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Rob Greenfield: 6 tips on how to live a greater life with less stuff

5 min read

Good Stuff
Source: Facebook/RobGreenfield

Environmental activist Rob Greenfield possesses almost nothing but is richer than most.

Rob lives a minimalist life with only 111 possessions

Rob Greenfield is an adventurer, activist, humanitarian, and dude making a difference. He is dedicated to leading the way to a more sustainable and just world.

Rob Greenfields tips on how to live a greater life with less stuff “A lot of minimalism is about being able to spend your time on experiences. People all over the world are waking up to the fact that having too much stuff is actually a burden on them and it’s not creating health and happiness instead it’s creating stress and burning up their time.” Says Rob. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes

Be the change you want to see in the world

Rob Greenfield is an adventurer, activist, humanitarian, and dude making a difference. He is dedicated to leading the way to a more sustainable and just world. He is the creator of The Food Waste Fiasco, a campaign that strives to end food waste and hunger. He has cycled across the USA twice on a bamboo bicycle and lived off the grid in a 50 square-foot tiny home in San Diego before auctioning it and raising enough money to build 10 tiny houses for people with no homes. He is currently traveling the USA in the service of others and owns just 111 possessions. He is the host of Free Ride on Discovery Channel and the author of Dude Making a Difference and donates 100% his his media income to grassroots nonprofits. Rob wants you to join him in making the world a happier, healthier place for all.

‘Would you believe that every single piece of food you see here came from a dumpster? Mind blowing, but this is actually nothing. We throw away nearly half of all food produced in America which is about $165 billion worth! All while 50 million Americans are food insecure or hungry!’ — Rob Greenfield, pictured with Cheryl Davies.
Rob went Dumpster Diving to highlight food waste in America ‘Would you believe that every single piece of food you see here came from a dumpster? Mind blowing, but this is actually nothing. We throw away nearly half of all food produced in America which is about $165 billion worth! All while 50 million Americans are food insecure or hungry!’ — Rob Greenfield, pictured with Cheryl Davies. Source: Facebook/RobGreenfield

Rob Greenfield’s tips for a minimalist lifestyle

Five years ago Rob Greenfield and about 20,000 things, like most of us. Now he leads a minimalist lifestyle.

“A lot of minimalism is about being able to spend your time on experiences. People all over the world are waking up to the fact that having too much stuff is actually a burden on them and it’s not creating health and happiness instead it’s creating stress and burning up their time.” Says Rob.

“It’s not about giving up, it’s actually about opening up your life to have the time to do what you want to do and spend your time doing what you’re passionate about rather organizing and storing and paying for stuff.”

“Go through your house and just look at stuff and ask, do I need this or not – and just start by making one pile of stuff and taking it to the thrift store. See how it makes you feel, maybe it’ll make you feel good, and if it makes you feel good, you’ll want to do more.”

Rob’s Tips:

  • One tip is not to be overwhelmed because being overwhelmed is not going to get you anywhere. Embrace where you are. Every minimalist you have ever seen, started somewhere. 
  • When I’m going to buy something I think is this going to make me healthier or happier or not, and if it doesn’t make me healthier or happier then probably I don’t need it.
  • When you’re buying something actually think, how many hours of work is this? When you really do need something the question is do you need to buy it or can you rent it or borrow it? 
  • How do you get rid of the things that mean so much to you? For me, giving something that I love to a person that I love was actually better than myself owning it.
  • One other tip is that anytime you’re going to get something, you also have to get rid of something. The point isn’t to get your life down to 111 possessions, it’s to cut it down to what you want, and not have what you don’t.

We can all do something and we can all look at our lives and self-reflect and ask, what can we do to make sure we are living the lives we want? What can we remove that detracts from our life?

SHARE IF YOU AGREE WE COULD DO WITH A LITTLE LESS STUFF — TAG A FRIEND WHO’S UP FOR A MINIMALISTIC APPROACH

This is how much trash Greenfield accumulated in 30 days of living like the average American. “The average American creates 135 pounds per month and I only created 84 pounds, about 1/3 less than the average. What would you look like if you wore a month’s worth of your own trash? Would it be a scary sight?” — Rob Greenfield
The Trash Man This is how much trash Greenfield accumulated in 30 days of living like the average American. “The average American creates 135 pounds per month and I only created 84 pounds, about 1/3 less than the average. What would you look like if you wore a month’s worth of your own trash? Would it be a scary sight?” — Rob Greenfield Source: Facebook/RobGreenfield
Rob Greenfield’s one-of-a-kind travelogue will inspire you to reexamine your relationship with the earth's resources. Rob's captivating stories of life on the low-impact road are rounded out by practical guides to help you reduce your personal ecological footprint and plan your own larger-than-life adventures. (100% of author's proceeds from the sale of Dude Making a Difference will be donated to 1% for the Planet)
Dude Making a Difference: Rob’s inspirational book is a one-of-a-kind travelogue Rob Greenfield’s one-of-a-kind travelogue will inspire you to reexamine your relationship with the earth’s resources. Rob’s captivating stories of life on the low-impact road are rounded out by practical guides to help you reduce your personal ecological footprint and plan your own larger-than-life adventures. (100% of author’s proceeds from the sale of Dude Making a Difference will be donated to 1% for the Planet) Source: NewSociety.com

Where to find Rob

You can follow Rob Greenfield on Facebook or Twitter, and RobGreenfieldTV is regularly updated with Rob’s activities and adventures.

Rob has cycled across the US twice on a bamboo bicycle bringing his message of sustainability and earth-friendly living to the United States. His first bike ride across the U.S. is also now a book, Dude Making a Difference.
The bamboo bike guy Rob has cycled across the US twice on a bamboo bicycle bringing his message of sustainability and earth-friendly living to the United States. His first bike ride across the U.S. is also now a book, Dude Making a Difference. Source: RobGreenfieldTV
...on a mission to travel to Panama, 7,000 miles and 7 countries away, relying on the goodness of humanity. This adventure is a six episode series called Free Ride on Discovery Channel playing worldwide. His travels have taken him to 6 continents and 40 countries.
In 2016 Rob landed in Rio, Brazil, without a penny in his pocket …on a mission to travel to Panama, 7,000 miles and 7 countries away, relying on the goodness of humanity. This adventure is a six episode series called Free Ride on Discovery Channel playing worldwide. His travels have taken him to 6 continents and 40 countries. Source: RobGreenfieldTV
Be the Change in the Messed up World | Rob Greenfield Individual actions can amount to change at a large scale. In his talk, Rob explains how this applies to environmentally friendly living. His extreme activism initiatives, such as the “Trash Me” campaign he ran in New York in 2016, are meant to awaken our consciousness on the impact our actions have on the planet. Rob invites us to commit to small daily changes to become the change we wish to see in the world. Source: Youtube/TEDTalks
Make an Impact

How to Live Like a Minimalist (With Pictures)

Minimalism is a lifestyle choice that encourages the elimination of excess in one's life. The move to live simply, and with as little as possible, is an aim for freedom from the pressures of consumerism and materialism. Once you get yourself into the minimalist mindset, you can start living like a minimalist by purging your excess belongings. On a larger scale, you can consider paring down your furniture, moving to a smaller home, or getting rid of your vehicle. The minimalist way of life does not have specific rules, and it is flexible enough to suit you regardless of your circumstances.