For episode 231, we welcome Eric van Miltenburg, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Ripple, the organization behind the XRP cryptocurrency and blockchain.

We explore Ripple Impact’s mission, unpack their most ambitious initiatives including a $25 million RLUSD commitment projected to generate $1B+ in long-term impact, and look at how blockchain is reshaping philanthropy from one-off donations into sustainable, scalable systems of change.

In today’s episode you’ll learn:

• 🌍 How the XRP Ledger is powering impact use cases including philanthropy, climate solutions, and humanitarian aid.
• 💸 Why stablecoins like RLUSD are becoming powerful tools for impact finance, enabling faster, more transparent, and more equitable funding
• 🎓 How Ripple is investing in the next generation of blockchain innovation through academia, research, and global partnerships
• 🌱 And how blockchain infrastructure can support sustainability, disaster response, and economic access at global scale

‍

--Key Takeaways--

🌊 Impact finance is about more than funding, it’s about building durable systems: Ripple’s approach goes beyond writing checks by pairing capital with expertise, partnerships, and infrastructure. By investing in long-term solutions like small business lending and workforce development, a single commitment can create compounding “ripple effects” across ecosystems.

🤝 The strongest impact happens when technology empowers those already doing the work: Rather than reinventing the wheel, Ripple partners with nonprofits, universities, and local businesses that understand their communities best. Blockchain becomes a force multiplier, helping these organizations operate at greater scale.

💸 Stablecoins are emerging as the global rails for impact finance: RLUSD is a powerful example of how stablecoins can unlock better funding flows. As programmable, borderless money, stablecoins are becoming one of blockchain’s clearest real-world use cases for philanthropy, financial inclusion, and sustainable impact.

--Full shownotes with links available at--
www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-231-ripple-impact-building-the-rails-for-good-inside-ripples-1b-vision-for-impact-finance

Thank you to PIPE gDAO for sponsoring the Crypto Altruism podcast!

PIPE gDAO is leveraging blockchain for their University Real World Asset IP Launchpad that helps bring groundbreaking ideas from lab to market.

--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--
Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support

--DISCLAIMER--
While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer

For Episode 230, we welcome Djimo Serodio, Founder of Silvi, and Jon Ruth, Co-Founder of the Climate Coordination Network, two leaders helping reimagine how the world funds and verifies ecological restoration.

We unpack the newly launched Bioregional Reforestation Grants Round, the largest blockchain-native, outcomes-based reforestation funding mechanism to date, and explore why this may be a blueprint for the next era of regenerative climate finance.

You’ll learn:

• 🌍 What bioregional finance really means, and why funding climate action through onchain, place-based, and community-rooted ecosystems may be one of the most powerful tools we have to restore the planet.
• 🌱 How blockchain unlocks outcome-based reforestation, using smart contracts, decentralized MRV, and plant-to-earn incentives to reward real ecological impact.
• 🚀 What this model could look like at scale if bioregional, outcomes-based funding becomes the new standard for global climate finance.

‍

--Key Takeaways--

🌱 Local wisdom drives better restoration: Bioregional reforestation puts decision-making in the hands of the people who know their ecosystems best. Planting the right trees in the right places requires deep local knowledge, which is perfectly aligned with Web3’s commitment to localism, community ownership, and bottom-up coordination.

🌍 A trillion trees requires global coordination: Silvi’s long-term vision is bold: planting 1 trillion trees in the coming decades. Achieving this demands unprecedented collaboration across regions, organizations, and funders. Web3 provides the coordination layer needed to align incentives and mobilize action at planetary scale.

🔗 Blockchain unlocks scalable verification and distribution: Web3 tools like smart contracts, crypto payment rails, and on-chain MRV tools enable transparent, efficient, and tamper-resistant verification of ecological outcomes. The Bioregional Reforestation Grants Round is a proving ground for this model, laying the foundation for large-scale, trustworthy, and transparent climate finance.

--Full shownotes with links available at--
www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-230-bioregional-reforestation-how-crypto-is-transforming-localized-climate-finance

Thank you to PIPE gDAO for sponsoring the Crypto Altruism podcast!

PIPE gDAO is leveraging blockchain for their University Real World Asset IP Launchpad that helps bring groundbreaking ideas from lab to market.

--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--
Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support

--DISCLAIMER--
While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer

For Episode 229, I’m thrilled to welcome Mark Pascall, Co-Founder of The Wellbeing Protocol and the newly launched hum.community a participatory funding platform that transforms how local communities allocate funds.

In today’s episode, we explore this question and the origins of The Wellbeing Protocol, the lessons learned from 15 pilot projects across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, and why hum.community is such a meaningful milestone for the future of community-led impact.

You’ll learn:

• 🌱 What a wellbeing economy really looks like, and how communities can design systems that prioritize connection, belonging, and collective thriving over traditional economic metrics.
• 🤲 Why community-controlled funding matters, and how participatory micro-granting can unlock faster, fairer, and more culturally aligned decision-making.
• 🛠️ How Web3 and Indigenous governance principles come together to create tools that strengthen local resilience and shift real power back to communities.
• 🚀 And the story behind hum.community, a new platform enabling communities to collaborate transparently and allocate resources with unprecedented efficiency and trust.

‍

--Key Takeaways--

🔗 Ancient Principles, Modern Systems: hum.community is built on Indigenous Māori principles like mana motuhake and whanaungatanga; showing that the future of funding isn’t about starting from scratch, but rediscovering timeless models of collective care and community-led governance.

✨ From Passive to Empowered Participants: Instead of communities waiting on top-down decisions, hum transforms them into active stewards of resources, allowing them to propose ideas, vote, and co-design the impact they want to see. It’s funding powered by agency, not gatekeeping.

🔗 Web3 Behind the Scenes, Accessible by Design:
To ensure accessibility, early pilots ran off-chain to validate the model. Blockchain was introduced later as invisible infrastructure, abstracting away complexity while delivering trust, transparency, and accountable funding flows for all.

--Full shownotes with links available at--
www.cryptoaltruists.com/blog/crypto-altruists-episode-229-hum-community-from-charity-to-shared-agency-participatory-funding-and-the-future-of-local-impact

Thank you to PIPE gDAO for sponsoring the Crypto Altruism podcast!

PIPE gDAO is leveraging blockchain for their University Real World Asset IP Launchpad that helps bring groundbreaking ideas from lab to market.

--Support us with a Fiat or Crypto contribution--
Learn more at https://www.cryptoaltruists.com/about/support

--DISCLAIMER--
While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, do not take any of this as investment advice and make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity, before making an investment. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More info at cryptoaltruists.com/disclaimer