Ethereum staking and low risk DeFi is arguably the most sustainable remedy to the funding drought in the regen ecosystem and the Public Goods Staking Protocol is helping to drive the momentum in that direction.

In 2024, CARBON Copy noted the brewing funding scarcity within Ethereum’s environmental, science and social landscape. By the end of 2025, some active initiatives had shut down due to lack of funding. Without a reliable source of funding for these initiatives, we should expect more to quietly disappear. And the communities these projects have been serving would unfortunately be left in the cold.

In search of solutions, the Greenpill Dev Guild has been experimenting with different DeFi yield strategies and mechanisms to learn effective approaches for creating sustainable growth. Their efforts have led to the development of the Public Goods Staking Protocol (PGSP). PGSP is being developed by a network of people who are regenerative, driven and enthusiastic about leveraging Ethereum staking and DeFi infrastructure for funding public goods

We also recognize that Ethereum itself is a public good as an immutable, censorship resistant, and credibly neutral settlement layer. Ethereum enables individual and community sovereignty and is the permissionless foundation for other public goods to thrive. Ultimately this requires a decentralized validator set and client diversity to which PGSP contributes. 

This article is a high-level guide to everything PGSP. We cover the architecture, how it funds public goods initiatives, how it benefits you as a participant, and finally how you can become a part of the protocol.

PGSP is a community of squads running Ethereum validators to fund public goods. 

The protocol is made up of two major entities: squads and public goods. Public goods in the PGSP context are initiatives with an environmental, science and/or social focus interested in being funded by the protocol. Squads are small groups of people leveraging Decentralized Validator Technologies (DVTs) to trustlessly run Ethereum validators and funnel yield to Octant DeFi Vaults. 

The Public Goods Staking Protocol is built on the following technologies: Dappnode, Obol DVT, Lido Community Staking Module (Lido CSM), and Octant Vaults.

To run a validator as a squad, the prospective members will each need specialised hardware nodes ranging from mini-NUCs to Dappnodes. For support setting up a node ETHStaker provides a comprehensive guide on the requirements and resources needed for a minimum viable validator setup. 

Obol DVT’s middleware enables multiple nodes to operate a single validator collectively. As highlighted by Vitalik Buterin in recent disclussions on Native DVT, this architecture is critical for fault tolerance and client diversity. If one node in a squad goes offline or suffers a bug, the validator stays active, preventing slashing and downtime. This decentralizes the validator set at the infrastructure level, moving us away from the risks of concentrated staking.

Typically, the 32 ETH requirement acts as a gatekeeper to Ethereum validation. PGSP leverages the Lido Community Staking Module (CSM) to bypass this. By providing a bond of  2.4 ETH, squads can access 32 ETH in delegated capital. This allows squads to activate validators at a fraction of the cost.

To ensure community treasuries remain productive, we utilize Octant Vaults. These smart contracts separate the principal from the yield. This system creates a sustainable funding stream where the yield, rather than the treasury itself, powers the mission. Validator rewards and treasuries can also be housed in Vaults to maximize yield generation while still maintaining liquidity for operations.

You’re scrolling through X when you come across an article about PGSP. The idea makes sense, and you can see how you might contribute. You follow the link at the bottom of this page, register your interest, and share how you would like to take part. It’s a simple step that starts your journey with the protocol. 

Earlier that week, in different locations across your region/continent, Afo, Matt, and Giulio had also expressed interest in joining the protocol. Since PGSP requires a minimum squad size of four, the protocol lead guides all four of you through setting up and connecting your nodes using Obol DVT on Dappnode, forming a validator cluster together, performing a testnet deployment and deciding which public goods project(s) in the protocol’s curated registry will receive rewards.

Next, your squad secures the 32 ETH validator collateral through Lido CSM. PGSP helps squads secure 2.4 ETH bond required by Lido, after which Lido queues your validator address to receive the delegation.

Once your squad receives the delegated ETH, your validator activates. After 28 days, your squad earns its first reward, made up of validator rewards and the yield from the bond. 

Let’s say your squad chooses to donate its rewards to Greenpill Network. The protocol then routes those rewards into a Greenpill Octant Vault with planned Safe Zodiac Modules to enable a seamless funneling of yield. The capital deposited in the vault generates yield, which flows back to fund Greenpill Network, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of sustainable funding for regen public goods.

What are the benefits you gain from participating in PGSP? 

With staking hardware and in particular Dappnode you can participate in staking with other mechanisms such as Rocket Pool, Gnosis, Aztec and native Ethereum staking. With Obol you can run up to 5 squads on one piece of hardware enabling you to balance altruism with personal goals and needs.

With our focus on Dappnode, by participating in the protocol you get a hands on education and onboarding into validating with a staking 1st operating system. You’ll learn about other benefits running a Dappnode can provide like true technical sovereignty via personal RPC for private transactions, self-hosting AI, and managing your own media storage

An ICS squad receives higher validator rewards, pays lesser bonds to the Lido CSM, and is prioritised in the 32 ETH delegation queue. For instance, an ICS squad will pay a first-time bond of 1.5 ETH instead of 2.4 ETH and get delegation from Lido before non-ICS squads.

As an active PGSP squad participant, you’ll get help earning Obol’s techne credentials; non-transferrable NFTs from Obol that reflects your skillfulness and management capacity as a node operator. This credential opens you up for multiple node operation opportunities within the Ethereum ecosystem. For example with certain credentials node operators gain points towards Lido’s ICS making it easier to obtain the status to receive a lower bond.

An emerging badging primitive being developed by the Greenpill Dev Guild is GreenWill which recognizes and rewards people for regenerative actions. As part of the PGSP squads will receive badges as they progress through the different stages of squad development from formation to launch. These badges will enable access to governance in Greenpill and funding pools via Cookie Jars, Gardens, and Streaming.

PGSP is a work in progress and this article marks the start of an exciting new chapter. While our current focus is proving that squads can reliably support public goods, the roadmap goes much further. We want to better understand the value of renting a cloud-based node via Launchnodes, collaborate with EcoVillages, and evaluate the potential of protocol-owned liquidity. Future iterations will also consider protocol subsidies and incentive designs aimed at lowering entry barriers and scaling participation, with upcoming changes to Lido CSM likely to shape how this strategy evolves.

You bring the hardware and the intent. We provide the path to impact. Join us to help craft a framework where philosophically aligned participants can sustainably fund public goods and achieve technical sovereignty while collectively helping Ethereum secure a more decentralized future.

Ethereum staking and low risk DeFi is arguably the most sustainable remedy to the funding drought in the regen ecosystem and the Public Goods Staking Protocol is helping to drive the momentum in that direction.

In 2024, CARBON Copy noted the brewing funding scarcity within Ethereum’s environmental, science and social landscape. By the end of 2025, some active initiatives had shut down due to lack of funding. Without a reliable source of funding for these initiatives, we should expect more to quietly disappear. And the communities these projects have been serving would unfortunately be left in the cold.

In search of solutions, the Greenpill Dev Guild has been experimenting with different DeFi yield strategies and mechanisms to learn effective approaches for creating sustainable growth. Their efforts have led to the development of the Public Goods Staking Protocol (PGSP). PGSP is being developed by a network of people who are regenerative, driven and enthusiastic about leveraging Ethereum staking and DeFi infrastructure for funding public goods

We also recognize that Ethereum itself is a public good as an immutable, censorship resistant, and credibly neutral settlement layer. Ethereum enables individual and community sovereignty and is the permissionless foundation for other public goods to thrive. Ultimately this requires a decentralized validator set and client diversity to which PGSP contributes. 

This article is a high-level guide to everything PGSP. We cover the architecture, how it funds public goods initiatives, how it benefits you as a participant, and finally how you can become a part of the protocol.

PGSP is a community of squads running Ethereum validators to fund public goods. 

The protocol is made up of two major entities: squads and public goods. Public goods in the PGSP context are initiatives with an environmental, science and/or social focus interested in being funded by the protocol. Squads are small groups of people leveraging Decentralized Validator Technologies (DVTs) to trustlessly run Ethereum validators and funnel yield to Octant DeFi Vaults. 

The Public Goods Staking Protocol is built on the following technologies: Dappnode, Obol DVT, Lido Community Staking Module (Lido CSM), and Octant Vaults.

To run a validator as a squad, the prospective members will each need specialised hardware nodes ranging from mini-NUCs to Dappnodes. For support setting up a node ETHStaker provides a comprehensive guide on the requirements and resources needed for a minimum viable validator setup. 

Obol DVT’s middleware enables multiple nodes to operate a single validator collectively. As highlighted by Vitalik Buterin in recent disclussions on Native DVT, this architecture is critical for fault tolerance and client diversity. If one node in a squad goes offline or suffers a bug, the validator stays active, preventing slashing and downtime. This decentralizes the validator set at the infrastructure level, moving us away from the risks of concentrated staking.

Typically, the 32 ETH requirement acts as a gatekeeper to Ethereum validation. PGSP leverages the Lido Community Staking Module (CSM) to bypass this. By providing a bond of  2.4 ETH, squads can access 32 ETH in delegated capital. This allows squads to activate validators at a fraction of the cost.

To ensure community treasuries remain productive, we utilize Octant Vaults. These smart contracts separate the principal from the yield. This system creates a sustainable funding stream where the yield, rather than the treasury itself, powers the mission. Validator rewards and treasuries can also be housed in Vaults to maximize yield generation while still maintaining liquidity for operations.

You’re scrolling through X when you come across an article about PGSP. The idea makes sense, and you can see how you might contribute. You follow the link at the bottom of this page, register your interest, and share how you would like to take part. It’s a simple step that starts your journey with the protocol. 

Earlier that week, in different locations across your region/continent, Afo, Matt, and Giulio had also expressed interest in joining the protocol. Since PGSP requires a minimum squad size of four, the protocol lead guides all four of you through setting up and connecting your nodes using Obol DVT on Dappnode, forming a validator cluster together, performing a testnet deployment and deciding which public goods project(s) in the protocol’s curated registry will receive rewards.

Next, your squad secures the 32 ETH validator collateral through Lido CSM. PGSP helps squads secure 2.4 ETH bond required by Lido, after which Lido queues your validator address to receive the delegation.

Once your squad receives the delegated ETH, your validator activates. After 28 days, your squad earns its first reward, made up of validator rewards and the yield from the bond. 

Let’s say your squad chooses to donate its rewards to Greenpill Network. The protocol then routes those rewards into a Greenpill Octant Vault with planned Safe Zodiac Modules to enable a seamless funneling of yield. The capital deposited in the vault generates yield, which flows back to fund Greenpill Network, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of sustainable funding for regen public goods.

What are the benefits you gain from participating in PGSP? 

With staking hardware and in particular Dappnode you can participate in staking with other mechanisms such as Rocket Pool, Gnosis, Aztec and native Ethereum staking. With Obol you can run up to 5 squads on one piece of hardware enabling you to balance altruism with personal goals and needs.

With our focus on Dappnode, by participating in the protocol you get a hands on education and onboarding into validating with a staking 1st operating system. You’ll learn about other benefits running a Dappnode can provide like true technical sovereignty via personal RPC for private transactions, self-hosting AI, and managing your own media storage

An ICS squad receives higher validator rewards, pays lesser bonds to the Lido CSM, and is prioritised in the 32 ETH delegation queue. For instance, an ICS squad will pay a first-time bond of 1.5 ETH instead of 2.4 ETH and get delegation from Lido before non-ICS squads.

As an active PGSP squad participant, you’ll get help earning Obol’s techne credentials; non-transferrable NFTs from Obol that reflects your skillfulness and management capacity as a node operator. This credential opens you up for multiple node operation opportunities within the Ethereum ecosystem. For example with certain credentials node operators gain points towards Lido’s ICS making it easier to obtain the status to receive a lower bond.

An emerging badging primitive being developed by the Greenpill Dev Guild is GreenWill which recognizes and rewards people for regenerative actions. As part of the PGSP squads will receive badges as they progress through the different stages of squad development from formation to launch. These badges will enable access to governance in Greenpill and funding pools via Cookie Jars, Gardens, and Streaming.

PGSP is a work in progress and this article marks the start of an exciting new chapter. While our current focus is proving that squads can reliably support public goods, the roadmap goes much further. We want to better understand the value of renting a cloud-based node via Launchnodes, collaborate with EcoVillages, and evaluate the potential of protocol-owned liquidity. Future iterations will also consider protocol subsidies and incentive designs aimed at lowering entry barriers and scaling participation, with upcoming changes to Lido CSM likely to shape how this strategy evolves.

You bring the hardware and the intent. We provide the path to impact. Join us to help craft a framework where philosophically aligned participants can sustainably fund public goods and achieve technical sovereignty while collectively helping Ethereum secure a more decentralized future.