VDAO Ep 10 Humans as a Keystone Species: Regeneration, Crypto & the Meta-Crisis | Gregory

In this expansive episode of the VDAO Series, Gregory shares a sweeping journey across ecology, permaculture, economics, crypto, and community building all anchored in a bold thesis: Humans can become a planetary keystone species. Drawing on decades of work in regenerative design, supply chains, eco-villages, and Web3 infrastructure, Gregory explores how broken relationships between humans and the biosphere sit at the root of today's "meta-crisis" and how regeneration offers a practical path forward. From Alaska fisheries to intentional communities, from the Eight Forms of Capital to founding Regen Network, this conversation connects local land stewardship with global coordination technologies. Topics covered: • Keystone species thinking & planetary stewardship • Resilience vs antifragility in ecosystems and society • Origins in permaculture & eco-village movements • Environmentalism beyond doom narratives • Regeneration as a "third way" beyond political polarization • Degrowth vs regrowth debates • Traditional skills, technology & appropriate scale • The Eight Forms of Capital framework • Financial permaculture & local economics • Regen Network and ecological credit markets • Carbon, biodiversity & ecosystem service valuation • Blockchain as infrastructure for living capital accounting • Limits of supply-chain sustainability efforts • Personal resilience through land-based living • Rural-urban reconnection (Kuni model) • Community as the core of antifragility • Network nations & place-based coordination • Regeneration as the root solution to the meta-crisis The core message: The future isn't choosing between nature and technology. It's learning how to regenerate both  together. greenpill.network vdao.org https://x.com/JoinVDAO https://x.com/greenpillnet https://x.com/gregory_landua https://www.registry.regen.network/team/gregory-landua Timestamps  00:00 — Introduction & Gregory's "why" 00:44 — Humans as a planetary keystone species 03:08 — What regeneration looks like in practice 04:52 — Relationship between humanity and nature 05:37 — Resilience vs antifragility explained 07:21 — Applying resilience in everyday life 08:37 — Early roots: Alaska, fisheries & environmental science 10:55 — Frustration with doom-focused environmentalism 12:20 — Discovering permaculture & eco-villages 15:43 — From apprentice to educator & consultant 17:53 — Financial permaculture & early Bitcoin era 20:15 — Founding TerraGenesis & large-scale projects 22:08 — Optimism vs activist pessimism 24:42 — Regeneration as a "third way" 29:25 — Pre-political nature of land stewardship 31:39 — Degrowth, primitivism & collapse narratives 33:19 — Practical preparedness vs ideology 35:39 — Regrowth as a design challenge 37:38 — Critiques of techno-civilization 38:58 — Learning from diverse communities 40:56 — Back-to-the-land movements today 43:20 — Pluralism & shared human needs 45:46 — Global shifts & regenerative acceleration 47:35 — The Eight Forms of Capital framework 49:09 — Origins in financial permaculture workshops 53:36 — Regenerative Enterprise & practical tools 55:53 — Capital beyond money 57:29 — Applying the framework personally & locally 59:18 — Early path toward Regen Network 01:01:42 — Building cacao farms & regenerative supply chains 01:04:00 — Consulting with mission-driven brands 01:05:58 — Why good intentions fail in markets 01:08:06 — Need for ecological accounting systems 01:10:24 — Carbon markets & ecosystem services 01:12:49 — Regen Network's on-chain ledger approach 01:14:25 — Moving upstream for systemic change 01:16:41 — Limits of education & consulting alone 01:18:20 — Aligning markets with regeneration 01:19:35 — Creating value systems around ecological health 01:21:52 — Crypto, fintech & systemic shifts 01:25:08 — Technology vs culture in adoption 01:26:52 — Personal resilience practices 01:27:02 — Living on land & community building 01:29:27 — Local enterprise: maple sugaring operation 01:31:41 — Kuni model: reconnecting urban & rural 01:33:36 — Relationships as true resilience 01:34:30 — Invitation to collaborate & co-create 01:36:58 — Network nations & shared infrastructure 01:39:24 — Grounding digital visions in physical places 01:41:48 — Regeneration as the solution to the meta-crisis 01:42:55 — Closing reflections