[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

GreenDAO: Carbon Credit Platform on Cardano

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

95000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

6

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Carbon credit markets lack transparency, trust, and accessibility due to centralized systems, limiting participation and efficiency in global carbon offset efforts.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://globalcarboncouncil.com/
,
• https://green-carbon.co.jp/en/
,
• https://ecotree.green/en/blog/the-complete-guide-to-understanding-carbon-credits

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

This project’s software components (e.g., tools, libraries and codes) will be released under the MIT License and GNU GPL-3.0 . This allows others to freely use, modify, distribute, and sublicense the code, provided the original license and copyright notice are included.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.

Sustainability

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).

GreenDAO is the first Cardano-native DAO for verifiable carbon credits, combining NFT-based tokenization, DAO governance, and on-chain proof of retirement. Unlike previous projects, it directly onboards small-scale green initiatives globally, offers open APIs for dApp/DeFi integration, and builds a transparent , open APIs for integration, and creates a reusable, transparent carbon market infrastructure.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

The MVP will showcase a working DAO dashboard, wallet integration, proposal voting, and testnet smart contracts for tokenizing and retiring carbon credits. Users can view verified pilot projects, participate in governance, and see on-chain retirement proofs. It will be publicly accessible via a web demo linked from our GitHub and testnet explorer.

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

Success will be tracked via on-chain and community metrics:

• 20+ verified projects onboarded

• 5,000+ tCO₂ tokenized and retired in year one

• 1,000+ DAO participants

• 15+ dApp/API integrations

• 5,000+ smart contract transactions

• Monthly 10% growth in wallet-linked users

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

GreenDAO is a decentralized, transparent, and community-governed platform built on Cardano to revolutionize the way** carbon credits are issued, verified, traded, and retired**. By leveraging Cardano's secure smart contracts, GreenDAO introduces an on-chain solution to fight climate change, promote sustainability, and empower green innovation globally.

The Problem We're Solving

With our vision “Saving the Earth through the Power of Life”

The current carbon credit market is plagued with:

• Lack of transparency in how credits are generated and traded.
• Inefficient intermediaries that increase costs and slow down access.
• Greenwashing due to unverifiable carbon offset claims.
• Limited access for small environmental projects and individuals.
• Lack of incentives for community participation in sustainability projects.

These issues make it hard to build trust, scale the impact, and ensure that carbon credits actually represent real-world positive environmental change.

Our Proposed Solution

GreenDAO addresses these problems by creating a decentralized, tokenized, and auditable carbon credit ecosystem on Cardano.

The platform will:

Tokenize Verified Carbon Credits (VCCs):

• Real-world carbon offset projects will be verified and issued tokenized carbon credits on Cardano.

DAO-Based Governance:

• The platform will be governed by a DAO, with stakeholders voting on new project approvals, dispute resolutions, and platform upgrades.

Smart Contract Verification and Retirement:

• Each credit's issuance, transfer, and retirement will be transparently recorded on-chain to prevent double-counting and fraud.

Carbon Offset Marketplace:

• Buyers (individuals, businesses, governments) can search, filter, and purchase verified carbon credits directly.

Green Project Onboarding System:

• Small-scale and grassroots environmental projects will be able to submit proposals for tokenized credit issuance, backed by DAO-approved methodologies.

Cross-Ecosystem Integration via API & Smart Contracts:

• Other blockchain or off-chain ecosystems can access GreenDAO’s registry through secure APIs or smart contract bridges, enabling multi-chain usage and verifiability.

Reputation & Audit Trails:

• Each project will be associated with a reputation score (updated on-chain) based on audit results, DAO voting history, and offset impact.

Educational Hub & Public Dashboard:

• A transparent portal to visualize impact metrics, DAO decisions, retired credits, and educational content about sustainability and tokenization.

Proposal Hash Archiving:

• All major DAO proposals, including project onboarding or upgrades, will be hashed and stored on-chain for traceability and long-term integrity.

Technical Stack & Architecture:

• Cardano Smart Contracts (Plutus/Vasil-ready) for credit lifecycle management.
• IPFS or Arweave for storing carbon credit documentation and verification proofs.
• DAO voting system using Catalyst-style governance.
• API Layer for interoperability with external ecosystems (Ethereum, Polkadot, etc.)
• Tokenization Standard compatible with CIP-68/NFT metadata extensions.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators):

• Number of carbon credit projects onboarded in testnet/mainnet.
• Amount of carbon offsets tokenized (in tons of CO₂).
• DAO participation rate in governance votes.
• Number of carbon credits retired (impact delivered).
• API integrations with other ecosystems.
• Amount of ADA transacted through the GreenDAO marketplace.
• Educational users engaged with the dashboard.
• Number of proposals stored on-chain.

GreenDAO brings together blockchain transparency, decentralized governance, and climate responsibility to build a real-world impact solution on Cardano. It enables carbon credits to be verifiable, accessible, and trustworthy, empowering individuals and projects that truly make a difference in reducing global emissions.

The DAO will leverage smart contracts, stake pool delegation, and decentralized governance to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that aligns with Cardano’s principles of sustainability and decentralization.

By combining DAO principles, smart contracts, and cross-chain APIs, GreenDAO becomes a foundational tool in Cardano's mission to support sustainability, regenerative finance (ReFi), and decentralized infrastructure for real-world impact.

Real-World Use Cases for GreenDAO

1. Decentralized Carbon Credit Marketplace

User: Businesses, individuals, NGOs

Use Case:

A small business wants to offset its carbon footprint. Instead of going through an expensive intermediary, it accesses GreenDAO, connects its wallet, and directly purchases tokenized carbon credits from verified projects — with full on-chain transparency and proof of retirement.

2. Onboarding Local Green Projects

User: Farmers, reforestation groups, clean energy startups

Use Case:

A community-led reforestation project in Ethiopia plants trees but struggles to get international recognition. Using GreenDAO, they can submit their data and documents, get verified through the DAO, and issue carbon credits — gaining funding and visibility globally.

3. DAO-Based Funding Allocation

User: DAO token holders, impact investors

Use Case:

Holders of the governance token vote on which green projects should be onboarded or given priority. This ensures a democratic, decentralized way to support sustainability initiatives based on measurable impact — not political lobbying.

4. Green NFT Integration

User: NFT creators, eco-conscious artists

Use Case:

An NFT project wants to be carbon-neutral. It uses GreenDAO to calculate its environmental impact and automatically retires carbon credits through a smart contract when NFTs are minted — displaying proof on the NFT metadata.

5. Sustainable DeFi Protocols

User: DeFi projects, eco-finance innovators

Use Case:

A Cardano-based DeFi protocol wants to incorporate a sustainability component. They integrate GreenDAO's carbon credit APIs to allow users to opt-in to automatic carbon offsetting with a percentage of each transaction.

6. Corporate ESG Reporting

User: Enterprises and auditors

Use Case:

A global company needs to prove its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance. It uses GreenDAO to track and display its credit purchases and retirements — providing immutable proof for regulators, shareholders, and auditors.

7. Educational & Community Tools

User: Schools, universities, NGOs, community hubs

Use Case:

Educational institutions use GreenDAO's dashboard to teach students about carbon markets, blockchain governance, and sustainability — while also running simulations or real carbon-neutral projects through the platform.

8. API/Oracle for Web2 & Web3

User: External apps and dApps

Use Case:

A decentralized exchange (DEX), supply chain tracker, or even a traditional Web2 app can use GreenDAO’s public API or oracle integration to access real-time carbon credit data for reporting or user-facing features.

9. Reward System for Green Behavior

User: Consumers and climate-focused platforms

Use Case:

A ride-sharing or delivery platform can reward users who choose eco-friendly options (e.g., biking or electric vehicles) by issuing tokenized rewards via GreenDAO, which users can use to retire credits or donate to offset projects.

These use cases show how GreenDAO is not just a carbon registry, but a foundational layer for ReFi (Regenerative Finance) on Cardano

impacting:

• Environmental sustainability
• DeFi and NFT integration
• Cross-chain partnerships
• Community empowerment
• ESG compliance
• Education and public awareness

Bringing the Cardano-Integrated DAO for Carbon Credits project to the real world comes with several challenges, though they are not insurmountable. Let’s break down the key challenges and possible solutions:

User Adoption and Engagement

Adoption by Businesses and Users: Getting businesses, environmental organizations, and users to adopt and engage with the platform can be challenging. It will require awareness, incentives, and user education.

• Solution: Strong marketing efforts, partnership-building with green tech organizations, and educational campaigns will help drive adoption. An incentive model, like rewarding early adopters, could also help.

Environmental Impact and Credibility

Genuine Impact: In the real-world carbon credit market, it’s important to ensure the projects supported are truly delivering measurable, positive environmental outcomes.

• Solution: Focus on supporting high-quality projects with verifiable impacts, using blockchain’s transparency to showcase the lifecycle and effectiveness of each project funded through the platform.

Carbon Credit Verification & Authenticity

Verification: Ensuring the authenticity of carbon credits is crucial. Many carbon offset projects face criticism for lack of transparency or failing to deliver genuine carbon reduction.

• Solution: Partnering with reputable organizations and using on-chain verification (smart contracts) will help ensure transparency. Collaborate with third-party organizations like Verra, Gold Standard, or other recognized bodies that certify carbon credits.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

GreenDAO is positioned to bring tangible environmental, economic, and technological impact to both the Cardano ecosystem and the global sustainability movement. By leveraging Cardano’s secure, decentralized, and low-energy blockchain, GreenDAO will serve as a Regenerative Finance (ReFi) platform that directly connects real-world ecological value with on-chain utility.

1. Environmental Impact at Scale

• Tokenized Carbon Credits: GreenDAO enables the issuance, trade, and retirement of verifiable carbon credits — directly supporting global reforestation, renewable energy, and soil regeneration efforts.
• Verified Green Projects: Through community vetting and decentralized governance, only real, measurable, and localized impact projects are onboarded.
• On-chain Carbon Retirement Proofs: Every credit retired is permanently recorded on-chain — creating a transparent and immutable track record for impact reporting.

2. Empowering Local & Global Communities

• Direct Access to Carbon Markets: Smallholder farmers, local communities, and developing nation projects can bypass traditional carbon intermediaries and earn sustainable income through direct DAO onboarding.
• Education & Awareness: GreenDAO includes public dashboards, visual analytics, and documentation to help educate users on carbon markets, climate action, and blockchain governance.
• Community-driven Funding Decisions: Token holders vote on which sustainability projects get funded, putting impact decisions into the hands of the people, not corporations.

3. Innovation Within the Cardano Ecosystem

• First Native Carbon DAO on Cardano: GreenDAO will be among the first purpose-built ReFi DAOs on Cardano, positioning the ecosystem as a leader in sustainability-focused blockchain use cases.
• Smart Contract Interoperability: External ecosystems can use GreenDAO APIs via smart contract approvals — creating a cross-chain standard for carbon offsetting with Cardano at the core.
• NFTs & dApps Integration: Cardano-based NFT projects, DeFi platforms, and DAOs can integrate with GreenDAO to automatically offset their emissions, track sustainability KPIs, or gamify green behavior.

4. Real-World Utility & Long-Term Adoption

• ESG Compliance Made Easy: Enterprises using GreenDAO will be able to showcase immutable, blockchain-based ESG metrics — increasing the likelihood of adoption by real-world institutions.
• Reward Systems for Users: Cardano dApps and Web2 platforms can integrate GreenDAO to reward eco-friendly behaviors with tokenized incentives.
• Sustainability Reporting Toolkits: GreenDAO will offer a toolkit for Cardano projects to calculate, offset, and report their carbon footprint, making it easier for projects to comply with sustainability goals.

5. Measurable Impact & KPIs

• GreenDAO’s success will be measured using clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), including:
• Number of verified carbon offset projects onboarded
• Amount of carbon credits tokenized, traded, and retired
• DAO proposal participation and governance engagement
• Number of Cardano dApps integrating GreenDAO APIs
• Community users, wallets, and contributors
• Educational material downloads and dashboard usage
• ESG reporting enabled via on-chain analytics

Impact Measurements: Qualitative & Quantitative

Quantitative Impact Metrics

These are measurable, verifiable, and trackable indicators to assess the success and adoption of GreenDAO:

# of Carbon Offset Projects Onboarded

• Target: 20+ verified projects in the first year

Total Tokenized Carbon Credits Issued

• Target: 5,000+ tCO₂e tokenized on Cardano within 6–12 months

# of DAO Participants

• Target: 1,000+ active users participating in governance and proposals

# of Partner dApps & Projects

• Target: 15+ integrations with Cardano DeFi, NFT, or DAO platforms

Smart Contract Transactions

• Target: 5,000+ on-chain interactions (votes, transfers, retirements, etc.)

Carbon Credits Retired via GreenDAO

• Target: 5,000+ tCO₂e retired in first 12 months

User Growth Rate

• Goal: 10% MoM increase in wallet-linked users

Educational Content Metrics

• Target: 1,000+ views/downloads of climate education materials & dashboards

Qualitative Impact Metrics

These cover the social, educational, and systemic value delivered by GreenDAO, which may not be numerically measurable but are critically important:

Increased Climate Literacy in the Cardano Community

• Through visual tools, infographics, and explainer content around carbon markets, regenerative finance (ReFi), and blockchain-based impact.

Empowerment of Local Sustainability Initiatives

• Helping rural communities, smallholder farmers, and youth-led climate projects access funding and visibility via decentralized tools.

Strengthening Cardano’s Brand as a Sustainable Ecosystem

• By positioning it at the forefront of climate-friendly blockchain applications and Web3 environmental impact leadership.

Establishing a Transparent, Credible Carbon System on Cardano

• Bringing much-needed transparency to an opaque industry by proving offsets and impact via immutable blockchain records.

Fostering Cross-Ecosystem Collaboration

• Bridging traditional carbon markets, NGOs, and other Web3 platforms to demonstrate Cardano’s interoperability and innovation capacity.

Reducing Greenwashing Risk

• By providing immutable on-chain data and proof-of-impact, GreenDAO helps fight fraudulent or unverifiable environmental claims.

_GreenDAO _will position Cardano at the heart of blockchain-based climate action, enabling transparent, decentralized, and equitable access to carbon markets. It bridges the gap between environmental justice and decentralized technology, while creating lasting, measurable value for the Cardano ecosystem and beyond.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our capability to deliver this project with high levels of trust and accountability stems from our team's extensive experience in software development, education, and community engagement. With a proven track record of delivering successful projects and initiatives within the blockchain space, we possess the expertise and dedication required to execute this proposal effectively.

Our previous experience with blockchain integration Cardano projects funded by Catalyst in the previous funding round, including:

• Universal DevTools for Real-time Tracking for 45%+ of Global Websites Support (https://milestones.projectcatalyst.io/projects/1100282**)
• Enhancing developer ecosystem with open source tooling (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/11/cardano-open-developers/enhancing-cardano-developer-ecosystem-with-open-source-tooling)
• Cardano for 100,000+ students (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/11/cardano-open-ecosystem/cardano-for-100000-students)
• CardanoChain Poultry Trace dApp (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/12/cardano-use-cases-concept/cardanochain-poultry-trace-dapp-transparent-supply-for-safe-quality-products)

highlights our commitment and proven ability to deliver impactful projects.

Our team is proud to be partnered with MLOps Community (https://mlops.community/),,) a global organization at the forefront of machine learning, DevOps, and cutting-edge technology. With branches in various countries and partnerships with industry leaders like AWS, NVIDIA, Databricks and more, we have demonstrated our capacity to deliver successful events and initiatives, showcasing our commitment to innovation and community engagement.

Also we are an Official Partner With Microsoft Startup Founder Hub, We receive more than 45 AI related Microsoft products with a mix of technical benefits and business resources.

We’re trusted by Microsoft!

Previous Success Recap:

• Past Experience: Our team has successfully developed Blockchain and AI based Merit-Reputation Engine for Singularitynet.io of Mindplex.ai
• Educational Explorer App: 100,000+ downloads on Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herma.apps.textbooks))
• Developer and User Feedback: 85% positive response rate from 50+ developer interviews.
• Community Recognition: 5+ successful Project Catalyst funding rounds totaling $300K+
• Technical Expertise: 8+ years blockchain development experience
• Open Source Contributions: 50+ GitHub repositories with 2,000+ stars
• Developer and User Feedback: 85% positive response rate
• Collaboration: Our project has joined Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub. We receive more than 45 AI related Microsoft products.
• Expertise in Educational Content: Experienced educators and subject matter experts ensure high-quality resources.
• Transparent Financial Management: Clear budgeting, expense tracking, and reporting processes
• Trustworthy Partnerships: Collaborations with Educational Institutions and Experts
• User Feedback Integration: Actively collecting and addressing user feedback for continuous improvement
• Well educated Leader: The project is owned and lead by BSc, MSc, BA and Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate (CBCA)

We are Simply Highly Experienced programmers in haskell, plutus, solidity, AI, ML and subject matter experts ensure high-quality resources.

Transparent Financial Management: Clear budgeting, expense tracking, and reporting processes

User Feedback Integration: Actively collecting and addressing user feedback for continuous improvement

Capability and Feasibility Validation: Utilizing past success metrics, implementing pilot programs, and committing personal time for project development.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Research & Technical Architecture Design, UX/UI for GreenDAO

Milestone Outputs

Complete the foundational research and design for GreenDAO, UX/UI design, including the technical architecture for NFT-based carbon credit issuance, DAO governance mechanisms, smart contract specifications, and API integration points. Deliver a system design document covering user flows, security considerations, tokenomics, DAO voting structure, and integration strategy for carbon credit registries. This milestone also includes initial outreach to 5–10 pilot environmental projects to refine onboarding requirements.

Acceptance Criteria

• Approved technical architecture, UX/UI Design document covering all core modules (smart contracts, DAO governance, APIs, front-end).
• Documented carbon credit tokenization flow compliant with Cardano standards (CIP-68 or equivalent).
• Onboarding requirements confirmed with at least 5 prospective pilot partners.
• Security, compliance, and data verification considerations included in the design.

Evidence of Completion

• Publicly accessible architecture document in GitHub repository.
• Public Figma Desing.
• Signed MoUs or letters of intent from at least 5 pilot projects.
• Recorded architecture review meeting minutes.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

17000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

MVP Front-End, Backend, Database Development & API Integration

Milestone Outputs

Build a responsive web dashboard enabling wallet login, viewing/verifying carbon credits, participating in DAO votes, and interacting with testnet contracts. Integrate APIs for project verification and carbon credit metadata. Include basic analytics dashboard showing carbon credits issued, retired, and active DAO members.

Develop a secure and scalable backend using Django and Django REST Framework, connected to a PostgreSQL database optimized for scalability and performance. Implement API endpoints for core functionalities (user management, transactions, carbon credit data retrieval, etc.). Prepare API documentation via Swagger/OpenAPI.

Acceptance Criteria

Backend deployed on a cloud environment with load testing results proving scalability. All API endpoints functional and accessible with authentication/authorization in place. PostgreSQL database schema optimized for future growth.

Live MVP Platform.

Seamless wallet connection (Eternl/Nami) for user authentication.

Display of live credit data pulled from on-chain records.

DAO voting interface integrated module.

Evidence of Completion

• Live API URL
• Swagger documentation
• Database schema diagrams
• load test reports.
• Public demo site URL.
• Walkthrough video showing all core MVP functions.
• Source code in GitHub.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

23000

Progress

40 %

Milestone Title

Smart Contract Development, Backend Integration & DAO Framework Setup

Milestone Outputs

Develop and deploy testnet smart contracts for carbon credit minting, trading, and retirement. Implement DAO governance logic for proposal submission, voting, and treasury management and Integrate with Backend. Configure multi-signature treasury wallet. Ensure contracts are fully documented and follow best practices for Cardano Plutus development with community feedback integrations. Integrate role-based access control for project onboarding.

Acceptance Criteria

• Fully functional smart contracts on Cardano testnet for credit lifecycle (minting, transfer, retirement).
• DAO governance module deployed on testnet with proposal/voting functionality.
• treasury wallet operational.
• Unit tests achieving 90%+ coverage.
• Feedback system integrations

Evidence of Completion

• Verified smart contract addresses on Cardano testnet integrated with backend.
• GitHub repository with open-source contract code and tests.
• DAO governance module demo video.
• Full milestone resport and with a public access.

Delivery Month

4

Cost

25000

Progress

70 %

Milestone Title

Pilot Project Onboarding & Testnet DAO Launch

Milestone Outputs

Onboard real carbon offset projects at least 5 pilot environmental projects from different regions. Tokenize and issue their verified carbon credits on Cardano testnet. Facilitate first round of DAO voting on proposals, treasury allocations, and credit retirement events. Collect feedback from participants for refinement.

Acceptance Criteria

• Minimum 5 projects onboarded and verified.
• Carbon credits issued on testnet for each project.
• At least 1 DAO governance proposal successfully voted on and executed.
• Participant feedback documented.

Evidence of Completion

• On-chain records of issued/retired testnet credits and votes (Tx IDs).
• DAO vote records from testnet.
• Video/screenshots of voting and retirement
• Signed feedback forms or survey results from pilot partners.

Delivery Month

5

Cost

20000

Progress

90 %

Milestone Title

Final Documentation, Audit & Launch Preparation

Milestone Outputs

Finalize codebase, conduct internal and/or third-party Test, publish documentation, and prepare for Cardano Mainnet launch including treasury seeding and DAO constitution finalization and test on Testnet. Include promotional and educational content for onboarding users and other ecosystems. Implement necessary fixes from testnet audit test results. Publish technical documentation, user guides, and onboarding manuals for community adoption.

Acceptance Criteria

• Independent security audit completed with report published.
• All critical vulnerabilities resolved.
• Testnet deployment strategy finalized and final report
• Mainnet deployment plan approved by DAO and internal team.
• Public documentation for developers, projects, and DAO members.

Evidence of Completion

• Published audit report.
• Finalized DAO constitution document.
• Public GitHub repository with final code and guides.
• GitBook or full docs website
• Final deliverables video demo and testnet readiness checklist

Delivery Month

6

Cost

15000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

To ensure the successful delivery of the GreenDAO project, we have allocated the requested 95,000 ADA strategically across the necessary areas of development, research, community engagement, and deployment.

Our approach is lean yet robust, optimizing cost while maximizing impact.

1. Research, Architecture Design & Partnerships – 12,000 ADA

• Market and technical research on carbon credit ecosystems, blockchain standards, and DAO frameworks
• System architecture and technical design documents
• Outreach to NGOs, environmental experts, and pilot project partners
• Stakeholder interviews and validation workshops

2. Smart Contract Development and Backend – 25,000 ADA

• Development of smart contracts for tokenizing carbon credits, DAO governance, staking, and retirement flows
• Security best practices and unit testing
• Develop High quality Scalable Backend with django , Grpc, RestAPI, PG database and more
• Deployment on Cardano Testnet
• Documentation and versioning

3. Frontend Development & User Dashboard – 20,000 ADA

• UI/UX design and web application development for DAO interface
• Wallet integration, proposal browsing, voting, and project browsing
• Frontend integration with smart contracts on Testnet
• QA testing and user feedback implementation

4. DAO Setup & Governance Launch – 15,000 ADA

• Design and implementation of DAO voting logic and reward/incentive structure
• Initial tokenomics design and DAO treasury framework
• Onboarding first 2–3 carbon credit projects into the DAO
• Community vote on pilot proposals

5. Testing, Audit, Documentation & Testnetnet Prep – 14,000 ADA

• Internal audit or third-party code review
• Final bug fixes and stress testing
• Full user documentation, setup guides, and API references
• Mainnet deployment strategy, contingency plan, and onboarding

6. Marketing, Community Education & Outreach – 5,000 ADA

• Educational materials on carbon credits and DAO mechanics
• Content creation (videos, graphics, guides) to onboard the Cardano community
• Community calls, Twitter/X Spaces, and AMAs
• Collaborations with climate-focused Cardano projects and external organizations

7. Miscellaneous & Contingency Reserve - 4, 000 ADA

Description: Around 5% of total fund Buffer for unexpected technical, legal, or operational needs.

Total Requested Budget: 95,000 ADA

The Above budget ensures that resources are dedicated to both building a high-quality dApp and promoting responsible adoption through outreach and collaboration.

Every ADA will directly contribute to solving real-world sustainability challenges using Cardano's infrastructure

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

The GreenDAO project represents a high-impact, cost-effective solution that delivers both environmental and ecosystem-wide benefits through a sustainable and transparent on-chain platform. Here's how the requested 95,000 ADA delivers exceptional value to the Cardano community:

1. Real-World Environmental Impact

By enabling the creation, verification, and trading of carbon credits on Cardano, this project directly contributes to global climate goals. The environmental and societal value created far exceeds the initial investment, while positioning Cardano as a blockchain for meaningful sustainability innovation.

2. Long-Term Utility & Scalable Infrastructure

GreenDAO is not a one-off app—it is an ecosystem platform with long-term scalability. It introduces:

• A tokenized carbon credit framework
• A DAO-powered governance model
• Reusable smart contracts and APIs

These elements can support multiple future carbon projects, opening new opportunities for other developers, NGOs, and institutions on Cardano.

3. Open Access & Developer Reusability

All components—smart contracts, DAO logic, and APIs—will be open-sourced. This ensures that:

• Other Cardano-based environmental initiatives can build upon it
• Developers can fork or integrate the GreenDAO modules
• The broader ecosystem benefits from shared infrastructure

4. Leveraging Cardano’s Strengths

GreenDAO is tailored to utilize Cardano’s advantages:

• Low transaction fees enable micro-transactions for small carbon credits
• Energy-efficient consensus aligns with sustainability principles
• Native token support simplifies carbon credit tokenization

This showcases Cardano as a green blockchain champion, reinforcing its branding and appeal to ESG-minded users and partners.

5. Cost-Efficient, Phased Execution

The budget is carefully aligned with specific milestones, ensuring that funding is tied to deliverables:

• Smart contract deployment, DAO setup, and frontend UI are all included
• Early auditing and testing ensure quality and reduce technical debt
• Educational outreach amplifies community engagement without requiring excess spending

6. Quantifiable ROI

• Short-term: At least 2–3 pilot carbon credit projects onboarded
• Mid-term: Community-run DAO managing proposals and credit flows
• Long-term: Third-party integrations via APIs, potential for token exchange listings, and measurable CO₂ offset on-chain

GreenDAO offers not just a technical solution but a catalyst for environmental, social, and ecosystem-wide innovation. With a relatively modest investment, this project will provide lasting value, visibility, and utility for the Cardano blockchain—well beyond the scope of traditional dApp development.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes