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"We have this wheel of destruction which is based on consumption, it’s like a blind consumption. It’s people consuming things looking for short-term pleasures, which have long-term costs."
PETER THORNTON
As you probably know, this is a podcast about creating a plant-based future. And to do that, we need big ideas.
To give you a heads up - Peter Thornton's idea does not revolve solely around plant-based solutions, although they feature prominently in it. And it's about as big as they come - on the scale of blueprints for recreating our society.
How?
As Director of Impact Investment at iProsperity Group in Australia, Peter works with ultra-high net-worth individuals wanting to change the world. And at that level, recreating society is not out of reach.
I am really pleased to have the chance to wrap 2017 with an interview that, instead of focusing on a specific area of plant-based business, takes a bird's eye view of how things are now, and how they may change. How we might recreate and integrate our educational system, our health system, our food system and our energy systems into an interconnected system designed to lead people towards what Peter calls 'Creative Consumption'. Where the desires driving our production and purchases revolve around long-term benefits for individuals, society and the environment.
As I said, it's a big idea. Just the kind we need. And Peter is putting it in motion. If you think this is something that you can contribute to - his LinkedIn contact is in the Show Notes.
Enjoy, and a very happy 2018 from everyone at The Plant-Based Entrepreneur!!
Main things discussed in this episode
How meditation changed Peter's life.
Viewing time as a resource, and investing it in yourself.
The potential for profit in 'cleaning things up'.
Destructive Consumption vs Creative Consumption
Building an ultra-impact services organization.
What areas and what companies Peter is looking for.
What sort of individuals are needed to drive the change.
Transcript
Peter Thornton
Jerry Sever [00:43] Because this is our last episode before the holidays, I thought it would be a great opportunity to wrap the year up with an interview that will touch on the overarching theme of this podcast, which is, what sort of future can be built with plant-based business and what negative aspects of our society and culture and be countered by focusing our work and effort on things that make the most impact.
To do that I have with me today Peter Thornton, who is the Director of Impact Investment at iProsperity Group in Australia, and right now, he’s raising a fund specifically aimed at tackling some of the biggest issues that stand between us, and, well, prosperity. It’s a big ambitious idea, but we need those to move forward. I hope that this talk does it justice. Peter, welcome to the show.
Peter Thornton [01:37] Hi Jerry, thanks very much for inviting me.
Jerry Sever [01:40] Thank you for joining me. I’m really glad we’ve got this opportunity to talk about what you’re doing before you actually roll it up because this is right now in the inception phase, you’re just putting everything together to get the ball rolling. I’m really glad that we have the chance to talk about it at the ground floor.
Before we start that, let’s spend a few minutes just talking about you – where you’re coming from, and what drove you to this point.
Peter Thornton [02:13] Okay. Well, that’s a nice segue way to look into why I’m here. I think, like all of us, we’re on this planet and we go… who are we, what are we doing…why are we here.. and we sort of roll along with life as it unfolds in front us. We navigate as best we can to look for happiness. If you’re like me, you’re very lucky…I was born in a country which has so much of everything,
