MILWAUKEE — There's a man in Wisconsin who is foraging for all of his food for an entire year. For 365 days, he is eating berries, fruits, leafy greens, fish, and even venison.
“I harvest my venison from deer that were hit by cars. Some people call that roadkill, but I say deer that was hit by a car.”
That's Robin Greenfield. He describes himself in many ways: "environmental activist, also forager, or activist forager, or human being, or some guy we found eating plants on the side of the road."
He finds all of his food just growing out in nature. Normally, he brings a bag and a pair of shears to harvest his food, but sometimes, he likes to get on his hands and knees and eat like a goat.
“Just feels nice to be harvesting straight from my mouth. There's something about it," he said.
Greenfield lives in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. He's on a mission to help promote environmentally friendly practices and encourage people to live more sustainably. He's not asking you to be as intense as him - to sleep in parks or make your own clothes or eat like a goat - Greenfield just wants to inspire change in any way possible.
“I celebrate anybody who is doing a little bit, but a little bit's not enough for me. I really actually want to live in a way where I'm living in harmony with this earth.”
That means he has taken some intense measures to fulfill that desire. Along with foraging for his food, he no longer has his I.D., passport, credit cards, a bank account, insurance, a phone, a car, or regular shoes. He makes all of his clothes from natural resources.
"And I'm really going to the essence of being a human, being like we have been for 99.9 percent of our existence," he said.
In fact, he chooses to follow a different set of laws, if you will. Greenfield adheres to 'Earth Code' instead of Government Law.
"Looking at everything that I do and asking, is this providing a quality of life for the earth, for the plants, and animals we share this home with, and for my community of humans?"
That means critically thinking about why certain rules are the way they are.
"For me in Milwaukee, you're not allowed to forage in some of the city parks. That would be an example of I would joyously follow 'Earth Code' first," he said.
Greenfield also spent time sleeping in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, which was illegal. He doesn't want to break rules to be reckless, violent, or harmful. To him, it's a calculated decision about what makes more sense to him when it comes to living as sustainably a life as possible.
“My job is to go to this extreme to stimulate critical thought to help people to ask questions.”
Before his life of foraging, Greenfield, a UW-La Crosse graduate, owned his own marketing firm in San Diego. He helped put ads on grocery store loudspeakers and the back of hotel key cards. Then, in 2011, he gradually made changes to his life like having more reusable items in his home. Next, he started buying more from farmers' markets, biking instead of driving, and volunteering with local organizations. As the years went on, his actions became more extreme - like cutting up his I.D.
"And, you know, here I am. I'm a human being. I still exist, and this is that exploration. My objective is to exist in a very non-attached impermanent way," Greenfield said.
Watch the story to see how Robin Greenfield forages...
He's based in Northern Wisconsin, but travels the country teaching people about foraging and living environmentally friendly lives. His nonprofit, Regeneration, Equity, and Justice, helps cover just the basic travel expenses. He is committed to living below the federal poverty line, so any money earned goes back to the non-profit to further spread his mission. He has more than 2.1 million followers across all social media platforms.
"One of the challenges of my life is creating that boundary and separation between myself and the nonprofit," Greenfield said.
He drives most places, stays at friends' houses or camps, and, of course, forages for his food.
It's not a lifestyle meant for everyone. It's just meant to inspire change in big or small ways.
To learn more about him, go to Robin Greenfield's website or follow him on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.
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