of the best ways to reallocate power from large corporations and institutions to local communities is by bringing communities onchain as local DAOs. This gives communities a mechanism to allocate capital, make decisions, and coordinate to limit the power of large institutions.Conviction Voting is a coordination tool that allows communities to collectively govern shared resources. In this system, individuals can vote over a period of time, and are able to change their vote at anytime. However, as long as an individual doesn’t change their vote after it has been casted, it is a signal that you have strong conviction, and the power of your vote grows.In addition to the value of putting local community organizations onchain, one of the other benefits of web3 is all the open-source experimentation happening in the space. Since web3 is so new, it gives communities an opportunity to experiment at the ground level with new mechanisms for coordination and governance.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-168-the-wellbeing-protocol-scaling-localism-with-web3-and-hyper-local-daos--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--This episode was recorded on Zencastr!--Interested in starting your own podcast? Use my special link to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. Alternatively, head to zencastr.com/pricing and use my code "CryptoAltruism".Please note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.

In episode 167, we’re excited to welcome Andrew Forson, Head of Ventures and Investments for The Hashgraph Association, a non-profit organization focused on building a vibrant, innovative, Hedera ecosystem.. We explore what differentiates hashgraphs from blockchains, their vision for building a decentralized economy that empowers startups, enterprises, and governments, their recent collaboration with Deloitte to track and tokenize ESG impact, some of the opportunities for developers interested in building on Hedera, and much more.--Three Key Takeaways--Hashgraphs differ from blockchains in how they organize data and achieve consensus. Unlike blockchains, which line up data in a chain of blocks, hashgraphs organize data on a grid where many branches come together, leading to faster transactions. This allows for a throughput of 10,000 transactions per second at very low energy consumption and cost per transaction.When data is published onchain, it becomes a single source of truth. Since you have a single source of truth as the basis for the technology, it opens up the ability to port this around the world, giving everyone access to the same data, no matter their location, economic background, or identity.When it comes to onboarding traditional enterprises or impact organizations, it’s important to build and package web3 tools in a way that meet these organizations where they’re at and are easy to use without having to understand the complexity of the underlying technology. This includes making the technology compatible with popular web2 alternatives, and offering 1-on-1 bespoke support to organizations.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-167-the-hashgraph-association-building-a-decentralized-digital-future-with-hedera--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.Please note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.

In episode 166, we’re excited to welcome Leo Lin, Founder of Arkreen, a Web3-powered infrastructure network for global distributed renewable energy resources. We dive into the role of Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) in achieving net zero, how Web3 can empower individual climate action and make renewable energy accessible to the masses, and much more.--Three Key Takeaways--Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) leverage blockchain and decentralization to implement physical networks, such as a renewable energy network or data storage network. True DePIN projects are permissionless and owned by the community.Token economies can be a key tool for engaging a global community in climate action by creating innovative new mechanisms to incentivize climate action on both the supply side and demand side. It can make investing in renewable energy more accessible to the average individual by fractionalizing projects that would traditionally only be accessible to high net worth individuals and companies.DePIN can be a great tool for balancing public goods and commercial sustainability. On the one hand, since decentralized infrastructure networks are owner by the community, they serve as a great primitive for building public goods projects. On the other hand, tokenomics can be leveraged to bring value into the ecosystem and build long-term commercial sustainability.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-166-arkreen-depin-for-globally-distributed-renewable-energy-resources--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--DISCLAIMER --While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More on the disclaimer at cryptoaltruism.org.Please note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.

In episode 165, we’re excited to welcome Evan Shapiro of Mina Foundation, a zero knowledge blockchain for a secure, private, and verifiable internet. We break down what the heck a zero knowledge proof is, why you should get excited about this emerging technology, and some of the most compelling social impact use cases of ZK proofs.--Three Key Takeaways--At their core, Zero Knowledge Proofs give individuals the ability to prove things about themselves, such as their credentials and identity, without needing to reveal private or sensitive information.Mina Protocol envisions a future where ZK Proofs are layered on top of everything on the internet that could benefit from verification – whether it be social media posts, news articles, political advertisements, videos, etc. This will ultimately help create a much safer internet free from misinformation.ZK Proofs can play a huge role in building safe digital spaces and institutions, where those participating can know, without a doubt, that everyone involved is who they say they are, and not a bot. This is increasingly important in the age of Artificial Intelligence.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-165-zero-knowledge-proofs-and-the-internet-of-true-things--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--Learn more at cryptoaltruism.org/supportus--Celebrate Onchain Summer by Joining the Onchain Giving Summit!--Join us at the free, virtual Onchain Giving Summit! Endaoment and Base are bringing together visionary blockchain leaders & innovators, forward-thinking wealth advisors and grassroots impact builders for a week of workshops & tough questions. Be sure to catch Drew from Crypto Altruism's workshop at 2pm ET on Nonprofit Day (8/16). RSVP is free and required. --This episode was recorded on Zencastr!--Interested in starting your own podcast? Use my special link to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. Alternatively, head to zencastr.com/pricing and use my code "CryptoAltruism".Please note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.