Last updated
Last updated
When we embarked on this project, we sought to find creative uses of blockchain technology that would result in a positive impact on the world. Blockchain technologies (e.g., BTC and ETH) have been criticized for providing limited value (for now) while consuming vast amounts of energy and therefore producing high CO₂ emissions. We plan to flip the script with Plantoids, utilizing efficient blockchains to make our platform net carbon negative!
With Solana’s low transaction fees and low energy consumption, we found an opportunity to create a fun, gamified experience that mimics the feeling of owning a plant in the real world, but is cheaper, more versatile (Plantoids can be rendered on any digital surface) and has a massive, positive climate impact.
When you purchase a Plantoid, you get a digital plant that grows and changes with the passage of time, depending on weather conditions and an initial set of genes. The first generation of plants will capture CO₂ at a rate of 310 grams per day. .
In the future, you'll be able to directly affect your plant's genetics through methods like breeding Plantoids to mix phenotypes or using mutagens to directly change traits of existing Plantoids. Through careful care and propagation, you could cultivate a digital garden full of your ideal Plantoids, all while taking kilograms of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
However, just like in the real world, genetics are not the only factor that determines how a plant grows; their external environment plays just as large of a part. That's why we are including randomly determined weather which will impact how your Plantoids genetics will be expressed. The full details and mechanics of how this works is explained in
Maybe it's been sunny most of the time in the past week. Because of that, your Plantoid has begun sprouting more leaves. Maybe it's been cloudy instead. Perhaps that causes your plants to grow larger leaves and begin sprouting more flowers.
Plantoids don't exist in the analog world however, so why limit weather and its impacts to what we have seen? The possibilities are endless and limited only by our imagination.
With Plantoids, we aim to make a difference in the fight against climate change.
Even with the transition to renewable energies and more sustainable industries, the amount of carbon dioxide humanity has already pumped into the atmosphere will continue to impact the climate for years to come [1]. We need a solution that has immediate, large-scale impact. That's why we're using carbon credits as the vehicle of environmental change for Plantoids.
We want to blanket the virtual landscape with plants and greenery, so that everywhere you look, you see a Plantoid and know that a step has been taken to combat greenhouse gas emissions. [1] Gates, B. (2021). How to avoid a climate disaster: The solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need. Allen Lane.
