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For Episode 268 of the Crypto Altruists podcast, we're thrilled to welcome back Jimi Cohen, founder of Treegens and a world record tree planter. Jimi first joined us back in Episode 158, and so much has happened since.

But Jimi's story doesn't start with world records, or even with Web3. It starts with a love of trees. Environmentalism runs in his family, and that passion showed up early. In his university days, he went door to door in his dorm, raising money for environmental causes one conversation at a time. But he began to envision something much bigger. That vision led him to set a Guinness World Record for the most mangroves planted by a single person in 24 hours, and then another, and now he's training to break a third.

For Jimi, though, the records were never the point. They're a spark, proof that when one person shows what's possible, it inspires a whole movement to follow. It's what he calls the four-minute mile effect: once something happens once, it keeps on happening. And that's where Web3 and Treegens come in. Through blockchain, crypto incentives, AI tree-counting technology, and a global community of regenerators, Jimi is working to scale this movement toward something almost unimaginable: the first-ever Billion Tree Day.

In today's discussion you'll learn:

🌳 How a childhood passion for trees and the environment grew into a world-record-breaking mission to regenerate the planet

🏆 The story behind Jimi's Guinness World Records, and what planting for 24 hours straight teaches you about perseverance

🌱 How Treegens is using Web3, the TGN token, and AI tree-counting to build a global community of regenerators

🌍 The audacious plan for the first-ever Billion Tree Day, and how technology makes that kind of global coordination possible

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Key Takeaways

🏆 The four-minute mile effect: Jimi's world records are a proof of concept for something much bigger. Just like the four-minute mile, once thought impossible, was broken again and again the moment one person showed it could be done, Jimi believes that demonstrating what's possible with tree planting will inspire a wave of others to follow. It’s a great reminder that the boldest goals often start with a single person willing to prove they're achievable, and that real leadership means lighting a path for others to walk down too.

🌱 Web3 and AI can turn regeneration into something people are rewarded for: One of the deepest problems Jimi points to is that our economy currently values the degeneration of nature more than its regeneration. Treegens is working to flip that. By using blockchain and token incentives to reward people for planting trees, and AI tree-counting technology to bring trust and transparency to the process, they're building a system where regeneration can pay. That shift, from asking people to volunteer to rewarding them is what could unlock tree planting at a global scale.

🌍 Audacious goals, like a Billion Tree Day, are how you move people: A billion trees planted in a single day sounds almost impossible, and that's the point. Big, bold, seemingly unreachable goals are the ones that capture imaginations and rally people together. Jimi and Treegens have already helped push toward hundreds of millions of trees in a day, and now they're coordinating people across borders, powered by Web3, toward that billion-tree milestone on the International Day of Forests. Beyond the sheer numbers, there's a deeper why: mangroves absorb enormous amounts of carbon and are a lifeline for coastal communities that depend on them.

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Learn more about our guests:

Jimi

• Twitter/X
• LinkedIn

Treegens

• Twitter/X
• Website
• Telegram
• Tree Merch

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Episode Time Stamps:

04:15 - Welcome back to the show! You were with us back in Episode 158, and a lot has changed since then. For those new to Treegens, can you give us the quick overview of the mission and what you’ve been building lately?

05:35 - Since we last spoke, you've set and broken records, and you're now training to break a third Guinness World Record. Can you take us behind the scenes? How do you prepare and stay disciplined to plant tens of thousands of mangroves in 24 hours?

10:10 - Planting for 24 hours straight in the mud sounds absolutely grueling, physically and mentally. For our listeners who are pushing through their own challenges, whether building a project or a movement, what have those extreme moments taught you about perseverance? How do you keep going when everything hurts?

15:45 - Let's talk about the technology. Treegens is built around blockchain, the TGN token, and a whole system for rewarding tree planters. Can you explain how it works, and how you've used Web3 to build a community of regenerators around the world?

24:15 - One of the biggest challenges in this space has always been trust and transparency, and actually proving that a tree was planted. Your team has been building AI tree-counting technology, and you recently had a breakthrough with something you call Spatial Memory, so the same trees don't get counted twice. Can you tell us about that, and why this work is so important.

27:50 - You’ve mentioned how our economy currently values the degeneration of nature more than its regeneration. How does turning tree planting into something people can be rewarded for, rather than just volunteering for, change the game for regeneration at scale?

33:45 - You wear a lot of hats: founder, world record holder, spaces host, movement builder. For the founders and changemakers listening, especially those working on climate and impact, what's your best advice? What keeps you going, and what have you learned about building a movement rather than just an organization?

42:30 - For everyone listening who wants to be part of the movement, whether planting, funding, or joining the community, where should they go, and what's the best way to get involved?