Proof of Plant: A New Vision for Crypto, Pt 1
June 23, 2021·39 comments·Money
The word "mining" has shaped how people think about cryptocurrency for years. But what if the real problem isn't how crypto works, but the story we've told about it? The author argues that all money, from Bitcoin to dollars, is nothing but narrative wrapped around stored energy. The question becomes: what if we told a different story?
• The language we use about money shapes adoption more than facts do. "Mining" carries ancient mythological baggage about extraction and destruction. This single word may have done more to damage crypto perception than any technical reality ever could.
• Money has always been pure narrative, not substance. Bitcoin, dollars, and gold coins are all equally abstract representations of stored energy. What gives them value is the story people believe about them, not any inherent property.
• A different narrative could unlock completely different behavior. What if tokens were grown rather than mined? What if the proof of work was actual plant cultivation instead of electricity consumption? The mechanism would change how people perceive the entire system.
• Farmers already have the work done; they just need a token structure. A proof-of-plant system would reward existing agricultural labor with tradeable tokens based on plant species, location, health, and variety. No additional work required. Just a picture.
• This creates a market where environmental and social preferences become investment vehicles. People could directly fund the farming practices they believe in while speculating on tokens tied to sustainability narratives. Charity and capitalism merge.
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Comments
Ben, there is no person I have ever known with more creative energy and originality than you. Mamma Mia. This is so cool. The idea seems jusssst on the correct side of the line that separates “visionary/ambitious” from “insane”.
The biggest source of risk I see here is: bad puns.
I came here for the financial insights, empowered by the questions and commentary posed by Ben and Rusty.
I found a lot going on. Only some of it is related to finance.
Pretty much summed up in the following two quotes:
We literally don’t know what we don’t know.How does this affect us? People who don’t ask questions don’t get answers. NEVER be afraid to ask a question, even if everyone you know thinks the answer is obvious. We’ll never progress without the simple question, why?
-Jim OShaughnessy
Knowing isn’t enough. You must act. Action without knowledge is foolish. Knowledge without action is futile.
-Jim OShaughnessy
Thanks Ben, I really like this idea and carbon credits are red hot of course. Check out grainchain.io It’s part of the OSTK/Medici portfolio taken over by Pelion VC. Also, while he appears more focused on energy & metals which are his roots, Josh Crumb at Abaxx Technologies may have some constructive ideas for the technology. Finally for urbanites, check out FreightFarms.com if all of a sudden you’re inspired to grow leafy greens year round.
Cool! I will ponder this more, but the first thing that came to mind is a question of fruitfulness (I can pin too!). Is the value in the plant or in its fruit/yield. In the acre or in its bounty/yield. Seems we would want to reward and value sustainability as measured by outputs relative to inputs. A greenhouse of tomatoes is much more environmentally and economically productive than an equivalent area of field grown tomatoes. And my greenhouse tomatoes are not the same as yours - even if the same genetic variety.
My simple stupid question: If a farmer sells his apple tree token, he still owns the physical tree - correct?
He can still harvest the physical apples from the tree, sell them and keep the proceeds -right? He can still sell the tree and keep the proceeds, he can still cut it down or do anything to it as he still owns the physical tree even though he sold the tokenized tree - right?
Is the above correct or, quite possibly, have I completely missed the entire idea here?
I appreciate any response, even those that say I’m an idiot (I’ve long suspected that anyway) just as long as you show me why.
Thank you.
Can this part of the MPT virtual Forum
As I was reading this article the speech from Atlas Shrugged came to mind when one of the main characters hears a member at a party claim that money is the root of all evil. It is too long to post here, but here is a link to it:
https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2002/08/franciscos-money-speech/
I don’t think it fits you narrative entirely, but the base concept of what money represents is in there.
Yes. The tokens have absolutely zero claim on anything. They are purely a representation of the growth of an apple tree.
I love the bananas reaching here> Someone’s gotta come up with the big ideas. I love it. Ben you really are one of a kind and I think this is some FASCINATING territory to explore. Can’t wait for volume 2.
Thank you Ben.
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