The globe is full of presidents and prime ministers with the power to effect change that impacts millions of people. The journey to helping to save Earth from a 2050 climate disaster, however, began not in the United Nations Assembly Hall but around a kitchen table in America. That’s where Gary Reinhold, a Marine Corps veteran and environmental futurist; Edward Ellis, an entrepreneur, pop star, and record producer; and Wayne Head, an IT expert, sat down to lay out their plans for LeafPAYS to accelerate the United States’ transition to net zero. The three men were as different as night and day, but they had one thing in common: they were all determined to leave their children and future generations an Earth that was beautiful and healthy.

“The problem was right there in front of us: carbon emissions were rising and causing global warming, which in turn was causing sea levels to rise, storms to increase, and food supplies to be threatened,” says Reinhold. “We couldn’t say we didn’t know, nor could we look away. We decided to use our collective abilities to help change the fate of our planet by reducing emissions by 45% by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050.”

Ellis explains that they decided to go as big as possible. “We wanted to effect change on a massive scale, which is what the Earth needs, so we asked ourselves where emissions are the worst,” he says. “Businesses and their supply lines were the answer.”

Companies, Reinhold continues, are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. If LeafPAYS could provide consumers with an assessment of the real amount of clean, sustainable energy used by businesses and their supply chains, they could make greener shopping choices and receive rewards – the greener the purchase, the bigger the reward. Those businesses who lowered their emissions would be rewarded by purchases from people who want to stop climate change and see their market share grow while complying with net-zero mandates.

“Everyone has to shop, after all, and with the growing number of consumers who care about the Earth, it would be a great way for LeafPAYS to unite them to help the planet,” says Reinhold.

To target thousands of companies across the United States, Reinhold, Head, and Ellis turned to technology. Head, who admits to being a tech geek of sorts, explains that the power of today’s AI and blockchain technology combined with the prevalence of cellphones in America provided a crucial opportunity.

“We created a climate crisis solution that is the intersection of NFTs, artificial intelligence, our Super App, and our LeafPAYS token,” he states. “It unites millions of environment lovers across the States and gives them the power to fight global warming through their shopping choices.”

The first stage of LeafPAYS’ climate crisis solution revolves around the company’s Net-Zero NFTs, which are beautiful works of environmental art created by AI. Reinhold explains that LeafPAYS is leveraging NFTs to lower emissions, as every purchase of a Net-Zero NFT enables it to buy one ton of carbon credits.

“We knew that people who love our planet want a measurable way to fight climate change. With companies not removing as much carbon from the air as their manufacturing and supply lines put into it, individuals can help offset those emissions through purchasing our Net-Zero NFTs,” says Ellis.

The next step, Head continues, was to create an easily accessible way for consumers to understand how much clean energy is being used by businesses – or not – so that they could support eco-friendly companies. 

“We envisioned an app that people could easily log into on their phones and see real-time, objective measurements of a business’ clean energy,” he says. “That led to our Super App, which is funded by the purchase of our Net-Zero NFTs. It will be a game changer for environmentally conscious consumers.”

At LeafPAYS’ Super App, users will be able to access a meta-library of information on companies, including their products and usage of clean energy in their supply chains. Ellis says two crucial features bring together the whole LeafPAYS vision for how to combat climate change: LeafSCOREs and the LeafPAYS token, which will be built on the POLYGON network.

“LeafSCOREs will give an objective measure of a business’ usage of clean energy,” he states. “The higher the score, the better its usage. Then, with our token, shoppers will be able to make informed, discounted purchasing choices from green companies. We will reward each purchase, with greener purchases receiving bigger awards. The app may also be very useful to net-zero investors who would like to fund sustainable companies.”

Reinhold adds that LeafPAYS’ future plans include expanding the business model into the supply chain with the purchase and operation of a fleet of Renewable Natural Gas Heavy Trucks.

Reinhold believes that there is reason to be optimistic about the planet’s future. “Yes, the science is dire: we face a potential catastrophe unless we act now. However, we have seen at LeafPAYS that by uniting and working together, we can create innovative solutions for what faces us, even for global warming. Every person on this planet has the ability to help make Earth more spectacular for those who come after us.”