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Creating Leaders for a Regenerative Economy with Work on Climate
Imagine for a moment if economic activity made nature and society healthier. It’s a notion that at first might seem absurdly idealistic, and then when you think about it, maybe essential for our survival and thus perhaps what the goal of an economy should actually be. Welcome to the concept of regenerative economics. There’s a growing number of leading thinkers, organizations, policymakers, and even businesses fueling the regenerative movement. With AI and a new geopolitical order creating massive disruption, it’s an important time to consider bold visions for the future.
Today, we’re joined by someone who’s both a bold visionary and practical implementer. Eugene Kirpichov left his dream job at Google in 2020 to found Work on Climate, a community that has now helped tens of thousands of people looking for ways to address climate change. Eugene sees communities as mindbogglingly effective for scaling impact. By helping people realize their potential as climate leaders, Work on Climate is harnessing the power of community to work towards a regenerative economy. Eugene is a guy of big ideas, who thinks about systems strategically and makes things happen. It was a blast talking to Eugene and we suspect you’ll enjoy the conversation as well. Here we go.
On today’s episode, we cover:
- 00:57 – Regenerative Economics & Introducing Eugene
- 02:41 – Recent Encounters & Shared Community
- 03:00 – Eugene’s Early Life in Russia & Tech Beginnings
- 06:25 – Joining Google & Finding Eugene’s Niche
- 08:47 – Eugene’s Climate Wake‑Up & Decision to Leave Google
- 10:30 – Discovering the Climate Solutions Ecosystem
- 12:56 – Founding Work on Climate
- 14:18 – Community Power & Founder Success Stories from Work on Climate
- 15:34 – How Work on Climate Operates & Is Funded
- 17:36 – Eugene’s Shift: From Climate Jobs to Climate Leaders
- 21:30 – Examples of Everyday Climate Leadership
- 24:25 – Three Qualities of a Climate Leader
- 26:33 – Rethinking the “Most Impactful Thing I Can Do”
- 29:56 – Eugene’s Long‑Term Vision for Work on Climate
- 33:02 – What a Regenerative Economy Is
- 38:18 – How to Build a Regenerative Economy in Practice
- 44:18 – AI as System Accelerator & Regenerative Tool
- 48:15 – EPA Ruling, Shared Reality & Coordination
- 51:32 – What Eugene Is Reading & Learning From
- 55:07 – Call to Action for Funders & Individuals
Resources Mentioned
- Work on Climate
- An Inconvenient Truth
- An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
- Work for Climate
- Eigen Robotics
- Beyond the EPA Ruling: Building a More Beautiful Movement by Eugene Kirpichov
- Climate Capital: Investing in the Tools for a Regenerative Future by Tom Chi
- Relationality by David Jay
- Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
- Impact Networks by David Ehrlichman
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