Waste Not, Want Not
He may have amassed a number of nicknames—“the Robin Hood of modern times” and “the Forrest Gump of ecology” to name a couple—but Rob Greenfield sees himself as part of the change he wishes to see in the world. Environmental Activist Rob Greenfield
Like most transformational stories, Greenfield’s begins with realization. In 2011, he was living what most would consider a typical, consumerist lifestyle. “I was very focused on material possessions and financial wealth,” Greenfield shares. “I actually had a goal of being a millionaire by the time I was 30.” This goal shifted, however, once he began reading books and watching documentaries on the importance of sustainability. “I started to realize that almost everything that I thought was doing good was causing destruction,” Greenfield says. “I realized I was a hypocrite—my actions were not in alignment with my beliefs.”
“What I strive to do is live in a way where my daily actions no longer cause destruction, are no longer part of inequitable and unjust systems and actually improve the world around me.”—Rob Greenfield Environmental Activist Rob Greenfield
To accomplish this, Greenfield set his sights on living in a way that’s beneficial to the planet and those around him, and to do that, he would need to radically transform his lifestyle. Over a period of two years, Greenfield set a goal of making at least one positive change a week. “If I made one positive change a week for two years, that’d be over 100 positive changes,” he explains. “I was able to radically and rapidly transform my life.”
The radical transformation didn’t stop there. In order to promote and garner more attention to his cause of environmental health and equity, Greenfield began taking on truly incredible projects. Some of these projects include living off the grid in a tiny house, wearing trash from products he used for 30 days and only eating food that he grew or foraged for a year—and he has plans to keep going and spread the good word. Environmental Activist Rob Greenfield
“What I want to do in my daily existence is to be a radical reminder that there’s another way that’s possible,” Greenfield explains. “It’s not about sacrificing; it’s about releasing what doesn’t serve us and making space for what does.”
Environmental Activist Rob Greenfield
How to Support
Follow Greenfield on social media, pick up his new kids book, “Be the Change,” or make a donation to his nonprofit organization, Regeneration, Equity and Justice.
Environmental Activist Rob Greenfield
Shop Zero-Waste
One of Greenfield’s favorite ways to shop sustainably is through food co-ops like O.B. People’s Co-op in San Diego. “I really love food co-ops, and that’s one of my favorite ones,” he says.
Get Green Today
Three sustainable changes you can make today are: composting, riding a bike or walking instead of driving and reducing waste by opting for reusable items instead of single-use.
Rob Greenfield
www.robgreenfield.org
@robjgreenfield
Born and raised near the Pacific Coast, Jordan Nishkian is a California girl through and through. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in Creative Writing and a BA in Anthropology, and her favorite place to be is curled up in a comfy chair with a book in her hand and a pen in her hair.
