08/06/21 Instead of calories, I count saved lives
Igor Barberić about his 11-year vegan career
- The well-known choreographer and director promotes veganism in AFC's new campaign
Igor Barberić, a choreographer, director and everyone's favorite face on television screens, is the author of the slogan "Instead of calories, I count saved lives", as well as the whole visual concept for the Animal Friends posters in which he congenially calls for a compassionate lifestyle.
Igor explains why he was happy to join another AFC's educational campaign: “I have been a vegan for 11 years now, and before that, I was a vegetarian for 10 years. My cats made me think about veganism. Namely, looking at them and their different characters and habits, I realized that animals, like humans, are conscious individuals with their own character traits, attitudes, desires, preferences, and perceptions. Then I connected the above with other animals whom, due to the fact that they do not share homes with us, we do not perceive in the same way as we perceive cats and dogs.”
He adds that animals are more similar to us than most people think. Pigs sing to their children, dream and choose to sleep snout to snout with their siblings. Hens are very intelligent, they communicate with 30 different vocalizations with different meanings and can recognize more than 100 human faces. Cows have best friends, carry their babies in their wombs for nine months just like us and find it extremely difficult when their baby is taken away.
Aware of this, Igor points out: “That is why I am extremely proud of the fact that in my 11 years of an exclusively plant-based diet I have managed to save the lives of as many as 4,015 animals. I hope that this number, as well as other figures visible on the visuals which show the benefits of veganism in terms of environmental protection, will encourage others to think about this not-at-all demanding and a more interesting way of eating and living."
Igor Barberić has collaborated with Animal Friends on several occasions – he held a cupcake workshop at the 11th ZeGeVege festival, and for World Vegan Day last year he prepared one of his favourite recipes live online.
Animal Friends are happy to have once again collaborated with Igor and say they hope the billboards, with an impressive slogan and current figures showing how many lives Igor has saved in his 11-year vegan career, as well as other facts related to the benefits of veganism, will intrigue everyone and encourage them to make positive changes in their lifestyle.
They explain that the slogan on the posters also indicates that a vegan diet is healthier and helps maintain a desired weight: "The health benefits are numerous: from reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, lowering blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, to reducing the risk of cancer. Vegans who mostly eat whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables have a lower body mass index, so with such a diet they can really forget about counting calories and start counting the saved lives.” They invite everyone to come and taste vegan delicacies at the 13th ZeGeVege Festival, which will be held in Zagreb's Ban Jelačić Square on 3 and 4 September 2021.
Animal Friends would like to thank everyone who contributed to the making of the visual "Instead of calories, I count saved lives": photographer Ana Mihalić, Arwen Makeup Studio and Omnibus Studio, and they invite everyone to check out the rich program of Croatian Veganmania on www.zegevege.com.