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

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



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--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! #madeonzencastr

Please note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.

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--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--
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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!--
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In episode 164, we’re excited to welcome David Casey, CEO of Funding the Commons, a project incubated by Protocol Labs that builds bridges between builders, researchers, and funders transforming funding models and mechanisms for public goods. We discuss why Web3 has become a hub for public goods funding experimentation, some of the most exciting innovations coming out of the space, the challenge of balancing reward and impact in funding mechanisms, some of their upcoming events and experiences, and much more.

--Three Key Takeaways--

• If the Web3 ecosystem is truly committed to funding and scaling open-source software, it’s important for different protocols across the ecosystem to collaborate and develop shared public goods funding mechanisms to support the digital public goods that benefit the ecosystem as a whole.
• When coordinating conferences and events around public goods funding, it’s important to engage diverse sectors including the public sector, international NGOs and organizations, the Web3 community, and academics and researchers. Many of these communities have decades of experience in public goods and can bring important perspectives to the conversation.
• To reach a broader audience and scale Web3 public goods mechanisms, it is important to focus on building more accessible and user-friendly UI/UX, including solutions that reach the last mile. A great example of this is the launch of Mini Pay on the Opera Browser.

--Full shownotes with links available at--
https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-164-funding-the-commons-blockchain-based-infrastructure-for-public-goods-funding-mechanisms

--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 163, we’re excited to welcome Nico Gallardo of LottoPGF, the creators of permissionless lotteries for public goods funding on Ethereum. We dive into the history of lotteries as a funding mechanism, why Ethereum is such a powerful force for community coordination and capital allocation, how permissionless lotteries are set to disrupt traditional public goods funding, unifying degens and regens to advance public goods, and much more.

--Three Key Takeaways--

• There is a strong history of lotteries funding public goods like universities and charitable institutions, but traditionally these lotteries have been heavily centralized, with decisions around capital allocation being made by a centralized authority. A decentralized, permissionless lottery would put this power in the hands of the community.
• Lotteries today require a high degree of trust. You must trust that the individuals receiving and holding the money will use a fair process for choosing a winner and will distribute the funds as promised. A blockchain-based lottery would address this by creating an open source, trustless system for choosing a winner and allocating funds.
• Traditionally “degens” and “regens” have been viewed as opposites that are incompatible with each other. However, there are a lot that these communities can learn from each other. Degens, on the one hand, are great at coordinating communities and raising funds, and there is a lot that regens can learn from this. As such, it’s important to explore ways that these two communities can work together for social good.

--Full shownotes with links available at--
https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-163-lottopgf-unifying-degens-and-regens-as-a-force-for-public-goods

--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.



--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.

Today we’re excited to release the first episode of our new Crypto Altruism mini series – “Impact on Optimism”, where we explore Public Goods Changemakers creating impact in the Optimism ecosystem. There is some really exciting experimentation and innovation in the Optimism Ecosystem centered around a vision of uplifting public goods, so in this series we’re excited to do some deep dives into the changemakers leading this movement, and explore what makes Optimism such a great space for public goods builders to build.

For the first episode in this series, I’m honored to welcome Shady El Damaty, Co-Founder of Holonym, a decentralized protocol providing solutions for identity verification, privacy-preserving verified claims, user-owned identity, and non-custodial account recovery in Web3 applications. We discuss the role Web3 can play in building a more secure and safe digital world, why they decided to build on the OP stack, their recent experience in Optimism’s RetroPGF program, and much more. So, without further ado, please join me in welcoming Shady to the Crypto Altruism Podcast!


--Three Key Takeaways--

• By building cryptographic privacy preserving mechanisms into democratic and governance processes, it can help protect against authoritarianism and government overreach by ensuring privacy, transparency, and accountability in these processes.
• Optimism’s focus on public goods was a huge selling point for Holonym’s team. By contributing to this ecosystem with useful tools and by creating more activity on Optimism Mainnet, it will support the rising tide of Web3 public goods by creating more funding for public goods through sequencer fees, while also laying the foundation for other public goods projects.
• There is a lot of exciting experimentation happening right now around decentralization and governance mechanisms, paving the way for a new digital commons where nation states, movements, and impact organizations can be built and maintained onchain.

--Full shownotes with links available at--
https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-impact-on-optimism-episode-1-holonym-web3-privacy-security-accessibility-for-the-new-digital-commons



--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 162, we’re excited to welcome Rod Mamin, Founder of LunCo, an organization on a mission to decentralize space exploration and catalyze open source space engineering. We talk about the growing DeSpace movement, how Web3 can help address the pain points in traditional space research, bringing an open source ethos to space engineering, why the average person should care about space exploration, and much more.

--Three Key Takeaways--

• One of the greatest benefits of DeSpace is how it opens space exploration to the broader community by coordinating scientists, enthusiasts, and citizens around the world in funding and supporting space research. It’s also important to remember that space exploration is about more than just rocket science, and requires diverse skill sets and professions. Web3 can help coordinate this talent across borders.
• Web3 incentive mechanisms will be key in driving the Decentralized Space revolution. Whether it’s using tokens to incentivize participation in data networks, or IP-NFTs to monetize research discoveries, these mechanisms will be key in coordinating the community and building a sustainable DeSpace ecosystem.
• Supporting space exploration and research extends beyond missions to the moon or Mars. In reality, space engineering and research touch our daily lives in numerous ways. Whether it's using GPS to navigate, accessing the internet via satellite, or utilizing data collected by satellites, these advancements have a broad impact. Therefore, community involvement in the space movement is essential.

--Full shownotes with links available at--
https://www.cryptoaltruism.org/blog/crypto-altruism-podcast-episode-162-lunco-decentralizing-space-exploration

--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.