Yesterday I activated the token with $10. Today I added an additional $20. Tomorrow will be a new day and I will continue to add more. This is one of my biggest passions in life besides all the other cool stuff I do.
BOTO: CDGI (California Drought Gone Initiative)
**Turn degraded land into productive communities while turning people experiencing homelessness into paid participants in building those communities.**
The important distinction is that BOTO would **fund and coordinate the system**, rather than simply giving money away.
**BOTO — Desert-to-Community Development Model**
**1. The first target: water**
The desert cannot simply be covered with grass and irrigated indefinitely. BOTO's first investment would therefore be **water infrastructure and water efficiency**.
Potential components:
Stormwater capture
Groundwater recharge
Water recycling
Desalination where economically and environmentally appropriate
Drip irrigation
Water-efficient agriculture
Aquifer monitoring
Reservoir/storage infrastructure
Restoration of natural drainage and watersheds
Drought-resistant native vegetation
This is particularly relevant in California because groundwater can provide up to roughly **60% of the state's water supply during dry years**, while groundwater recharge is already an established water-management strategy.
BOTO could therefore establish a **Water Treasury** whose job is to finance projects that create additional reliable water capacity rather than simply consuming existing supplies.
**2. Turn the desert into a green belt**
Once water infrastructure is established, BOTO will finance a gradual transformation:
**Desert → restored soil → vegetation → agriculture → housing → industry → complete community**
The goal wouldn't necessarily be to make every acre look like a forest.
Instead, different zones could serve different purposes:
**🌳 Green infrastructur**e
Native trees
Shade corridors
Parks
Wildlife habitat
Windbreaks
Riparian corridors
Urban forests
**🌾 Food productio**n
Orchards
Vegetable production
Controlled-environment agriculture
Greenhouses
Hydroponics where appropriate
Regenerative agriculture
**🏘️ Residential ar**eas
Affordable housing
Small homes
Apartments
Cooperative housing
Community facilities
**🏭 Economic area**s
Manufacturing
Construction-material production
Recycling
Renewable-energy businesses
Agriculture processing
Technology and logistics
The objective is to create a **self-sustaining economic ecosystem**, not merely a giant landscaping project.
**3. The homeless-to-builder concept**
Instead of viewing someone experiencing homelessness exclusively as someone who needs to **receive** resources, the model could create a pathway where people who are able and willing to work can become **paid participants in building new communities**.
Not forced labor.
Not unpaid labor.
Not "work for housing."
Instead:
**Housing + training + wages + ownership opportunities + support**
could operate together.
For example:
**Phase 1 — Stabilize**
A participant receives:
Safe temporary housing
Food
Identification/document assistance
Medical/behavioral-health connections when needed
Transportation
Basic financial services
**Phase 2 — Train**
They could choose a construction or environmental track:
Landscaping
Irrigation
Plumbing
Electrical
Solar installation
Carpentry
Concrete
Road construction
Equipment operation
Agriculture
Water-system maintenance
Recycling
Environmental restoration
**Phase 3 — Work**
Participants receive **real wages** for actual work.
For example:
BOTO-funded development company contracts a workforce cooperative to restore 100 acres.
Workers are paid to:
Prepare soil
Install irrigation
Plant trees
Construct housing
Build community facilities
Maintain infrastructure
The person isn't simply being "helped."
**They're helping build the place where they're going to live.**
**4. Housing becomes part of the production system**
The BOTO model will make housing one of the first things constructed.
Imagine a development beginning with:
**100 acres of degraded land**
BOTO finances:
Water infrastructure
Solar power
Roads
Temporary construction facilities
Worker housing
Permanent housing
Agriculture
Businesses
Schools/community facilities
Parks and green space
People who participate in the workforce could eventually transition from temporary accommodation into **permanent affordable housing**.
Existing California programs demonstrate that permanent supportive housing can combine housing with services for people experiencing homelessness; BOTO could envision an additional employment-and-development component on top of that model.
**5. BOTO ownership**
Instead of the people building the community remaining permanently dependent on outside funding, BOTO will create mechanisms for participants to **accumulate economic ownership**.
For example:
**Worker → employee → trained specialist → cooperative member → community owner**
A portion of project profits could potentially flow into:
Worker ownership pools
Community development funds
Housing funds
Individual savings accounts
Education/training accounts
That creates a feedback loop:
**Build the community → earn income → buy into the economy → build more community.**
**6. The BOTO treasury**
Water infrastructure & recharge
🌱 Green
Land restoration & agriculture
🏠 Housing
Affordable/community housing
🛠️ Workforce
Training & employment
⚡ Energy
Solar/storage/infrastructure
🏗️ Development
Roads, buildings & utilities
🏦 Community
Local businesses & worker ownership
🌎 Restoration
Long-term environmental projects
This gives BOTO **utility beyond simply being a tradable token**.
The token becomes a mechanism for financing a network of real-world projects.
\- BOTO founder and creator.