For episode 253 of the Crypto Altruists podcast, we’re excited to welcome Maksym Zalevskyi , Founder of GEN Ukraine, the Ukrainian branch of the Global Ecovillage Network. GEN Ukraine is a grassroots network of over 60 ecovillages, family farms, and intentional communities across the country. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, these communities have become sanctuaries for displaced families, solidarity centers, and hubs for ecological regeneration.
Through the "Green Road of Ecovillages" project, GEN Ukraine has sheltered over 3,000 people, with around 600 still living in these communities today. But this isn't just about emergency shelter. It's about building long-term resilience: restoring land destroyed in the war, installing solar energy systems, planting trees, and creating sustainable livelihoods.
What makes this story particularly interesting for our audience is how Web3 fits in. GEN Ukraine has built partnerships with projects like Arkreen for solar energy tracking, Silvi and Regen Network for tree planting and land regeneration, and the Sarafu Network for commitment pooling. They've developed an Eco Impact Dashboard that tracks all of this work transparently, so you can see the impact in real time.
It's a powerful example of what community-led, blockchain-enabled resilience can look like, on the ground, in some of the most challenging environments.
In today’s discussion you’ll learn:
🌱 What ecovillages are and how GEN Ukraine's network of over 60 communities is building resilience during wartime
🏠 How the "Green Road of Ecovillages" project has sheltered over 3,000 displaced Ukrainians since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022
☀️ How Web3 partnerships with Arkreen, Silvi, Regen Network, and Sarafu are powering solar energy, tree planting, land regeneration, and community currencies
📊 A look inside their Eco Impact Dashboard and Regen Bank: tools for tracking and funding regenerative work at the community level
🌱 Ukraine is uniquely positioned for the regenerative ecovillage movement: Ukraine has vast amounts of land, and much of it has been damaged by war including bombed forests, contaminated soil, and destroyed infrastructure. While this is a tragedy, it also creates a unique opportunity. GEN Ukraine is building a regenerative ecovillage network that restores the land while helping communities rebuild. Rather than waiting for the war to end, they're doing the work now, proving that ecological restoration and community resilience can happen side by side. It's a model that could inspire post-conflict regeneration efforts around the world.
🌍 Blockchain connects local work to a global community: Ecovillages are inherently local: rooted in specific places, serving specific communities. But blockchain changes what's possible. Through partnerships with projects like Arkreen, Silvi, Regen Network, and Sarafu, GEN Ukraine can track solar energy production, verify tree planting, issue community currencies, and share their impact transparently with supporters around the world. Web3 tools create a bridge between hyperlocal regeneration and global coordination, allowing people everywhere to see, support, and participate in the work.
📖 "Blockchain is our new public story": GEN Ukraine sees blockchain as more than a tool. It's a way of writing their future in public. By putting their impact data onchain, through dashboards, Regen Bank, and transparent tracking, they're creating a shared record that anyone can verify. This builds trust, attracts support, and helps the network stay resilient even as circumstances change. It's a powerful reframe: blockchain not just as technology, but as a way of telling your story openly and inviting the world to be part of it.
02:45 - To kick things off, I’d love to learn about you. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with GEN Ukraine?
05:20 - For people who don't know GEN Ukraine, can you explain what it is? What is an ecovillage, and what does your network do?
09:35 - Since Russia’s full scale invasion in 2022, GEN Ukraine has helped over 3,000 people find shelter in your communities. Can you tell us about the "Green Road of Ecovillages" project and what that support has looked like?
13:50 - You've built an Eco Impact Dashboard that tracks the work your network is doing, from solar energy to tree planting to land restoration. Can you walk us through what it shows and why it's important to measure impact this way?
17:05 - You're also working on something called Regen Bank. Can you explain what it is and how it helps communities?
20:30 - You've partnered with organizations like Arkreen for solar energy, Silvi and Regen Network for tree planting and land regeneration, and the Sarafu Network for community currencies. How do these partnerships work together to support your mission?
24:35 - Why crypto? What makes blockchain and Web3 tools a good fit for this kind of community-led, environmental work?
27:40 - Can you share a story or example that shows the impact of this work? A community, a project, or a moment that stands out to you?
32:30 - For people listening who want to support GEN Ukraine or get involved, where should they go? What do you need most right now?
34:30 - Looking ahead, what gives you hope? What do you want people to know about the future of regeneration in Ukraine?
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While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity. 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 available HERE.
