"Life wants to live. That is the nature of the planet we were born into. And we can create space for that life to come back."

Key insights from Episode 1 include...🌱

• Bioregional Financing Facilities (BFFs): Samantha introduces the concept of BFFs as a framework for directing financial support to local communities. These facilities help fund projects focused on ecological restoration, sustainable economic development, and cultural preservation.

• Decentralized finance for local impact: The episode explores how decentralized technologies, like blockchain, allow communities to take control of financial resources, making decisions that directly benefit their local environments and economies.

• Case studies on bioregionalism: Samantha discusses successful projects where BFFs have been used to fund regeneration efforts, such as rewilding programs and community-led ecological restoration, showing how financial and ecological systems can align to create meaningful impact.

• Innovative tools for regeneration: Samantha highlights the use of eco-credits, nature-based currencies, and other technologies that are helping scale regenerative projects by making their impacts measurable and traceable, thus attracting more support and investment.

• Spotify

• Apple

• YouTube

Throughout Season 4, we will continue engaging with leaders at the forefront of the regenerative movement to uncover how local actions, innovative financial models, and cutting-edge technologies are driving real change.

To keep the conversation going, we’re hosting a live discussion on Episode 1 this Friday, Sept 20, at 11 AM ET! 🎙️ Come share your thoughts and explore the bioregional approach further. 🌿

👉 Join the discussion on Twitter Spaces: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OwGWNbQEvqKQ

Thank you to everyone who has joined this journey. Please share your thoughts and feedback, and if you've found value in our efforts, consider supporting us with a five-star review on your favorite podcast platform.

Every bit of encouragement helps us expand our reach and deepen the impact of ReFi Podcast. You can also buy us a coffee or support our work directly on Giveth.

We are honored to be on this journey alongside you. 💜

On October 22, 2022 the first Kolektivo Innovation Festival was held in the island nation of Curaçao. This first-of-its-kind gathering in the Caribbean for social impact, entrepreneurship, and technology was celebrated together with the launch of the Kolektivo Wallet.

“I witnessed something this weekend that gave me hope that crypto can not only still deliver on its original value proposition, […] but do even better.”

- Rene Reinsberg, Celo Co-Founder

On October 22, 2022, the first Kolektivo Innovation Festival brought together more than 700 participants as well as 40 speakers and panelists to celebrate social impact, entrepreneurship, and technology. It proved to be the ideal testing ground for the launch of the Kolektivo Wallet — the Kolektivo Framework ‘s crypto wallet optimized for community commerce. If you missed your chance to participate, this blogpost condenses key events, talks, and retrospects the Wallet launch.

The first laughter surfaced around 3 p.m. within the tall yellow walls of Landhuis Chobolobo. The Kolektivo Festival took place in the heart of this old Blue Curaçao Liqueur distillery — an iconic 120 year old mansion. From the outer courtyard to the factory itself, stages and activities were set up in every corner of the property.

In the distillery’s inner courtyard an intimate smaller stage was constructed, shaded from the Curaçoan sun. The Kunuku stage hosted speeches and panels for six hours around Web3, crypto, and Regenerative Finance (ReFi). This first block was hosted by Stefen Delevaux, President of the Caribbean Blockchain Alliance.

Herbology Native Healing produces herbal and organic products from Curaçaoan flora. Graduated in traditional Chinese medicine, she also offers acupuncture sessions, that you can book on her or

Outside stretched the large Kura stage, which hosted different personalities for conferences, panels, and podcast recordings. This evening session was hosted first by Gillord Pisas, a native voice artist, then the lively Joeri Oltheten, director of Curaçao Doughnut Academy. The evening session closed with a Happy Hour and beats by Tera Kòrá, triggering a memorable dance party.

The NFT Gallery was strategically located next to the Kunuku stage. Screens were dotted between distillery pipes, displaying dozens of original creations by primarily Caribbean artists. The collection “Museum of Extinction” by Melodysheep deserves special mention, displaying 10 endangered marine species from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List. Funds raised by this collection are financing a documentary series on ocean activism.

Directly from the Festival’s entrance a swarm of colorful arches and booths of local vendors and ecosystem actors was set up — the majority of whom received a Kolektivo grant at one point or another. Festival participants could pass by anytime to buy local goods and services such as care products or jewelry, or to discuss and volunteer for impact projects such as coral reef protection and regeneration. There were also creative activities, such as at a virtual reality booth.

In a quiet off-center corner, a zen tent was installed by Herbology Native Healing. Attendees would go there to meditate, enjoy free access to essential oil products, and listen to soothing music — it was a protected bubble of serenity. Next to the zen tent was the Pavilion, a place for interaction and debates. There, a panel on the involvement of women in tech was held during the afternoon, followed by roundtable discussions.

All day attendees drank and ate fresh produce thanks to the presence of local restaurants and bars. Special mention goes to Kunuku Kitchen — a Kolektivo grantee — whose products come directly from a Kolektivo food-forest. Next year, Kolektivo plans to tokenize its regenerative food-forests through its bespoke GeoNFT token standard.

Rene Reinsberg is the President of the Celo Foundation and co-founder of Celo, a proof-of-stake and carbon-negative mobile-first blockchain. Since its launch in 2020, Celo hit 100 million transactions in February of this year. Given its alignment with Celo’s regenerative values and mobile-first architecture, the Kolektivo Framework launched on Celo and aims to be a key player within its ecosystem. The Kolektivo Network’s constituent members are coincidentally part of Celo’s Climate Collective since 2021.

For the Festival, Rene gave a simple and accessible talk titled “Creating Prosperity for All”, in which he summarized Celo’s vision and core values. These values broadly echo Kolektivo.

Since 2021, Gilmar Simon Pisas has been the elected Prime Minister of Curaçao. This is his second term, as he previously served as interim Prime Minister in 2017. Before that he held the position of Minister of Justice and was Speaker of the Parliament. He is a member of the Movement for the Future of Curaçao, where he was elected leader in June 2020.

On the Kura stage of the Kolektivo Festival, he was interviewed by Manuel Rios Pinto and Boris Pertuz — co-host of the Wapu podcast. In this light-hearted and informal dialogue, the two hosts addressed crucial political issues, such as the digitalization of the island, its representation abroad, and the different changing influences that Curaçaoan society is experiencing. Manuel and Boris also tackled more casual themes, such as comparing Gilmar Pisas’ expectations to the reality of his life as a Prime Minister.

Dr. Nadina Galle wears multiple hats. She is a speaker, lecturer, podcaster, and postdoctoral research fellow in ecological engineering at MIT. Her work focuses on the entanglement between urbanity, technology and ecology. She examines whether and how technology can be used to make our cities and lives greener and more beautiful. Nadina’s productions have received multiple academic and entrepreneurial awards, featured in media such as BBC Earth, Newsweek, and National Geographic.

Her talk, titled “How to Plug Into the Internet of Nature”, walked us through her passion and work using simple terms and real stories of inspiring characters she interviewed for her podcast “ Internet of Nature “. By describing the technologies that make us more connected to the living, she returns again and again to an overarching point: nature and technology are not incompatible.

The festival courted no less than 40 different speakers and panelists from all over the world, covering subjects as diverse as art, filmmaking, web3, ecology, economy, e-sports or entrepreneurship. Several talks such as Pat Rawson’s “A Day in the Life of Kolektivo”, Luuk Weber’s “Kolektivo Kòrsou: the Island We Build Together” or Louise Borreani ‘s “Web3 for Oceans” focused on the Kolektivo Framework and its real-world focus.

On the main Kura stage, Luuk Weber outlined Kolektivo’s story and future ambitions. He presented the history and efforts already accomplished by Kolektivo Curaçao — such as supporting more than 40 projects through impact grants, or onboarding more than 450 users to the CuraDAI community currency pilot. Luuk highlighted the community’s importance and the role that Kolektivo users will have to play in co-constructing a protocol that suits them.

The Festival was the perfect opportunity to announce the upcoming opening of a co-working and innovation space in the historic and colorful district of Otrobanda — the downtown heart of Curaçao. The project is dubbed Kolab, and officially opens its doors by the year’s end.

• Some technical issues were reported, likely related to poor internet connectivity.

• Some users encountered minor user interface issues which the team noted for future optimization. The Wallet had display issues with phones with smaller than average screens or in which the text size had been manually enlarged.

• For the launch, the Wallet utilized a Testflight instance, given that this was its first test in a production environment. Its absence from the native iOS and Android App stores was confusing for many users and required handholding to complete installation.

The Kolektivo Wallet, built by Zed Labs on Celo, is a crypto wallet tailored to the specific needs of local communities — a vital product of the Kolektivo Framework. The Festival was the ideal testing ground for an early first version of the Wallet, and the occasion to launch the Kolektivo Guilder (kG) — Kolektivo Curacao’s community currency valued one-to-one against the Netherlands Antillean Guilder.

At the entrance of the event, attendees were invited to download the Wallet with a support team standing ready to provide assistance. During the event, the Wallet was downloaded 299 times — 151 on iOS and 148 on Android. Each user was airdropped a small sum of kG and CELO (to cover gas fees). Festival’s attendees redeemed their kG for food and drink during the event at three designated vendors. In total, 76 users utilized the community currency (see below for details).

Overall, the launch was a remarkable success. The vast majority of transactions were carried out without fail. A few vendors were onboarded during the event and used the application without much difficulty or training — validating the Wallet’s simplicity and intuitiveness. Many vendors reported that it was innovative and easy to use.

Almost all attendees had a phone capable of supporting the wallet. The smart contract that airdropped kG and CELO to freshly onboarded users worked smoothly and users were able to spend their funds instantly.

Unsurprisingly, some difficulties were encountered during the Wallet launch. As with all new applications, user feedback is of immense value and will direct future improvements of the Wallet:

The Kolektivo Festival was the largest Web3 impact event to take place in the Caribbean, and as such, is laying the foundation for the development of a strong ReFi community in the region. The region’s immense biodiversity and key role in global finance designate it as an apt area for ReFi to take shape. The event was an opportunity to familiarize hundreds of local people with Web3 and Kolektivo, while simultaneously familiarizing Web3- global visitors with the Caribbean impact and technology ecosystem.

We hope to see the Festival’s impulse and local-global collaboration continue to grow as we work hard to finalize the first version of the core Kolektivo Framework tools. As for the Festival, its success encourages us to think about the second edition in 2023 — stay tuned…!

Originally published at https://medium.com on November 9, 2022.

Nigeria faces a severe plastic waste crisis, contributing to environmental degradation and health risks. The challenges are exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure, illegal dumping, and rising urbanization. In this article Adaeze explores the transformative power of Web3 and regenerative finance (ReFi) in solving these issues.

🖐️

Support the authors of this post from ReFi Lagos in the current Gitcoin Regen Cordi-Nation Genesis Round. Thank you!

Source: Punchng.com

The impact of climate change on our environment is profound and far-reaching, affecting every aspect of our lives. Rising global temperatures and increasingly erratic weather patterns are leading to more frequent and severe natural disasters, affecting food security, water resources, and public health. Plastic pollution exacerbates the effects of climate change by contributing to flooding, harming wildlife, and posing significant health risks to communities. Due to growing urbanization and increasing usage of plastics, managing these synthetic materials has become a global challenge. The breakdown of these larger plastic items into microplastics further complicates the issue, as these tiny particles can be ingested by marine and terrestrial animals, eventually finding their way into human food and water supplies. Globally, over 450 million tons of plastic waste are generated each year.

Nigeria is no exception. With over 200 million people and a growing urbanization, the country faces significant challenges in managing plastic waste. Nigeria ranks ninth among countries with the highest contributions to plastic pollution, producing over 2.5 million tons of plastic waste annually. Unfortunately, more than 88% of plastic waste created in Nigeria is not recycled. The most prevalent single-use plastics we encounter daily are food and beverage packaging. 

Landfills are often overlooked, representing more than mere heaps of rubbish; they are major sources of harmful gases that exacerbate climate change. Daily, tons of household waste are deposited into landfills. Within these sites, a variety of discarded food, plastics, and other debris undergo a decomposition process that releases gases. According to a World Bank report, solid waste management accounted for approximately five percent of global emissions with methane emission being a key contributor, While the majority of oceanic plastic waste originates from land-based activities, an estimated 75 to 199 million tons  are already present in marine environments. Studies suggest that tourist activities are the primary source of microplastics on most beaches in Lagos, Nigeria.

Source: Punchng.com

Improper waste disposal is a significant issue in Nigerian cities, impacting public health, the environment, and urban aesthetics. Despite efforts to manage waste, several challenges hinder effective waste handling. One of the primary challenges is the inadequate waste management infrastructure. Many cities in Nigeria lack sufficient facilities for proper waste collection, recycling, and disposal, leading to waste being discarded illegally in open spaces, waterways, and streets. Coupled with this is the issue of insufficient funding. Waste management systems are frequently underfunded, restricting the state's capacity to effectively fight illegal dumping and preserve cleanliness. A significant factor that also contributes to illegal dumping is the lack of public awareness about its environmental and health impacts. Education and awareness campaigns are not widespread or effective enough to change public behavior. As a result, many individuals end up burning their waste thereby releasing harmful pollutants into the air, contributing to air pollution and posing serious health risks to residents, especially children and the elderly.

Addressing these challenges involves investing in modern waste management facilities, promoting public-private partnerships, and exploring decentralised climate solutions.

Source: AfriLearn1 X spaces

For decades, our global economy followed a linear trajectory, extracting raw materials, producing goods, and disposing of them once their usefulness has expired. This linear approach, while fostering economic growth, led to mountains of waste and the depletion of finite resources. A circular economy envisions a regenerative cycle where resources are used, reused, and regenerated. It promotes designing products for longevity, repairing and refurbishing, recycling materials, and ultimately reducing waste.

Source: Repsol

Innovations have emerged as pivotal solutions to address the growing challenge of plastic waste.  Plastiks, a Web3 initiative, offers a reward system that ensures plastic waste is properly recovered and recycled. Plastiks also certifies that plastic waste is collected and recycled according to stringent standards. Using blockchain technology, all transactions and verifications are recorded on-chain, ensuring full transparency and trust. Funds from plastic credit sales are used to improve recovery infrastructure, provide fair wages, and support community projects.

In recent years, the world has witnessed an alarming increase in climate-related disasters, underscoring the urgent need for effective climate action. However, despite the growing recognition of the climate crisis, traditional climate finance mechanisms have struggled to keep pace with the scale of the problem. According to a report by the African Development Bank, the total cost of adapting to climate change in the continent is estimated to be between US$20 billion and US$30 billion per year. However, the actual amount of finance currently being provided for climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives in the region is far below this estimate.

Regenerative finance (ReFi) — a decentralized finance built on regenerative principles- plays a pivotal role in scaling climate finance by supporting projects and businesses that prioritize resource efficiency, waste reduction, and societal regeneration. Web3 grant platforms such as Gitcoin and Giveth allocate funds to climate solutions and sustainable businesses working to reduce waste. These financial innovations promote public goods funding and  on-chain capital allocation mechanisms such as quadratic funding (QF). On-chain capital allocation offers transparency, efficiency, and democratization, challenging traditional finance and scalability issues. Gitcoin grant has facilitated the distribution of more than $60 million to public goods in the Ethereum ecosystem

Source: Planet 3R — each of these bags were made from 250 used water sachets (plastics)

Plastic waste recycling is 10 billion dollar market in Nigeria. According to a report, studies show that only 14% of plastics are collected and recycled. Unfortunately, over 90% of the plastic waste generated in Nigeria is not recycled. Instead, much of it ends up in water bodies — rivers, lakes, drains, lagoons and the ocean. Here are some innovative startup tackling plastics pollution in Nigeria:

• Planet 3R is a social enterprise in Oyo, converting textile and plastic wastes into eco-friendly products using the 3R ( Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)

• Wecyclers is a social enterprise in Lagos incentivizing low-income communities to recycle their waste. In return, participants earn points that can be exchanged for essential goods and services.

• Waste Museum, the first of its kind in Africa, is dedicated to transforming waste into wealth. The Waste Museum recycles discarded materials and converts them into marketable products.

Another amazing project is Wasset, a Web3 platform rewarding  plastic waste collection through its unique blockchain protocol and reward token ($WST). This reward system facilitates efficient waste collection and management.

“I hope that other young people will be able to save the environment with their hands too. The more wastepreneurs we have, the cleaner our environment becomes.” Adejoke Lasisi

Tackling plastic pollution in Nigeria demands a comprehensive strategy that blends innovation, education, and efficient waste management. The current challenges, ranging from inadequate infrastructure to widespread illegal dumping, require urgent attention and systemic changes. Decentralized solutions like Plastiks and Wasset offer promising avenues for turning waste into valuable resources, ensuring transparency and trust with blockchain technology. Integrating regenerative finance principles to secure necessary funding, can enhance efforts and pave the way toward a more sustainable and cleaner environment, one city at a time. 

🥳🎉 Gitcoin Grant 21 is live!  Fund What Matters by contributing to projects that best reflect your vision for a regenerative future.

👉 Regen Cordi-Nation Genesis Round

👉 Climate Coordination Network Round

👉 Celo Real World Builders Round

👉 Decentralized Science (DeSci) Round

Be part of the SOLUTION, not the POLLUTION💚♻️🍀

Join us @ ReFi Lagos Let’s make a difference, together!

Eleven #GG21 rounds are now live on Gitcoin Grants 🎉 This is your chance to fund and support projects that align with your vision for a regenerative future.

🌱

The Regen Coordi-Nation Genesis Round featuring ReFi DAO Local Nodes, GreenPill Network and more!

Support Regen Coordi-Nation

💡

Celo Real World Builders, Climate Solutions, OpenCivics, and other impactful rounds!

Explore Rounds

Both the Regen Coordi-Nation Genesis Round and Real World Builders are live on the Celo Blockchain. New to Celo? This is how you can get involved 👇

CELO is listed on several major exchanges worldwide, including Binance, Coinbase, KuCoin, Bittrex, Huobi, Gate.io, Upbit, and OKX. You can see the full list here. From any of these platforms, you can easily withdraw CELO into your personal wallet to get started.

• 👉 Easiest Option: SmolRefuel – the simplest way to bridge to Celo.

• 👉 Other Great Options: Squidrouter v2 & PortalBridge – reliable tools for bridging assets.

• 👉 Need Guidance? Check out this SquidRouter Guide on how to bridge to Celo using Squid (make sure to use v2!).

The community is here to support you! If you have any questions or need help getting started, feel free to ask in the Help & Support channel or send me a direct message. We can even send you some tokens for gas to help you get started!

Maximize your impact by swapping your CELO to GloDollar! You can buy GloDollar here or swap it here.

🌟 Help us spread the word and ensure everyone has the resources to participate in and donate to GG21!

We would also be immensely grateful for any support for ReFi DAO's direct work in supporting the local node network, pioneering the Regen Coordi-Nation and much more. Thank you!

• 👉 ReFi DAO Local Node Network in GG21

• 👉 ReFi DAO x TEC - Pioneering a QF to KarmaGAP to RPGF Playbook

Donations to the rounds will also increase your $REGEN eligibility from Regen Tips. More details soon... In the meantime, mint your proof-of-regen score!

Proof-of-Regen

Join us in shaping a regenerative future—get involved, spread the word, and let’s make an impact together! 🌱✨

This community story, written by Lee Rael, introduces Lee’s personal journey into ReFi, his founding of a new media organization – Source Studios, and an exciting vision for growing the ecosystem in partnership with ReFi DAO.

My introduction to ReFi came in March 2022 when I discovered Toucan Protocol. I had already been working in the sustainability and impact space for 13 years through my creative agency Seed. I started exploring crypto in 2018 and delved into NFTs in late 2021 and early 2022. When I saw an open role at Toucan it resonated with me so deeply that I pursued it with determination, reaching out to multiple team members online until I secured the position. This marked my first real exposure to ReFi. The potential of tokenizing assets that have a positive impact on our planet captivated me. I realized that through ReFi, we could unlock funding, speed, and scale that traditional systems couldn't match. 

I was also introduced to the concept of regeneration versus sustainability—highlighting that sustainability as a concept is just insufficient. We can do better. We need to rethink and recreate our systems to enable them to enrich the ecosystems they inhabit on a personal, community, and ecological level.

It is my deep desire to be part of the solution. When I found ReFi I felt like I found a home, I was not alone in this mission to enact change.

After a year at Toucan, where I learned some of the nuances of ReFi and saw its potential first-hand, it was time to move on. I will be forever grateful for my time at Toucan, the amazing people I met, the things I learnt and the perspective shift it enabled for me. When I first onboarded at Toucan I met John Ellison, who had then just founded ReFi DAO. John's vision for storytelling and a decentralized world aligned perfectly with my aspirations. Our conversations led to the birth of Source with the initial intention to help produce podcasts within the ReFi community to help give voice to the regenerative stories of the ecosystem.

During that time we produced and launched the ReFi Podcast Season 3 and two new podcasts – Planta-R in Portuguese from ReFi Lisboa and Vagabonds in Spanish from ReFi Costa Rica.

Launching Planta-R and Vagabonds Podcasts! 🎙️📻🎉

We are celebrating the launch of two incredible podcasts in Spanish and Portuguese - Vagabonds and Planta-R! Here is an overview of what you can expect!ReFi DAOAnna Kaic

And in case you didn't catch it, The ReFi Podcast is about to enter into its 4th season with two exciting new hosts. We are watching on eagerly to see how this new chapter unfolds.

Season 4 ReFi Podcast Announcement

The Regeneration Nexus Is Here! Get ready for a new chapter in the ReFi Podcast! 🎙️🎉 As John, who has hosted three fantastic seasons, launches an exciting new venture, we, Maya and Tereza, are thrilled to take over as hosts for Season 4 of the show! Meet the Hosts 👯‍♀️ Maya Z.ReFi DAOMaya Dentzel

After these collaborations and many others, I witnessed first hand the challenges of growing a podcast audience and community. Johns path was also diverging, so I then decided to take Source forward myself and pursue a vision that had emerged..

Imagine a platform that you can submit your content to that gives it instant exposure and reach to an audience looking for and interested in what you have to say?

At Source, our mission is to amplify voices of regeneration in the broadest sense. In the ReFi ecosystem, this means identifying and promoting the individuals, projects, and groups with powerful visions of a better world, leveraging web3 mechanisms and ReFi values. We are committed to telling their stories and ensuring they reach the widest possible audiences.

We are currently building our platform and will soon have an MVP that we can share with the world. In the meantime we are growing a waitlist and encourage anyone aligned with our mission to sign up. We are looking for people and organizations who are already developing content, this can be video, audio or written, and seek a broader reach and audience. This includes startups, non-profits, businesses, and independent content creators, anyone really. Additionally, those with a community or platform can join as distribution partners, helping us spread these crucial narratives even further.

Join Waitlist

Here is a sneak peak at some of the designs of the Source platform, this is the first public sharing of these and we are still in process 👇

In its current design, Source is centralized, but we are beginning to explore what a decentralized media service might look like. This could involve creating a token of ownership to replace traditional funding and ownership mechanisms, implementing a bounty system to curate and reward expert contributions, and potentially adopting a DAO governance model. Although the complexity of DAOs is daunting, it offers a way for the Source platform's messaging and narrative to be co-created by a diverse group of stakeholders. If you feel called to explore this further and help shape what this might look like please get in touch.

We are also excited to announce that we will be piloting the Source platform in the ReFi ecosystem in partnership with ReFi DAO. This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to driving narrative change and promoting game-changing ideas to new audiences.

My long-term vision for Source is to act as an engine powering narrative change, disseminating transformative ideas far and wide. From my time at Toucan, I witnessed the stigma associated with crypto and how it hampers ReFi growth and adoption. By amplifying the stories emerging from the ReFi ecosystem and breaking out of its echo chamber, we can change perceptions and foster a broader understanding of its potential. If Source can play even a small role in altering these perceptions and bringing regenerative finance to the forefront, it would be a significant achievement.

The work we are doing at Source is more than just storytelling; it's about creating a movement. A movement that aligns with the principles of regeneration, decentralization, and empowerment. We invite you to join us on this journey, to contribute your voice, and to help us build a future where the stories we tell shape the world we want to see.

Join the waitlist to keep up to speed with our progress and developments.

Join Waitlist

In this bonus episode of the ReFi Podcast, John Ellison sits down with the new co-hosts of season 4, Maya Dentzel and Tereza Bízková, along with her colleague Juan Giraldo from ReFi Medellín, ReFi DAO’s local node. They discuss the incredible work being done in Medellín, Colombia, to drive the Web3 movement through community events and sustainable practices.

ReFi Medellín has hosted over 35 events in the past year, focusing on activities that bring people together and promote regeneration. From hikes and planting community gardens to urban farming and blockchain education, this local node is making a significant impact.

“Living in Medellín, it’s easy to notice the need for ReFi. Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, and there are many social issues. Seeing how Web3 can become a coordination tool for us was a huge motivation.” - Tereza

🎵 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

• Engaging Onboarding: ReFi Medellín uses activities like urban farming work, clean-up competitions, and free English classes to introduce Web3 concepts, addressing skepticism and access issues in the community.

• Tackling Financial Barriers: They offer low-interest, collateral-free loans based on community reputation, supporting local groups underserved by the traditional financial system.

• Collaborative Growth: By partnering with local NGOs like Salva Terra and engaging in global discussions, ReFi Medellín aims to create a robust network of partners to grow with.

• Intentional Fundraising: ReFi Medellín’s fundraising success via Gitcoin, Giveth, and Optimism RetroPGF is due to intentional work focused on monitoring opportunities, checking requirements, and spending significant time on community chats.

Tune into the full episode on YouTube or Spotify, and follow ReFi Medellin on Twitter! 🌱

Inspired by ReFi Medellín? Make a difference by starting a local node in your community. 🌎

In this episode, Maya and Tereza also offer a sneak peek into what’s coming for the next season of the ReFi Podcast. Maya emphasizes their goal to expand on the concept of Regenerative Finance and delve deeper into the entire regeneration spectrum, including foundational philosophy, economic principles, and innovative technologies and projects.

Tereza echoes this new direction by introducing the season’s theme, “Regeneration Nexus,” with the aim to “tell an integral regenerative story.” She explains that this story will bring together three key elements: the system, economic thinking, and real-world impact.

Stay tuned for more, and follow the ReFi Podcast on YouTube and Spotify! 💜

Hey ReFi fam, Anna, Scott and Monty here to provide a retrospective of the work we have been doing over the past 15 weeks to incubate a new cohort of ReFi Local Nodes to join the ReFi DAO Network. If you’ve been wondering how web3 can be harnessed for positive, practical, and transformative impacts in real life, this one’s for you! Let's Grow 🌱

Collect on mirror.xyz ✨

All around the world people are realizing the necessity and urgency for systems change, especially as related to shifting away from extractive economics to more regenerative approaches that sustainably meet our needs. “ReFi Local Nodes” is how ReFi DAO refers to the people and organizations who have stepped up to lead and connect across these kinds of regeneration efforts in their own communities. Recently we concluded the final session of our “Beta Cohort” in the Local Node Incubator program. This program brought together both aspiring and established Local Nodes to explore the theory and practice of community-based organizing around regenerative finance and systemic transformation.

Some key highlights from the cohort included:

• Hosting 13 sessions, totaling over 20 hours of instructional content and exercises.

• Over 100 participants attended the sessions, with more than 25 consistently tuning in each week throughout the course.

• More than a dozen guest speakers provided insights on topics ranging from on-chain finance to local organizing strategies.

• A total of 182 POAPs were minted and issued to verified attendees.

• 18 Local Node Profile pages were created using our new template, including 12 for newly incubated nodes.

As a result of the program, we successfully incubated a new cohort of Local Nodes to join the network. See below for the updated Q2 2024 map and keep reading for the full retrospective!

Collect on mirror.xyz ✨

The Beta Cohort of the Local Node Incubator provided an opportunity to introduce Local Node leaders to a range of critical subjects at the intersection of local community organizing and the potential of web3 as a platform for designing and aligning transformative financial systems for place-based regeneration. Dive in below for a session-by-session breakdown! 👇

Session 1 marked the inaugural gathering aimed at exploring the essence and motivations behind the ReFi movement and its implementation at the local level. We also used 'bio cards' to facilitate introductions and allow everyone to showcase their expertise across relevant areas.

The business of transforming systems is, as one might expect, complex. Our ability to create effective interventions in systems is often constrained by our understanding of what they are and what the transformative process involves. In this session, we introduced a high-level approach to systems (with a little help from the iceberg model) and that process in terms of the Why, the Who, the What, and the How. 

• The WHY: The purpose of the system and values-based motivations of stakeholders for engaging with it.

• The WHO: The many stakeholder classes and types involved in the system.

• The WHAT: The “thing” in terms of the system’s design and the interfaces we provide others via an app, platform, etc.

• The HOW: The way we engage communities in the co-creation and the ongoing operations of the organization.

This framework also served as the logic for the content across the remaining sessions in the incubator.

The Who is all about the stakeholders and their relationship to the system. We created a new stakeholder mapping canvas tool to help local node operators get a clearer sense of these levels of relationship; as direct participants, partners, operators, external contributors, or others with indirect interest.  

Local Nodes are situated between the global, wider world of web3 and the local needs of real-world people in communities. In other words, in the space between the macro and the micro: the mezzo. This means that far from being isolated, single-issue projects, they are ideally situated to serve as aggregators of many kinds of regenerative projects and programs and as enablers of those systems in their respective local contexts. Our guest speaker in this session was Ben West, previously of Gitcoin and now Thrive Protocol. Here’s how he described the way Gitcoin also embraced a pluralistic approach by hosting multiple rounds within each round Gitcoin offers:

Scott also shared his own 5 layer framework for categorizing the various components of a place-based system. The “compass” layer covers legal and governance considerations; the “capital” layer includes financial instruments and mechanisms (like Gitcoin); the “commerce” layer includes marketplaces and incentives (currencies); the “cooperative” layer includes operational elements such as the node’s own organization; and finally the “cost-benefit” layer includes open value accounting for all of the above.

In this session we hosted the legendary Will Ruddick for an introduction to the world of bottom-up, community-powered, “endogenous” finance and how bringing communities together around new financial facilities works. He shared about his work with Grassroots Economics Foundation in Kenya, and his learning journey around traditional practices of value creation and exchange there. Have a listen:

Reprising his 2014 TEDx talk, Scott discussed how currencies are, as his mentor and advisor Bernard Lietaer so often put it: “an agreement within a community to use something as a medium of exchange.” By creating new agreements around what's fair and valued, communities can create as many new current-sees as they wish. We also discussed how digital marketplaces are powerful tools for making markets based on such agreements and values-based alignment.

As we face global challenges, the need for effective public goods funding becomes paramount. In this bonus session, we explored the innovative world of hypercerts—a cutting-edge tool poised to transform how we track, reward, and scale positive impact. Participants gained an understanding of hypercerts and got hands-on with the process of creating and minting their first hypercerts with real-world applications.

This session aimed to deepen understanding of essential systems for community development and inspired reflection on each node's mission and vision. The session began with Juan from ReFi Medellin and Karla from ReFi Costa Rica, two of the most mature Local Nodes that, in just one year, have made some incredible progress. They presented projects such as collaborations with the army in Colombia and incubators for local impact projects in Costa Rica. Following their presentations, attendees participated in brainstorming sessions and strategic canvas mapping, connecting their initiatives to the broader ReFi movement and fostering collaboration.

In this bonus session, we explored a variety of current grant and fundraising opportunities for ReFi projects. We covered key programs such as Gitcoin Grants, Giveth's quadratic funding rounds, Optimism's RPGF and Cele Public Goods. The session concluded with a collaborative brainstorming to identify additional grant opportunities to benefit ecosystem projects, fostering innovation and collaboration.

Moving from the What into the How, we were joined by Sage Gibbons of Prosocial.World and turned our focus towards specific approaches and strategies for developing regenerative community systems with the communities for whom they are intended. Especially when we’re coming from a place of techno-optimism, where so much of “the solution” is technologically oriented, it is important to appreciate the value of bringing people together, creating new and deeper relationships between them, and inviting them into contexts where they can express their local context-informed needs and values in constructive ways that may inform future efforts and product development. 

This session focused on the role that local currency and credit systems can play in re-circularizing the local economy and building up a sense of shared community identity. We were joined by Chris Hewitt of the Hudson Valley Current who shared about his journey from working in local print media to local currency and how opening up Tilda’s Kitchen, a cafe in upstate New York, has provided invaluable opportunities to build community, solidarity, and interest in joining the network of locals and businesses accepting Currents.

We wrapped up the core content with a session more focused on the internal side of things. First we were joined by Juan from Gravity DAO, who shared their work creating a distributed conflict mediation service and the process they use in navigating conflicts.

We were also joined by Timotheé of The Androgynous Organisation (T.A.O.). He shared about the primal energies we bring into organizations through our own cultural and personal values, as well as the art of balancing leadership and followership, centralisation and decentralisation, crucial for scaling DAOs while aligning with core values and fostering a culture of care and radical innovation. As it happens, ReFi DAO recently voted on an MVP proposal for its own structure and governance which incorporates these values and approaches to working together.

Our final session took us on a reflective journey not so different from this summary, and provided an opportunity for a number of local node organizers to take the stage to share more about how they’re planning to move forward in their respective local communities. Monty also shared about the developments ReFi DAO at a global level and whats coming next...

Collect on mirror.xyz ✨

As a result of the program, we successfully incubated a new cohort of Local Nodes to join the network.

At the same time, we also proposed a new classification structure for ReFi Local Nodes, categorizing them into three stages: 🌱Seed, 🎋Sapling, and 🌳Canopy, aiming to reflect their development and impact within their communities. 

1. 🌱 Seed - Formative Stage: Seed nodes are typically focused on building a core team, identifying local needs, and crafting their vision. Founding members are laying the foundational principles that define the node’s unique purpose and direction.

2. 🎋 Sapling - Established Stage: Sapling nodes have sprouted and are actively engaging with their communities based on a well-defined vision. They are implementing key activities and projects with meaningful partnerships, expanding their influence with events, project rollouts, etc. often with secured funding.

3. 🌳 Canopy - Mature Stage: Canopy nodes are the most dedicated and influential Nodes that have reached a level of security and are making a significant impact on both local and broader regenerative practices. Akin to mature trees in a forest canopy, these Nodes provide shelter and support to their local community and projects, embodying the successful principles of regenerative finance. 

At each stage ReFi DAO aims to nurture nodes from their initial engagement through to becoming leaders in the ecosystem, encouraging a journey of continuous growth, community contribution, and sustainable impact.

Overall, the incubator received enthusiastic feedback from participants, emphasizing its strong community, networking opportunities, and high-quality content. Chris Georgen captured the essence of this sentiment by noting his highlight:

“Getting to know the ReFi DAO core team as well as other local node operators! There's a lot of camaraderie and it feels like a real potential for mutual support going forward.”

Here was how the course was rated by participants according to the course goals that were set at the outset of the program:

• Q1: How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or a colleague? (Net Promoter Score -NPS) = 9.4/10

• Q2: The sessions and content were relevant for Nodes at all stages. = 9.0/10

• Q3: The Incubator helped me develop a better understanding of what being a Local Node means in practical terms. = 9.0/10

• Q4: The Incubator helped us develop strategies for organizing in local communities. = 8.9/10

The program received an average Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 9.4/10, indicating a high likelihood of participants recommending it to friends or colleagues. The sessions and content were rated highly relevant for nodes at all stages, scoring 9.0. Additionally, participants felt that the incubator significantly enhanced their understanding of what it means to be a Local Node in practical terms, also scoring 9.0. The program was effective in helping participants develop strategies for organizing in local communities, earning a score of 8.9.

At the same time, there were also several suggestions to enhance future cohorts. The idea of creating a start guide or a summary of the calendar, topics, and essential tools like Figma and Notion was proposed. Participants also highlighted the need for more practical examples of ReFi applications and additional sessions to enhance the hands-on learning experience. Feedback also focused on the structure of practical exercises, suggesting that additional guidance and activities could be beneficial.

The success of the Local Node Beta Incubator was a testament to the dedication and hard work of its stewards and organizers. Huge thanks to Anna, Scott, Monty, and Jeremy as the course leads and organizers, and to the community stewards Karla, Susanne, Djimo, Tim, Tereza, and Adam who were instrumental in their mutual support. 💚

We are also announcing that Anna Kaic will be leaving ReFi DAO to embark on an exciting new journey with General Magic as a Grants Manager. Anna has expressed immense gratitude for her time at ReFi DAO, where she has learned invaluable lessons. 

“A special thanks to John Ellison and Daryl Edwards for being incredible mentors and to Monty Bryant for creating a great collaborative environment.” Anna Kaic

Anna is now off to make a positive impact in the world by helping impactful web3 projects secure the funding they need to thrive. We wish her all the best in her new role and are immensely grateful for her contributions to ReFi DAO.

The ReFi Local Node Beta Incubator successfully demonstrated the power of community-driven regenerative finance initiatives. Over 15 weeks, we cultivated a vibrant network of local nodes equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to foster systemic change in their communities. With a diverse range of sessions, high-quality content, and strong participant engagement, we have laid the foundation for sustainable, localized impact. As we celebrate the accomplishments of this cohort and bid farewell to Anna Kaic, we look forward to continuing our journey towards a regenerative future with the ongoing support and collaboration of our growing ReFi community. Let's keep the momentum growing! 🌱

Collect on mirror.xyz ✨

The Regeneration Nexus Is Here!

Get ready for a new chapter in the ReFi Podcast! 🎙️🎉

As John, who has hosted three fantastic seasons, launches an exciting new venture, we, Maya and Tereza, are thrilled to take over as hosts for Season 4 of the show! 

Maya Z. Dentzel is a California-based researcher, social entrepreneur, and aspiring yogi driven by the mission of building regenerative systems with emerging technologies. She has written about and managed projects around ReFi.

Tereza Bízková is a Colombia-based communications professional passionate about highlighting stories of impact. She is the co-founder of ReFi Medellín and contributes to projects like Funding the Commons, Crypto Altruism, and ReFi DAO.

We're facing a multitude of overlapping global crises—from climate emergency to systemic inequities—that call for a profound rethinking of how we see the world. This new vision that adopts a holistic approach to economy as a living system, came to be known as regeneration. 

Drawing from John’s remarks in the concluding episode of Season 3, we expand on the idea that ReFi goes beyond Web3. In Season 4, we will explore the entire spectrum of regeneration, from the foundational philosophy and economic principles to practical implementations and innovative technologies that can propel the vision of a regenerative future further. 

The theme of the new season is "The Regeneration Nexus," centered on a critical question:

💡

How can we integrate best practices from economic and systems thinking, real-world impact, and innovative technologies to establish a regenerative paradigm?

By sitting down with visionaries of the new future and engaging with a diverse group of thought leaders—including economists, activists, researchers, and tech innovators—we plan to map out what leading minds believe is necessary to effectively regenerate the world today. 

We aim for the new season of ReFi Podcast to establish a powerful regeneration front fit for today's challenges.

In season 4, we want to tell a unified story of regeneration around three key pillars:

1. The Vision: Why do we need to reimagine the traditional economic and belief systems? 

First, we will explore the fundamentals of regeneration by examining economic theories and systemic changes needed, bringing insights from thinkers who are redefining the role of capital as a catalyst for a thriving planet. 

2. The Practice: What does effective regenerative change really look like?

Next, we will highlight the inspiring work of individuals and organizations on the ground and share real-world stories of successful impact practices.

3. The Tools: How can technological advances scale regenerative vision?

Finally, we will dive into the role of emerging technologies and discuss how to implement them effectively to accelerate regeneration. 

Season 4 launches in a couple of weeks. We’ll share more details on the ReFi Podcast Twitter page soon, so keep an eye out!

In the meantime, join us for our kickoff Twitter Space on May 23 at 12:00 p.m. ET! Come connect with us, share your thoughts, and let us know what topics you're excited about for the upcoming season.

If you'd like to support us, check out our new Giveth page—your contributions will help us bring these important conversations to the forefront.

We are excited and honored to serve the ReFi community!

Hugs,
Tereza and Maya 💜

In the last episode of Season 3 of ReFi Podcast, host John Ellison delves into the developments of the regenerative finance movement. ReFi has come a long way since its nascent days, growing from foundational ideas laid in 2017 through a surge in popularity and investment in 2021. Despite the volatile crypto market conditions in 2022 and 2023, the perseverance of key projects like Solid World, Regen Network, and others has been instrumental. These projects continued to innovate and push forward, laying the groundwork for what appears to be a rejuvenated interest and surging market in 2024.

Listen 🎧

ReFi Podcast: The Next Wave of ReFi Is Here! │ Season 3 Episode 25 🎧

In this insightful episode, join host John Ellison as he delves deep into the regenerative finance (ReFi) movement, exploring its intersection with climate action and Web 3 technology. John shares…podfollow

🙏

A Token Of Gratitude
We'd love to share a heartfelt token of gratitude to the Celo Foundation and Climate Collective, whose support has been essential for the creation of this show since early 2022. Their commitment to deepening the integration of blockchain technology into climate initiatives is truly inspiring.

The acceptance of Bitcoin ETFs and the anticipation around Ethereum ETFs mark a significant institutional shift towards embracing digital assets, broadening their accessibility and integrating them with traditional financial systems. This shift is not just a triumph for cryptocurrency advocates but also paves the way for more climate-focused financial instruments.

Watch 📺

As we continue to explore these themes, this episode will aim to unpack the core concepts of ReFi. This is what you can expect. 👇

Blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and other technologies are fundamentally tools at our disposal, capable of serving a multitude of purposes. In the realm of ReFi, the application of these technologies extends across several critical areas. The episode explores four key concepts that are pivotal in harnessing tech for ecological benefits: climate data, registries, methodologies, and Measurement Reporting and Verification (MRV). Each serves as an essential instrument in financing projects with publicly verifiable impacts, and John will provide an overview of the leading projects that are driving technical innovations in these areas.

Additionally, the Ecological Benefits Framework ("EBF"), developed by The Lexicon in collaboration with over 200 organizations, integrates six elemental components to showcase the potential impact of projects within this movement: carbon, biodiversity, water, air, soil, equity.

Source: A Common Framework For ReFi

As we delve into the next wave of ReFi, it's crucial to understand how this movement is redesigning market mechanisms to align more closely with ecological health and sustainability. This transformation addresses a fundamental issue: the traditional financial system often prioritizing short-term gains for capital holders at the expense of nature and biodiversity.

Without accurate and comprehensive climate data, constructing a meaningful climate marketplace is challenging. Highlighting the pioneering work of dClimate, this platform exemplifies how decentralized networks can revolutionize the availability and use of climate data.

Source: dClimate

Following climate data, registries play a crucial role. They serve as repositories for data and records on ecological health, facilitating the transparent and efficient management of environmental assets. The work of Regen Network is particularly notable, having established one of the first decentralized climate registries. This model supports the financial mechanisms needed to incentivize nature stewardship effectively.

Introducing Regen Marketplace, the place to buy, sell, and retire on-chain carbon and ecological assets. 🌿

Learn about everything that’s now possible with Regen Marketplace, from offsetting your carbon footprint to trading ecocredits. 📝 https://t.co/eaOVAhAElM pic.twitter.com/2VbpAk4kqR

— Regen Network (@regen_network) October 18, 2022

Methodologies are defining how impacts are verified and ensuring that environmental credits (like carbon, water, or biodiversity credits) are based on scientifically rigorous evidence. This aspect is vital for maintaining the integrity of environmental claims and for supporting the issuance of various environmental assets.

Listen 🎧

ReFi Podcast: The Next Wave of ReFi Is Here! │ Season 3 Episode 25 🎧

In this insightful episode, join host John Ellison as he delves deep into the regenerative finance (ReFi) movement, exploring its intersection with climate action and Web 3 technology. John shares…podfollow

Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems are essential for validating the environmental impacts claimed by projects. The shift towards digital and decentralized MRV platforms, as seen with projects like Gain Forest and Cyclops, marks a significant advancement in the field. These systems integrate various data sources, including remote sensing and on-the-ground observations, to create a comprehensive and verifiable record of ecological health improvements.

#MeetTaina: GainForest's new AI bot for Amazon Conservation - A THREAD 🧵🪡

⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0bSRonfBWd

— GainForest #GG20 (@GainForestNow) April 23, 2024

Lastly, the development of marketplaces and exchanges is critical for matching supply with demand in the environmental assets market. These platforms not only facilitate the trade of environmental credits but also help to establish a robust, transparent, and efficient market. By providing a venue for these transactions, they enable both project developers and investors to engage in the ReFi ecosystem more actively.

Watch 📺

Equity is central to ReFi's approach, with projects like Glo Dollar and Ethic Hub leveraging financial tools for social good. Glo Dollar redirects stablecoin yields to fund global social justice projects via the Glo Foundation, turning financial transactions into tools for significant impact. Ethic Hub connects investors with coffee farmers, boosting sustainable incomes and reinforcing community empowerment within the ReFi framework.

📣 Glo Dollar 2.0: the stablecoin that funds public goods

Starting today, we're unlocking $7.4B in funding for public goods and charity

Here's how you can help by choosing Glo Dollars instead of e.g. USDT

↓ 🌈 ↓ ☀️ ↓ pic.twitter.com/l5gtQ0EzHz

— Glo Dollar (@glodollar) April 2, 2024

The movement also tackles underrepresented areas like water and air management. Water Lab (formerly WaterDAO) supports large-scale water projects via decentralized finance, crucial for combating global water scarcity. In air quality management, Planet Watch and EcoSynthesisX use public ledgers to make air pollution data actionable, vital for urban environmental health.

Source: Planet Watch

In biodiversity, the integration of indigenous knowledge is vital, with entities like Savimbo advocating for ecological balance and conservation through traditional and modern techniques.

Source: Savimbo

As ReFi grows, social coordination vehicles like popup villages are emerging to foster real-world collaborations, blending local and global insights. This, along with increasing institutional engagement from banks and corporations, is crucial for embedding ReFi principles into broader economic systems and enhancing sustainability.

Listen 🎧

ReFi Podcast: The Next Wave of ReFi Is Here! │ Season 3 Episode 25 🎧

In this insightful episode, join host John Ellison as he delves deep into the regenerative finance (ReFi) movement, exploring its intersection with climate action and Web 3 technology. John shares…podfollow

As we explore the expansive terrain of ReFi, we are reminded that our efforts are about more than just innovating within the realms of Web3 or carbon markets. ReFi represents a pivotal shift towards embedding new values into our monetary systems, seeing money not just as a means of wealth but as a powerful tool for social and environmental regeneration.

We stand at the forefront of a unique evolution, both conscious and technical, tasked with stewarding our resources to nurture this burgeoning economy. Over the past two years, this movement has grown from a fledgling curiosity to a robust community of changemakers dedicated to making a substantial impact.

Thank you to everyone who has joined this journey. Please share your thoughts and feedback, and if you've found value in our efforts, consider supporting us with a five-star review on your favourite podcast platform. Every bit of encouragement helps us expand our reach and deepen the impact of ReFi Podcast.

We are honored to be on this journey alongside you. 💚

Watch 📺

TLDR

What are some of the great funding opportunities for ReFi projects out there? This was the topic we covered during the "It's Raining Grants!" bonus session of the Local Node Incubator, open to the whole community. During this session, we shared all about the upcoming Gitcoin Grants 20 round, Giveth's Galactic Giving QF round, Optimism's RetroPGF, Celo's Public Goods initiative and more. Participants joined a Figma board to collectively brainstorm other interesting grant opportunities, but also to raise any questions and concerns regarding web3 grants. In this article, we'd like to share with you some of the awesome opportunities from across the space, along with some insights and suggestions for further development of the Web3 Grants Ecosystem. Let's go! 👇

As we gear up for the 20th iteration of the Gitcoin Grants program, the excitement within the community is growing. With over $1.4 million in matching funds ready to be deployed, GG20 is setting the stage for one of the biggest funding events in the world of open-source and community projects leveraging quadratic funding.

❓

What is Quadratic Funding (QF)?
It's a unique approach to fundraising that amplifies the influence of the many over the few, prioritizing community preferences rather than the size of contributions alone. It ensures that projects which attract a greater number of contributors, rather than a few large ones, receive more funds, promoting democratic engagement and support.

Gitcoin's Open Source Software (OSS) program rounds are dedicating $1 million in match funding to support both nascent and mature builders within the Ethereum ecosystem, focusing on crucial areas such as Web3 Infrastructure, Developer Tooling, dApps and Apps, and supporting promising projects from hackathon alumni.

View GG20 Program Rounds

Additionally to the program rounds, Gitcoin facilitates Community Rounds—managed externally yet meeting Gitcoin's criteria—with each round receiving an extra $25,000 in support. Notable rounds include the CCN Climate Solutions Round, which aims to foster sustainable blockchain-enabled climate solutions; the Hypercerts Ecosystem Round for projects building on the hypercert protocol; the Token Engineering Commons Round, which supports innovative token engineering projects; and the OpenCivics Consortium Round, funding civic impact initiatives. These efforts collectively advance strategic grant distribution and robust community support across diverse areas of impact.

View GG20 Community Rounds

One of the standout community rounds for ReFi projects in GG20 is the Climate Solutions round, run by the Climate Coordination Network. This particular round is dedicated to projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and establishing key infrastructure for Web3 climate initiatives. Projects seeking to participate must be at least three months old and outline their impact on climate mitigation explicitly.

📣 We are now accepting applications for the #GG20 CCN Climate Solutions Round! The round starts April 23rd at noon UTC & ends May 7th at 23:59 UTC. You can find details, eligibility criteria & resources at: https://t.co/JrL2wCj9Bb #JoinUs

— Climate Coordination Network (@climate_program) April 3, 2024

Check Eligibility and Apply Today!

The donation period for all these rounds kicks off on April 23 at 12:00 UTC and wraps up on May 7 at 23:59 UTC. Applications are still open until April 27th.

Apply Now!

Thrive Protocol is planning to provide incentives for Gitcoin Grants grantees, round operators, and community members to supercharge GG20. The incentives will include both ARB tokens and Thrive Points, which will be redeemable at the launch of Thrive DAO this summer. These additional bonuses will be available via Thrive Protocol working on behalf of Arbitrum DAO who is a sponsor of the OSS Rounds, the community rounds and other rounds.

Learn More!

❓

Giveth is an OG platform for any project wanting to raise grant funds on Web3 rails. They have also started running a series of QF rounds providing sources of additional match funding for donations to projects in each round!

The Giveth Galactic Giving QF will be active from May 2nd to May 16th on Arbitrum. This round offers a matching pool of over $30,000 to support impactful Web3 projects. To be eligible, projects must complete a verification process and set up an Arbitrum recipient address by April 25th and be nominated by a holder of a Giver NFT from Giveth’s collection. For those with Giver NFTs, remember to submit your nominations by April 25th. You can nominate any Giveth project, including your own!

🛸💥 Introducing the Galactic Giving QF Round, empowering impact projects across the Web3 Galaxy. 💥🛸

With a matching pool of $30,000+ on @Arbitrum, the round will run from May 2nd to 16th.

Read through the details & participate! ⤹ pic.twitter.com/e5pQXLI6zM

— Giveth (@Giveth) April 5, 2024

Learn more about the the Galactic Giving Round!

Retrospective funding is revolutionizing the way impactful work is recognized and rewarded. With an allocation of 850 million OP tokens, Optimism and the Superchain ecosystem has been leading the way!

❓

What is Retrospective Funding?
Based on the insight that recognising past contributions and impact is generally more straightforward than predicting future utility and success, retrospective funding models aim to allocate resources retroactively.
Learn More

This innovative funding model is gearing up for a transformative year with a newly structured approach that categorizes contributions into distinct rounds, making it simpler for developers, businesses, and educators to understand and engage with the system. Starting from May 2024, these rounds will focus on critical areas such as on-chain building, the OP Stack, governance, and developer tooling, each tailored to enhance specific facets of the Optimism infrastructure.

So, what exactly does this change entail? Retro Funding will now operate through specifically targeted, and categorized rounds.

Know what impact is rewarded, and when👇 pic.twitter.com/GudIY7uFfb

— Optimism (@Optimism) March 26, 2024

For any ReFi projects, the 'On-chain Builders' category looks particularly interesting.

The On-chain Builders category will reward those who contribute to the success of Optimism. This round seeks to expand the reach and impact of the network by rewarding those building across the Superchain, increasing demand for blockspace, and driving value to the Collective. This includes builders who bring new users to the Superchain, drive network effects and protocol usage.

Learn More

With the passing of CGP #157, the Celo Public Goods initiative was formed to focus on nurturing impactful projects and initiatives that bolster ecosystem growth and community well-being. In alignment with Celo’s mission of creating a regenerative digital economy with conditions for prosperity for all, this program aims to channel support to Celo Public Good projects across three core verticals:

• ReFi: Projects with an active deployment on Celo that support or directly enable real-world impact and ecological benefits.

• dApps and Infra: Celo dApps and infrastructure that directly impact Celo users and stakeholders.

• Celo Community and Adoption: Non-software projects and initiatives that help propel Celo forward, such as educational resources, content creation, community growth, user onboarding, and support for Celo governance.

Register Interest Now!

❓

What are Celo Public Goods?
In the context of Celo, the term Public Goods is used to describe any project or initiative that contributes to the well-being of the community and ecosystem as a whole.
Learn More

​Celo Public Goods and the Climate Collective are excited to announce a collective commitment of 50,000 cUSD matching to Celo projects participating in the Climate Solutions Round hosted by the Climate Coordination Network (CCN) during Gitcoin Grants 20. Any Climate and ReFi project developing on Celo will be eligible for the Celo matching in addition to their share of the existing $250,000 in the round.

Learn more

CeloRPGF0 is the first Retroactive Public Goods Funding program on Celo in collaboration with EasyRPGF. Inspired by the innovation in the public goods funding space, this is an initial program will distribute up to 250,000 CELO to reward Celo ecosystem builders for their past contributions to the well-being of the Celo ecosystem. Make sure to apply by April 30th!

Learn more

There are also a range of other CeloPG supported initiatives providing further opportunities for impactful builders, including the Prezenti Grants Program and Celo Camp. View all active CeloPG programs on the website celopg.eco and subscribe to the CeloPG Mirror for future updates!

Stay up to date!

The Octant Epoch 3 Allocation Window is currently open until the 30th April, presenting a pivotal opportunity for all $GLM holders to engage and shape the future of this community and its supported projects. Participants can allocate their accrued rewards to a variety of innovative projects, ranging from technology and sustainability to governance research and community development.

❓

What is Octant?
Octant is an innovative platform developed by the Golem Foundation that leverages Golem's native ERC-20 token, GLM, to fund public goods through a participatory and experimental approach. It utilizes a unique model that combines recurring funding rounds with rewards for active user participation. By locking GLM into the Octant system, participants can influence how funds are allocated across various public goods projects.
Learn More

Among the exciting opportunities this allocation window offers is the chance to support ReFi DAO! We would be super grateful for any existing $GLM holders to consider allocating some of their support to ReFi DAO.

🔵 ReFi DAO - A Network Society to Regenerate the Earth

Overview ReFi DAO is at the forefront of the Regenerative Finance (ReFi) movement, a pioneering force dedicated to leveraging Web3 technologies to regenerate the Earth’s ecosystems and foster economic systems that prioritize ecological and social well-being. By fostering a global network of regenerative founders, investors, builders, and enthusiasts, and embodying the principles of open-source technology, transparency, and decentralization, ReFi DAO acts as a catalyst for change, driving the…Octantmontymerlin

Support ReFi DAO in Octant Epoch 3

If you're not yet a $GLM holder, this is the perfect time to consider joining the Octant community by purchasing $GLM. By becoming a part of Octant, you can earn ETH rewards as well as help increase representation for Regenerative and ReFi initiatives within the system, playing a crucial role in shaping which projects get funded!

Lock GLM & Earn Rewards!

During ReFi DAO's It's Raining Grants in Web3 workshop, participants live shared a variety of additional opportunities within the Web3 ecosystem. Here is a list of highlights that surfaced, each offering unique benefits empower impact projects. 👇

Grants Round 1 — Ma Earth

Funding for regenerative land projects. Powered by Gitcoin.Ma Earth0

Creation & Meditation

Visionary Impact Launchpad !!!FRACTAL VISIONS

Apply to be featured in $150,000 Celo Creators Fund

Get $1000 USDC grants for creating NFTs on Celo’s new marketplace.HUG

Major PSA Earthlings !!$EARTH will be running a QF round during GG 20 🌞💚🌍👨‍🌾🐝🌛🌴🐒🍅🦁🧚‍♀️

Matching pool - 1000 $EARTH ( ~ $10,000)

Round dates - 22/4 - 8/5

Applications open - 11/4 18:30 UTC

Link to apply - https://t.co/pavfZJPga8

Chain -@arbitrum

Matching cap - 10% pic.twitter.com/fHvKc9xM7K

— $EARTH 🔆🌱⚡🌍 (@solarpunkdao) April 10, 2024

List of 95 Crypto & Web3 Grants

List of more than 90 Grants in the web3. These grants are given by various protocols, ecosystems and Foundations.

Reply with a comment on this blog to let us know if we missed any!

In the evolving landscape of Web3, innovative tools are emerging to refine how grants are managed and assessed. Let's explore two technologies that are revolutionizing the tracking and rewarding of impactful work, ensuring that funding is transparent, accountable, and effectively directed towards truly transformative projects.

Hypercerts introduce a new token standard aimed at enhancing the tracking and rewarding of impactful public goods projects. Each hypercert is an ERC-1155 semi-fungible token that stores detailed metadata on IPFS about the scope of work, its impact, contributors, and ownership rights. This supports an open evaluation to assess effectiveness, enabling a shift towards rewarding truly impactful work through retrospective funding.

Check Out Hypercerts

The emphasis on measuring impact has led projects to use tools like Hypercerts and Karma GAP. These tools aid projects in setting milestones and tracking progress, which is crucial for transparency and accountability in funding. Projects registered on Karma GAP, for instance, can provide verifiable evidence of their contributions towards environmental sustainability, enhancing their credibility and appeal to donors.

Discover Karma GAP

During the session, feedback from the community also highlighted some key insights, pain points, and suggestions for improvement in the Web3 grants ecosystem. Here’s a concise overview of the collective insights:

• Streamlining Applications: Challenges with the current grant application process and user experience. Simplifying these procedures and improving UIs in Web3 will make it easier for creators to apply and manage their projects.

• Customizing Grant Criteria: There is a need for grants to differentiate based on project size, stage, and specific needs. This approach could help level the playing field, moving away from simply favouring the most well-networked groups.

• Rethinking Impact Measurement: The community seeks more objective methods to measure and reward impact, moving beyond the "popularity contest" that current systems may promote. Tools like Karma GAP were suggested to reduce administrative burdens and more accurately reflect a project's true impact.

• Supporting Community-Based Projects: Enhancing the visibility and understanding of community-based, ground-level projects within the Web3 ecosystem is crucial. Providing administrative support and creating platforms that bridge the gap between digital and on-the-ground initiatives could help these projects thrive.

This feedback underscores the need for continuous improvement in the grant-making process to support a more diverse range of projects effectively and equitably. By addressing these areas, we can foster a more inclusive and impactful digital grant-making environment.

As we wrap up this comprehensive look into the landscape of grant opportunities for ReFi projects, it's clear that the potential for impactful innovation is vast and varied. From Gitcoin's GG20 leveraging quadratic funding to boost open-source projects, to Giveth's Galactic Giving and Optimism's Retro PGF, each program offers unique resources to drive significant change within the Web3 ecosystem. Our "It's Raining Grants!" session not only highlighted these opportunities but also engaged participants in a productive dialogue to uncover even more avenues for funding and to address existing challenges in the grant application process.

As we continue to explore and participate in these funding rounds, let’s carry forward the spirit of innovation and community collaboration to create a more inclusive and sustainable fundraising ecosystem. Keep an eye on these exciting opportunities and be prepared to contribute to the evolving landscape of ReFi projects.

I believe that the regenerative transition will be led by radical visionaries who have done the work of the heart and are willing to commit their lives to building a better future for generations to come. Many may not grasp this yet, but those who do will be the early adopters of an entirely new way of being where people learn to live in harmony with the earth.

neoslife may very well become the breakthrough experiment that becomes a successful model for scaling the regenerative village movement worldwide. If you're into cryptocurrencies, biohacking, remote working, and community living, you're going to want to check out what's going on at neoslife.

There are two spots left on the retreat from April 10-14, as well as a community day on the 14th for those interested in getting involved.

After meeting Vincent Daranyi, the founder of neoslife, at a Heart Protocol ceremony last year, I have seen him shift into high gear to dedicate everything he's got to bringing a unique vision of a regenerative village to life on a gorgeous piece of land stretching across over 1,000 acres just 75 minutes’ drive from Lisbon.

If you're curious, like me, to understand what would motivate a Bitcoin maximalist to trade his sats for a regenerative village—I think you'll enjoy this show.

In this raw episode with Vincent, we unpack his journey from being an investment banker in London, to exiting his startup in Brazil, and embarking on a quest to answer life's deepest questions with the support of community, psychedelic medicines, and indigenous wisdom.

Listen to the show

• Vincent’s Journey: From corporate success in institutional finance to entrepreneurship and ultimately a quest for meaning which led him to explore cryptocurrencies, spirituality, psychedelics, and other means of inquiry.

• neoslife Vision: Located just 75 minutes from Lisbon, this 1,000-acre regenerative village is designed to be a sustainable model for human beings—combining best practices in agriculture, energy, and community living.

• Community and Innovation: Vincent discusses how neoslife integrates modern values inspired by decentralized currencies as well as holistic medicine and longevity science to foster a transformative community experience.

• Get Involved: Find out how you can be part of neoslife at the upcoming retreat from April 10th to 14th (only 2 spots remaining).

Vincent’s story mirrors the transition our entire society is undertaking: realizing the emptiness of our current systems and building new systems of value that reflect what truly matters for human and planetary health.

Listen to the show

This episode is more than just a conversation; it’s an invitation to dig deeper into what really matters and to co-create a movement towards a more sustainable and interconnected way of being.

No matter where you live, it's clear that regenerative villages will play an essential role in the transition away from fossil fuels, and there is much to learn from their leaders and early formations. As someone who loves Portugal deeply, I am excited to see neoslife emerge alongside TDF and a few other early village experiments.

I have thoroughly enjoyed tuning into the cutting edge of the regenerative village movement in Portugal and learning about the role that tools like cryptocurrencies and psychedelics play in the formation of these communities.

Let’s see what we can learn and build together. 🤙

Listen to the show

Hope you enjoy the episode! 🙏🏼

P.S. If you’re inspired by what you hear, don’t hesitate to reach out to Vincent directly at vincent@neos.life

There are around 85% of men in web3 today. If we can match the level of cognitive complexity with a similar level of emotional maturity, we could help unlock the potential for life-serving and regenerative technologies at scale.

In this community story, researcher Timothée Bres dives into the work of Androgynous Leadership and introduces the ReFi GYM, an online school for leadership and men's work to learn how to combine effective collaboration with clear direction. This is an introductory article to a deeper work you can explore here.

ReFi GYM is proud to collaborate on this course with ReFi DAO and support them as the first web3 organisation taking the "androgynous path" consciously.

In this era of poly-crisis and exponential technology, young male leaders and DAO founders tend to struggle with assuming leadership explicitly and in a healthy way. They face hurdles in establishing clear and empowering boundaries while providing unambiguous direction.

This gap frequently results in unwritten rules, shadowy power structures, and a toxic environment where avoiding conflict and playing power games become the norm. On the other side, these leaders may find it challenging to listen, delegate and truly trust and connect with their teams, stifling the group's collective intelligence, innovative capabilities, and creative energy.

ReFi GYM is supporting male founders and leaders in the development of emotional agility and the mastery of yin/yang dynamics at individual and collective levels. Reconciling power and vulnerability to develop high-trust cultures, teams and DAOs that can be both impactful AND values aligned at scale.

“We have all seen how often DAOs can go wrong. GYM provides a powerful pathway to cultivate healthy masculinity and learn the powers of androgynous leadership. This is a much-needed course for Web3 founders and leaders.” Monty Bryant - Co-Founder ReFi DAO

Join a select group of 20 ReFi and web3 leaders over 6 weeks to unlock the power and wisdom of DAOs through mens work, androgynous leadership and archetypes.

Join Waitlist

Learning how to switch between leadership (yang) and followership (yin), and between the different leadership roles in the right way, at the right time is an art. This model works for both males & females.

• Cosmic Lover: master of emotional intelligence, nurturing, care and team cohesion in service of collaboration. Listens actively and with compassion, the lover transforms sadness into motivation and conflicts into growth.

• Cyber Shaman: connected to the invisible between digital innovation and ancient wisdom, intuitive pioneers guiding the tribe through complexity. Transforms fear into a catalyst for radical innovation.

• Warrior of Gaia: manifests the vision through decisive actions, mastery, courage, discipline, assertiveness resilience and a commitment to excellence. Gets shit done. Protects what is sacred. Transform anger into focused action.

• King of Consciousness: grounded, stable, present with strong foundations. Clear direction and boundaries, fostering a culture of trust. Cultivates joy and hope through stability and order, ensuring that people feel secure, valued, and motivated to contribute to the shared vision.

Androgynous Leadership is the key for DAOs to scale their impact while maintaining values alignment. And the key of androgynous organisations: teams that combine radical innovation, a clear structure (direction, boundaries, responsibilities) with an impact at scale and a collaborative culture of care.

Every week, Dominik and I will hold a 1h30 collective inquiry and practice space, bringing insights, wisdom, tools, embodied practices and various psycho-technologies we’ve been gathering over the last 10 years across many centralised and decentralised contexts.

• Develop high-trust and high-performance cultures

• Ground yourself to increase presence and clarity

• Balance directive and collaborative leadership

• Scale your impact while increasing psychological safety

• Develop your emotional agility and androgynous capacities

• Create complementary and high-performance teams

• Transform the most common pitfalls of DAOs into growth

• Create your personal inner compass and values alignment tracker

• Apply these principles at team/collective level

For deeper explorations, every participant will have the option to join a practice pod with 5 other men (temporary men circle for 1h a week). Come by yourself or join as a pod, with your team for an even deeper experience at a special rate.

Join Waitlist

Androgynous Leadership, comes from T.A.O., a research/action project to address the blindspots and limitations of decentralised organisational models.

• Hierarchy: From domination hierarchy, where power is clear but oppressive, to shadow hierarchy, where power is invisible and potentially manipulative.

• Communication: From aggressive communication and direct confrontation to passive-aggressiveness and conflict avoidance.

• Boundaries: From explicit and rigid to flexible but ambiguous boundaries leading to collaboration chaos, role confusion and lack of individual accountability.

• Decision Making: From autocratic decision-making that may be efficient but authoritarian, to participative decision making, where too many voices can slow down or prevent action through decision paralysis.

• Competition: From the shadows of competition, where predatory practices lead to burn out and negative externalities, to the shadows of collaboration, where groupthink may prevail and competition becomes implicit.

How to take the best of both centralised and decentralised models ?

To unlock impact AND values alignment at scale, androgynous leaders and organisations need to develop the capacity to tap into both polarities in function of the context.

For example :

• Androgynous hierarchy: combining natural, experience and competence based hierarchy with a decentralised structure and participative processes.

• Coopetition : combining healthy competition (explicit, respectful, playful) with deep and embodied collaborative practices.

• Androgynous Boundaries : clear and explicit but also flexible and empowering boundaries.

• Group Coherence : the collective capacity to hold intensity and the key to sync individual needs with collective alignment.

• Assertiveness: explicit, clear and compassionate communication (beyond dominant confrontation or passive aggressiveness).

• Emotional agility : capacity to express both sadness and anger in a healthy way.

Join Waitlist

Special thanks to Monty for the support and co-editing of this article.

The ReFi GYM is part of The Blindspot Project, an agency hosting the T.A.O. research/action project and proposing workshops, courses and immersive experiences, learn more.

Hey ReFi fam! 👋

Welcome to the latest episode of ReFi Podcast, where we explore the fascinating intersection of executive coaching, wilderness exploration, and climate leadership. In this episode, host John Ellison sits down with Dom Francks, the Founder, Lead Guide & Coach of VIVIFY, bringing a fresh perspective to the table as a wilderness guide dedicated to supporting climate leaders who often find themselves disconnected from nature, the world around them, and their highest calling.

Listen 🎧

Dom's story is as intriguing as it is inspiring. With a background that spans studying at Stanford, nearly a decade of training to become a professional golfer, and contributing to a renewable energy company, Dom's path has been anything but linear. However, it's this diverse range of experiences that led him to discover his true passion: combining his love for the great outdoors with his skill in leadership coaching. Dom made the bold leap to become a full-time executive coach and wilderness guide, dedicating himself to helping individuals connect deeply with nature and understand their unique role in the regenerative transition.

Watch 📺

Source: VIVIFY

One of Dom's standout initiatives is the VIVIFY Regenerative Leadership Program. This 12-week journey is designed to connect leaders through an immersive 8-day retreat in the High Sierras. Participants have the opportunity to step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, engage with the wilderness on a profound level, and emerge with a renewed sense of direction and energy. The program is a testament to Dom's belief in the transformative power of nature and its role in fostering leadership that can effectively address today's environmental crises.

Applications are now open for the VIVIFY Regenerative Leadership Program! Join an 8-day off-trail wilderness backpacking expedition in the majestic High Sierra. which also includes 3 months of online leadership coaching, both leading up to and following the immersive experience.

Discover More

Source: domfrancks.com

For anyone interested in learning more about Dom Francks and his innovative approach to leadership and personal growth, his website serves as a gateway to exploration. Whether you're a seasoned climate leader or simply someone seeking a deeper connection with nature and yourself, Dom's VIVIFY program could be the transformative experience you've been searching for.

As we wrap up this blog post, we invite you to reflect on your own connection to the natural world and your role in the broader environmental movement.

Listen 🎧

This episode covers: 

[00:04:22] Who Is Dom Francks?
[00:08:50] Working on the Climate Crisis
[00:12:45] Immersing People In Nature
[00:18:27] Our Separation From Nature
[00:22:35] The Nature Pyramid
[00:28:42] VIVIFY’s Regenerative Leadership Program
[00:35:40] Changes Taking Place
[00:44:30] Tools For Regenerative Leadership
[00:49:50] Long-Term Regenerative Livelihood
[00:59:20] Communities Building A Regenerative Way Of Life
[01:04:20] Getting Involved

Watch 📺

In a world increasingly disconnected from the natural environment, how might reconnecting with the wilderness not only transform our leadership but also the way we approach the existential challenges of our time?

Join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn!

And if you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a five-star review on your preferred podcast platform.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Your support is hugely appreciated!

Thank you! 💚

CARBON Copy and ReFi DAO recently joined forces to publish The State of ReFi Report, giving an overview of existing ReFi efforts as well as the key narratives in the space as of 2024.

Download full report at https://carboncopy.news/

Diving deep into the heart of Regenerative Finance, Maya Dentzel and Tereza Bizkova have broken down the key insights from this pivotal report in ReFi DAO's latest Mirror article. This is a call to action for enthusiasts and sceptics alike to understand the intricate layers and the undeniable potential of ReFi.

Check out the full breakdown and mint the article on Mirror 👇

Breaking Down “The State of ReFi” 2024 Report

Regenerative economics, inspired by the work of John Fullerton, Herman Daly, and others, suggests our economy is a living system that can nurture our planet if implemented in the way. With the rise of web3, this concept has found new ground, leading to the birth of regenerative finance (ReFi). While still relatively new, ReFi has become a lively space filled with many projects, approaches, and actors looking to build more sustainable and inclusive economies.

Read the Breakdown!

Overview

In the latest episode of the ReFi Podcast, host John Ellison, alongside Luuk Weber from Kolektivo and Monty Merlin from ReFi DAO, delves into the pivotal moment where the Celo Community Fund approved a budget of $1.6 million cUSD and 700,000 CELO towards growing its ecosystem of public goods in the first half of 2024.

Listen

ReFi Podcast: Public Goods Ecosystem with Luuk Weber and Monty Merlin │ Season 3 Episode 23 🎧

Welcome to another episode of the ReFi Podcast! Today, we're thrilled to feature Luuk Weber from Kolektivo and Monty Merlin from ReFi DAO, alongside seven other stewards who are making waves wi…podfollow

Public goods, by their nature, are assets that offer shared universal benefits, accessible for all. Luuk and Monty, with deep context and insights, unravel the intrinsic value of public goods within Web3, emphasizing how their support is imperative for holistic economic stewardship and building for a regenerative paradigm.

Watch

• How blockchain and regenerative economics translate into tangible impacts in the real world, including addressing crucial issues like climate change and social injustice.

• The origins of Celo and it's future roadmap, including a journey towards 'coming home' to Ethereum as a Layer 2 and what this means for a coalition of blockchain ecosystems united in funding public goods.

• The start of the Celo Public Goods initiative, the innovative mechanics to channel 1.6 million in cUSD and 700,000 in CELO, and the criteria for participation and ways to get involved!

Listen now!

Celo is a blockchain ecosystem, that aims to scale Ethereum with real-world solutions, leading a thriving new digital economy for all.

Celo’s mission is to build a regenerative digital economy that creates conditions of prosperity for all.

Celo was designed to enable a new universe of financial solutions accessible to mobile users, creating a global financial ecosystem where an end-user can onboard into the Celo ecosystem with just a mobile number. Celo's commitment to ReFi and real-world impact has been integral since the chain's launch on Earth Day in 2020.

Amidst the ever-evolving Web3 landscape, Celo stands at a pivotal point where identifying and nurturing its public goods is more crucial than ever. With the passing of CGP #157, the Celo Public Goods initiative was formed to focus on nurturing impactful projects and initiatives that bolster ecosystem growth and community well-being. Their aim is to create a sustainable cycle of funding and support that aligns with Celo's mission of prosperity for all, rallies community engagement, and advances transparent and accessible on-chain funding for Celo projects.

Learn more 👇

ReFi Podcast: Public Goods Ecosystem with Luuk Weber and Monty Merlin │ Season 3 Episode 23 🎧

Welcome to another episode of the ReFi Podcast! Today, we're thrilled to feature Luuk Weber from Kolektivo and Monty Merlin from ReFi DAO, alongside seven other stewards who are making waves wi…podfollow

Listen

The Celo Community Fund's allocation of significant resources towards a public goods ecosystem represents a significant milestone for the Celo community and the broader Web3 space. As we look forward to the unfolding of this ambitious vision in the first half of 2024, Celo is reinforcing its role in creating a more equitable, thriving and regenerative future for all.

Hey ReFi Fam! 👋

Welcome back to another episode of ReFi Podcast where we're thrilled to bring you an insightful conversation with a visionary guest, Utkarsh Patel from Solarpunk DAO. Our discussion revolves around their recent groundbreaking release of $EARTH Coin, a token that embodies the ideals of a solarpunk future, enabling a seamless transition from petrochemical finance to regenerative finance.

Listen 🎧

❗

NOTE: This episode serves purely for educational purposes and is not intended as investment counsel or an offering of any service.

Utkarsh's story is fascinating and deeply inspiring. From a very young age, he has immersed himself in nature, striving to understand the underlying causes of today's most pressing environmental issues, such as climate change, biodiversity collapse, and topsoil degradation. His insights offer a unique perspective on how interconnected and complex these crises are, and how a solarpunk future can serve as a light of hope and action.

Watch 📺

$EARTH coin is a pioneering initiative leveraging blockchain technology to fuel global climate action, with the goal of achieving zero CO2 emissions within 30 years by fostering a transition to a solarpunk infrastructure. This project seeks to overcome the capital mobilization challenges for climate-positive projects in sectors such as clean energy, regenerative agriculture, clean transport, and ecosystem conservation. By becoming a perpetual partner to these projects, $EARTH ensures they face no capital constraints, aligning closely with its mission to build a sustainable and regenerative future.

Source: solarpunkdao.earth

Distinctively, $EARTH introduces a novel approach to cryptocurrency, minting its currency against investments in climate solutions, rather than traditional mining methods. This creates a currency backed by tangible climate action and essential utilities for humanity, promoting a sustainable, circular economy. $EARTH stands out by directly linking its value to the impact on climate solutions, offering an innovative platform for global participants to contribute to a solarpunk paradigm shift towards a greener, more sustainable world.

Listen 🎧

SolarpunkDAO also has introduced the Solarpunk Universe NFT collection, a digital tribute to the pioneers and visionaries sculpting this future in both the physical and digital domains.

A Solarpunk future where :
💚We leverage technology for harmony with nature.
🌱Society is regenerative by default.
🌍 Natural ecosystems and their services are valued as critical scarce resources.
🌇Goods and services addressing core needs are produced emission-free and are… pic.twitter.com/l7jbb7oll8

— $Earth 🔆🌱⚡🌍 (@solarpunkdao) May 30, 2023

This episode covers:

[00:02:54] Check-in with Utkarsh
[00:03:56] Utkarsh’s Commitment To Climate Action
[00:14:07] What Is The Root Cause?
[00:28:38] $EARTH Coin and Real World Impact
[00:31:44] Project Supported By Solarpunk DAO
[00:35:21] Funding Traditional Projects
[00:40:55] Investing In Regeneration & Meme Coins
[00:43:26] Taking The Leap Into The Solarpunk Future
[00:46:33] The Tokenomics Of $EARTH Coin
[00:51:03] $EARTH & Glo Dollar
[00:57:32] How To Get Involved?

Watch 📺

This episode is a deep dive into the heart of what it means to envision a better future and take concrete steps towards realizing it. Utkarsh's journey and the work of Solarpunk DAO remind us that while the challenges we face are daunting, the path to sustainability and regeneration is filled with opportunities for innovation and collaboration. Join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn!

We hope you find this episode as enlightening and inspiring as we did. Your feedback means the world to us, so please don't hesitate to leave us a five-star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and share your thoughts. Every review helps us continue to bring you content that makes a difference.

Thank you!

TL;DR

How can humanity realign our activities to nurture the well-being of people and planet? In 2023, ReFi DAO's efforts included fostering the emergence of ‘ReFi Local Nodes’. Spanning across diverse global locations, these nodes are more than just community hubs; they are cradles of action and innovation tailored to local needs. From Cape Town to Medellín, and with projects ranging from community engagement to environmental and technological advancements, each is charting a unique course towards ecological and social regeneration.

subscribe://

It’s time to have a look at the impact this network has generated during 2023. ⬇

• Background: ReFi DAO Incubation & Node Evolution Stages

• ReFi Cape Town

• ReFi Tulum

• ReFi Italia & RiFai Sicilia

• ReFi Tanzania

• ReFi Phangan

• ReFi Lisboa

• ReFi Mexico City

• ReFi Hong Kong

• ReFi Colombia & ReFi Medellín

• ReFi Miami

• ReFi Lagos

• ReFi Paramaribo

• ReFi Costa Rica

• ReFi Barcelona

• ReFi London

• ReFi Geneva

• ReFi Berlin

• ReFi Toronto

• ReFi Venezuela

• ReFi Wien

• ReFi Singapore

• ReFi Istanbul

• Conclusion: ReFi DAO Global 2024 - What’s Next?

Before we dive in, we would be super grateful if you might consider collecting this article as a piece of ReFi history or further support ReFi DAO publications by minting the custom NFT below 👇

collect://

subscriber-edition://0x79222b9B9fAf4725D74b19C394Ea7135A0ca7d69?tokenId=0&size=small

For the past 12 thousand years, humanity has perfected an economic system based on extraction. Now, we face a critical juncture. Climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, rampant inequality, and an ever-growing void of trust in current governments, institutions, and corporations. In a world grappling with these multifaceted crises, where do we go from here? How can we realign human activity with the well-being of people, the planet, and the entire biosphere?

The Regenerative Finance (ReFi) movement proposes a new paradigm. One that seeks not just to minimize harm, but actively contribute to the health of our ecosystems and society with innovative financial mechanisms being a core driving force. Within this context, ReFi DAO emerges with a global mission to be a pivotal catalyst in the widespread growth, implementation, and adoption of ReFi. We aim to show the power of mission-driven communities, distributed technology, and regenerative economics to solve the most pressing challenges of our time.

Since April 2023, a core part of this mission became incubating and supporting the development of a global network of ‘ReFi Local Nodes’. These nodes serve as dynamic community-driven hubs that meet regularly to learn, experiment, and implement ReFi tools and solutions on the ground in their local country, city, town, or village. As a network, we aim to enact a worldwide regenerative ecosystem that not only implements but also innovates on ReFi practices and solutions tailored to local needs and potentials.

From Lisbon to Tanzania to Medellín, each node has charted its unique course, contributing significantly to the local and global regenerative economy. As we reflect on these achievements, we also look forward to the plans and visions set for 2024—a year that promises even greater strides in our collective journey towards a regenerative future. The success of each Local Node is a step towards ReFi DAO’s overarching vision – a future where community, finance, and technology work harmoniously towards ecological and social regeneration.

At a global level, ReFi DAO aims to provide practical and strategic support for all ReFi Local Nodes. Beginning in April 2023 with the Local Node Beta Round, we initiated a $25k match funding pool to support the establishment of an initial cohort of nodes, primarily in the Global South. This effort led to the creation of 14 new nodes, all of which became part of an 8-week Alpha Cohort incubation program. This also led to the first iteration of the ReFi Local Node Toolkit - a series of guides designed to help leaders of local nodes achieve a specific outcome in their community.

Following this, the ReFi Local Node Beta Cohort kicked off in Gitcoin Grants 18 (GG18) Round in August 2023 with an additional $30k in match funding, courtesy of the Celo Foundation and affiliates. This round saw the emergence of 18 new Local Nodes around the globe. Check out the full results from these funding rounds in the article below. 👇

https://blog.refidao.com/refi-local-nodes-on-gitcoin/

Looking ahead to 2024, we aim to continue supporting, growing and developing this network. The upcoming launch of the Local Node Beta Cohort is a key initiative, aimed at providing both new and existing nodes with deeper insights, tools, and collaborative opportunities. If you're an experienced founder or community builder passionate about long-term regeneration efforts, consider applying to form a new ReFi Local Node in your local country, city, town, or village. Your journey starts with the ReFi DAO Local Node Beta Cohort Application Form. For current node leaders or applicants, don't miss the upcoming kickoff event for the Beta Incubator and Collaboration Circles! 🎉 Join us to embark on this exciting venture. Register for the event and stay updated on all ReFi DAO Global events here: ReFi Local Nodes - Beta Incubator and Collaboration Circles Kickoff and ReFi DAO Global Events. 👇

https://lu.ma/refidao

But first, as we step into the vibrant ecosystem of ReFi DAO's local nodes, it is essential to understand the stages that define their growth and development. These stages—Incubation, Established, and Mature—guide the categorization of each node's progression and impact within their communities.

1. Incubation Stage: Here, nodes are in their formative phase, focusing on building their core team, identifying local needs, and crafting their mission. This stage is characterized by burgeoning community interest and laying foundational principles defining the node's unique purpose and direction.

2. Established Stage: Nodes in this stage are actively engaging with their communities and implementing key activities and projects. They have developed a clear vision, established meaningful partnerships, and expanded their influence. Regular events, project rollouts, and secured funding are tangible signs of their growth and emerging presence.

3. Mature Stage: Nodes that reach this stage exhibit financial self-sustainability and are making a significant impact on both local and broader regenerative practices. They may take on mentorship roles, guiding emerging nodes and contributing rich resources and knowledge to the global ReFi community. Their sustained impact and leadership signify the successful embodiment of regenerative finance principles.

With this understanding of the Local Node Stages, let's turn our attention to the individual stories of this vibrant community. Each summary in the upcoming sections provides insights into their achievements and highlights from 2023 and lays out their vision and plans for 2024. These narratives not only reflect the unique journey and impact of each node but also embody the collective spirit and aspiration of the ReFi DAO community towards building a regenerative future. Let’s dive in 🤿

• Location: South Africa 🇿🇦

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Shawn Alimohammadi, Dr. Shaun Conway, Alwyn van Wyk

• Key Links: Twitter: @reficapetown, Event photos, LinkedIn: @reficapetown, WhatsApp

• Tokenised Impact Economy Hackathon: Successfully hosted a hackathon that engaged local developers in using Web3 to address local sustainability challenges. Utilized funding from ReFi DAO and Celo to finance the hackathon, in addition to funding raised from private donors in the renewable energy sector and substantial technical support from ixo.

• Diverse Community Engagement and Events: Interacted and connected with an incredibly diverse community, both locally in Cape Town and globally. Organized two in-person events featuring founders from the ReFi space, a year-end beach event, and a community service event distributing meals to the homeless.

• Extended Partnerships & Collaboration: Working with ixo, UNICEF SA, and Green Rising to develop new Impact DAOs and digital measurement, reporting, and verification (dMRV) protocols. These first initiatives are focused on youth-led citizen science for water quality monitoring and creating learning-to-earning pathways with the Youth Marketplace of Africa and UMUZI.

• Ecological Benefits Framework Integration: Planning to complement existing impact measurement and verification software built on the ixo software stack by integrating with the Lexicon and the Ecological Benefits Framework.

• Fostering Community and Transparency: Aiming for continued open collaboration in a non-competitive, complimentary, decentralized, and transparent manner among ReFi Local Nodes.

https://twitter.com/reficapetown/status/1694316076593504306

• Location: Mexico 🇲🇽

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Sandra Ponce de Leon, Chucho Escoto Faces, Steph Ferrera

• Key Links: Twitter: @ReFiTulum

• Advancement in Circular Economy: Focused on progressing the circular economy with a key focus on using technology to accelerate solutions for plastic sequestration, tracking and tracing on the blockchain, and implementing plastic neutrality programs with various partners.

• Impactful Partnerships: Formed crucial collaborations with PetGas and Tulum Circula, significantly driving our circularity program forward. The acquisition of TF100 Machine marked a major milestone in enhancing local upcycling capabilities—transforming plastic into usable products, integral to our circular economy strategy. Also, introduced reward systems to integrate Web3 into environmental efforts, with plans to expand towards full-time operation funding. Collaborated with several organizations to reduce their plastic footprint such as, Bye Bye Plastic / blond:ish, and Zamna.

• Acceleration and Acquisition of Technological Solutions for Tulum: Our dream of a clean Tulum means creating and accelerating funding mechanisms for core technological solutions to address planetary issues such as plastic waste and environmental contamination. Through our work to bring visibility and awareness to Petgas' patented plastic sequestration technology, our goal is to bring a Petgas plant to Tulum in 2024 to support the work towards a clean Tulum and thus show the world what is possible.

• Demonstrable Community Benefits: We will continue to onboard our community to web3 through rewards, incentivization, ecosystem development, and community engagement. We have been putting the pieces in place and are looking forward to connecting the dots so that anyone taking a positive action for Tulum will be rewarded with coins that can be used at local establishments with locally sourced and regenerative practices, thus creating a new economic system based on public good and environmental stewardship.

• Launch of ReFi Rides for Sustainable Transportation: Introducing the ReFi Rides project, which offers electric bikes accessible through NFTs, demonstrating a commitment to sustainable transportation as part of a larger goal to weave Web3 solutions into everyday life.

"Our work is about showcasing the impact of bringing community together. We dream of a clean Tulum, demonstrating to the world that it's achievable through the power of Web3, technological innovation and community collaboration.” - Sandra Ponce de Leon

https://x.com/ReFiTulum/status/1728245589631250871?s=20

“Rifai Sicilia empowers communities to participate in on-chain regenerative finance and catalyzes a bioregional economy by connecting people, projects, and places. Rifai Sicilia is a cultural interpretation of Regenerative Finance “ReFi”. Rifai in Italian means “Do Over”, offering a new path for cultural and ecological regeneration.” - Antonio Paglino

• Location: Italy 🇮🇹

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Raffaele Izzia, Antonio Paglino, Hereward, Roberto Valenti

• Key Links: ReFai Sicilia Website, ReFi Italia Website, Twitter & Telegram invite

• Ecological Development: Established "Butterfly Hill" syntropic Agroforestry food forest and planted 400 moringa trees, enhancing biodiversity and ecological resilience.

• Community Empowerment: Engaged communities across six bioregional locations, onboarded over 60 individuals with digital wallets, and facilitated participation in mutual aid events through the issuance of 120+ NFT tickets.

• Technological Innovation: Adopted the dMRV platform Silvi Protocol for ecological monitoring and partnered with Sunflower Ecotech to create an agroforestry ecocredit system.

• Educational Outreach: Developed and disseminated Italian language resources on regenerative finance and permaculture and conducted online bioregional mapping sessions.

• Digital Engagement: Amplified online presence through various events and established a significant on-chain community footprint (View On-Chain Activity).

• Educational and Ecological Development: Developing the school at Butterfly Hill for land restoration and implementing Permaculture strategies like soil regeneration and renewable energy. Boosting bioregional regeneration with seed funding for local projects focusing on watershed restoration, reforestation, and fire prevention.

• Community and Digital Empowerment: Formalizing operations with a non-profit association and enhancing the Online Marketplace for Farmers. Upgrade the rifaisicilia.com website and extend Web3 education in Italian and English.

• Project Expansion & Rifai Sicilia Week: Developing eco-credits, create an Italian encyclopedia on regenerative finance, and organize permaculture workshops, beach cleanups, and guardianship initiatives against fires. Showcasing projects and partnerships with a week-long mutual aid event, educational sessions, and bioregional tours.

• Collaborative Partnerships and Network Growth: Forging alliances with blockchain communities like ETH Rome, Spaghetti.eth, and Bologna.eth. Spawning more local communities such as ReFi Puglia, ReFi Bologna, and hopefully ReFi Rome, to strengthen the network and regional impact.

"We came together and did the thing! This was one of the first events where it really felt like we made a tangible impact, actually regenerating land instead of coming together to talk about it! It was also a catalyst for refining our Agroforestry Stewardship Methodology. Definitely a highlight of the year." - Sev Nightingale

https://x.com/SunflowerEcoTec/status/1722286572786364446?s=20

• Location: Tanzania 🇹🇿

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Machuche, Victor Muhagachi, SiMA

• Key Links: Twitter: @ReFiTanzania, Instagram, Youtube

• Variety of Events with Stakeholder Engagement: Organized three in-person ReFi events sponsored by Celo, Climate Collective, and ReFi DAO, and one hybrid event in collaboration with The University of Dar-es-Salaam. This partnership is part of an ongoing initiative to demonstrate the use of blockchain technology in sustainability.

• Launch of Carbon-Backed NFT Marketplace with CHATAFISHA: Implemented an MVP for a marketplace that demonstrates proof of impact in regeneration, beginning with waste management. This initiative has offset over a ton of plastic waste and positively impacted 20 waste pickers in three congested areas managed by four waste managers.

• Introduction of Community-Backed Currency NYOTA Coin: Launched the first Community-Backed Currency, NYOTA coin, in Dar-es-Salaam, representing an innovative approach to local economic empowerment.

• WABA Workshop and Stakeholder Onboarding: Planning a Waste Assessment and Brand Audit (WABA) workshop for waste pickers and stakeholders. The goal is to onboard more projects onto the CHATAFISHA platform, covering various areas like waste, renewable energy, and regeneration.

• Use of Community Inclusive Currencies: Experimenting with community-inclusive currencies in marginalized regions in Tanzania, with the NYOTA community token already launched in Mburahati, Dar es Salaam.

• Robust Product Management and Exploration of New Fields: Aiming to successfully execute a comprehensive product management strategy, delve deeper into Pyrolysis and reforestation, and develop a permissionless methodology applicable globally, especially in the global south.

https://twitter.com/ReFiTanzania/status/1731617463542915283?s=20

• Location: Thailand 🇹🇭

• Node Stage: Established

• Three parts: ReFi Phangan, Green Pill Phangan & EcoSynthesisX

• Core Contributors: Paul Burg, Anastasia Boltrushevich

• Key Links: Twitter, Optimism, Giveth

• Financing and Funding Initiatives: Participated in various funding rounds like Gitcoin 19, GiveEth quadratic funding, and starting Phangan Quadratic Funding. Its aim is to onboard five local NGOs and communities and work with sponsors to boost local impact and promote ReFi Phangan.

• Monthly Event - Regen Full Moon: Hosted regular events for knowledge sharing, networking, and executing part of the mission “to be regen happier”. These events feature speakers from Web3 and public goods and are followed by a dance party in Phangan ‘chillaxing’ style.

• Community Onboarding: Focusing on onboarding five NGOs and communities like Clean Phangan, educating them about blockchain usage. Also conducting beach cleanups and composting.

• Impact NFT Collection: Developing an impact NFT collection under Ecosynthesis X, which includes an air quality AI assistant, a micro-economy app, and the NFT collection itself.

• Dream Project - Regenerative Hub: Aspiration to acquire land for building a regenerative hub, including guest houses, a farm, and educational facilities for children on topics like robotics, astronomy, ecology, and environmental science.

• Financial Prosperity and Impact for Local Nodes: Aiming for financial stability and effectiveness for local nodes, enabling them to bring real-world changes.

“I want to first of all thank the ReFi DAO team for providing such great support in hard market conditions. For the local nodes I wish for financial sustainability and would like to see as many nodes as possible to bring real tangible changes in the real world. CoordiNATION” - Paul Burg

https://x.com/ReFiPhangan/status/1729170341011112026?s=20

• Location: Portugal 🇵🇹

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: John Ellison, Rica Amaral, Emilie Viallon, Lara Malta, Susanne Zapelão

• Key Links: Instagram, Twitter, Linktree

• Successful Event Series and Community Growth: Kicked off with a successful inaugural event in February, which laid the foundation for a strong community base for ReFi Lisboa, followed by consistent monthly events throughout the year, culminating in ReFi Week at the Traditional Dream Factory and a unifying Christmas party that brought together various Web3 communities.

• Threefold Events for Ecosystem Mapping: Organized a series of three events aimed at mapping the regenerative ecosystem in Portugal and leading to the creation of an MVP online map. This map facilitates connections and guides travelers to regenerative environments in and around cities, expanding the reach to other nodes.

• Portuguese Podcast Launch: Launched planta-R, a new ReFi Podcast in Portugeese. Extending beyond Portugal, this also aims to include Brazil, Mozambique, and a diverse array of Portuguese-speaking countries.

• Diversification and Expansion: Planning to diversify activities beyond monthly events. This includes community actions like beach clean-ups, collaborations with organizations, and thematic tracks such as technology and self-regeneration.

• Experimentation with Event Formats: Exploring different formats, not just traditional speaking events, but also engaging workshops and interactive sessions, reflecting a year of experimentation and growth.

• Community Growth: Aiming to expand the community further, integrating them into the ReFi Lisboa network.

https://x.com/ReFiPodcast/status/1732561720114340296?s=20

• Location: Mexico 🇲🇽

• Node Stage: Established

• Founders & Core Contributors: Oscar Andrade, Gerry Alvarez, Valentín Martinez

• Key Links: Twitter: @ReFiMexico, Website

• Strategic Partnerships and Roles: Solidified a partnership with Huerto Roma Verde to serve as their official Web3 consultants, hosting educational sessions for organic farmers on Web3 funding, and secured the role of official event organizer for ReFi events at Ethereum Mexico, boosting formal engagement and visibility.

• Enhanced Media and Digital Engagement: Achieved notable recognition with features in Tech for Good articles and podcasts, while expanding digital outreach through collaborations with Gitcoin and Ethic Hub, creating a Giveth project profile, active participation in Clr.fund, and bolstering Twitter presence through co-hosted Twitter spaces and other engagements.

• Web3 and Digital Initiatives: Developing minter and Web3 tools for Gitcoin's Climate Change challenges, implementing a reward and engagement system, creating a Regen marketplace, Impact Market Maker, and accompanying whitepaper to tokenize impact activities and assets.

• Impact Measurement and Community Engagement: Focusing on Proof of Impact tools, launching a Virtual Reality (VR) space for global community expression, and hosting interactive events, both online and offline.

• Enhanced Communication and Advocacy: Developing an enhanced website, integrating a calendar for upcoming events like Twitter Spaces, meetups, and workshops, and crafting a guide for a low-impact lifestyle. Increasing content focused on regenerative and circular frameworks, promoting sustainable practices such as Meatless Monday.

"When we sat down with Paco and Pedro from Huerto Roma Verde, it was evident that their commitment was genuine. They welcomed the ideas of Web3 and sustainability with open arms. Their knowledge and experience were profound, and they recognized this as a global movement. It became clear that the initiatives we are pioneering in Mexico have the potential to reach and influence other parts of the world." - Oscar Andrade

• Location: Hong Kong 🇭🇰

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Leo Lin, GreaPapa, Max Song

• Key Links: Twitter: @ReFiHongKong, Telegram

• Diverse Events: Organized three significant events, including two offline and one online event, to promote Web3 technology and its role in regenerative economics. This includes the inaugural ReFi Hong Kong kick-off event in April alongside the Web3 Festival, co-organized with Arkreen, Wanxiang Blockchain, HashKey Group, and ReFi DAO.

• Online Engagement: Conducted the first online Twitter Space in July, featuring discussions with Carbon World, RGRT, New Energy Nexus, and Allinfra on ESG and ReFi practices in Hong Kong.

• AI+ESG Focus: Partnered with Carbonbase for an offline event in August, focusing on AI and ESG, featuring Patricia from UN Migration, analyzing ESG reports of HKEX-listed companies.

• GreenBTC Club Launch: ReFi Hong Kong key partner, Arkreen Network, launched the GreenBTC Club application in November, aiming to build a sustainable Bitcoin Ecosystem and recognizing contributions with Soulbound Tokens.

• Expanding GreenBTC: Planning to co-host GreenBTC with other local node communities, leveraging ReFi DAO’s global network to grow the Green Bitcoin Ecosystem.

• Community Growth: Focusing on hosting more offline/online events related to ESG, ReFi, and Web3 and expanding the community to 100+ members.

“My wish is to witness blockchain and decentralized technologies thriving in harmony with ecological responsibility. I aspire to see our initiatives fostering a sustainable and energy-efficient bitcoin and Web3 ecosystem, where decentralized applications and platforms prioritize environmental consciousness. May this year mark a significant step towards a greener and more sustainable future for the bitcoin and Web3 ecosystem, ensuring that innovation goes hand in hand with ecological responsibility.” - Leo Lin

https://x.com/ReFiHongKong/status/1650433927117455360?s=20

• Location: Colombia 🇨🇴

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Juan Giraldo, Tereza Bizkova, Alejandro Soto, Ximena Monclou, Edward, 0xflypeztyc

• Key Links: Website, Linktree, Twitter: @RefiColombia, Twitter: @ReFiMedellin

• Purposeful Collaborations with Glo Dollar: Entered a notable partnership with Glo Dollar, integrating regenerative finance principles with practical treasury investments.

• Incubating a National Network: ReFi Medellín helped to create ReFi Bogotá, ReFi Saravena, and ReFi Cartagena, with all the nodes coming together under the umbrella of ReFi Colombia.

• Focus on Community Education: Organized a series of educational workshops and panels featuring projects from the carbon credit, digital gold, and sustainable farming sectors, emphasizing the commitment to educate and build strong partnerships with local entities.

• Engagement in Environmental Responsibility: Demonstrated dedication to environmental responsibility through Salvaterra tree planting, cleanups, and collaborations with NFT artists, highlighting their active role in community engagement.

• Establishment of a Credit Platform: Aiming to launch a credit platform, providing financial support to the community and building upon the success of initiatives like the Gitcoin funding round.

• Expansion and Integration into ReFi Ecosystem: Planning to set up new nodes and enhance their integration into the wider ReFi ecosystem, marking a significant step towards expansion and inclusivity.

• Continued Focus on Education: Focusing on education, with plans to introduce English courses for members and ongoing support for Impact Market initiatives, reinforcing their commitment to community development and empowerment.

https://x.com/RefiColombia/status/1724913404995895413?s=20

• Location: USA 🇺🇸

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Djimo Serodio, Silvio Frank, Priscilla D’Britto, Maria Lopez

• Key links: Twitter: @ReFiMiami, Telegram, Linktree

• Climate Collabothon: Initiated around Earth Day, involving subject matter experts, influencers, politicians, and government personnel. Focused on sustainability targets for cities and engaged the community in a week-long collaborative hackathon with festival workshops, agroforestry planting actions, and incubator-related gatherings.

• Urban Reforestation Program: Introduced an urban reforestation program in early stages, coordinated with key players like DERM (the Department of Environment Resource Management) and Fairchild. Aimed at launching citizen-led urban forestry, with methodologies developed around native and indigenous tree species of the Miami area.

• Onboarding Web3 and Crypto Community: Engaged the local community into Web3, with members involved in significant events and organizations like Logos Capital, SaveMiami.org and BitBasel.

• Regional Development & Collaboration: Miami and South Florida were designated as a National Tech Hub for Resilience and Climate and key ReFi Miami members and have served on boards from Miami Dade County and City of Miami to help lead this charge.

• Focus on Reforestation: Continuing partnerships with local festivals for event-based planting and onboarding key stakeholders, for example, Climate Hub. Scaling citizen-led reforestation to plant thousands of trees, contributing to scientific research on local tree species.

• Corporate Buy-In and Private Sector Participation: Aiming for solutions that involve not just crypto experimentation but also engage corporate or private sector participants.

• Collaboration Among Nodes: Encouraging nodes to collaborate on replicable models and architectures for solutions, with reforestation as a prime example.

“A lot of solutions are local solutions, but the models and the architecture of these solutions can be replicated in different parts of the world. So it's about creating pillars or verticals for multiple nodes to come together in co-creating and problem-solving.” - Djimo Serodio

https://x.com/ReFiMiami/status/1649834996117413890?s=20

• Location: Nigeria 🇳🇬

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Adaeze Okafor, Simon Eze

• Key Links: Twitter: @ReFiLagos01, Telegram

• Integration with UBI Africa: Concentrated on integrating their operations with UBI Africa, aiming for sustainable growth and long-term success.

• Self-Reliance and Sustainable Operational Model: Strengthening the synergistic relationship between UBI Africa and ReFi Lagos, championing a sustainable model for ongoing activities and future growth.

• Community & Events: Expanding reach and impact through more events and community engagement, including an anticipated milestone event sponsored by Celo in January. The goal is to create a stronger, more resilient community that can effectively contribute to the broader objectives of the ReFi network.

"Our focus is on becoming stronger and delving deeper into educating our community. We envision a center dedicated to scaling ReFi climate and education initiatives. It's about building a community that is not only eager to learn about climate change and ReFi but also capable of driving real impact.” - Adaeze Okafor

“Building a great community in ReFi has been transformative for me; My journey is about learning more regarding regeneration and Web3, integrating ancestral knowledge into modern solutions. It's all about solving problems and making a difference.” - Simon Eze

https://x.com/ReFiLagos01/status/1728042643085541651?s=20

• Location: Suriname 🇸🇷

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Tim Goudzand, Sedale Wijngaarde, Danzell Ritfeld, and Isabelle Caldeira

• Key Links: Twitter: @ReFiParamaribo, LinkedIn: Innovators Buzz

• Series of Impactful Events: Hosted impactful events and community-focused initiatives, engaging technology enthusiasts and sustainability advocates. Their notable "Innovators Buzz" event gathered prominent speakers like Diego Sabajo and Revinh Ramnandanlall from SURGE, a government and World Bank-funded program, spotlighting the role of technology in sustainable development and regenerative economics in Suriname. Each event attracted over 70 attendees, showcasing the increasing community interest in these topics. Also launched two local initiatives: a mini accelerator program and a mentorship program.

• Continued Momentum into 2024: Maintaining momentum, planning to organize at least one major event per quarter, with a focus on community building and expansion. These quarterly events are pivotal in laying the foundation for potential expansion and strengthening their community's engagement and reach.

• Regional Expansion Plans: Growing influence, with plans to expand into neighboring regions like Guyana, contingent upon the success of ongoing discussions and the increasing interest in technology and regenerative practices in these areas.

https://x.com/ReFiParamaribo/status/1725215461384523835?s=20

• Location: Costa Rica 🇨🇷

• Node Stage: Established

• Core Contributors: Karla Cordoba Brenes, Ranulfo Paiva Sobrinho, Ronny Castillo, Randall Saborío, Melissa Rivera, Dani Bellavita

• Key Links: Linktree, Twitter, LinkedIn

• Inaugural Events and National Outreach: ReFi Costa Rica began with a successful event at Crypto Cantina, expanding its activities nationwide to promote ReFi principles and engage diverse regions.

• Community Building and Incubation Initiatives: The first Encuentro ReFi Costa Rica united regenerative finance leaders and enthusiasts, while a virtual incubator pilot program provided support and resources for ReFi projects.

• ReFi Demo Day: Showcasing Innovations: ReFi Costa Rica's year peaked with the ReFi Demo Day, featuring eight varied projects at the Blockchain Jungle, highlighting Costa Rica's role in blockchain and regenerative finance.

• Develop the ReFi Collaborative Business Incubator: Attract funding for seed capital and continue the process with current members as well as open a new call for participation.

• Continue Monthly ReFi Meetups: Coordinate with Crypto Cantina, and organize events outside of San José in collaboration with local actors supporting innovation and impact.

• Organize the 2nd ReFi Meeting: Scheduled for January, in coordination with the cooperative sector (January 25-26).

  "In 2023, the vibrant web3 and ReFi community of Costa Rica connected and collaborated through our events and initiatives, including the first ReFi Incubator experiment. In 2024, we commit to continuing to be the bridge of connection, consolidating Costa Rica as a laboratory of innovation for the tokenization of real assets. From precious wood trees to sustainable real estate, wildlife conservation, and the transformation of traditional industries such as gourmet coffee, rural tourism, wellness, and health, we will support ReFi projects that are exploring new frontiers with web3 tools." - Karla Cordoba Brenes

https://twitter.com/ReFiCostaRica_/status/1727816226724778230

• Location: Spain 🇪🇸

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core Contributors: Luiz Fernando, Justina, Emanuel, Roger, Emília, Ana

• Key links: Twitter: @ReFiBCN

• Project Kick-Off and Team Building: Kicked off in late July with the Genesis event at AKASHA Hub, which formed an initial team meeting regularly to collaborate to shape the direction of the local node. In November, an in-person team workshop was held at Canòdrom, a public hub for open technologies, participative democracy, and digital culture.

• Gitcoin Round and Local Node Incubation: Proudly participated in the first Gitcoin funding round and joined ReFi DAO's beta cohort for the local nodes incubator.

• Knowledge Base & Ecosystem Map: Currently, ReFi BCN is in the process of launching its knowledge base, ecosystem map, and website. This initiative aims to showcase and connect the diverse elements of Barcelona's thriving local ecosystem of social economy and cooperative movements with the global ReFi and Web3 communities, fostering a network of collaboration and knowledge exchange.

• Launch of ReFi BCN Knowledge Base: Introducing the ReFi BCN Knowledge Base with an adaptable framework to enhance reach and impact. Take a sneak peek at the ReFi BCN Knowledge Base and website [to be soon publicly published].

• Organizational Structure and Membership Model: Developing a clear organizational structure and outlining membership models for ReFi Barcelona.

• Networking and Event Initiatives: Combining in-person events starting in March with network expansion efforts, focusing on partnerships in ReFi, local cooperatives, and ecological initiatives.

• Leadership in Quadratic Funding and Hackathons: Spearheading initiatives like quadratic funding rounds, hackathons, and mentorship programs to support emerging projects.

https://x.com/ReFiBCN/status/1683490586018422795?s=20

• Location: UK 🇬🇧

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core Contributors: Monty Merlin Bryant, Raam Chandrasekharan, Priyank Bakshi

• Key Links: Linktree, Twitter: @ReFiLondon, LinkedIn, ReFi UK Telegram, WhatsApp

• Event Sponsorship: Sponsored Regens Unite London’s first event that saw 50+ attendees and 15+ workshop sessions, including ‘The Ecosystem: Collaborating towards a new economic system’ by Rachel Kan, ‘From Network States to Regen CoordiNATION’ by Monty Merlin, and ‘The Wellbeing Protocol - Building Community Wellbeing DAOs’ by Mark Pascall.

• Established Connections: Partnered with the GreenPill UK chapter and Regens Unite London.

• ReFi London Events: Kicking things off with a meetup during the upcoming ETH London, they aim to lead combined ReFi London x GreenPill UK x Regens Unite events and meetups. Furthermore, recognizing London's unparalleled position as a hub of talent and innovation, in addition to core ReFi & Web3 community members, they aim to attract public, private, and third-sector leaders.

• ReFi London Knowledge Graph & Website: Fuelling the further development of the ReFi London Knowledge Graph and its website. This platform will serve as a comprehensive map of London's regenerative economy ecosystem and locally aligned projects.

“The roots of ReFi London are embedded in the global ambition of ReFi DAO—a vision to cultivate a worldwide regenerative economy through a network of interconnected local communities. ReFi London aspires to be a beacon among these Nodes, rallying high-impact leaders; contributing to ReFi DAO; and leveraging London's leadership in finance, entrepreneurship, technology, and academia for positive change.” - Monty Merlin Bryant

https://x.com/ReFiLondon/status/1727361826751701294?s=20

• Location: Switzerland

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core contributors: Yamine Haddar

• Key Links: Twitter, Linktree

• Connections with International Organizations: Since August, established connections with various international organizations, including FAO, to present a vision integrating web3 technologies and grassroots movements for regenerative agriculture, focusing on food forests and soil health.

• Partnerships with Web3 Protocols: Formed partnerships with different web3 protocols, facilitating adoption and engagement with regulators.

• Strengthening and Expanding Partnerships: Aim to strengthen existing partnerships and expand to assist other local nodes in accessing international organizations' expertise, resources, and networks.

• Education and Collaboration: Collaboration with Silvi Protocol for establishing a tree nursery in Geneva to share best practices, seedlings, and resources with local community, focusing on GOs, NGOs, and schools.

• Integrating Resources: Incorporating resources from other local nodes, like the London node Knowledge graph and platforms such as restor.eco.

• Event Programming and Funding: Held one online event and ongoing informal gatherings. Plans to host more events at the tree nursery, possibly requiring funding for providing free plants and educational resources.

https://x.com/ReFiGeneva/status/1709123894869680414?s=20

• Location: Germany 🇩🇪

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core Contributors: Charlie Fisher, Jacob Huehn

• Key Links: ReFi Berlin Community

• Diverse Event Hosting: ReFi Berlin hosted a variety of events, including multi-day events during Berlin Blockchain Week, and the second annual Regens Unite event with hundreds of attendees.

• Innovative Project Launches: Introduced new projects like Entropy and Traditional Dream Factory, worked on a privacy blockchain, facilitated the Cohere Residency from June to August and Funding the Commons residency in September, engaging global participants in collaborative projects.

• Expanded Partnerships: Exploring substantial partnerships for events in early summer, with a focus on smaller, more focused gatherings.

• EU Funding and Artist Integration: Aiming to secure EU funding for artist residencies, blending art and ReFi elements, enhancing the community's creative and innovative capacity.

• Tokenization and Financial Strategies: Planning to tokenize MOOS space with a user-friendly approach, focusing on utility and potentially exploring standard share offerings through a cooperative.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/smarthoods_regenerativeliving-tdf-sustainability-ugcPost-7104422397381873664-nsQM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvC9c-hI6Fw

• Location: Canada 🇨🇦

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core Contributors: Tian-Yuan Zhao, Daryl Edwards, Yair Garcia, Shayan Eskandari

• Key links: Twitter

• Engaging Meetups and Conferences: Successfully hosted five diverse and educational meetups, including a significant presence at Canada's largest Web3 conference, Blockchain Futurist.

• Educational and Creative Initiatives: Covered a range of topics from ReFi fundamentals to creative workshops like "Cyberpunk vs. Solarpunk 2077," and hosted discussions on the intersection of NFTs, Crypto, Philanthropy, and Social Impact.

• Expand Educational and Community Spaces: Establish a dedicated space for regenerative finance engagement and launch a series of workshops at the Centre for Social Innovation.

• Foster Innovation and Awareness: Develop a venture studio for Web3 circular economy projects and continue educational sessions with the Toronto Centre for Innovation, focusing on raising awareness and community involvement in ReFi.

  “In 2015, after meeting Vitalik Buterin and joining the Thiel Foundation community, I recognized Web3 as my calling. In 2019, attending the Celo Prosper Retreat confirmed ReFi as my career goal. My dream is to be a digital product designer in a future-proofed company with a social impact mission.” - Tian-Yuan Zhao

• Location: Venezuela 🇻🇪

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Founders & Core Contributors: María Cordova, Susana Gonzalez, Daniel Knobelsdorf, Mercedes Rodriguez, Isaac Fernandez

• Key links: Website, Twitter: @RefiVenezuela, LinkedIn, Instagram

• Events & Onboarding Success: Hosted four key events, two online and two in-person, coupled with onboarding sessions for new members, focusing on wallet creation and Telegram integration. A notable event during Global Entrepreneurship Week led to the onboarding of 48 new individuals into Web3.

• Expanding Digital Presence and Programs: Establishing a more robust online presence with a new website and increased activity on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.

• Innovative Onboarding Event: Organizing an onboarding event at a coffee plantation, scheduled for January, to introduce approximately 15 farmers to ReFi and organic cultivation practices, with insights from field experts. This event was originally planned for November but has been rescheduled.

https://x.com/mafer_cordovas/status/1694746104443597228?s=20

• Location: Vienna, Austria 🇦🇹

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core Contributors: Giulio Quarta, Anna Weichselbraun, Emil Fritsch

• Key links: Telegram, WhatsApp, Twitter: @ReFiWien, LinkedIn

• Initial Meetup and Growing Interest: After ReFi day at CCG23, they launched our inaugural ReFi Wien meetup on December 13th, 2023, establishing their presence.

• Continued Community Engagement and Major Event Planning: Aiming to host monthly meetups throughout 2024, including a ReFi unconference at the commons hub, to maintain momentum and enhance community engagement, along with a significant event in April in collaboration with the Crypto Commons Association, aimed at bringing together ReFi community leaders in Vienna to strengthen local connections within the ecosystem.

“Regenerative Finance without grassroots action is Green Capitalism” - Giulio Quarta

https://twitter.com/refiwien/status/1742838248009822259?s=61&t=p_cbJ2iy1dGN57WgX_zzoA

• Location: Singapore 🇸🇬

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core Contributors: Shihan Fang

• Key links: Telegram

• Membership Expansion: Increasing the Telegram group to 200 curated members, fostering a community aligned with ReFi Singapore’s objectives.

• Launch Event: Planning a launch event to strengthen community engagement and raise awareness of ReFi Singapore's initiatives.

• Integrated Environmental Focus: Emphasizing a holistic approach encompassing nature-based solutions, advancing a circular economy, and promoting the greening of industries as well as other sustainable practices.

• Regen Supply Media Growth: Continued media coverage of ReFi in Asia via Regen Supply podcasts, written stories, and the Regen Weekly YouTube program, securing interviews with industry figures to explore the future of ReFi.

“Integrating climate consciousness into mainstream culture has become more critical than ever before. People have woken up to the urgency of addressing climate change and social injustices. I hope to do my part to show how a more regenerative future could look like” - Shihan Fang

• Location: Turkey 🇹🇷

• Node Stage: Incubation

• Core contributors: Sohto, raybankless, enesturk, ilk

• Key Links: Twitter: @refiistanbul, Green Pill Turkey

• Establishment of ReFi Istanbul: Established in August 2023, ReFi Istanbul successfully raised awareness about regenerative finance, onboarded new individuals and NGOs into Web3, and organized events advocating for eco-friendly urban living.

• Conducted First Workshop: Held the inaugural workshop, focused on reconnecting urban community members with nature, where participants learned to identify and source natural materials, developed practical skills in crafting natural products, and strengthened community connections through shared regenerative living goals.

• Robust Event Schedule: Successfully organized over 20 events; that are all focused on regeneration and Web3 demonstrating a strong commitment to community engagement and education.

• More Events and Workshops: Aiming to organize a mix of in-person and digital events, focusing on creative workshops and discussions on regeneration and Web3.

• Boosting Media Outreach: Planning to enhance media presence with quality video content, podcasts, and infographics to educate and promote regenerative practices.

As 2024 is underway, ReFi DAO Global is set to embrace an exciting phase of new growth and innovation. The applications to our next Local Node Beta Cohort have been overwhelmingly positive, with a myriad of new nodes proposed from diverse locations like Sao Paulo, Santa Barbara, Uganda, Goma, Kuala Lumpur, and many more stepping forward to join the network. The diversity of locations represented highlights the universal appeal and adaptability of the ReFi model. From urban centers in Brazil to communities in Nigeria, each new node brings its unique context and challenges, enriching our collective experience and understanding. This diversity strengthens our network, ensuring that our approach to regenerative finance remains inclusive, innovative, and globally relevant.

We encourage those who are experienced founders or community builders and are passionate about creating long-term regenerative impact in their regions to apply and form a new ReFi Local Node. Whether you're in a bustling city or a rural village, your contribution is vital to our collective mission. You can begin this transformative journey by completing the ReFi DAO Local Node Beta Cohort Application Form. 👇

https://tally.so/r/mK5VYM

For our current node leaders and those who have already applied, we eagerly invite you to the upcoming kickoff event for the Beta Incubator and Collaboration Circles. This event, "ReFi Local Nodes - Beta Incubator and Collaboration Circles Kickoff," is more than just a meeting — it's the starting point for a year of groundbreaking collaboration and community building. It's an opportunity to connect, share insights, and lay the groundwork for what we hope will be a year of remarkable achievements and growth. Make sure to register for this pivotal event and stay updated on all ReFi DAO Global events at lu.ma/refidao.

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As we move forward into 2024, each new and established node is a crucial part of our journey towards a regenerative future. Together, we are not just imagining a world where finance serves the greater good — we are actively building it. Join us in this exciting venture as we continue to shape a thriving, equitable, and regenerative world. 🎉🌍🌱

collect://

With Regenerative Finance (ReFi) set to continue exploding this year, it's important to look back and remember some of the pioneering organisations who helped to lay its foundations. This article is by no means an exhaustive list, but a selection of some of our personal favourite high-impact projects that are still the pushing movement forward today.

Let us know what you think at @ReFiDAOist and if you enjoyed it, make sure to subscribe, or even collect this article as an NFT and support our work! For more regular updates, check out the ReFi DAO Blog for our weekly newsletter Roundups, project Deep Dives, Event Retrospectives, ReFi Radar, Community Stories and more.

But first, let's dive in... 🕳️🐇

Regenerative Finance (ReFi) has the potential to revolutionize the way we define, manage, and employ the technology of money to be in service of people and the planet. This movement is being pioneered by an amazing set of innovators and entrepreneurs dedicated to creating a better world. With the help of some powerful emerging tools in Web3, they are shaping the future of finance as a system that drives positive externalities rather than negative, regeneration, as opposed to degeneration and extractivism.

If you want to learn more about what ReFi is and some of its core tenants, you can check out this article from John Ellison below 👇

https://je.mirror.xyz/S-dpms92hw6aiacUHoL3f_iAnLVDvbEUOXw7wpy7JaU

For an up-to-date recap of this ecosystem and its history, you can also check out the ReFi Roundup 2022 👇

https://mirror.xyz/0x7340F1a1e4e38F43d2FCC85cdb2b764de36B40c0/eQ97c95DZUdLcPKM0tR_vYtQnjNha0bIZN9edOfSe7A

Now, extending on this work, we have identified 14 organizations we feel have been instrumental in laying some of the foundations for ReFi. In this article, we will provide a snapshot of their history, the problems they're solving, and the solutions they offer right now.

But first… What is our framework for how we decided on our selection for the ReFi pioneers? The 14 projects listed were chosen by the following criteria:

• They developed or put into practice foundational constructs for the movement we see today

• They have founders who are thought leaders and early pioneers of regenerative finance

• They have made a sizeable and tangible impact and are still doing their thing today.

Please also note:

• This article only covers projects launched before 2022 - see our ReFi Roundup 2022 for a dive into some of the emerging pioneers of the last year...

• Dates provided in the below map are for key moments in the project's history, founding moments are offered in each project review.

• We appreciate we may have missed some projects that you think should feature, let us know or tweet at us at @ReFiDAOist!

• This will be a living document and we will seek to update as appropriate!

With that said, let's dive into our top selection 🥁

What? 💥 A decentralized charity protocol that has reimagined donations by providing rewards to donors and gamifying fundraising.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2017 by Griff Green and a team of code wizards.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 Lots of things, that's why they are called the Giveth Galaxy! Here are some of our favourites:

• GIVBacks: Giveth has revolutionized donation by providing a cashback-like system. This means every time you donate to a verified project, you'll get up to 75% back in GIV tokens. This return is called GIVbacks and they are given to you across a 5-year period.

• GIVBoost: Now people can support a project without spending money 🤯. How? Easy. Stake into a project you like, the yield generated goes to the project and you keep the stake!

• TRACE: Traces specify how the project is using its donations to achieve the goals of the overarching Campaigns. It provides a framework to keep projects accountable for the support they receive.

How? 🧭 Learn, apply, and join the evolution of giving:

• Set up a project in Giveth

• Get GIV and stake your GIV to a verified project in Giveth

Where? 👇🏽

https://giveth.io/

What? 💥 A stack of tools and infrastructure to incentivize ecosystem regeneration through the creation of digital carbon and ecological credits - investors and buyers can access a growing pipeline of premier-quality ecological impact projects. ✨ 🌱

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2017 by Gregory Landua and an awesome team of regens.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 Regen Network incentivizes regenerative land use practices, restores ecosystems and helps in reversing climate change.

• They serve as the ‘Layer 0’ upon which other projects and protocols may build upon and harness to execute their own climate-focused business models.

• They facilitate the development of new methodologies related to regenerative practices.

• Regen Marketplace & Registry allows Earth stewards to sell their ecosystem services directly to buyers around the world.

How? 🧭 Turn ecosystem services into eco-credits:

• Register and get paid for your ecological practices, such as cover cropping, agroforestry, and more!

• Set up a $Regen Wallet, and buy your first premium eco-credits, and share with @ReFiDAOist you've done so

• Create your own methodology

Where? 👇🏽

https://www.regen.network/

What? 💥 A protocol for discovering, validating, and funding the world's leading web3 & public goods projects.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2017 by Kevin Owocki and Scott Moore

Why Pioneer? 🌱 Gitcoin started as a centralized platform allowing open-source developers to monetize their work and access economic incentives. Since then they have evolved their mission to become an all-inclusive public goods funding powerhouse and relaunched as a decentralized organisation - The Gitcoin DAO. Some top achievements include:

• Gitcoin Grants: Fundraise for projects and entire ecosystems with the magic of Quadratic Funding. So far this has enabled $72.8M in funding for public goods projects!

• Gitcoin Passport: Sybil-resistant methodology that includes several ID verification stamps and a trust score to filter humans from bots 🤖

• Hackathons and Bounties: Power-community for any initiative to find and reward talent as needed with 312K monthly active developers.

How? 🧭 Support open-source & public goods:

• Read the Gitcoin Deep Dive

• Create your Open Web Passport or implement it in your community.

• Create, fund, or take a bounty

• Master the understanding of Quadratic Funding and share your knowledge with the nearest person to you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQcFwFUw_7E

Where? 👇🏽

https://gitcoin.co/

What? 💥 The first #ReFi protocol connecting people & unbanked smallholder farmers globally using Web3. EthicHub is a global platform that connects lenders and borrowers from around the world to access ethical capital.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2017 by Jori, Gabriela, and a team of regens.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 They were the first blockchain-based platform that allowed lenders to invest in projects and businesses that have a positive impact on people and the environment. Beyond being one of the first here, they also pioneered:

• Breaking down tech barriers. Ethichub uses a human interface to get to the smallholder farmers, so no need for the borrower to understand or know the intricacies of web3.

• Providing risk-managed lending with a compensation pool that automatically pays lenders their yield if a borrower does not pay in time.

• LatinoAmerica ReFi 🌎🥰

How? 🧭 Become part of a global community of lenders and borrowers that access ethical capital by adopting EthicHub:

• Buy ETHIX and stake it in the compensation pool

• Lend DAI or cUSD to a farmer

Where? 👇🏽

https://www.ethichub.com/en/

What? 💥 Open-source Web3 toolkits to help commons-based communities sustain shared wealth through incentive alignment, continuous funding and community governance. Commons Stack enables any impact group to deploy their own regenerative microeconomies.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2019 by Jeff, Jess, Dr. Z + the Giveth and BlockScience teams.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 They have an open-source library with interoperable web3 modules that put effective new tools in the hands of communities. These components are divided in Governance, Accountability, Funding, and Feedback to enable regen communities to raise and allocate shared funds, make transparent decisions, and monitor their progress in supporting the Commons.

How? 🧭 Become a builder of the Commons or learn how to apply it in your regen initiative:

• Become a member of the Trusted Seed

• Learn how an Augmented Bonding Curve work through a simulation

• ReFi DAO also just partnered with @CommonsStack to create a global network of #ReFi start-up incubators and regeneration hubs! Learn more and apply to the ReFi Commons Prize.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrYtvutT7Q4

https://blog.refidao.com/introducing-the-refi-commons/

Where? 👇🏽

https://commonsstack.org/

What? 💥 Open-source Web3 technologies for traceable energy, and tamper-proof asset management, data exchange, and decarbonization pledges.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2017 by Ana Trbovich and a stellar team of energy, P2P markets, and aerospacial industries.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 They package multiple Web3 components – public blockchains, self-sovereign identities, and decentralized architectures– into comprehensive, enterprise-grade solutions that energy companies use to reduce costs, improve efficiency and security, or build entirely new businesses. Some outstanding facts:

• In 2019 they already had 100 energy companies testing their web3 solutions.

• It's a non-profit facilitating energy companies and cities transition into clean and distributed energy systems.

• They provide among other services, onboarding, consultation, training, and deployment of Web3 tech into energy companies. Also they are offer green proofs for electricity generation, sustainable aviation fuel, and renewable bitcoin mining certifications.

How? 🧭 Facilitate decarbonization and the energy internet:

• Share the Energy Web with your local municipality, bitcoin miner fren, or local energy generators

• Buy and stake Energy Web Tokens (EWT) to maintain this refi network secure.

Where? 👇🏽

https://www.energyweb.org/

What? 💥 The first mobile-native and carbon-negative EVM-compatible blockchain.

Wen? 📅 Celo was co-founded in 2017 by Rene Reinsberg and Marek Olszewski

Why Pioneer? 🌱 Celo built an SDG-oriented ecosystem that allows anyone with a phone and internet to access financial services without the need for a bank or other financial institutions.

Other noteworthy points include:

• A ReFi-native ecosystem of 1000+ projects from 150+ countries

• 5 mission-aligned collectives dedicated to creating a more prosperous world.

How? 🧭 Learn and advocate for mobile-first web3 regen initiatives:

• Get a Celo Wallet

• Get a purpose-driven NFT from Celo

• Apply to the Alliance for Prosperity (grants available;)

Where? 👇🏽

https://celo.org/

What? 💥 A collection of institutional technologies for communities to launch, finance, and govern their own local regenerative economies and community currencies at scale.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2020 by Luuke, Pat, and their respective teams at Kolektivo Labs and Curve Labs.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 Kolektivo proposes to reflect the value of natural capital and ecosystem services provided by the natural world through a token engineering approach, i.e. social and ecological sciences meet computational sciences to enable cyberphysical coordination.

Three outstanding features:

• The first fully decentralized and permissionless protocol for deploying Regenerative Finance at the local economy level.

• The creation of local currencies that are interconnected, interoperable, interchangeable, and are designed to support and incentivize the protection and regeneration of ecosystems.

• The Kolektivo MVP: a cyber-physical community economy in Curaçao. See it in action at the recent Kolektivo Festival! 👇

https://blog.refidao.com/refi-retrospective-kolektivo/

How? 🧭 Learn about ReFi in the local space and apply for transitioning your community into ReFi:

• Apply for Seed

• Read ReFi DAO’s full deep-dive into Kolektivo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3wOu2Lt9XU

Where? 👇🏽

https://www.kolektivo.network/

What? 💥 A scalable open platform that allows forest projects of any size, from around world, to Measure, Report, and Verify (MRV) their forestation data and access financing for nature-based climate solutions.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2020 by Aureline Grange, Frederic Fournier and Michael Kelly.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 OFP is one of the leading organizations at the frontier of scaling nature-based solutions. Here are some of it’s key features:

• Any forestation projects around the world, both big and small, have access to their digital platform and MRV tools that can help to unlock carbon financing.

• A growing diverse community of environmentally-focused organizations act as validators to secure the network and ensure forest monitoring data is legitimate.

• All of OFP is open-source and decentralized, meaning new solutions to address climate change can be built quickly using OFP as the foundation.

How? 🧭

• Join the Open Forest Protocol as a project operator, validator or partner!

Where? 👇🏽

https://www.openforestprotocol.org/

What? 💥 A web3 conservation network that empowers land-based DAOs with tools to create regenerative communities.

Wen? 📅 OASA was founded in 2018 by Sam Delesque and a fluid team of regens.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 OASA has been pivotal in the development of new Web3 tools for local land-based DAOs with a particular focus on regenerative practices on its lands through its Principles for Regeneration and Land Stewardship. Some of our favourite developments include:

• Proof of Presence (PoP): a measure of a member’s physical presence on the Project that can be used as a governance primitive - Project DAOs may elect to give higher voting weight to Members based on their PoP score for example...

• From Ownership to Stewardship: Token holders gain utility and governance rights, while land ownership titles are held indirectly as an association. This shifts from a model based purely on ownership rights, to a model prioritising community and stewardship.

• Acquiring the lands for the launch of the first ReFi powered regenerative village in 2020 - Traditional Dream Factory

How? 🧭 Learn more, join, or start your own regen village:

• Read the “How to build a regenerative village” handbook (co-authored by 29 village pioneers including the crew from OASA) to learn how to start your own regenerative village and implement best practice.

• Learn more about the integration of ReFi into Regenerative Villages - ReFi Villages 👀 🌱 🛖

• Learn more about Traditional Dream Factory - the first regenerative ReFi village in the OASA network, or visit the site in-person!

• Email Sam for details on the $TDF presale 👀🤫

• Consider putting lands you own into a land trust or non profit entities similar to OASA -→ link?

Where? 👇🏽

https://oasa.earth/

https://traditionaldreamfactory.com/

What? 💥 A coalition of investors, non-profits, scientists and other stakeholders, supporting builders of ReFi to unlock innovative and verifiable climate action at scale.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2021 by Celo.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 The Climate Collective is focused on enabling trusted markets for high-quality, digital environmental assets that empower people and the planet to thrive, and they have brought together a brilliant array of stakeholders and experts for this mission. Some features include:

• Grant funding. They offer grants to accelerate regenerative web3 applications.

• Web3 Climate Map. They've mapped products, protocols, liquidity sources, DAOs, and other relevant relations in the ReFi climate ecosystem.

How? 🧭 Join the movement, apply for a grant, or collaborate on developing ReFi analytics:

• Accelerate the regen transition by getting your initiative funded

• Join as a member, partner, or collaborator

Where? 👇🏽

https://climatecollective.org/

What? 💥 Web3 technologies that enable coordination and mass participation within the carbon markets, with an aim to accelerate the price appreciation of carbon assets and drive additional finance toward low-carbon technologies.

Wen? 📅 Founded in 2021 by Chaz Schmidt, Takeshi Nojima, Archimedes and a team of Web3 ReFi hackers.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 KlimaDAO spearheaded powerful marketing and token-economic incentive mechanisms to on-board millions of tonnes of carbon on-chain - currently 17,725,086 Carbon Tonnes are locked in their treasury at time of writing. Some other key features:

• KilmaDAO App: Buy, stake, bond or retire carbon on-chain.

• Klima Infinity: A next-generation carbon toolkit for organizations to go carbon neutral.

• KlimaDAO Digital Carbon Dashboard: Easily keep track of the tokenized carbon market, in real time.

How? 🧭 Help drive adoption of tokenized carbon credits:

• Reflect on the on-chain carbon markets and tweet your thoughts…

• Buy, Bond Stake or Retire some on-chain carbon

• Send a love letter to the planet ♥

Where? 👇🏽

https://www.klimadao.finance/

What? 💥 A blockchain protocol for turning carbon credits into programmable money legos (tokens). Toucan aims to improve infrastructure for environmental assets by helping to solve key market issues: fragmentation, inefficiency, a lack of uniform data, and limited access.

Wen? 📅 Born out of an Ethereum project called CO2Ken (See-Oh-Toucan😉), Toucan Protocol was founded in 2021 by Raphaël Haupt and James Farrell of Curve Labs.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 Toucan is facilitating the financial rails to bring a trillion dollars flow to the best climate solutions. Some outstanding facts include:

• 50+ projects are already leveraging Toucan’s tokenized carbon credits as a building block for their climate-positive products and protocols.

• 20M+ tonnes of CO2 have been bridged on-chain, and 50K+ of these have already been retired for good 🙌

How? 🧭 Compensate your carbon footprint or facilitate the adoption of tokenized carbon credits within your project:

• Integrate tCO2 into your web3 project

• Retire nature-based carbon credits

• Gift tCO2

Where? 👇🏽

https://toucan.earth/

What? 💥 Connecting waste recovery projects with people & organisations looking to make a difference. Their plastic credit marketplace contributes to 5 SDGs by integrating plastic clean ups into the sales funnel.

Wen? 📅 Plastiks is a product of Nozama who were founded back in early 2019.

Why Pioneer? 🌱 Unlike other platforms focused on plastic compensation, Plastiks.io connects recovery projects worldwide with companies and individuals. Some interesting facts include:

• The Plastiks platform allows Single-use packaging brands to offset their waste, enabling them to comply with the EU single use packaging tracking regulation.

• The offsetting of Plastik’s tokens sponsors the recovery of plastic waste around the globe. All plastic recovered is tracked through blockchain technology and is ensured to never end up in a landfill.

How? 🧭 Enable local impact, globally:

• Explore the plastic recovery campaigns, you may find one in your region

• Do you have a plastic recovery campaign? Tokenize it!

Where? 👇🏽

https://plastiks.io/

We are super grateful to all the pioneering projects here and the amazing teams of people behind them who helped to lead the way for the diverse ReFi ecosystem we see today. At the same time, last year saw an explosion of new projects entering the scene to blaze new trails in the ever-evolving world of ReFi. You can check out our article covering that below 👇

https://mirror.xyz/0x7340F1a1e4e38F43d2FCC85cdb2b764de36B40c0/eQ97c95DZUdLcPKM0tR_vYtQnjNha0bIZN9edOfSe7A

Did you agree with our picks? Did we miss any? Who will be the next generation of pioneers? Let us know @ReFiDAOist 🐦 If you enjoyed this article, make sure to subscribe, or even collect this article as a historic NFT and support our work + for more regular updates, check out the ReFi DAO Blog for our weekly newsletter Roundups, project Deep Dives, Event Retrospectives, ReFi Radar, Community Stories and more.

From the Urbánika team and Monty, our deepest thanks to you, reader, for dedicating your valuable time into learning, experimenting, building, and using regenerative practices. Together WAGMI. LFGrow 🌱🚀

But first, we would be super grateful if you might consider collecting this article to support this work

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As we catapult through 2023, we have already seen some amazing developments and ideas shared in the ever-inspiring Regenerative Finance (ReFi) ecosystem. And yet, as the chill of the bear market sets in, and project runways wear thin, do we find ourselves peering into the depths of the 'Valley of Despair'?

https://twitter.com/MilkMoney64209/status/1671111247209680896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1671111247209680896%7Ctwgr%5E58bfddfb59b3462e851b70bde5ad1ac7e3c8a8b3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.refidao.com%2Frefi-roundup-2023%2F

But, in the darkness of this valley, an opportunity glimmers, beckoning resilient regens to rally, build, and transform into a dynamic stage of rebirth and regeneration. As we look towards the future of ReFi, let's take a moment to look back at some of the key moments and content of the year so far...

Humberto Besso Oberto Huerta, Anna Kaic, Monty Merlin Bryant, Thought Floats, Nura Linggih | Jan 6, 2023

In 2022 the ReFi movement underwent a remarkable transformation. It went from a small niche in Web3 that brought carbon credits on-chain, to becoming a widespread and holistic movement seeking to integrate regenerative values across a whole variety of sectors. From Regen Network's foundations to KlimaDAO and Toucan Protocol bringing over 20 million carbon credits on-chain, to Ethereum's infamous 'Merge'. A lot happened!

Check out the full article for a detailed recap on the origins and timeline of Web3 x Regeneration! Read more and collect on Mirror 👇

ReFi Roundup 2022 - The Year of Regenerative Finance!

What a year 2022 has been for the Regenerative Finance movement. There is so much to be proud of, let’s take a moment to recap some of the key moments! 👉

The Year of Regenerative Finance! — ReFi DAO

Read article

Monty Merlin Bryant, Sam Delesque, Jeremy Agnew, Nico S, Charlotte Fradet | Jan 13, 2023

Eco-villages have been around since the 1960s, providing a model for how communities can live in harmony with the earth. Yet they often face huge difficulties in management, governance, and coordination. Regenerative villages take a more integrated approach with sustainable modern technologies and economic systems to create resiliency and better standards of living. Taking this a step further, this article coined the idea of ReFi Villages - the next evolution of eco-community living. It highlights the potential of Web3 and digital technology to solve some of the issues faced by eco-villages of the past and provide the infrastructure to scale and grow regenerative communities all over the world...

Explore their potential and join the movement to create a sustainable and regenerative future! Read more and collect on Mirror 👇

ReFi Villages: Web3-Enabled Communities for People and Planet

People are increasingly looking to live in ways that are more sustainable, resilient, and regenerative. ReFi Villages present a compelling solution to change how we live, work, and relate to one another.

Read article

Monty Merlin Bryant | May 13, 2023

How do we truly define ReFi or Regeneration? And how can we assess and compare various projects in this space? This article delves into these critical questions and more, exploring how a shared understanding of ReFi can foster global progress. It takes a closer look at innovative concepts like the Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF), an initiative that goes beyond carbon-centric models to encompass a holistic understanding of ecological benefits including air, water, soil, justice, and biodiversity.

Read more below & join the ReFi Rabbit Hole working group to help collaboratively answer the question of 'What is ReFi'? 👇

A Common Framework for ReFi | EBF Activator x ReFi DAO 🌱

What actually is ReFi? What is Regeneration? How should we measure & compare projects?

Read article

Shauna Butterly | Jan 28, 2023

The Global Commons Alliance's Earth Commission developed a new framework to integrate justice into the management of global commons, combining social and ecological thinking. This "Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries" framework aims to create a more sustainable and equitable world.

Read more about this revolutionary scientific breakthrough in the world of environmental stewardship👇

ReFi Roundup #49: Justice & the Global Commons 🌏 💚

Justice for Global Commons, Regenerative Frameworks, ReFi Commons, the Energy Transition + the latest news, events and updates from across the ReFi ecosystem…

Read the Roundup

Simon Eze, Adaeze Okafor | Feb 6, 2023

Designing systems and technologies that connect effectively with people and nature is no easy task. How might we scale natural capital with Web3 & ReFi? What if indigenous peoples are the key?

Read more about accelerating investment in natural capital through the ReFi movement 👇

Scaling Natural Capital with Web3 & ReFi 🌿 🌻 | Roundup #50

Read the Roundup

Phaedrus | Feb 13, 2023

Ready to dive into the world of ReFi? 🌍 Whether you're a beginner or want to spread the word, finding the right resources can be a challenge. Worry no longer, this article has got you covered!

Discover new 101 resources to the world of ReFi 👇

Resources for ReFi 101 📚 | Roundup #51

Read the Roundup

Adam French | Feb 20, 2023

Discover the game-changers shaping the future of carbon credits and impact markets. Explore innovative projects in Digital Measurement, Reporting & Verification (dMRV) that are overcoming challenges and paving the way for climate change mitigation. Exciting times lie ahead in 2023 as we unlock the true potential of dMRV. Where will this revolutionary technology lead us? Get ready to find out! 🚀 👇

The Future of Distributed MRV 🔭 📱| Roundup #52

Read the Roundup

Raam | Mar 20, 2023

While new technologies aren't a cure-all, the World Economic Forum paper "Recommendations for the Digital Voluntary and Regulated Carbon Markets" provides a comprehensive view of digital carbon market challenges and opportunities for blockchain-based approaches to enhance reach, credibility, and scalability.

Read the full article and take action now and be a catalyst for change 🍃 👇

Scalable Carbon Markets 📈 🚀 | Roundup #56

Emerging technologies + carbon markets = greater reach, credibility, and scalability... Plus the latest news, updates, jobs and events in ReFi and beyond!

Read the Roundup

Scott Morris | Mar 27, 2023

How can we ditch fragile financial monocultures? Embrace economic diversity and resilience. Empower communities through alternative economics and permaculture-inspired solutions. Check out these inspiring examples of rethinking money and value within communities 👇

Banking Crisis & Economic Diversity 🏦 | Roundup #57

Read the Roundup

Maya Dentzel | Apr 3, 2023

Financial capitalism, characterized by constant expansion and extraction, has created a crisis with bank collapses and negative impacts on communities, the environment, and mental health. However, a shift towards digital commons and values-driven design principles, supported by blockchain infrastructure, can challenge the existing system and prioritize regeneration, climate justice, and community empowerment.

Read the full article on Regenerative Finance vs Financial Capitalism 👇

Beyond Financial Capitalism - ReFi & The Commons 🤲 | Roundup #58

Read the Roundup

Esther Val | Apr 11, 2023

As we navigate the challenges of climate change and social injustice, it is crucial to prioritize collaboration and equity. By challenging traditional power structures, empowering marginalized communities, and fostering inclusive dialogue, we can create positive change for all. Learn from insightful voices like Tre' Cates and Aimara García Cabezas, who emphasize the need for regenerative firms and increased representation of minorities in Web3.

Explore the full article to delve deeper into this transformative journey 🚀 👇

Diversity, Inclusion, and Personal Regeneration 👥 | Roundup #59

Boosting ReFi through embracing diversity, inclusion, and self-growth

Read the Roundup

Susana González | Apr 17, 2023

Are you ready to explore the transformative power of ReFi in the Global South? From empowering local economies to addressing language barriers, there are countless ways Web3 can make a difference. Discover how Web3 adoption is levelling the playing field, combating inflation, and fostering financial inclusion. Learn about initiatives that empower communities and bridge the gap between small businesses and investors. Join the movement for diversity, inclusion, and open dialogue.

Find out more in the full article 👇

ReFi in the Global South 🌍 | Roundup #60

Read the Roundup

Gabriel Orrego | Apr 24, 2023

Regenerating the earth requires more than just new technology and financial instruments, it requires a shift in our economic values, practices, and collective consciousness. By adopting regenerative and collaborative practices, individuals can actively contribute to creating a sustainable and equitable future, fostering a shift towards a new economy that prioritizes positive impact.

Read more about the collective shift 👇

Collective Consciousness Shift 🌌🔮 | Roundup #61

Read the Roundup

Monty Merlin Bryant | May 8, 2023

How can we make sure that ReFi actually holds up to this promise? How can we make sure we are not just redesigning the same extractive systems but on Web3 rails? How can we build strength, resiliency, and lasting positive impact for generations to come? —> The Medici Effect 🏰

By breaking free from entrenched specialist fields and converging disciplines, groundbreaking ideas can emerge, enabling us to see the forest beyond individual trees and drive revolutionary change.

Learn more about the Medici Effect 👇

The Web3 Medici Effect - Fuelling a Regen Renaissance💡🌱| Roundup #63

Can ReFi x Web3 drive a new era of innovation and problem-solving in harmony with the earth? + the latest news, updates, jobs and events in ReFi and beyond!

Read the Roundup

Cate | May 23, 2023

We face the challenge of averting environmental and societal collapse but also have a unique opportunity to design new structures. Generation Z holds the key to this transition, but creating inclusive pathways into ReFi is crucial. Testimonies from Maya, Niko, and Monty highlight the importance of education, clear communication, and personal discussions. 👇

Next-Gen ReFi: Gen Z’s Power for Change ✨ 🌎 | Roundup #65

Benjamin Life | May 30, 2023

Nature is in crisis, but we can make a difference. Introducing biodiversity credits, a novel funding solution to support ecological stewardship, compensate indigenous communities, and restore habitats.

Learn more and start making a difference in your local area! 👇

Biodiversity Credits: A Nature-Positive Market 🦆 🐞 🕸️ | Roundup #66

Ben West, Tarah Stafford | Jun 7, 2023

Much of the discussion around blockchain technology is often focused on cryptocurrencies or the plethora of meme coins and scams that are often built on top. Yet as the world struggles to address the urgency of the climate crisis, the underlying technology of blockchain has the potential to be a game-changer in the murky waters of international coordination, resource allocation, and international accountability. But to unlock its full potential, collaborative efforts are essential and we need to shift from speculation to action!

Read more and join the movement towards a more sustainable future 👇

Non-Financial Blockchain Tech for Climate 🌏 🙏 | Roundup #67

Read the Roundup

As we take a moment to reflect on the sheer breadth of insight, innovative thinking, and collaboration presented in these diverse pieces, our gratitude extends to each and every contributor for their invaluable additions to the vibrant tapestry of Regenerative Finance. The wisdom, passion, and perseverance illuminated in their work serve not only as a beacon of hope but also as a testament to the extraordinary potential that thrives within the ReFi ecosystem.

Navigating through the 'Valley of Despair,' we are reminded that the road to progress is seldom linear or without obstacles. However, as echoed throughout these articles, it's precisely in these times of uncertainty and challenges that our resilience is fortified, our bonds are strengthened, and our potential is amplified. The first half of 2023 has undeniably had its ups and downs, but it's also been a testament to the power of collective action, innovative thinking, and a shared commitment to a regenerative future - and we're only just getting started...

So, as we look ahead, let's not forget the lessons and breakthroughs of these past months. Let's continue to build, innovate, and foster a spirit of unity within our community. Let's move forward together, with renewed resolve and unwavering optimism into the next chapter of our regenerative journey 🌱

Once again huge thank you to all the awesome contributors, and thanks to you, reader, for joining us on this journey through the transformative world of Regenerative Finance, your readership and support are deeply appreciated! If you enjoyed this article or found it helpful, please consider subscribing or collecting 👇

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Now let's dive in…

What does it mean to you? What about Regeneration? And how should we measure projects in this space? 🍎🍊🧐

ReFi stands for Regenerative Finance, and it broadly relates to a movement aiming to use finance as a way to support regenerative and restorative outcomes in social, environmental, and economic systems. Yet it is likely that everyone reading this will have a unique perspective as to what this actually means, and what this actually looks like in practice. This diversity is important, but at the same time, a lack of top-level alignment and shared understanding can create fragmentation and be a bottleneck for progress.

There are several key questions that continue to surface as we explore the opportunity of regeneration, namely:

1. How can we compare carbon and other ecological projects that measure impact differently?

2. How can we decide what projects are classified as ‘ReFi’ as opposed to those that are greenwashing?

3. Is ReFi purely in the domain of environment? How should we include principles for regenerative social, cultural and economic development as well?

As we see an ever increasing wave of capital, talent and attention flowing towards this space, it is increasingly important that we gain some shared consensus around these questions

Let's dive in 🕳️🐇

In the face of a complex web of existential crises, carbon and other impact markets have the potential to be a key part of the solution. Yet carbon markets themselves face a number of fundamental challenges currently hindering their impact and growth - opacity, misinformation, extraction, fragmentation and the resulting lack of trust - to name a few... Furthermore, it is abundantly clear that carbon remains only one part of the challenge. Holistic approaches are desperately needed to tackle biodiversity loss, growing inequality, and a range of other social, environmental and economic challenges.

This beckons the question: How should we as a species value carbon alongside other social and ecological benefits?

The Lexicon is a US-based NGO that uses evidence-based storytelling and strategic mobilization to build impact movements tackling our greatest collective challenges. Co-creating with a large array of academics, practitioners, and other stakeholders, they have begun the development of a framework intended to broaden definitions of carbon markets to encompass the full suite of ecological benefits - air, water, soil, biodiversity, equity, and carbon, as well as create the appropriate methodologies to measure these outcomes.

This holistic framework is based on the on the insight that humans are a part of — not separate from — nature. The health of our societies, economies, and all life on earth, depend on the health of our air, water, soil, biodiversity, equity, and atmospheric carbon.

Building a framework is one thing, but how do we gain collective institutional and community adoption behind it? What if the framework breaks in certain use cases or is not fulfilling the needs of all its stakeholders? How might we further extend or develop the framework and combine it with other concepts of regeneration?

Over the past four years, supported in part by Google, the Lexicon has been developing an award winning activation process. Activators are highly-structured outcome-focused initiatives that are conducted with a diverse set of stakeholders, value chains, and domain experts. The aim is to accelerate the transformation of good ideas into industry-aligned tools and intelligence.

Now, The Ecological Benefits Framework Acitvator is in progress. Experts across intersecting value chains are being mobilized across 5 workstreams.

Utilizing the Ecological Benefits Framework (EBF) as a starting point, they will seek to expand on this work, identify the principles and practices that directly enable outcomes, and apply it in up to 25 case studies to show how it can be applied in the real world. Furthermore, the activator will transform the ideas into a collection of freely available open-source frameworks, tools, and models for everyone to use.

*“All the workstreams are important, but if this one creates a pre-competitive digital architecture, it will be as important as roads and bridges. This goes beyond choosing a protocol, it's about stepping back and taking a crack at an interoperable system for the world, assets, and markets.”

— Gregory Landua (on the Digital Infrastructures Workstream)*

As a result of the activator, we should start to form consensus around a shared language for the wide range of organizations working at the intersection of blockchain, carbon markets, ReFi, ESG, ecological benefits, and more, as well as create alignment around a common set of principles & best practices. Achieving this would be a huge milestone in creating trusted impact markets and help to accelerate governmental and institutional investment for decades to come 🙏

But we are just at the beginning of this process...

In order to create maximum impact, we must individually and collectively work to align diverse sectors and stakeholders in support of building and adopting these common language & frameworks.. The more thought-leading people and organizations that join this process the better!

Continuing this work, what might a shared language and framework look like for ReFi?

ReFi DAO's mission is to realize a global regenerative economy. In order to get there, we aim to support the emergence of a flourishing Regenerative Finance ecosystem with an ever growing network of talent, capital and innovation. As such, we have been maintaining a growing knowledge graph of the ReFi Ecosystem, including people, content, events, and over 600+ ReFi organizations. You can read more about this in the thread below 👇

https://twitter.com/MontyMerlin/status/1642563630041563136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1642563630041563136%7Ctwgr%5E769664a11407ce100e0bba5f88f1f95adaa34bb7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.refidao.com%2Fecological-benefits-activator%2F

Yet as our database has continued to grow, we have been asking ourselves:

• What actually is ReFi?

• How should we determine which projects are actually classified as ReFi?

• How might we distinguish and evaluate organizations according to their regenerative credentials and impact?

We are only at the beginning of exploring these questions - in-depth exploration and analysis with a wide array of stakeholders is needed... But thanks to some brilliant thought-leaders, here is a work-in-progress model so far:

Regenerative systems have the capacity to continuously renew themselves, they are able to sustainably build resource capacity and adapt to changing conditions.

What does this look like when applied to social, environmental, and economic systems?

Concepts surrounding regeneration have existed and evolved over many decades. Amazing work such as John Fullerton's Eight Principles of Regenerative Economics, Dr. Leah Gibbon's Regenerative Community Development Framework, and much more, has shown how principles of regeneration can be applied across social, environmental, and economic systems.

How can we further unpack and distill these frameworks? What additional frameworks should we be looking at?

Our modern capitalist economy has become incredibly proficient at maximising for a a single variable - growth in GDP. This relentless drive is increasingly coming at the expense of our individual and collective wellbeing, as well as that of the entire biosphere. Frameworks such AppleSeed Permaculture's 8 Forms of Capital or the MetaImpact Framework's 10 Types of Capital build a model for understanding a more holistic view of the meaning of wealth and capital.

How might we regenerate the capacity of many types of capital simultaneously?

While standing for Regenerative Finance—a term with history stemming from the field of Regenerative Economics—the “ReFi” abbreviation has origins stemming from the DeFi (Decentralized Finance) movement, and it is often used specifically in reference to the application of Web3, Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), AI (Artificial Intelligence), dMRV (digital Measurement, Reporting, & Verification) and other advanced technologies in supporting the visions and practice of Regenerative Finance. These tools have incredible power to support the creation of systems that can be more transparent, decentralized, and regenerative, if they are consciously designed with this aim.

What are the best use-cases for Web3 in Regeneration?

Going from theory to practice, how will we actually make regeneration happen?

--> We need to build these new systems. We need to mobilize billions of people. We need to invest trillions of dollars.

And thus we arrive as to what I believe is the core of the purpose of ReFi:

--> To design & build regenerative social, economic, and environmental systems, channel people & resources into them, and create wealth across the diverse forms of capital.

But how can we actually evaluate whether the systems being built are indeed regenerative? How can we measure and compare projects?

Last year, together with Prime DAO and Simbiotica Finance, ReFi DAO helped to launch the 'ReFi Rate-athon'. The aim was to start evaluating the wealth of projects coming into the ecosystem while also rewarding researchers for their analysis.

https://blog.refidao.com/refi-deep-dive-refi-rate-athon/

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The analysis was conducted using a score-card to evaluate key metrics such as Team, Traction, Tokenomics & Governance, as well as the Impact Proposition and Real-World Impact on the ground.

👉 View Full ReFi Ratings Methodology

This methodology is a great version 1, but is it missing a more holistic and detailed view of regeneration? How could we start to evaluate projects, systems, & organizations according to their alignment with the principles of regeneration and the creation of diverse forms of capital?

Impact Advisor & PhD researcher Kate Bennett is doing some awesome work exploring these questions. She is developing a 'ReFi Score' that aims to distinguish 'High-Impact ReFi' from 'Low-Impact DeFi' from straight up greenwashing. More on this coming soon! 👀

To make all of this work most effective we need bring people together. We need to form a network of thought-leaders and practitioners that can help to align & refine these methodologies. Together, we can create shared models of understanding and from an answer to the question 'What is ReFi'? with wide community consensus.

Led by Sev of EcoLabs, The ReFi Rabbit Hole was an initiative set up with this purpose. Now, in partnership with the EBF activator and ReFi DAO, this work is continuing with weekly sessions to synthesize and digest leading research & ideas in this domain. A ReFi Wikipedia Page is also in the works… Come get involved!

👉 Join the ReFi Rabbit Hole WG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDBopifeafg

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Please do share this article with anyone you think would find it useful, let's work together and build ReFi for generations to come! 💚

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