Bitcoin's Proof of Work consensus algorithm paved the way to a new financial landscape, but critics continue to be concerned about the lasting impact it may have on the environment. With the world trying to be as eco-friendly as ever, blockchain technology has fallen under a lot of scrutiny for it's energy consumption. Some projects in cryptoland settled with Proof of Stake consensus algorithms, but one project, Chia, has created a whole new model, Proof of Space and Time (PoST). By removing the energy strain caused by Proof of Work on the blockchain, Chia aim's to be a green alternative for global payment and financial solutions.

Chia has also changed the method for validating transactions. Proof of Work relies on miners across multiple nodes to use specialized hardware to add transactions to the blockchain. Chia, on the other hand, has decided farming is the green way to go, claiming to allow anyone with available hard drive storage to become a farmer. Downloading their software will allow you to "seed" your storage space and receive a proportional amount of "plots" that contain different cryptographic hashes. As new transactions come through, the software automatically scans the plots for the correct hash, and rewards the farmer with Chia. The chances of a farmer winning the block increase based on the percentage of storage they've contributed compared to the Chia network. 

With a price of $668.55 USD on 5/3/2021, Chia's Token, XCH, reached it's all time high on the same day, with a value of $1934.51 USD. The price of XCH has plummeted with it's price resting at a lousy $36.10 USD as of 5/21/22 6:00PM EST. You can find more price information here. You should always do your own research and consult a financial expert prior to making any financial investments. If you're interested in learning more about Chia, you can check out their website here or you can find your true love on their Twitter and Reddit.

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