My journey in activism began in 2011. I was living a pretty typical US American lifestyle. I was focused on material possessions and financial wealth. In fact, I even had a goal of becoming a millionaire by the time I turned 30. However, it wasn’t long until my dreams and ambitions shifted and became more about experimenting with sustainability and learning to live in harmony with the Earth. 

I started to watch a lot of documentaries and read many books and soon learned that the way I was living was causing an incredible amount of destruction to the world. Where I once didn’t see any error in my ways, I was now able to recognize this destruction in a variety of areas, from the food I was eating to the car I was driving, the gas I pumped into the car, the cheap junk I was buying, the trash I was creating, and even the water I was drinking.

I realized that all of these actions caused destruction to people, the planet, and the plants and animals we share this home with. 

In 2011, I was 25 years old and I just said to myself that I cannot continue this way for maybe 50 more years I am alive on the Earth. I decided I wanted to do things differently and learn to live in harmony with the Earth. Some may think this sounds cliché, but I sought to live in a way that wasn’t so destructive to the planet. The truth is, this isn’t much to ask for. 

My activism journey has been routed in the idea of leading by example, being the change I wish to see, and pursuing the truth. My life took a turn in 2011, and I switched from pursuing a relatively traditional US American lifestyle to one that seeks the truth in overcoming the delusion of materialism and industrialization. I can’t control the world, but there’s one thing I can control, and that’s myself. I can take responsibility for my own actions. 

I took this a step further and decided to engage in extreme activism and provocative stunts. My aim was to reach millions of people but also to reach those who rarely think about environmental issues and enlighten them that they can make a difference through their choices. The majority of the media we consume does not focus on messages of simply living in harmony but advocates heavily for consumption. My goal is to get into the mainstream to show there is another way that is more beneficial for the planet. 

One such thought-provoking stunt was the Trash Me Campaign, which saw me consume like an average US American for 30 days, but there was one catch: I wore every piece of trash I created. The average US American creates approximately 4.5 pounds of trash every day, and so each day, I got bigger and bigger, and my trash suit continued to grow. People were able to follow along and watch my journey. The idea behind the campaign was to expose the truth of our consumerism and give people a visual they would never forget. 

I was essentially a walking billboard for the truth behind our consumption. The campaign resonated extremely well; millions of people saw the project, and it encouraged them to make instant positive changes. The idea behind my activism is that it creates an opportunity for self-reflection too. Campaigns like these serve as an opportunity for people to question their lives and ask themselves: am I really living the life that I want? In addition to these campaigns, I’ve tried to live simply and sustainably. 

For one whole year, I grew and foraged 100 percent of my food. I didn’t go to grocery stores, restaurants, or even enjoy a cold beer at the bar. Nature became my garden, my pantry, and my pharmacy. Despite what you might envision, I lived in an urban environment in Florida, in a 100-square-foot (9.29 square meters) tiny house built from repurposed materials. I didn’t have any land of my own so I grew food in the front gardens of people in my neighborhood and shared the bounty with them.

I grew over 100 different foods in my gardens and foraged over 200 foods from nature. Having explored food for almost a decade, I believe the globalized and industrialized food system is broken. Growing food is something we can all do to reduce our environmental impact and live in more harmony with Earth. To make growing food the norm, people can consider growing it in public spaces. By doing this, other people can see it, which sparks inspiration. If even 10 percent of us started to grow food in our front gardens, that would transform our communities.

It would also increase the connection many of us have with our food. For me, advocating for sustainability is a matter of speaking about these things not in a judgmental way but simply educating. Joy is not a matter of sacrifice; I rarely make any sacrifices. I’m just choosing to live the life I really want; a life in harmony with the Earth, with humanity, and with our plant and animal relatives. When I give things up, I’m not really giving things up. I make space and time for doing what I really want, which for me is living in service and living in truth. 

Learn more about Robin and his work:

Website:

https://www.robingreenfield.org/ 

Creative Commons: 

https://www.robingreenfield.org/creativecommons/ 

Social media:

www.facebook.com/robgreenfield

www.youtube.com/robgreenfield

www.instagram.com/robjgreenfield @RobJGreenfield

www.twitter.com/robjgreenfield @RobJGreenfield