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

In episode 177, we welcome Kennedy Ng’an’ga of Shamba Network, Benson Njuguna of Fortune Credit, and Wladimir Weinbender of DIVA Donate. We explore their collbarative pilot, in partnership with Mercy Corps Ventures, that deployed blockchain-based anticipatory cash transfers to pastoralists in Kenya, using smart contracts triggered by environmental data brought onchain by an Oracle. We discuss the potential for Web3 to address climate-related challenges in vulnerable communities, and how cryptocurrency can be a vital tool to deliver aid to last mile communities.--Three Key Takeaways--50 million people across sub-Saharan Africa are Pastoralists that depend on livestock for income and subsistence. In Northern Kenya, Pastoralism provides income to more than 95% of rural families. This region is also vulnerable to extreme weather events, including floods and droughts, that can significantly impact the livelihoods of Pastoralists. As such, it’s important to build solutions that help Pastoralists adapt to climate shocks.Anticipatory cash transfers are a powerful tool for communities that are vulnerable to climate change. By proactively issuing cash transfers in advance of climate shocks, as opposed to reactively, it enables recipients to use the funds to prepare for the climate shock, including purchasing food or protecting their livestock. Anticipatory cash transfers are a vital tool for building climate resilient communities by ensuring a more stable income for pastoralists in spite of an increasing number of climate shocks.This Pilot demonstrates how blockchain and crypto rails can reduce the cost of delivering funds to recipients by cutting out intermediaries and automating processes with smart contracts, while also reducing the time to transfer the funds from days to hours. Furthermore, by bringing all the data on-chain, it ensures easy auditability --Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-177-blockchain-powered-anticipatory-cash-transfers-for-climate-shocks🎙️ 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 info at cryptoaltruism.org.

In episode 176, we’re excited to welcome Kitty Horlick, Director of RariLabs, the organization dedicated to advancing the privacy first, ZK social protocol Rarimo. We discuss how zero-knowledge proofs can enhance privacy and protect data, explore Rarimo’s Freedom Tool that empowers citizens living under oppressive regimes to have a voice - including its impactful deployments in countries like Iran and Russia - dive into the Proof of Humanity Aggregator that defends against Sybil and bot attacks, and explore the future of privacy-preserving tools at scale.--Three Key Takeaways--Zero Knowledge Proofs allow individuals to share aspects of their identity without revealing who they are. This enables individuals to build a verifiable reputation online, while also having control over which aspects of their identity and credentials that they share.In traditional online voting, there is no way to verify eligibility while keeping the system completely surveillance free and untraceable. This can discourage individuals, especially in oppressive regimes, from participating in online voting. Rarimo’s Freedom Tool uses ZK proofs to address these challenges, creating a tool that allows dissidents and activists living under oppressive regimes to signal their dissatisfaction towards the regime while also keeping their identity safe.RariMe is a ZK privacy preserving identity tool that allows individuals to scan their passport and create an incognito profile based on the data in the passport. Individuals can then use this privately stored identity profile to generate proofs that verify their reputation and credentials without having to reveal their identity. This allows any individual in Web3 to create a ZK passport and profile.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-176-rarimo-zk-social-graphs-for-a-more-open-and-free-world🎙️ 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 info at cryptoaltruism.org.

In episode 175, we’re excited to welcome Michael Kelly, Chief Product Officer at Open Forest Protocol, an organization on a mission to create the highest integrity and most verifiable nature-based carbon credits, at scale. We discuss the Afforestation/Reforestation methodology behind OFP’s carbon credits, the role of blockchain in addressing the critical challenges in environmental asset markets, and how OFP actively involves local and Indigenous communities in climate projects. We also take a glimpse into the century-long vision that drives Open Forest Protocol’s work.--Three Key Takeaways--There are about 1.5 billion hectares of land around the world that would be eligible for some type of environmental asset methodology – such as afforestation, reforestation, biodiversity conservation, etc. This provides exciting opportunities for growth in the sector, and for local communities to focus on positive environmental actions instead of extraction.OFP’s approach focuses on enhanced data reporting which is stored and verified on-chain. This data collection is driven by local communities who are collecting conservation data at regular intervals. This ensures all credits issues through OFP’s protocol can be verified, while also enabling local communities to start projects without having to go through extensive evaluation from an outside auditor. They simply begin by uploading data, getting their project verified, and turning their project into credits.“The nature of value is changing the value of nature”. Traditionally, extractive approaches have been much more profitable than conservation. This is due to incentive structures that place a greater value on extracting resources from land than by conserving it. By giving communities the power to generate income by engaging in positive environmental actions, it can help shift the balance and make conservation as profitable as extraction.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-175-open-forest-protocol-redefining-the-value-of-nature-with-verifiable-onchain-environmental-assets🎙️ 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 t

For episode 174, we have a special episode in store. On September 25th, Tereza and Drew from Crypto Altruism co-hosted a Twitter Space where they dove into the key themes from their three-part article series, Exploring the Octant Ecosystem, and had the opportunity to chat with Mashal and Wayne from Octant about some of the exciting things they have in the works. We also announced the winners of our Public Greats GLM giveaway, and heard the incredible stories of 4 Web3 public goods builders from Treegens, KFMEDIA℠, Earth Coin, and ReFi Tulum.As this was a live, unedited Twitter Space, the audio quality isn’t quite up to our usual standard since most of the speakers were using their phones. But the conversation was packed with insights, and we had a great time engaging with the community and exploring what makes Octant so impactful in the world of public goods funding.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-174-special-live-episode-exploring-the-octant-ecosystem🎙️ 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 173, we’re excited to welcome Batsirai Muguti & Wayne Anthony Daniels of Pipe gDAO, a decentralized community leveraging blockchain to build a University Real World Asset IP Launchpad to help bring groundbreaking ideas from lab to market. We explore what the heck the European Paradox is, how they are addressing it by creating a decentralized ecosystem that tokenizes intellectual property and empowers innovators, and why Web3 primitives are essential in bringing their vision to life.--Three Key Takeaways--Projects that have already gone through the rigor of the university pipeline are much more likely to succeed in the long-term. However, there is often a lot of friction when transferring tech from academia to industry, especially in Europe. The European Paradox refers to the lack of successful companies that have emerged from European University IP when compared to North America and other markets.Their decentralized launchpad helps disintermediate early-stage projects from Venture Capitalists by ensuring investment decisions are driven by the community and not the biases of VCs. Through their Question, Evaluate, and Disclose (QED) approach to evaluate technology readiness, it helps derisk the investment for DAO members by putting each idea through a rigorous evaluation process. Web3 can help lower the barrier to entry for investors in early-stage companies. In many jurisdictions, you must be an accredited investor, with access to a large amount of capital to invest in early-stage companies. Blockchain makes it possible to tokenize investment opportunities that were previously only available to high net worth individuals, and open them up to retail investors.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-173-pipe-gdao-bringing-university-innovations-from-lab-to-market-with-blockchain-and-ip-tokenization🎙️ 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 172, which is the second part in our two-part series, we welcome back Njeri Muhia and Abeera Akhtar from Mercy Corps Ventures, Greg Schneider and Marie-Odile Zanders from Empowa, and Irthu Suresh from Atlantis. We continue exploring their pilot projects that leverage Web3 technology to build climate resilience, diving deeper into the role of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, how to effectively measure impact, the next steps for scaling their Web3 projects, and much more.--Key Takeaways--The core aspects that make blockchain unique like immutability, transparency, and the ability to reach consensus quickly, are gamechangers in international development efforts. They can increase efficiency by cutting out intermediaries, while making it much easier to monitor and verify the impact of projects.Many developing economies leapfrogged traditional technology like LAN lines and Ethernet, going straight to mobile and wireless technologies. This has resulted in a high level of penetration of wireless tech, which has helped fuel the growth of Web3 in these areas, leading to many exciting innovations.It’s important to remember that blockchain is a backend solution when introducing innovations to communities. It is far more important for beneficiaries to be aware of the benefits and values of the project, and how it will improve their lives, rather than the intricacies of the technology behind the innovations. You can slowly educate the community on blockchain and crypto as you go, but it doesn’t need to be a part of the initial sales pitch.--Full shownotes with links available at--https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-172-piloting-change-part-2-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.

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.