Igor Pershin had a near-death experience which made him take stock of his priorities and decide to give back in some way. This wake-up call sent him back to university to pursue postgraduate studies in the environment at Melbourne University, an addition to his Marketing degree, which acted as a springboard for his climate change activism career, spanning Beyond Zero Emissions, 350.org and ultimately founding his own non-profit, Less Meat Less Heat. Igor's focus was carbon-conscious eating, which opened up opportunities for him to present at UN climate conferences in Paris and Bonn, speak on the TEDx stage, and even develop an app. 

Interestingly, burnout forced Igor to take stock of his own health and understand the deeper systemic origins of environmental and human-health imbalances, where formal studies into nutrition and functional medicine led to his understanding that human health is directly linked to the health of our soils. He admittedly states that he was wrong about his non-profit and that, as Bob Gill says, “it’s not the cow, it’s how”, and discusses how his experience led him on a path away from the climate 'fight' and toward seeking solutions, finding permaculture and regenerative agriculture which integrates animals as vital roles in the building of soil health.  

Following Sadhguru along the Cauvery Calling trip across India to activate farmers and their communities to shift towards regenerative agriculture principles, he further deepened his passion in this space, which ultimately led him to seek out Zach Bush and Farmer’s Footprint. Igor is currently the operations manager of Farmer’s Footprint Australia and runs Natural Filters, sustainable bamboo charcoal water filters for the home, as well as a digital marketing consultancy specialising in solar energy.

Warning: there is lots of loud laughter in this episode. 

Show Notes:

Farmer's Footprint Australia

Website: https://farmersfootprint.org.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farmersfootprintaustralia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmersfootprintaustralia

Natural Filters - Binchotan Charcoal Filters Made With Bamboo

Website: https://naturalfilters.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalfiltersau

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural_filters 

Cauvery Calling is a first-of-its-kind campaign, setting the standard for how India’s rivers – the country’s lifelines – can be revitalised: https://www.ishaoutreach.org/en/cauvery-calling.

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The intro and outro song is "Sing for the Earth" and was kindly donated by Chad Wilkins.  You can find Chad's music here and here.