Rob Greenfield was just like us — materialistic from top to bottom. Even he wanted to become a millionaire by 30. Yes, that's what you and I wanted to be or dream of being. But at one point in life, this mysterious man took a U-turn and completely changed his lifestyle.
He started speaking for the environment and sustainable living. Years after years, he strived to inspire people towards an eco-friendly lifestyle. And, eventually, he became the earth's messenger for green living.
Today, we will know about this nicest man on the planet who grows his own toilet paper, eats what he plants, and own no bank account, car, or credit card. Oh, yes, he doesn't even produce any waste. I mean, literally.
Sounds impossible? Well, let's explore the incredible life of Rob Greenfield.
"Greenfield Is the Best Kind of Crazy" — Uproxx
Born in Ashland, Wisconsin, Rob Greenfield was raised by a single mother with his three siblings. From his early years, he was an adventurer inside. At the age of 18, he became an Eagle Scout.
While attending the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, he traveled to six continents. He also worked 80+ hours per week as a door-to-door bookseller during summer vacations and gained hands-on experience in sales and marketing. Later, in 2011, he moved to San Diego, California, and started his own marketing company, The Greenfield Group with a vision to become a millionaire by the age of 30.
He was very much focused on material possessions and financial wealth and didn't care about the environment or the planet.
Then one day, he thought about his lifestyle and how much harm his lifestyle is to this earth. It was an epiphany that changed Rob's life overnight. He was shocked to discover the terrible impact an average American has on the environment. But almost no one really cares about it.
So, after thinking and thinking, he decided to change his course of life and inspire others. He adopted sustainable living or green living and started inspiring others with different endeavors.
Rob traveled off the grid across the USA
In 2013, Rob paddled across the USA with a bamboo bike to spread the message of sustainable living. He cycled 7600km and carried multiple campaigns to draw people's attention to different environmental and lifestyle issues.
On this 104-day journey, he mostly ate from grocery store dumpsters (130kg of food) only to bring other's attention to food waste. He also created near-zero trash, used solar panels for electricity and water from natural sources like rain, rivers, rainwater.
To raise awareness about water waste Rob lived off a leaky fire hydrant for five days in New York City.
During this incredible journey, he created only 2 pounds of trash when an average American creates 4.5 pounds of trash each day. He also used 80 times less water, 200 times less trash, 600 times fewer fossil fuels, and 100 times less electricity than an average American.
This eventful journey helped him gain truths about life and living as he visited countless non-profits, farms and met incredible human beings who care for the planet.
You may learn more about his crazy journey from Rob himself watching the following video trailer and then reading his book 'Dude Making a Difference.'
Spending a year without showering
This is really crazy. From April 2013 to April 2014, Rob spent a year bathing only in natural sources, including rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and rain.
And this is what he said about this —
"We have to be aware of the origin of the things we consume every day, such as water, food, and energy. In this case, I wanted to show how valuable water is and inspire people to conserve and protect it."
"The Nicest Person on the Planet" — Bicycling Magazine
In 2014, Rob paddled across America for the second time. This time he planted wildflowers and vegetables along the way. And the crazy part is — Rob left home with only $2000 in cash, and while arriving in Madison, donated the last $421 to a non-profit.
Then, he traveled to New York without a penny(as he owns no credit cards as well) and ate from grocery stores dumpsters to draw people's attention to waste food.
During this journey, while crossing big cities, he held Food Waste Fiascos to display the edible foods he found in dumpsters.
Moreover, Rob always chooses organic, local, and non-package foods.
Watch the following video to know more about what Rob eats when he traveled across the USA.
No Credit Cards, Bills, or Debt. No Soap, Shampoo or Tissue
Rob adopted an amazing way of living with no credit cards or cars. In 2014, he canceled his last bill to live a life completely free of bills. He also sold his car and bought a bamboo bicycle for transportation.
First, he lived in a 50-square-foot tiny home in San Diego, California, but later, he auctioned off the house and raised money to build 10 tiny houses for homeless people in that area.
He doesn't even use soap, shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste, or any unnatural ingredients. And this amazing man also doesn't use any one-time things, not even toilet tissue. Yes, you read it right. Not even toilet tissue.
Instead of buying toilet tissues, he grows blue spur flowers and uses its soft leaf as toilet tissue.
Don't worry! The leaves of the blue spur flower are softer than your tissue, and its scent is also marvelous.
And after years of downsizing, now he owns around 50 items only that can be carried into his backpack easily.
His tiny house is made of second-hand materials
In 2017, Rob moved to Orlando, Florida to grow his own food and live on rainwater. He made a 100-square-foot home with 99% of second-hand materials under only $1500. It's really a tiny home, but Rob managed to organized everything brilliantly.
He used the space under his bed as a store, has a couple of shelves that hold his food, books, clothes, and other essentials. Rob uses a tiny fridge to store more foods that come from his garden. But don't worry, he uses a tiny amount of electricity and spends only $100 per year for that. He has a small solar panel as well.
Rob cooks his food in an outdoor kitchen with a home biogas stove that runs by the food waste. I mean, food waste makes methane, and then it is used to cook his food. He also makes compost with the garbages he produces and uses it in his garden.
And what surprised me the most is this green man has a compost toilet system outside his house and doesn't even waste his pee or poop. He systematically made compost from them and use it for his plants. Can you believe it?
He grows his own food
Rob lived an entire year only eating what he grew. He grew vegetables, fruits, and everything he needed to survive. If he couldn't grow things, he would forage them. He produced milk from the coconut and harvested honey.
For an entire year, he didn't visit any grocery stores or restaurants. He fully depended on his garden for all the necessary things for a living.
"The English Language May Need a New Noun to Define Rob Greenfield" — Mountain Life Magazine
Rob is also known as 'The Trash Man' because for the thirty days (October 2016), he consumed like an average American and wore all the trash he created. He did it only to visualize people that how much trashes each individual produces in one month.
He said, "My main focus is trying to educate and inspire people to make less trash. Some people have zero idea. For them, once they toss something, it's totally out of sight, out of mind. They don't get the serious environmental problems it causes."
He literally roamed around the street wearing trash. No doubt, many people thought he went mad or something. But this is how far Rob can go to inspire the world towards sustainable living.
Want to know more about how he did it? Just watch the following video.
Rob also speaks at different events about green living. He has already spoken at over 150 events in 13 different countries, including two TEDx talks in London and Paris.
Rob Greenfield is a truly exceptional man. He is the textbook demonstration of sustainable and green living. This earth's messenger of green living proves that it's possible to live a 100% sustainable lifestyle, and it's more fun than we think.
Well, I am not inspiring you to replace your toilet paper with blue spur flower leaves, but surely you can reduce producing waste by taking tiny steps like abandoning one-time plastics, cutting packaged foods, and not shopping for what you don't need.
Your green mindset can make you a nicer person (if not the nicest) than others. And you can make a difference for sure. So, why wait? Start thinking about how you are impacting your planet and what you can do about it by taking immediate action.
Thank you for reading.
References
- Rob Greenfield Biography
- Rob Greenfield — Wikipedia
- Nas Daily, How to Grow Your Own Toilet Paper
- HuffPost, This Guy Is Wearing Every Piece Of Garbage He Generates For A Month
- UPROXX, This Man Ate For $4 Per Day To Help You Rethink How You Relate To Food
- Bicycling Magazine, After Getting His Ride Back, Nicest Person in the World Hugs His Bike Thief
- DW, Meet Rob Greenfield, aspiring millionaire turned radical environmental activist
If you are a lover of the environment, nature, and wildlife, you may enjoy the following articles published in The Environment.
- The School of Nature
- I Saw My Darlings on a Dye-Fig Tree
- Color Your Life With Some Birds
- Where Have All the Birds Gone?
- Global Warming Is Going to Destroy Your Children's Life
You can also share your love and concerns for this lovely planet. Just click the below image and write for The Environment
