Theory of Change · v2.2 3 SYSTEMIC GAPS · 4 PATHWAYS · 15+ SMART OUTCOMES · 48-MONTH HORIZON REF · DECLEANUP.NET
THEORY OF CHANGE · v2.2

Why cleanup
stays invisible.

DeCleanup Network converts grassroots environmental action into verified, funded, and onchain-permanent impact.

$bDCU (Base) and $cDCU (Celo) are the two network tokens. In-app points are DCU. See Tokenomics for supply and allocation.

3
SYSTEMIC GAPS
4
PATHWAYS
15+
SMART OUTCOMES
48mo
HORIZON
01 · ROOT CAUSE

The problem isn't a lack of action

Volunteers organize. NGOs mobilize. Communities clean every single day. The problem is that this action remains invisible, producing no data that funders, partners, or institutions can trust, verify, or build upon.

TRUST GAP

Funders and partners cannot verify outcomes. Decisions rely entirely on self-reported claims.

↦ Capital stays on the sidelines
COORDINATION GAP

Local actions remain fragmented. Efforts duplicate. Best practices never travel beyond a single neighborhood.

↦ No network effect compounds
INCENTIVE GAP

Volunteers and organizers receive no structured recognition. Participation stays episodic.

↦ Cleanup stays episodic
LONG-TERM VISION · 5-10 YEARS

A world where every cleanup event produces trusted, portable data that connects grassroots action to institutional funding, policy decisions, and regenerative ecosystem coordination.

02 · CORE LOGIC

From photo to funded impact

A single verified submission triggers a chain of value that compounds over time.

01

Documentation

Geotagged before/after photos in under 60 seconds.

02

Verification

DMRV · AI + human review validates evidence.

03

Onchain Record

Immutable anchoring on Base / Celo.

04

Reward

$bDCU / $cDCU + Impact Product NFT per verified event.

05

Capital Flow

Funders use verified dashboards, fund more cleanups.

30-SECOND STRATEGY TEST

We discovered that grassroots cleanup cannot attract institutional capital because it produces no verifiable data. So we are prioritizing verification infrastructure first, a 60-second documentation process that creates immutable onchain records. We are testing this by running a hybrid AI + human validation pipeline and piloting with a few communities around the world. If we can show 80% DMRV compliance and 3+ funders using dashboard data by month 12, we will scale organizer activation across 10+ countries.

03 · RESOURCES

Inputs Outputs

What we put in, and what the network produces. Outputs connect to measurable behavior change.

INPUTS
  • ↦ Human capital (volunteers, organizers, devs)
  • ↦ Technology (Base + Celo, AI/ML, DMRV)
  • ↦ Financial (Giveth, Gitcoin, Octant, $bDCU)
  • ↦ Partnerships (disposal, municipal, ReFi)
  • ↦ Knowledge (DMRV, ESG, impact standards)
OUTPUTS
  • ↦ Verified cleanup records (DMRV threshold)
  • ↦ Waste datasets (ESG reporting)
  • ↦ Immutable onchain logs
  • ↦ Impact dashboards for funders
  • Governance proposals (Gardens)
04 · CAUSAL PATHWAYS

Four pathways to systemic change

Trust creation is the trunk; coordination and incentives branch in parallel; verification credibility is where institutional trust lives.

P1 · TRUST CREATION
TRUNK
  • ↦ Documentation under 60s
  • ↦ Geotag + timestamp
  • ↦ Verifiable onchain records
  • ↦ Funders gain confidence
  • ↦ Capital flows to verified cleanups
→ Trust enables shared infrastructure to scale
P2 · COORDINATION
NETWORK EFFECTS
  • ↦ Shared DMRV across regions
  • ↦ Common data standards
  • ↦ Organizers discover best practices
  • ↦ Knowledge transfer
  • ↦ Effectiveness improves network-wide
→ More organizers generate more submissions
P3 · INCENTIVES
SUSTAINED BEHAVIOR
  • ↦ $bDCU structured recognition
  • ↦ Tangible acknowledgment per action
  • ↦ Episodic sustained participation
  • ↦ Documentation normalized
  • ↦ Data quality improves
→ Higher volume feeds verification pipeline
P4 · VERIFICATION CREDIBILITY
CANOPY
  • ↦ Open source waste detection model
  • ↦ AI flags for human review
  • ↦ Hybrid reduces fraud
  • ↦ Quality = network reputation
  • ↦ Partners trust for ESG reporting
↺ Loops back to P1
05 · SMART OUTCOMES

Measurable targets across three horizons

Outputs are activity. Outcomes are behavior change. Every target passes the "So What?" test.

SHORT-TERM · JUN 2026 – JUN 2027 (V2)
  • ↦ 300 verified submissions (DMRV)
  • ↦ 25 organizers in 10+ countries
  • ↦ 30% repeat volunteer rate
  • ↦ 80% DMRV compliance
  • ↦ 85% AI waste detection accuracy
  • ↦ 3+ funders using dashboards
MEDIUM-TERM · 12-24 MONTHS
  • ↦ 3+ funding decisions citing DeCleanup Network
  • ↦ 75k kg verified waste documented
  • ↦ 100+ stakers in verification
  • ↦ 3 multi-country campaigns
  • ↦ 10+ governance proposals
  • ↦ 3+ ReFi integrations
LONG-TERM · 24-48 MONTHS
  • ↦ $100k+ capital to verified cleanups
  • ↦ 30% partners adopting DMRV
  • ↦ 70% community-initiated campaigns
  • ↦ 10+ ESG reports referencing data
  • ↦ 80% decisions by community vote
  • ↦ Self-sustaining feedback loop
06 · DECENTRALIZATION ROADMAP

Verification: trusted trustless

Progressive decentralization. Quality standards first, then distributed responsibility.

ACTIVE NOW

Phase 1 · Human Review

Core team manually reviews every submission.

  • ↦ Manual photo review
  • ↦ Geotag validation
  • ↦ Timestamp checking
  • ↦ Before / after comparison
  • ↦ Feedback to submitters
IN DEVELOPMENT

Phase 2 · AI-Assisted

AI-assisted validation; human confirms.

  • ↦ Open source trash detection
  • ↦ Duplicate detection
  • ↦ Geo inconsistency flagging
  • ↦ Fraud probability scoring
  • ↦ Human confirms AI flags
PLANNED

Phase 3 · Trustless

Decentralized: token holders become verifiers.

  • ↦ Community staking for verification
  • ↦ Stake-weighted votes
  • ↦ Verification rewards
  • ↦ Slashing for false approvals
  • ↦ Fully onchain governance
07 · STAKEHOLDERS

Who makes the network work

Six participant types. The network functions when all six are active.

Volunteers

Clean. Document. Earn.

Organizers

Launch campaigns.

Funders

Anyone can fund impact.

$bDCU / $cDCU Holders

Earn. Govern. Stake. Verify.

Partners

Municipalities & waste.

Developers

Build & maintain.

08 · ASSUMPTIONS

What must be true, and how we test it

Every pathway rests on assumptions. We state them, test early, and pivot if they fail.

Assumption Timeline Success Criteria
Volunteers document if process <60sMonth 1-370%+ completion rate
Funders value verified over self-reportedMonth 3-61+ funding decision cites data
Onchain anchoring adds trustMonth 3-6<10% user confusion
Community governance attracts participantsMonth 12-185+ proposals, 10%+ participation
AI verification improves accuracyMonth 3-685%+ trash detection accuracy
Fair-launch prevents extractive behaviorMonth 1-6No holder >5%; <30% sell pressure
09 · RISK REGISTER

Known risks, how we respond

Good strategy names risks, assigns probability and impact, and prepares mitigations.

HIGH IMPACT

Low Adoption from Friction

UX target <60s; feedback on every rejection.

HIGH IMPACT

Funder Indifference to Verified Data

Validate with grant partners; reframe to coordination if needed.

HIGH IMPACT

Regulatory Uncertainty

Utility-only framing; legal counsel as we scale.

MEDIUM IMPACT

Token Speculation Overrides Utility

Fair-launch; staking for verification.

MEDIUM IMPACT

AI Verification Errors

Hybrid: AI flags, humans confirm; publish metrics.

MEDIUM IMPACT

Governance Apathy

Progressive decentralization; expand as participation proves sustained.

MEDIUM IMPACT

Local Disposal Gaps

Partner with municipalities before expanding region.

MEDIUM IMPACT

Data Quality Inconsistency

Strict DMRV; reject with actionable feedback.

MANAGED IMPACT

Community Trust Erosion

Transparent governance; fair-launch; no insider advantages.

READY TO BE PART OF THE PROOF?

Every cleanup you verify makes the next funder more confident.

Start your first cleanup Join community