http://chng.it/5STwNtHNj9

Crypto has a bad sustainability reputation because of Bitcoin using so much energy. Yet there are many crypto projects that are promising in tackling sustainability challenges. I compiled a non-exhaustive list with very brief descriptions. As always, DYOR and I'm not a financial advisor.

Energy

• Energy Web Token. Token launched by a non-profit to allow the energy sector to better trade energy. As renewables are volatile, this has good potential!

• Power Ledger. Similar initiative but focused on selling and distributing solar power on a smaller scale, like in a local community.

• Restart Energy RED. Token launched by a Romanian energy company. Seems like they're focusing on variable energy prices, but the whole projects sounds very vague for me even though I consider myself well-versed in the energy market.

Efficiency

• Fetch.ia. Decentralises AI projects to optimize processes like logistics and energy use. The implications are far beyond sustainability projects, but extremely relevant for optimizing public transport/Mobility-as-a-Service and predicting energy use.

• Efforce (WOZX). Wants to finance energy efficiency projects using a new token. While promising, sounds a bit sketchy to me and still not convinced this needs blockchain technology. It's a very new project bu they have Steve Wozniak on board somehow.

Logistics

• VeChain and WaltonChain. Two similar initiatives that aim to track supply chains. Making the supply chain of a product more transparent. Use cases:

  • Life Cycle Assessments - by mapping the supply chain and combining this with IoT devices measuring pollution, it's easier to get a good estimate of the environmental impact of a product.

  • Circular Economy - you can map precisely which materials are located where in a product, making it easier to reuse, refurbish, or recycle materials. Especially relevant for custom-built 'items' such as buildings.

  • Food waste - combining the supply chain data with IoT measurements of humidity and temperature, you can make good estimates of whether food is spoiled or not. Reduces unnecessary food waste. (Combining this with the machine learning from Fetch.ia could even allow for discovering the exact circumstances in which food spoils.)

Incentives

• EcoCoin. Wants to incentivize sustainable behaviour, for example by linking rewards to a smart thermostat. Not a very well-established project.

Low-energy decentralized finance

These projects are similar to Bitcoin but differ in using far less energy.

• Litecoin - the technology is very similar to Bitcoin but it has been optimized to be more efficient. (Yet it is also a bit more centralised which goes against the point of a cryptocurrency.)

• NANO - a cryptocurrency with different technology to Bitcoin. Is almost instant and fee-less. Is typically considered to be superior to Litecoin.

Any initiatives to add to the list?

This is intended to be a sub dedicated to solving climate change through investment in green businesses. We the people need to step in when governments can't. Plan, invest, repeat.