
My landlord is kicking me out and I’m excited to go home free!
I just received a notice to vacate from my landlord. They have given me 60 days. We’ve had a great relationship for the last 3.5 years and I’ve always paid rent on time. I was a pretty easy tenant for them and pretty ideal in my mind. The reason that they’re sending me on my way is that I rent the apartment from them and sublet out the bedrooms for short-term stays. I provide furnished rooms in a furnished home for people to stay at a great price and that allows me to live rent-free in my little 36 square foot closet room. I have done that for three years, knowing that it was against the term of my lease, but also assuming my landlords probably knew since a simple Craigslist or Airbnb search by them would have found my ads. Plus all the different people staying at my house all the time was a pretty dead give away.
I received the letter two days ago in the midst of a very hectic bicycle tour and I do not intend to be back until just a week or so before I now have to vacate. So for the first 20 seconds of thought I felt a slight bit of worry. Then I quickly looked at the bright side and realized this would force me to finally leave the apartment that I’ve wanted to move from for a while now. A smile quickly grew on my face and excitement churned through me. I thought to myself, “I can finally find that place with a backyard where I can grow my own food and have a quiet place for meditation and yoga.”
Then I started to think even more. I asked myself, “Do I even need a place?” I travel six months out of the year anyway and I’ve had my own place for a while now. Maybe I don’t need a place to myself at all. Being the logical decision maker that I am I thought over the pros and cons of going home free so that I could make a well thought out decision. I thought about my mission in life and asked myself how I could go about my life without having a home.
These are the questions that were more important to me.
How can I demonstrate how to live sustainably at home as I have previously done without my own place?
I will stay with others for short periods of time such as a week or month and I will help them to turn their houses into more sustainable homes. I’ll put in energy efficient bulbs and water saving shower heads and faucets, help them to start composting, and teach them all the simple ways to make their home cleaner and greener for themselves and the earth. I will help them to see what they think they need and what they actually need to help them simplify their life. In doing so I will save them money for much time to come which can in part or in full be my contribution for staying with them. Their future guests will be exposed to a more sustainable way of living, sending out little ripples of earth friendliness each day.
Where will I sleep without a home?
Well, when the earth is my home I can never be homeless. I am only a man of just under six feet and there are many six-foot places where I can rest my body for the night. I will have a sleeping mat and sleeping bag to keep me comfortable whether indoors our outdoors and I will carry a tent to protect me if I am outdoors. I will stay with people for short periods of time to provide myself shelter and with the intentions of imparting health and happiness into their lives.
Where will I put my stuff?
I have been reducing my stuff for quite some time now. I no longer own much. No car, no valuable furniture, not much for valuable possessions whatsoever. However I do have some gear but even that I will reduce again upon leaving my apartment. The stuff that I do have, some of it I will carry with me and the rest I will store at a friends house. The most important possessions are some clothes, my bicycle (my ever important transportation), and my computer and phone (not necessary for life but very helpful tools in my mission). I have found as I am cycling across the country right now that everything I need fits right on my bicycle. I do not need much. I am a simple man and I will share. I will share everything I have with everyone and I know that others will share with me too, for that is what we do in the sharing economy. We are friends who share.
And how about my mail?
I am not a fan of wasting paper or the fossil fuel used to send it to me. My correspondence will be mostly via the World Wide Web. However for the important mail I will have a location, either a PO box or I will have it mailed to a friend, a dear friend.
Where will I put the large bounties of food that I get from dumpster diving?
I planned upon my return to get tons of fresh fruits and veggies from the dumpsters to share with others. I planned on storing it at my place and letting people come to my home to get free food. I planned to host dumpster dinners in my house, both to feed people and also to teach about food waste. Even without a home I will feed my community and disperse quality food amongst other people. I will make canned goods like pasta sauce, jams, and vegetables in the kitchen of a volunteer and we will then give it all away.
Where will I use the Internet?
Well of course I have a laptop but even if I didn’t there are libraries all over with computers for members and guests to use. Since libraries are funded by taxes and I may not be paying much tax I will volunteer my time instead. There is WIFI everywhere- cafes, homes, and businesses. This is how I will keep in touch and continue to spread inspiration online.
Where will I grown my own food?
I will simply get a plot at the community garden or grow food in the yards of my friends, sharing my bounty with everyone. Maybe I will start Food is Free Gardens around my community
How will I compost without my own compost bin?
I will teach other people to compost in my community so that I can use theirs or I will bring mine to the community garden.
Where will I get clean water for drinking?
I will carry a water purifier with me and I will drink from the tap. We are blessed with easy access to water in the United States although it is not pure of chemicals but that is a challenge that I will overcome.
Where will I host my events where I teach people?
This country is full of public parks free for our usage and they are a wonderful place to bring people together. The country is full of homes and businesses wanting to do better for the world. I will get them involved, hosting events, thus helping them with their mission while they help me with mine.
Where will I put my garbage with no garbage can of my own?
I do not make garbage, I eat garbage. Oh what was that? Yes I eat more garbage than I create. I am garbage negative. However I must say that the food I eat, although from dumpsters, is not garbage. Just because someone else decided that it is garbage does not mean that it is necessarily garbage. And I have decided that what our grocery stores are throwing away is still perfectly good food that can give nutrients to those in need. All of us humans are in need. We need water, food, electricity, clothing, and shelter. We are all needy and we are all dependent on others and this earth for our needs.
How about showering and hygiene?
Well of course I could just use the showers of other people because there are so many of them, as there are so many of everything, that we could share. However I do not use showers. Instead I swim in natural bodies of water in order to conserve our much-needed water. Especially in Southern California where we are under a massive drought right now. So I will swim daily in the Pacific Ocean. And for anyone who worries about me contaminating the water with soap or chemicals you mustn’t worry. I do not use any soap, shampoo, deodorants, or cologne. No chemicals are applied to my body, only natural materials in very minimal amounts. I also eat quite pure with minimal chemicals. My body feels as if it is a part of nature thus I feel comfortable using nature as my bath.
And what about transportation?
I will use my bicycle of course. This can get me just about anywhere I need to go. However if I need a vehicle I will use car2go, which is an electric car share program. Using just my simple membership card I can get into any of these smart cars spread throughout the city, drive to where I need to go, and park it right there on the street. Non-ownership has never been so easy.
I write this with excitement for a new way of life. In many ways it is not new for me but almost always I have had an apartment of my own to fall back on. I have always been able to say that I have a place, which creates a different stigma for many. Now I will not have my own place, but I do say again that the earth is my place. Many do not understand that concept though and will consider me a homeless man. That is part of what I am doing though. I’m showing people that there are alternatives to life and there is no need to place stereotypes or stigmas upon people. There is no need to put judgment upon someone for their clothes or possessions because you do not know who they really are. You do know that when people judge you they are often wrong and thus you are probably wrong as well when you judge others.
I will live a life that is out of doors, for I find that when I have my own place I often get stuck inside of it. I spend too much of my time in there when I could be outside breathing the much fresher air instead. By going home free I hope that I will no longer get stuck inside. That is the life for me.
I will live more happiness, more health, and more freedom than I ever have before. With fewer possessions, less stresses, less bills, less dependency on money, but with more of everything I want. With more human connection, more involvement in my community, more being at the service of other human beings. You see, this is what brings me my greatest joy. This is what brings me my health and my happiness. Simplicity, service, and a constant drive to make everybody I know a happier, healthier, and more understanding human being.
Congratulations Rob on taking this next step in your journey
Bravo.
stoked.. take back the commons.. i'll swim in the ocean with you!
Well. There. I am now in OB and heard just last night that this had occurred. And yes. You have been readying yourself for this for a long time now, and I am not at all surprised to read your latest plan. Full support, blessings and admiration to you, you ecological activist, you. I am still looking forward to a hug!
Your friends will be happy to see you!
All you need is a smart phone and a sleeping bag and internet access and you are set
You are my Source of Inspiration :))) xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Jess! So excited to see you when I get back!
So many of these statements stir ideas how to address each in order to magnify your impact through infectious replication. That most dear possession, other than body and soul, is your knowledge and information. Pairing that with scalable and repeatable best-practices, then promoting through the web will reach tens of millions. Documentation (printable) may still be necessary to help others reach the 15%, likely some of the most needy, who don't have access to the Internet. Awesome Rob, your mission expands and expands. Great reading this having had a chance to hear you in person.
Rob your existence is so inspiring!
Wow, you certainly aren't taking is slow. Having been homeless (by most standards) perhaps it's different if you seek it, rather than when you tried to avoid it. It's tough to disconnect my emotional (biological) response to your decision from my hearts desire for your success.
You continue to inspire. If you every want to hold a meeting or workshop or class in the community room at La Boheme in North Park, I can reserve it for you.
We'll said Rob! Thank you for reminding us of the beauty of simplicity!
Rob, I haven't had my own place since I left Maryland in June 2011. I have stayed with friends and hosts, paying rent from temp work when I could. But when I'm on my bike, there is no "home" to go back to. I wish you the best with your "live in service" and I think it is a great idea, something I have also thought about doing to share my "Food Basics" and helping people downsize, organizing yard sales, etc. I think with more publicity this could become a viable occupation for a lot of people like us. 🙂
I'm SO thankful for my cozy bed and home. I can't imagine not having them. 🙁
Yo Rob! Man, you're the most inspiring friend I've made on facebook and in person all year. Just got done watching the documentary "Happy"…you're living the happy life my friend. Keep on shining.
Yes we should do that sometime!
Yes everything I am doing is by choice so it is drastically different than it would for someone who has no home but wants one. If I decide I want a place I'll get one, simple as that.
Rob, you have travelled across the USA without using the power and water infrastructures that are publicly provided. Could you do the same not using the road system? I understand how you can reciprocate when you are provided housing or food, but how are you reciprocating for the road system (and in an earlier posting – health care system) that is publicly provided? At what point does symbiosis become parasitism?
Impressive Rob! You have your first invite to Los Angeles. You can sleep in the backyard if you wish, but I have a spare room 🙂 What I don't have is a compost and it is a deep wish of mine. Hmmm…
Hey Harvie,
Reciprocation does not have to occur on a direct give and take bases. For example a man could spend 100% of his money, say 1 million dollars, on creating a safe highway infrastructure for Americans but does that mean that he doesn't deserve to use the public parks, the library, or walk down the side walk?
I can assure you that I am not a parasite to this country and that I am not taking more than I am giving. I am in fact giving far more than I am taking. My work purposely does not use money, which means that I pay very little taxes however my work creates much good for the country. I keep people out of the hospitals by teaching them to be healthy which saves tax payers money. I teach people to create less trash which saves tax payers money. I also donate a large percentage of the money I do earn to non-profits that ultimately save tax payers money by sending children down a safe path that keeps them away from jails and the court system.
The system in which we currently live is highly interconnected and is is not possible to dissect it to whether we are all contributing to each and every aspect of public services.
Am I contributing my share to the hight profiteered health system or to public roads? I am not sure. Am I contributing my share and beyond to the well being of America's citizens? Absolutely but It may take some thinking outside the economic box to understand that.
Rob Greenfield Rob, Well argued! You are much like the troubadour of yore, but you sing not of love, but healthy living!
I applaud your courage Rob. Personally, I need to have roots, where I can do my thing. Grow fruit and vegetables. Raise plants from seed. Look after my bees. Keep pesticides away from my bit. Last week, I swapped a plant for three dozen beautiful free range eggs. Last weekend, I collected a colony of bees from a tree stump. Not one bee sting. I am a 64 year old woman in Australia. We have tank water and solar power. Loving life. Diane
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your
efforts and I will be waiting for your next post thanks once again.