WEBVTT

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Joy: Hello everybody and welcome to

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Living your Values Series with

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Lauren Singer and Rob Greenfield today.

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Round of applause for these two,

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they are really incredible.

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[Applause]

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Joy: Lauren is the founder and CEO

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of Package Free, so this

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literally came from her brain.

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Thank you, guys, for joining us here.

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We are Zero Waste Lifestyle.

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We will help you live your life more 
sustainably.

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On that vein, Rob is also leading the 
way,

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showing us all how to live more 
sustainably,

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more just, and be better people, in 
general.

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We are really excited for your 
conversation.

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Afterwards, everything is 30% off.

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Thank you guys so much for being here.

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Rob: Cool.

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Lauren: Thanks Joy.

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We have done a lot of events and talks 
here.

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The last one that we did,

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I did something different.

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First, I was wondering if people would 
respond to it

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in a way that would make them feel
uncomfortable,

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but I later I learned it was actually 
quite nice.

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So you will have to bear with me.

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It was in honor of one of our vendors and

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one of my best friends who passed,

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a month ago, Vanessa Blake.

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Her and her two children

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were tragically killed in a

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car accident in California.

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She made a the Becky Boo Deodorant.

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There might be a few left here.

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What I did was take a moment

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of silence, for all of us, to take a 
second

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to think about someone that we love.

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If you were with your family for
the holidays,

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maybe you thought things that you

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do not love about your family.

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Sometimes, our family does that to us.

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But, I think it is important,

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especially during the holidays,

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during the stress of work....

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If anyone works in retail or e-commerce,

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or anything, you might be really 
overwhelmed.

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So I think that just to take a moment

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to think about something beautiful

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that happened today,

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and think about someone,

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and send love to someone you

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do not get to see all the time, but

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you care about deeply, so

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if we could just close our eyes

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and take a quick second.

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Lauren: Thank you [loud bang]

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That was perfect timing.

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Lauren: So Rob.

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Rob: So Lauren.

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Rob and I met, how many years ago now?

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Rob: 3 years and 2 months

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Lauren: 3 years and 2 months ago.

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I do not know how you remember that.

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That is amazing.

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I met you 3 years, 2 months ago,

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but I knew about you earlier,

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because before I even started my first 
company,

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The Simply Co, I had read an article

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about you, that was something along

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the lines of 'I did not shower for

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a year - these are the lessons I learned',

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and, after reading about this,

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I thought, "Woah, this guy is

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amazing, and interesting."

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How do you not shower?

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I started reading, and I learned

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that you did not not bathe, but you swam

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in rivers, and you let the earth

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take care of your personal hygiene.

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I actually thought it was beautiful

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and I found myself

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being incredibly envious of

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this year that you had

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to celebrate nature, and how

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amazing it can feel by just

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connecting with it.

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Then we connected for the first time...

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Was the first time in person when you

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came to my house?

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Was that it? Had we met before then?

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Rob: I think it was then, 2016

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Lauren: 2016. And, we had the most

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amzing time, which we will get into

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later, but, before any of that,

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before we get into all the fun we had 
when we connected,

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I wanted you to give a brief synopsis

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of who you are, your background,

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and what led you to start all of

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your adventures.

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Rob: Sure.

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I also want to tell about how I 
learned about Lauren.

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I was sitting at home

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and my best friend Dane sent me a

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message and he said...

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It was a Mindbodygreen story

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about how all your trash at that time

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fit into a jar, for maybe two years

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(at that time?) - it was a while ago.

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My friend Dane said, "This girl sounds

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a lot like you." [laughter]

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It was around the same time that I

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did the story, Lessons Learned from

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a Year Without Showering.

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He sent that over and said,

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"You two sound exactly alike.

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It is nice to be back.

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I just finished my year of growing and

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foraging all my food and this is my first 
beer.

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So cheers to being here with all of you.

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Everyone: Cheers!

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It is from Toast, which is an awesome

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company that makes it out

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of wasted bread, so cheers.

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Cheers everybody!

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Lauren: I will let you savor that.

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Rob: mmm I forgot how it tasted.

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Lauren: Tell us about where you are from.

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What was your childhood like?

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Rob: I grew up in Northern Wisconsin.

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I grew up in a small town, Ashland.

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Population: 8,620.

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My passion as a kid was catching frogs

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and turtles, and going out fishing.

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All I wanted to do was be outside.

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Even when I was not outside,

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I was reading National Geographic.

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I was basically yearning to see the world.

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I read books like Dr Seuss.

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I just wanted to go to these far off 
places, like Fiji.

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I always had a deep desire to learn all 
the animals.

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That was my childhood.

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The other central theme of my childhood

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was that we were very low income.

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It was my mom, me, and three siblings

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in a two-bedroom house where the paint was
chipping off.

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We had an old rusty car.

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Basically, my whole childhood,

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I was embarrassed about being poor.

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I was living most of my childhood like 
it was a lie.

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I did not want people to know who I 
really was.

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I think that was what led me to the next

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years where my goal was to be

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a millionaire by the time I was 30.

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I just really wanted to fit in with the

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American dream: to have nice things

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to be able to impress people.

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And, not just to impress people,

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but also just to fit in, and also just 
not be different.

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That is, I guess, how I would sum up

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the beginning of my life.

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Then, in 2011, was when I woke up.

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I realized that everything I was doing -

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the food I was eating, the car the I was
driving,

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the garbage that I was making -

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was destroying everything I loved as 
a kid.

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Lauren: Can you talk about what sparked
that?

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Your life now, is quite the contrast

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from being a millionaire at 30.

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What was the moment?

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Was there a singular moment or event

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or anything that made you change

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the trajectory of your life?

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Rob: Yes, it changed pretty drastically

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because my goal was to be a millionaire.

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Now my goal is to never have more

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than $15,000 of possessions and 
money, total.

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Right now, everything I own is in

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a backpack right back there.

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I have about $6000 to my name.

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So, it is opposite of being a 
millionaire, sort of.

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Actually, the opposite would be being

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extremely in debt - I am not in debt.

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What was the question again?

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Lauren: Was there a moment that sparked?

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What was your lightbulb?

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Rob: For me, I started to watch a lot of

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documentaries and read a lot of books.

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"Fooding" was one of the earliest

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documentaries that I watched.

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Zeitgeist was another early one.

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I read a lot of books; Michael Pollan

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was an early wake-up.

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Lauren: Me too.

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Rob: I just realized that my life

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was a couple of things.

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It was a lie that had been sold to me by

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corporate America, that most of the

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things I was doing was because I had

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bought their advertizing.

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For example, early on, Old Spice 
deodorant....

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I realized humans have existed for

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millions of years without Old Spice.

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Could I possibly need Old Spice to fit 
into society?

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Do I actually need these things?

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All the chemicals I was putting on my 
body and in my food,

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all the ways I was spewing chemicals

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and toxins into the world.

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[I was] also realizing that my actions

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were not in line with my beliefs.

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I always considered myself

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environmentally friendly because 
I recycled;

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I had energy efficient bulbs;

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I turned off the water when I was 
not using it.

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My mom had taught me the basic things.

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I always considered myself 
environmentally friendly,

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but then I realized that actually 99%

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of what I was doing was 
environmentally destructive.

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Almost nothing I was doing, 
nothing at all,

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was really environmentally friendly

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because I just bought into 
American consumerism.

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Lauren: What were the first steps you

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started to take when you realized that

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your values were not in alignment with

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your day to day actions?

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Rob: I just realized that we are talking

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exactly about the title of this talk.

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[Laughter.]

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Lauren: I am happy we got there.

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What were the first things that you did,

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because I think for a lot of people,

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they realize, maybe I am not living

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aligned with my values, but what can 
I do?

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I am just one person.

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I think what you really embody

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is doing something and 'really' doing 
something.

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What were the first steps you took

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to start to align with what you cared 
about?

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Rob: My thing was that I wanted to

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drastically and radically transform

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my life fairly quickly, but I also knew

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I could not do it overnight.

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I am generally pretty logical and 
rational,

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and I was deep in the system.

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I had 7 credit cards.

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I had a card that had 30 or so different 
bills.

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I had debt.

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I had a 3-bedroom apartment that I rented.

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I was in the system.

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Not as much as others -

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I did not have a mortgage, for example.

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I wanted to radically transform my life,

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but I knew that it would take some time.

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What I did was made a list of a hundred

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ways I wanted to change.

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My goal was that I was going to check off

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one positive thing per week, or better.

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As far as the first things, I have a 
visual,

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I remember taking everything toxic

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out of my bathroom and putting

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it on the curb, and then saying....

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That was the Story of Stuff,

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one of my earliest wake-ups.

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There is also the Story of Cosmetics

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in another video they put out.

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I remember just putting all that out 
on the curb,

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and saying, I am either going to 'not'

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replace them because maybe I do not

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need them at all, or if I am going to

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bring something into my house,

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it is going to be something

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that makes sense to put on my body.

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That was a really early one.

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I was also dating someone who was

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practicing traditional Chinese medicine,

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accupuncture, massage therapy and

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herbalism, at the time, so that was

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another reason that I started there.

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Then food. At the time, I went to Walmart

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for all of my food.

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They always ship around the country,
around the world.

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It is all in plastic, and then in two 
plastic bags.

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I quickly stopped going to Walmart.

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Then I went to Trader Joe's,

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I realized that is a scam,

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as far as thinking it is environmentally 
friendly.

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Then transitioning to eating more

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at local farmer's market.

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Another one was riding my bike a lot more.

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I had a beach cruiser at the time.

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So I decided I was going to get a bike

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that I could get some distance on.

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Lauren: Where were you living at the 
time?

00:12:15.476 --> 00:12:17.181
Rob: That was San Diego.

00:12:17.181 --> 00:12:19.215
So, I stopped driving my car as much.

00:12:20.505 --> 00:12:24.543
Also, slowly but surely got rid of my 
garbage can.

00:12:24.543 --> 00:12:25.988
That was a big goal of mine,

00:12:25.988 --> 00:12:27.864
to not have garbage cans in the house.

00:12:27.864 --> 00:12:28.669
Lauren: Yes!

00:12:28.669 --> 00:12:30.634
Which, back then seemed radical,

00:12:30.634 --> 00:12:32.868
but over time, it is just normal.

00:12:32.868 --> 00:12:35.046
Lauren: Let me talk about that a little 
bit.

00:12:35.046 --> 00:12:36.259
The word radical.

00:12:36.528 --> 00:12:38.847
I think there are not many people

00:12:38.847 --> 00:12:40.528
who would disagree that the things

00:12:40.528 --> 00:12:43.105
you do a quite radical, quite extremist.

00:12:43.105 --> 00:12:45.726
I have gotten that myself about going
zero waste.

00:12:45.726 --> 00:12:48.609
You go all the way, you never half-do
anything.

00:12:48.869 --> 00:12:52.323
Do have a reason for why you tackle these

00:12:52.558 --> 00:12:56.155
projects or these goals in the way that
you do?

00:12:56.155 --> 00:12:57.936
Can you speak to some of the projects

00:12:57.936 --> 00:12:59.420
that you have done in the past,

00:12:59.420 --> 00:13:01.689
from not showering to what you have just

00:13:01.689 --> 00:13:04.113
embarked on, have just completed.

00:13:04.462 --> 00:13:07.579
Rob: I do radical things for a few
reasons.

00:13:07.828 --> 00:13:10.396
1. because I have always been a radical
human being.

00:13:10.396 --> 00:13:11.544
It is just the reality.

00:13:11.544 --> 00:13:13.779
It is deep inside my bones.

00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:16.165
Before, I was radically stupid.

00:13:16.165 --> 00:13:19.068
I liked to do stupid things that

00:13:19.068 --> 00:13:21.971
would get people's attention.

00:13:21.971 --> 00:13:26.152
In college, running into a fence as hard

00:13:26.152 --> 00:13:28.284
as I could and seeing if I could 
break it.

00:13:28.284 --> 00:13:30.813
You know, really stupid things 
when I was drinking.

00:13:32.193 --> 00:13:35.632
I have always liked to test the limits.

00:13:35.632 --> 00:13:40.775
Now I choose to test purposeful limits.

00:13:43.175 --> 00:13:45.067
There is the reality that I just like

00:13:45.067 --> 00:13:47.697
to do extreme things and to test things.

00:13:47.697 --> 00:13:52.958
The other thing is that I realized at that
time,

00:13:52.958 --> 00:13:54.791
not only did I want to change my life,

00:13:54.791 --> 00:13:56.646
but I wanted to give people the

00:13:56.646 --> 00:13:58.227
opportunity to change their life.

00:13:58.227 --> 00:14:00.449
I was always decent about not wanting to

00:14:00.449 --> 00:14:02.494
tell anybody what to do,

00:14:02.494 --> 00:14:04.106
but just to give an alternative.

00:14:06.336 --> 00:14:08.171
In a half hour news segment,

00:14:08.171 --> 00:14:11.097
there are 18 short segments,

00:14:11.097 --> 00:14:13.311
and 15 of them are negative,

00:14:13.311 --> 00:14:14.786
and only 3 are positive.

00:14:14.786 --> 00:14:17.331
Between that are commercials telling you

00:14:17.331 --> 00:14:19.466
that if you want to be happy or healthy,

00:14:19.466 --> 00:14:20.852
you need to buy things.

00:14:20.852 --> 00:14:23.017
I just wanted to put out another 
narrative

00:14:23.017 --> 00:14:24.604
and give people another option.

00:14:24.604 --> 00:14:29.995
It was that. I wanted to show people 
another way.

00:14:29.995 --> 00:14:32.046
And of course, I had to compete

00:14:32.046 --> 00:14:35.226
with mainstream media.

00:14:35.226 --> 00:14:38.001
I had to do things that would actually

00:14:38.001 --> 00:14:40.032
get my message out there.

00:14:40.032 --> 00:14:41.623
If I just did a little bit.

00:14:41.623 --> 00:14:43.897
If I did things in a really moderate way,

00:14:43.897 --> 00:14:47.184
like starting to shop at the farmer's
market.

00:14:47.184 --> 00:14:48.658
Lauren: I shower once a week.

00:14:48.658 --> 00:14:50.540
Rob: Yeah, that would not be on ...

00:14:50.540 --> 00:14:52.849
Rob and Lauren: mainstream media

00:14:52.849 --> 00:14:55.232
Rob: So that was the strategic aspect 
of it.

00:14:55.232 --> 00:14:57.733
The other big part of it was....

00:14:57.733 --> 00:15:00.921
You have been called, like you said,

00:15:00.921 --> 00:15:03.054
extreme, and people generally

00:15:03.054 --> 00:15:04.692
consider me extreme.

00:15:04.692 --> 00:15:07.847
I consider myself extreme, but the 
reality is,

00:15:07.847 --> 00:15:10.187
I am actually not extreme.

00:15:10.187 --> 00:15:12.024
The only reason that I am extreme

00:15:12.024 --> 00:15:15.246
is because I am being compared to what is

00:15:15.246 --> 00:15:18.454
already an extreme society.

00:15:18.454 --> 00:15:21.285
The United States has 5% of the world's
population,

00:15:21.285 --> 00:15:23.638
but uses 25% of the world's resources.

00:15:23.638 --> 00:15:26.291
That by definition, is extreme.

00:15:26.291 --> 00:15:29.107
Not even close to the whole world could 
do that.

00:15:29.107 --> 00:15:34.038
What I am, is I am the counter balance to

00:15:34.038 --> 00:15:36.565
extreme western consumerism.

00:15:36.565 --> 00:15:39.437
I only have to go to these extremes

00:15:39.437 --> 00:15:42.237
because the extreme is already there.

00:15:42.237 --> 00:15:46.510
Lauren: Can you speak to some of the

00:15:46.510 --> 00:15:51.260
headlines that you created, some of the

00:15:51.260 --> 00:15:52.593
things you have taken on.

00:15:52.593 --> 00:15:55.217
We spoke about the 'I have not showered 
in a year -

00:15:55.217 --> 00:15:56.830
these are the lessons I learned.'

00:15:56.830 --> 00:15:59.304
Talk about some of the lessons you 
learned,

00:15:59.304 --> 00:16:02.269
from Trash Me, growing all your own
food.

00:16:02.269 --> 00:16:04.204
I am really curious becuase we have not

00:16:04.204 --> 00:16:06.044
caught up in a while, so this is more

00:16:06.044 --> 00:16:08.949
or me than it is for all of you.

00:16:08.949 --> 00:16:10.918
Rob: Well, my first project was to bike

00:16:10.918 --> 00:16:13.069
accross the United States, and try to

00:16:13.069 --> 00:16:15.119
have no negative environmental 
impact.

00:16:15.119 --> 00:16:17.885
That meant setting basic ground

00:16:17.885 --> 00:16:20.328
rules for all the key aspects of

00:16:20.328 --> 00:16:22.220
sustainable living, the things that we

00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:23.872
deal with every single day.

00:16:23.872 --> 00:16:25.664
I consider those to be food, water,

00:16:25.664 --> 00:16:27.298
energy, waste, and transportion.

00:16:27.298 --> 00:16:29.388
These are things that every single one
of us

00:16:29.388 --> 00:16:30.921
deals with every single day

00:16:30.921 --> 00:16:32.395
whether we realize it or not.

00:16:32.395 --> 00:16:34.644
For example, for waste, every piece 
of garbage

00:16:34.644 --> 00:16:36.508
that I created, I had to carry across

00:16:36.508 --> 00:16:38.177
the United States with me.

00:16:38.177 --> 00:16:40.682
If I had a candy bar in San Francisco,

00:16:40.682 --> 00:16:43.214
then I had to bike with that plastic

00:16:43.214 --> 00:16:45.016
all the way to Vermont.

00:16:45.016 --> 00:16:48.139
On that trip, I made just 2 pounds

00:16:48.139 --> 00:16:50.536
of trash in 104 days, which is what

00:16:50.536 --> 00:16:52.414
the average person in the United States

00:16:52.414 --> 00:16:54.722
makes by about 1 or 2 in the afternoon

00:16:54.722 --> 00:16:55.853
on any given day.

00:16:55.853 --> 00:16:58.366
On that trip, I was doing extreme things

00:16:58.366 --> 00:17:03.675
about food, water, energy, waste,
transportation.

00:17:03.675 --> 00:17:05.305
That was my first project.

00:17:05.305 --> 00:17:09.247
The other one was Trash Me,

00:17:09.247 --> 00:17:11.180
which was right here in New York City.

00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:14.324
That was a month of living like the 
average American.

00:17:14.324 --> 00:17:17.535
Putting all ethics and morals aside 
for the month,

00:17:17.535 --> 00:17:21.211
and eating, consuming like the average 
person.

00:17:21.211 --> 00:17:24.193
But I had to wear every piece of trash
that I created.

00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:27.127
Lauren: Did everybody see that? Yeah?

00:17:27.127 --> 00:17:29.487
We had it here for a little while.

00:17:29.487 --> 00:17:31.040
It was awesome!

00:17:31.040 --> 00:17:32.216
Rob: Good

00:17:32.216 --> 00:17:33.960
Lauren: How did you feel after that?

00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:35.732
What was the lesson that you learned?

00:17:35.732 --> 00:17:41.377
Rob: It is interesting, in a way I felt 
better.

00:17:41.377 --> 00:17:43.714
I have to say, it was the most enjoyable

00:17:43.714 --> 00:17:46.031
month in my entire life.

00:17:46.031 --> 00:17:48.642
Not because I was consuming,

00:17:48.642 --> 00:17:51.310
but just because it worked so well.

00:17:51.310 --> 00:17:54.055
Everywhere I went for the whole month

00:17:54.055 --> 00:17:55.798
in New York city, I was being chased

00:17:55.798 --> 00:17:57.479
down the streets by people saying,

00:17:57.479 --> 00:18:00.354
"It is the trash man!" People were 
excited.

00:18:00.354 --> 00:18:05.623
What fulfils me, is seeing people's

00:18:05.623 --> 00:18:08.096
wheels turning inside their head.

00:18:08.096 --> 00:18:09.845
People would walk up to me.

00:18:09.845 --> 00:18:11.769
It is the opposite of all of your trash

00:18:11.769 --> 00:18:12.948
fitting into your jar.

00:18:12.948 --> 00:18:15.407
I always try to find visual ways to help

00:18:15.407 --> 00:18:17.606
people understand important issues.

00:18:17.606 --> 00:18:20.817
The idea was that I wanted people

00:18:20.817 --> 00:18:23.301
to look at me, and see themselves,

00:18:23.301 --> 00:18:26.140
without me having to tell them 
anything.

00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:27.836
Without me having to tell anyone

00:18:27.836 --> 00:18:29.643
that they are doing anything wrong.

00:18:29.643 --> 00:18:31.428
Because I do not necessarily believe

00:18:31.428 --> 00:18:33.059
in wrong or right anyway.

00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:38.459
... not have to tell anybody anything.

00:18:38.459 --> 00:18:40.447
What would happen, is people would

00:18:40.447 --> 00:18:41.908
walk up to me in the street.

00:18:41.908 --> 00:18:45.003
They would say, "What are you doing?"

00:18:45.003 --> 00:18:46.519
I would say, "I am just living

00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:48.358
like the average American for a month,

00:18:48.358 --> 00:18:49.886
and I am wearing all my trash."

00:18:49.886 --> 00:18:51.719
They would just look at me.

00:18:51.719 --> 00:18:53.377
Sometimes they would actually say,

00:18:53.377 --> 00:18:55.579
"Oh, that is me."

00:18:55.579 --> 00:18:57.781
Sometimes you would see them 
realize it.

00:18:57.781 --> 00:18:59.790
Other times they would actually say it.

00:18:59.790 --> 00:19:04.249
I try to do things in a way that are

00:19:04.249 --> 00:19:09.491
in people's faces, without "being 
in their face".

00:19:09.491 --> 00:19:11.398
Lauren: I think it was a really amazing

00:19:11.398 --> 00:19:13.337
project for me, because my whole life is

00:19:13.337 --> 00:19:15.286
focused around talking about trash

00:19:15.286 --> 00:19:17.055
and how not to make so much trash.

00:19:17.055 --> 00:19:19.844
Actually feeling the weight of your

00:19:19.844 --> 00:19:22.631
completed suit was unbelievable.

00:19:22.631 --> 00:19:25.967
This suit was really heavy; we needed

00:19:25.967 --> 00:19:28.803
three people to carry it up the stairs.

00:19:28.803 --> 00:19:31.738
The day we installed it, I think I fell 
4 times.

00:19:31.738 --> 00:19:33.605
It was unbelievable.

00:19:33.605 --> 00:19:37.126
You truly do not realize the sheer volume

00:19:37.126 --> 00:19:41.116
of the sh*t that people create every 
single day.

00:19:41.116 --> 00:19:44.621
I think it was a really important 
project for me.

00:19:44.621 --> 00:19:47.748
I am sure it was for so many other people.

00:19:47.748 --> 00:19:50.169
The next project after that was what?

00:19:50.169 --> 00:19:55.775
Rob: Another project that I just finished

00:19:55.775 --> 00:19:58.034
was a year of growing and foraging all 
my food.

00:19:58.034 --> 00:20:00.370
For one year, no grocery stores, no 
restaurants,

00:20:00.370 --> 00:20:02.601
no drink at a bar, nothing packaged,

00:20:02.601 --> 00:20:05.350
nothing processed, nothing shipped
long distances,

00:20:05.350 --> 00:20:10.239
no beer, no even going to the package-free

00:20:10.239 --> 00:20:12.946
shop to get my food, or even the farmer's 
market.

00:20:12.946 --> 00:20:15.488
Everything I ate for the year was either

00:20:15.488 --> 00:20:19.479
from my gardens, or that I went out and

00:20:19.479 --> 00:20:21.828
foraged, whether it was out in the

00:20:21.828 --> 00:20:24.284
countryside, or right in the cities that 
I was in.

00:20:24.284 --> 00:20:26.011
Lauren: Where was this taking place?

00:20:26.011 --> 00:20:27.623
Rob: That was in Orlando Florida.

00:20:27.623 --> 00:20:29.932
That is where I have lived for the last 2 
years.

00:20:29.932 --> 00:20:31.047
Lauren: How was that,

00:20:31.047 --> 00:20:32.863
foraging for food in Orlando Florida?

00:20:32.863 --> 00:20:34.526
When I think of Orlando, Florida,

00:20:34.526 --> 00:20:35.890
and I think of Disneyworld.

00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:38.272
I think of Universal Studios,

00:20:38.272 --> 00:20:40.067
and maybe cotton candy,

00:20:40.067 --> 00:20:41.991
but I definitely do not think of

00:20:41.991 --> 00:20:44.999
sustenance for a year and half of life.

00:20:44.999 --> 00:20:46.548
So what were the types of things

00:20:46.548 --> 00:20:48.627
that you found there?

00:20:48.627 --> 00:20:53.709
Rob: Generally, we think of what we know.

00:20:53.709 --> 00:20:58.517
If we are not thinking of what might

00:20:58.517 --> 00:21:00.491
be edible around us, then we will walk

00:21:00.491 --> 00:21:02.526
past those things our entire life without

00:21:02.526 --> 00:21:04.170
ever thinking about it.

00:21:04.170 --> 00:21:06.648
The amazing thing is,

00:21:06.648 --> 00:21:08.720
food is growing everywhere,

00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:10.508
even in New York city.

00:21:10.508 --> 00:21:14.398
I was here 3 years ago. I was in a park.

00:21:14.398 --> 00:21:16.126
I saw this guy, just picking things

00:21:16.126 --> 00:21:17.640
out of a tree and eating them.

00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:18.973
I said "What are you doing?"

00:21:18.973 --> 00:21:21.195
He said, "These are cherries and 
mulberries."

00:21:21.195 --> 00:21:23.256
At the time, I did not know what they 
were.

00:21:23.256 --> 00:21:24.467
Lauren: Surinam cherries?

00:21:24.467 --> 00:21:26.468
Those are my favorite things in the world.

00:21:26.468 --> 00:21:28.689
Rob: Oh really? These were just little

00:21:28.689 --> 00:21:30.644
pin cherries, or black cherries.

00:21:30.644 --> 00:21:33.737
There is food growing all over New York 
City.

00:21:33.737 --> 00:21:35.496
It is basically growing everywhere.

00:21:35.496 --> 00:21:39.381
But what I did in Orlando was I

00:21:39.381 --> 00:21:40.970
turned front yards into gardens.

00:21:40.970 --> 00:21:43.171
When I landed in Orlando, I had no land.

00:21:43.171 --> 00:21:45.983
I did not have a place to stay yet.

00:21:45.983 --> 00:21:49.413
I found someone, and they let me

00:21:49.413 --> 00:21:50.805
stay in their guest bedroom.

00:21:50.805 --> 00:21:52.721
I turned their front yard into a garden.

00:21:52.721 --> 00:21:54.382
Then I turned 6 yards into gardens

00:21:54.382 --> 00:21:55.631
while I was there.

00:21:55.631 --> 00:21:58.304
That is where I got all my food that 
I grew.

00:21:58.304 --> 00:22:00.620
Just front yards that you could walk by.

00:22:00.665 --> 00:22:03.967
Anybody could pick from them.

00:22:03.967 --> 00:22:05.761
There was no fence or anything.

00:22:05.761 --> 00:22:07.512
Lauren: Who were the types of people

00:22:07.512 --> 00:22:09.617
that opened up their homes, their 
property,

00:22:09.617 --> 00:22:12.060
their possessions to you, so you could 
subsist?

00:22:12.060 --> 00:22:14.327
Rob: Mostly people who watched me 
on YouTube.

00:22:14.327 --> 00:22:16.510
Lauren: Wow, and how did you find them?

00:22:16.510 --> 00:22:17.818
Did you do a call for them

00:22:17.818 --> 00:22:20.408
before you started off on this journey?

00:22:20.408 --> 00:22:23.823
Community is so important, right?

00:22:23.823 --> 00:22:26.896
And for you, it is a major part of how 
you live.

00:22:26.896 --> 00:22:29.131
So how are you finding and connecting

00:22:29.131 --> 00:22:30.473
with these amazing people?

00:22:30.473 --> 00:22:32.806
Rob: That was partially a joke, because

00:22:32.806 --> 00:22:35.912
a lot of the people I ended up doing

00:22:35.912 --> 00:22:38.408
things with had never heard of me.

00:22:38.408 --> 00:22:40.659
I am just some crazy guy who wants

00:22:40.659 --> 00:22:42.204
to build a garden.

00:22:42.204 --> 00:22:44.256
Sometimes, they would think

00:22:44.256 --> 00:22:47.813
"That sounds good, but you are barefoot.."

00:22:47.813 --> 00:22:50.289
and "I am not sure about this guy."

00:22:50.289 --> 00:22:51.993
I am not usually wearing a shirt.

00:22:51.993 --> 00:22:53.663
I am wearing short shorts around.

00:22:53.663 --> 00:22:56.120
They are thinking, "I am not sure about 
this guy."

00:22:56.120 --> 00:22:57.647
Lauren: Did some people like it?

00:22:57.647 --> 00:22:59.493
Rob: Some people do, enough people do.

00:22:59.493 --> 00:23:00.820
There are 7 billion people,

00:23:00.820 --> 00:23:02.588
so you do not need to please everyone

00:23:02.588 --> 00:23:04.502
to have plenty of people on your side.

00:23:04.502 --> 00:23:08.493
Some of it was through,

00:23:08.493 --> 00:23:12.583
these days I think the word is 
Social Capital.

00:23:12.583 --> 00:23:17.255
Some people base their life around having

00:23:17.255 --> 00:23:20.188
enough money to get everything they need.

00:23:20.188 --> 00:23:21.513
That is what I used to do.

00:23:21.513 --> 00:23:23.336
I used to design my life around having

00:23:23.336 --> 00:23:25.119
enough money so that I would be able

00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:27.306
to buy whatever experience

00:23:27.306 --> 00:23:29.603
or product, or even sometimes

00:23:29.603 --> 00:23:31.271
friendship that I might have wanted

00:23:31.271 --> 00:23:33.549
through my material possessions and the

00:23:33.549 --> 00:23:35.837
experiences I could give or share with
them.

00:23:35.837 --> 00:23:39.324
Today, instead of it being through money,

00:23:39.324 --> 00:23:42.538
I look at it through the reality that

00:23:42.538 --> 00:23:45.160
we live in a time where together we can

00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:46.907
pretty much meet all of each other's

00:23:46.907 --> 00:23:48.484
needs outside of the globalized,

00:23:48.484 --> 00:23:50.417
industrialized systems.

00:23:50.417 --> 00:23:53.080
We live in a very privileged time

00:23:53.080 --> 00:23:56.049
where just with this group together,

00:23:56.049 --> 00:23:58.096
if we just came up with all of our 
skills,

00:23:58.096 --> 00:24:00.569
we could pretty much work together

00:24:00.569 --> 00:24:02.955
to accomplish most of what we need to.

00:24:02.955 --> 00:24:04.358
So I look at that.

00:24:04.358 --> 00:24:06.445
I try to bring that together.

00:24:06.445 --> 00:24:07.600
It is always about

00:24:07.600 --> 00:24:10.815
What do you want in life that you do 
not have?

00:24:10.815 --> 00:24:12.955
What do I want in life that I do not 
have?

00:24:12.955 --> 00:24:15.959
For some people, that is a blank lawn 
with grass.

00:24:15.959 --> 00:24:17.470
And they want food.

00:24:17.470 --> 00:24:19.992
I do not have a lawn, but I know how to 
grow food.

00:24:19.992 --> 00:24:22.810
So we can combine our resources

00:24:22.810 --> 00:24:26.117
to create what we both want.

00:24:26.117 --> 00:24:30.468
Lauren: That is so beautiful. Okay.

00:24:30.468 --> 00:24:35.608
Where does your tiny house come in?

00:24:35.608 --> 00:24:38.131
Was that before growing your own food?

00:24:38.131 --> 00:24:39.637
Rob: When I lived in San Diego,

00:24:39.637 --> 00:24:41.500
I lived in a 50 foot/square tiny house.

00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:43.074
Lauren: that you built yourself?

00:24:43.074 --> 00:24:46.014
Rob: That was the one I bought on 
Craigslist for $950.

00:24:46.014 --> 00:24:47.852
I call it a tiny house,

00:24:47.852 --> 00:24:51.520
but it was basically a glorified dog 
house,

00:24:51.520 --> 00:24:54.277
or a kid's playpen on wheels.

00:24:54.277 --> 00:24:56.345
It was basically a box, but it was

00:24:56.345 --> 00:24:58.414
designed to look really nice.

00:24:58.414 --> 00:25:00.320
Not a cardboard box, a wood box,

00:25:00.320 --> 00:25:02.550
that had nice lines that made it

00:25:02.550 --> 00:25:03.860
look like a little cabin.

00:25:03.860 --> 00:25:08.323
I bought that for $950 and lived off grid 
in San Diego.

00:25:08.323 --> 00:25:11.027
That was 2015-2016.

00:25:11.027 --> 00:25:13.732
When I lived in Orlando, I built

00:25:13.732 --> 00:25:16.214
a tiny house out of 99% second-hand

00:25:16.214 --> 00:25:20.184
materials for about $1300

00:25:20.184 --> 00:25:21.555
Lauren: Where did you find

00:25:21.555 --> 00:25:22.911
everything for that house?

00:25:22.911 --> 00:25:25.058
Rob: It was mostly left-over materials

00:25:25.058 --> 00:25:26.513
from construction projects,

00:25:26.513 --> 00:25:29.276
the two-by-fours, the plywood and all 
that.

00:25:29.276 --> 00:25:31.576
Lauren: How did you know how to 
build a house?

00:25:31.611 --> 00:25:32.474
Rob: I did not.

00:25:32.474 --> 00:25:35.315
I met a guy who knows how to build a 
house.

00:25:35.315 --> 00:25:37.317
Lauren: How did you meet said guy?

00:25:37.317 --> 00:25:41.782
Rob: He was the husband of someone

00:25:41.782 --> 00:25:44.336
who had been doing photography for

00:25:44.336 --> 00:25:48.046
me for the past few years who liked my

00:25:48.046 --> 00:25:50.152
work and had been following me.

00:25:50.152 --> 00:25:52.118
Somehow she wrapped him into building

00:25:52.118 --> 00:25:54.206
my house for me. 
Lauren: That is amazing!

00:25:54.206 --> 00:25:56.943
There was him.... without him it would 
not have worked.

00:25:56.943 --> 00:25:58.144
He was a carpenter.

00:25:58.144 --> 00:26:01.684
But 40 different people came together

00:26:01.684 --> 00:26:02.837
and built the house.

00:26:02.837 --> 00:26:07.537
I am saying 'house' but it looks like a 
shed.

00:26:07.537 --> 00:26:10.516
10ft by 10ft, very simple.

00:26:10.516 --> 00:26:14.039
I am very much a person who

00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:16.398
does not practice altruism in any way.

00:26:16.398 --> 00:26:18.132
Some people look at what I am doing

00:26:18.132 --> 00:26:20.089
and might think of it as altruistic.

00:26:20.089 --> 00:26:24.067
But it is not that, it is 'how can we meet

00:26:24.067 --> 00:26:25.260
each other's needs'.

00:26:25.260 --> 00:26:26.653
These 40 people who came out

00:26:26.653 --> 00:26:28.385
to volunteer to build my tiny house,

00:26:28.385 --> 00:26:30.092
none of them were there,

00:26:30.092 --> 00:26:32.142
for the most part, because they thought,

00:26:32.142 --> 00:26:33.872
"Let us help Rob out."

00:26:33.872 --> 00:26:35.670
They were there because they were

00:26:35.670 --> 00:26:36.979
interested in tiny houses.

00:26:36.979 --> 00:26:39.412
It was an opportunity to learn about 
tiny houses.

00:26:39.412 --> 00:26:42.041
They wanted to meet like-minded people.

00:26:42.041 --> 00:26:47.057
They wanted to make some friends,

00:26:47.057 --> 00:26:51.027
or just have a new experience.

00:26:51.027 --> 00:26:56.287
By making building my house a community
event,

00:26:56.287 --> 00:26:59.017
everyone who came out got to benefit 
from that.

00:26:59.017 --> 00:27:00.716
At the same time, of course,

00:27:00.716 --> 00:27:02.495
I got to benefit cause they helped

00:27:02.495 --> 00:27:03.787
me put together my house.

00:27:03.787 --> 00:27:07.039
I also just want to say I did a lot of it.

00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:09.672
It is not like people just came up and 
built my house.

00:27:09.672 --> 00:27:11.632
Lauren: as you drank a beer and watched.

00:27:11.632 --> 00:27:12.561
Rob: I slaved away.

00:27:12.561 --> 00:27:15.680
It took 250 hours to build.

00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:17.201
It was a lot of work.

00:27:17.201 --> 00:27:20.002
Lauren: You were not always living there
alone.

00:27:20.709 --> 00:27:22.185
Rob: Last time you and I met,

00:27:22.185 --> 00:27:24.538
I was living with my partner Sheryl at 
the time.

00:27:24.538 --> 00:27:26.889
We were building that tiny house 
together.

00:27:27.469 --> 00:27:30.148
But it took me too long, so she left.

00:27:30.148 --> 00:27:34.168
Laughter

00:27:34.168 --> 00:27:35.711
It did take me too long.

00:27:35.711 --> 00:27:37.321
That is not why she left.

00:27:37.321 --> 00:27:40.047
It worked out great because

00:27:40.047 --> 00:27:43.326
had we finished the tiny house ....

00:27:43.326 --> 00:27:47.806
We were together for 4 years.

00:27:47.806 --> 00:27:49.814
We spent a beautiful 4 years together.

00:27:49.814 --> 00:27:51.642
It was actually 8, because we were

00:27:51.642 --> 00:27:56.090
involved for 4 years before that 4 years

00:27:56.090 --> 00:27:59.202
that we were actually in a partnership.

00:27:59.202 --> 00:28:04.963
We always had the belief that if

00:28:04.963 --> 00:28:07.462
our relationship does not serve

00:28:07.462 --> 00:28:09.962
the individual to their best interests,

00:28:09.962 --> 00:28:12.182
and the partnership to the best interest,

00:28:12.182 --> 00:28:14.106
then there is absolutely nothing wrong

00:28:14.106 --> 00:28:17.632
with letting those paths go in two 
different directions.

00:28:17.632 --> 00:28:20.106
We were at a point where there were

00:28:20.106 --> 00:28:23.395
things that she wanted in life

00:28:23.395 --> 00:28:24.739
that were different than me.

00:28:24.739 --> 00:28:26.335
And [some] that I wanted in life

00:28:26.335 --> 00:28:27.747
that were different than her.

00:28:27.747 --> 00:28:29.847
We decided that we were not going to be

00:28:29.847 --> 00:28:33.049
together anymore in a partnership.

00:28:33.049 --> 00:28:36.317
But she is still, I guess my best friend

00:28:36.317 --> 00:28:39.315
in the world, maybe top 3 best friends.

00:28:40.595 --> 00:28:43.446
Timing-wise it worked out great though,

00:28:43.446 --> 00:28:46.217
because had we built the house,

00:28:46.217 --> 00:28:48.637
then we would have been in a tricky 
situation,

00:28:48.637 --> 00:28:51.121
because we would have had that tiny 
house together.

00:28:51.121 --> 00:28:53.114
She basically left 3 weeks

00:28:53.114 --> 00:28:55.928
before I started building it.

00:28:55.928 --> 00:28:57.856
Lauren: Can you talk about what it was

00:28:57.856 --> 00:29:00.141
like being in a relationship.

00:29:00.141 --> 00:29:02.384
Going through all of the different

00:29:02.384 --> 00:29:03.922
journeys that you went through.

00:29:03.922 --> 00:29:05.429
Because I know for myself,

00:29:05.429 --> 00:29:08.384
I have been living a zero-waste lifestyle 
for 8 years.

00:29:08.384 --> 00:29:10.345
I have been so lucky to have incredible

00:29:10.345 --> 00:29:12.319
partners that, throughout the journey,

00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:15.232
have supported me in very different
and important ways.

00:29:15.232 --> 00:29:18.085
From being counterparts to what I was 
doing,

00:29:18.085 --> 00:29:20.876
to being people that were absorbing what

00:29:20.876 --> 00:29:23.509
I was doing and incorporating it into 
their own lives.

00:29:23.509 --> 00:29:25.310
It is a beautiful dance when you

00:29:25.310 --> 00:29:26.320
are in a partnership.

00:29:26.320 --> 00:29:28.256
A lot of people have come to me.

00:29:28.256 --> 00:29:29.981
Maybe they have come to you, saying,

00:29:29.981 --> 00:29:31.251
"I am in this partnership.

00:29:31.251 --> 00:29:32.252
I have these values.

00:29:32.252 --> 00:29:34.433
My partner does not share those values."

00:29:34.433 --> 00:29:36.172
Do you have instances where you

00:29:36.172 --> 00:29:38.944
experienced that in your partnership?

00:29:38.944 --> 00:29:40.780
What advice would you give to someone

00:29:40.780 --> 00:29:42.734
who, for instance, wants to reduce their

00:29:42.734 --> 00:29:44.644
waste, or wants to grow their own food,

00:29:44.644 --> 00:29:46.602
but maybe their partner, family or their

00:29:46.602 --> 00:29:49.153
friends, do not align with it?

00:29:49.153 --> 00:29:51.543
Rob: Well, a couple of things.

00:29:51.543 --> 00:29:54.480
I would say that one thing people

00:29:54.480 --> 00:29:56.877
are very afraid to do is leave behind

00:29:56.877 --> 00:29:59.957
relationships that are not right.

00:29:59.957 --> 00:30:04.597
For example, my dad, unfortunately was not

00:30:04.597 --> 00:30:07.606
a good person to have in my life for a 
while.

00:30:07.606 --> 00:30:11.203
He was extremely negative and paranoid 
about things.

00:30:11.203 --> 00:30:13.913
He was as unsupportive as it could get.

00:30:13.913 --> 00:30:15.802
Always telling me not to do almost

00:30:15.802 --> 00:30:17.500
everything that I was trying to do.

00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:20.905
After years of trying, I eventually said 
to him,

00:30:20.905 --> 00:30:27.831
-after many pleadings of "Let us make

00:30:27.831 --> 00:30:29.535
things work",- eventually, I said,

00:30:29.535 --> 00:30:32.013
"OK then, we can not be friends anymore.

00:30:32.013 --> 00:30:33.870
We can not hang out anymore.

00:30:33.870 --> 00:30:37.179
For two years, he was not a part of my 
life.

00:30:37.179 --> 00:30:40.718
I had to block his number because

00:30:40.718 --> 00:30:43.582
it was a toxic relationship.

00:30:43.582 --> 00:30:46.378
Then, after two years,

00:30:46.378 --> 00:30:50.921
I do not remember how it happened.

00:30:50.921 --> 00:30:52.870
I started to talk to him again.

00:30:52.870 --> 00:30:54.197
And it worked out.

00:30:54.197 --> 00:30:56.523
We have a much better relationship.

00:30:56.523 --> 00:31:00.498
Obviously, that is a complicated thing,

00:31:00.498 --> 00:31:02.734
but one of the main things is,

00:31:02.734 --> 00:31:05.545
if a relationship is not providing

00:31:05.545 --> 00:31:07.464
true value for two people,

00:31:07.464 --> 00:31:08.884
then I think that we need to

00:31:08.884 --> 00:31:10.973
be able to walk away from that.

00:31:10.973 --> 00:31:12.704
Especially if it is a really toxic

00:31:12.704 --> 00:31:14.692
relationship, or an abusive relationship,

00:31:14.692 --> 00:31:15.808
or something like that.

00:31:15.808 --> 00:31:18.195
Now, in scenarios where it is not that.

00:31:18.195 --> 00:31:19.912
It is just a matter of friendship.

00:31:19.912 --> 00:31:21.807
One of the easiest things is

00:31:21.807 --> 00:31:25.049
just accepting them for who they are.

00:31:25.049 --> 00:31:28.718
Ideally, they can accept you for who you
are as well,

00:31:28.718 --> 00:31:31.923
but acceptance starts with ourselves.

00:31:31.923 --> 00:31:33.693
We can not control anyone else.

00:31:33.693 --> 00:31:37.873
In the past, I focused on people around
me.

00:31:37.873 --> 00:31:45.072
Like Sheryl's mom; When I was around
Sheryl's family,

00:31:45.072 --> 00:31:47.674
I remember being uneasy, because I

00:31:47.674 --> 00:31:49.727
wanted them to do zero-waste type things.

00:31:49.727 --> 00:31:52.678
Even around my aunt Louise, I remember,

00:31:52.678 --> 00:31:54.836
we would go grocery shopping together.

00:31:54.836 --> 00:31:57.075
She would use double plastic bags.

00:31:57.075 --> 00:31:59.868
If you are watching, Louise, hello, I love
you.

00:31:59.868 --> 00:32:01.306
Lauren: Me too.

00:32:01.306 --> 00:32:08.180
Rob: There was a toxicity in my 
relationships

00:32:08.180 --> 00:32:09.924
because there was an uneasiness.

00:32:09.924 --> 00:32:11.636
They might be nervous around me,

00:32:11.636 --> 00:32:14.483
wondering if I was going to berate them
a little bit.

00:32:14.483 --> 00:32:17.166
Or I would be uneasy because I wanted

00:32:17.172 --> 00:32:19.077
to say something, but was holding back.

00:32:19.077 --> 00:32:22.002
There was a time, maybe 3 years ago.

00:32:22.002 --> 00:32:25.168
I just said, 'Look, there are 7 billion 
people on Earth.

00:32:25.168 --> 00:32:27.326
It does not matter to me if my mom,

00:32:27.326 --> 00:32:30.076
or my sister, or my friends change,

00:32:30.076 --> 00:32:32.972
because there are literally tens of 
millions

00:32:32.972 --> 00:32:35.316
of people right now, who want to change.

00:32:35.316 --> 00:32:36.964
This room is an example of that.

00:32:36.964 --> 00:32:39.035
The fact that Package-Free is so 
successful

00:32:39.035 --> 00:32:40.320
is an example of that.

00:32:40.320 --> 00:32:42.012
There are millions of people around

00:32:42.012 --> 00:32:43.471
the world who want to change.

00:32:43.471 --> 00:32:45.492
So what I decided to do, is put my energy

00:32:45.492 --> 00:32:47.050
into people who are right there,

00:32:47.050 --> 00:32:48.692
who want the help.

00:32:48.692 --> 00:32:51.375
Not put 10 times more energy into people

00:32:51.375 --> 00:32:54.090
who do not want your energy.

00:32:54.090 --> 00:32:56.980
The amazing thing that happens is

00:32:56.980 --> 00:32:58.948
that when you put your energy into people

00:32:58.948 --> 00:33:00.977
who do not really want it, you are sapped,

00:33:00.977 --> 00:33:02.762
and you lose energy.

00:33:02.762 --> 00:33:04.953
When you put energy into people who want
it,

00:33:04.953 --> 00:33:07.467
it actually increases your energy.

00:33:07.467 --> 00:33:09.745
So by giving up the desire to affect any

00:33:09.745 --> 00:33:12.187
one individual person, that is what allows

00:33:12.187 --> 00:33:14.271
me to walk around completely carefree.

00:33:14.271 --> 00:33:16.850
It does not matter what any individual 
does,

00:33:16.850 --> 00:33:20.654
as long as overall, my actions are helping

00:33:20.654 --> 00:33:24.618
move people into the direction.

00:33:24.618 --> 00:33:26.757
Lauren: That is so inspiring.

00:33:26.757 --> 00:33:28.498
One of my favorite quotes ever is

00:33:28.498 --> 00:33:30.997
"When you are no longer able to change
a situation,

00:33:30.997 --> 00:33:32.861
Your challenge is to change yourself."

00:33:32.861 --> 00:33:34.112
I think you embody that.

00:33:34.112 --> 00:33:37.538
Instead of trying to change a whole 
system,

00:33:37.538 --> 00:33:39.918
you have embodied the values that you
believe in.

00:33:39.918 --> 00:33:41.958
As such, you have influenced and inspired

00:33:41.958 --> 00:33:45.441
so many people to take on the challenge

00:33:45.441 --> 00:33:47.632
of thinking about other ways they can 
live.

00:33:47.632 --> 00:33:49.716
I think you have inspired so many people.

00:33:49.716 --> 00:33:51.196
I am definitely one of them.

00:33:51.196 --> 00:33:52.888
When we met - I want to talk about

00:33:52.888 --> 00:33:55.007
what we did when we were together for the

00:33:55.007 --> 00:33:57.573
first time, because it was so amazing for
me.

00:33:57.573 --> 00:34:02.124
I grew up with a single mother.

00:34:02.124 --> 00:34:07.621
She was raising me, and a child with
special needs.

00:34:07.621 --> 00:34:09.657
It was a really hard time for her.

00:34:09.657 --> 00:34:11.016
We did a lot of things.

00:34:11.016 --> 00:34:13.757
Furniture, she would find in the trash.

00:34:13.757 --> 00:34:17.481
You introduced me to the concept of 
dumpster diving.

00:34:17.481 --> 00:34:23.057
The first time that we ever did it was
electrifying.

00:34:23.449 --> 00:34:27.270
As someone like you, who loves thrills,

00:34:27.270 --> 00:34:30.903
loves excitement, loves the rebellious
things,

00:34:30.903 --> 00:34:34.259
dumpster diving was the coolest shit ever.

00:34:34.259 --> 00:34:37.656
You felt like you were doing something

00:34:37.656 --> 00:34:39.358
so dangerous, risky and illegal,

00:34:39.358 --> 00:34:41.908
but actually, well it is kind of illegal,

00:34:41.908 --> 00:34:44.144
but you are actually just picking through

00:34:44.144 --> 00:34:47.175
trash to find food that is perfectly 
edible.

00:34:47.175 --> 00:34:49.706
Can you talk about the night that we went

00:34:49.706 --> 00:34:51.551
Rob: Sure
Lauren: and your experiences?

00:34:51.551 --> 00:34:53.569
Lauren: For me that was earth shattering.

00:34:53.569 --> 00:34:56.193
For you that was just a typical dive.

00:34:56.193 --> 00:34:57.913
Can you talk about what it was like?

00:34:57.913 --> 00:35:00.065
Rob: Yeah, we were walking back to your
place.

00:35:00.065 --> 00:35:01.499
We walked past a bagel shop.

00:35:01.499 --> 00:35:02.496
Sheryl was there.

00:35:02.496 --> 00:35:04.784
I said, "Let us look inside these garbage
bags.

00:35:04.784 --> 00:35:06.942
I am sure there are a bunch of bagels 
there."

00:35:06.942 --> 00:35:09.623
Lauren: I said, "Holy shit, we are
breaking the law."

00:35:09.623 --> 00:35:11.576
Rob: I remember you were pretty nervous.

00:35:11.576 --> 00:35:12.311
Laughter

00:35:12.311 --> 00:35:14.372
Rob: You were not sure you wanted 
to do it.

00:35:14.372 --> 00:35:16.284
Because there is also the social stigma.

00:35:16.284 --> 00:35:17.769
I went through the same thing.

00:35:17.769 --> 00:35:20.145
For example, you are running a business.

00:35:20.145 --> 00:35:23.134
Do you want to be known as a dumpster
diver, or....

00:35:23.975 --> 00:35:25.961
Lauren: the trash prom queen

00:35:26.153 --> 00:35:28.322
Rob: Dumpster diving is the cool term.

00:35:28.322 --> 00:35:30.146
Do you want to be known as someone who

00:35:30.265 --> 00:35:32.204
eats garbage, eats out of the trash?

00:35:32.656 --> 00:35:34.632
Lauren: I feel like I am the wrong person

00:35:34.632 --> 00:35:35.879
to ask that question to.

00:35:35.879 --> 00:35:37.796
Rob: Because you do not mind?
Lauren: No.

00:35:37.796 --> 00:35:38.535
Rob: Good.

00:35:39.952 --> 00:35:42.099
I started dumpster diving in 2013.

00:35:42.099 --> 00:35:45.234
I did it because I was biking across

00:35:45.234 --> 00:35:46.843
the country that first time.

00:35:46.843 --> 00:35:49.465
The rule was that I could only eat local 
and organic.

00:35:49.465 --> 00:35:51.565
The first time I ever dove into a 
dumpster,

00:35:51.565 --> 00:35:54.315
it was me and my friend biking across the
country.

00:35:54.315 --> 00:35:55.285
We went around back.

00:35:55.285 --> 00:35:56.579
We looked in the dumpster.

00:35:56.579 --> 00:35:58.780
Sure enough, it was full of food.

00:35:58.780 --> 00:36:04.179
The first thing I ate was a half gallon 
of ice cream.

00:36:04.179 --> 00:36:05.913
It was still frozen,
Lauren: What?

00:36:05.913 --> 00:36:08.343
Rob: just melted a little bit around the 
edges.

00:36:08.343 --> 00:36:11.877
I did not have a spoon with me that day,

00:36:11.877 --> 00:36:14.395
so I used my sunglasses.

00:36:14.395 --> 00:36:17.499
I ate about 1/2 the box, 3/4 of the box

00:36:17.499 --> 00:36:18.704
right there on the spot.

00:36:21.140 --> 00:36:23.061
For me, that was a big moment.

00:36:23.061 --> 00:36:24.983
I saw how much food was going

00:36:24.983 --> 00:36:26.528
to waste, perfectly good food.

00:36:27.249 --> 00:36:29.361
Since then, that was 2013,

00:36:29.361 --> 00:36:31.390
that has definitely been an essential part

00:36:31.390 --> 00:36:33.744
of my life, eating food that would

00:36:33.744 --> 00:36:35.238
otherwise go to waste.

00:36:35.238 --> 00:36:36.983
What is the name of the (inaudible)

00:36:36.983 --> 00:36:39.860
trash art walker?

00:36:39.860 --> 00:36:42.431
She has an Instagram account here. 
Lauren: right

00:36:42.431 --> 00:36:46.275
Rob: I saw her getting tons of fresh

00:36:46.275 --> 00:36:49.585
sushi from a sushi place.

00:36:49.585 --> 00:36:50.837
They put it out.

00:36:50.837 --> 00:36:52.702
10 minutes later you go get it.

00:36:52.702 --> 00:36:54.119
It is still perfectly good.

00:36:54.133 --> 00:36:55.956
So I am definitely going to get some

00:36:55.956 --> 00:36:57.434
sushi while I am here.

00:36:57.505 --> 00:36:58.266
Laughter

00:36:59.259 --> 00:37:01.026
Lauren: Let me know how it goes.

00:37:01.810 --> 00:37:03.386
Rob: You will have to come.

00:37:03.427 --> 00:37:06.599
Lauren: Obviously. Great. Yes. Okay.

00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:08.033
Let us do that.

00:37:09.981 --> 00:37:11.836
What are some other interesting things

00:37:11.836 --> 00:37:12.890
that you have found?

00:37:12.890 --> 00:37:14.087
I have seen people find..

00:37:14.087 --> 00:37:15.867
There are people that would go to CVS

00:37:15.867 --> 00:37:17.635
Right Aid find perfectly good makeup.

00:37:17.635 --> 00:37:19.362
Thousands of dollars worth of stuff.

00:37:19.386 --> 00:37:21.786
What are some of the treasures that you
have found?

00:37:21.786 --> 00:37:23.422
Rob: You just find everything.

00:37:23.422 --> 00:37:27.385
For me, biking accross the country,

00:37:27.385 --> 00:37:29.291
the best thing you can possibly find is

00:37:29.291 --> 00:37:31.683
a case of organic peanut butter.

00:37:31.683 --> 00:37:35.751
As a cyclist, that is one of the greatest 
foods.

00:37:35.751 --> 00:37:37.611
If you find organic wheat bread

00:37:37.611 --> 00:37:40.021
and peanut butter, that is perfect.

00:37:40.021 --> 00:37:42.579
Another great thing I found is

00:37:42.830 --> 00:37:45.163
fresh pressed juice on ice in the 
dumpster.

00:37:45.174 --> 00:37:46.233
They threw away ice.

00:37:46.233 --> 00:37:48.282
Then they threw away juice.

00:37:48.282 --> 00:37:50.257
It just happened to land right on top of

00:37:50.257 --> 00:37:51.951
the ice, so it was still ice cold.

00:37:52.520 --> 00:37:56.470
I have dived into about 2000 dumpsters.

00:37:57.229 --> 00:38:01.911
There is nothing shocking as far as what 
it is, individually.

00:38:01.995 --> 00:38:04.450
What is shocking is that it is consistent.

00:38:04.450 --> 00:38:05.854
I have done it in 30 states.

00:38:05.854 --> 00:38:08.748
Everywhere you go- rural, big cities -

00:38:08.748 --> 00:38:10.756
We are throwing away insane amounts

00:38:10.756 --> 00:38:13.063
of perfectly good food.

00:38:13.063 --> 00:38:17.017
Lauren: Does anyone here want to go
dumpster diving?

00:38:17.017 --> 00:38:18.742
Yeah, okay!

00:38:18.742 --> 00:38:21.259
Do you have any top tips for what to

00:38:21.259 --> 00:38:24.151
look for whilst dumpster diving?

00:38:24.597 --> 00:38:27.464
Rob: New York City is a bit of a different
place.

00:38:27.464 --> 00:38:30.124
You are actually in a great place for 
dumpster diving.

00:38:30.124 --> 00:38:32.185
As you said, it is illegal in some places,

00:38:32.185 --> 00:38:35.873
but in New York city, when they put bags
on the street,

00:38:35.873 --> 00:38:37.321
then it is public domain.

00:38:37.321 --> 00:38:40.532
You do not actually dumpster dive here.

00:38:40.532 --> 00:38:42.496
You just open bags on the curb.

00:38:42.496 --> 00:38:45.709
That is completely legal.

00:38:45.709 --> 00:38:47.601
In other cities, where you are actually

00:38:47.601 --> 00:38:49.483
going into the dumpster that is usually

00:38:49.483 --> 00:38:51.237
on the property, in the parking lot,

00:38:51.237 --> 00:38:52.852
then it is technically not legal.

00:38:53.291 --> 00:38:56.207
If you want to go dumpster diving,

00:38:56.207 --> 00:38:59.293
I have a guide with everything you

00:38:59.293 --> 00:39:01.008
could possibly want to know.

00:39:01.008 --> 00:39:04.740
That is just at 
robgreenfield.tv/dumpsterdiving.

00:39:05.676 --> 00:39:07.395
I think I will be here for a week.

00:39:07.413 --> 00:39:09.838
I will have to do a dumpster diving 
outing.

00:39:11.226 --> 00:39:17.135
If I do that, I will post it.

00:39:17.164 --> 00:39:19.619
Or should we set a date right now?

00:39:21.046 --> 00:39:22.496
Thursday? no not Thursday.

00:39:22.980 --> 00:39:24.387
Lauren: Lucy is coming?

00:39:24.387 --> 00:39:26.157
Rob: Wednesday night....
Oh, hey Lucy!

00:39:26.157 --> 00:39:30.608
I know I can do Wednesday, Friday,
or Saturday.

00:39:30.608 --> 00:39:32.506
I will post it on my page. That way ...

00:39:32.506 --> 00:39:35.122
I will come up with a night.
Lauren: I will reshare.

00:39:35.122 --> 00:39:37.490
Rob: Alright, hopefully there is not

00:39:37.509 --> 00:39:39.263
going to be too many people.

00:39:39.263 --> 00:39:41.463
Lauren: You are going to have 500 people.

00:39:41.815 --> 00:39:44.022
Rob: There is a group, the Freegans.

00:39:44.022 --> 00:39:46.990
I think their website is freegan.info.

00:39:46.990 --> 00:39:49.705
They do dumpster diving tours.

00:39:49.705 --> 00:39:51.660
I am not sure if they are still active.

00:39:51.660 --> 00:39:53.548
I went on one with them four years ago.

00:39:53.548 --> 00:39:55.642
So it you do not end up getting to come 
out,

00:39:55.642 --> 00:39:56.837
[check out] freegan.info.

00:39:56.837 --> 00:39:58.373
I do not know if they do weekly

00:39:58.373 --> 00:40:00.478
or monthly dumpster diving tours.

00:40:00.515 --> 00:40:02.869
They also tons of information on their 
website.

00:40:02.869 --> 00:40:05.635
Lauren: When we went, we found 100 bagels

00:40:05.638 --> 00:40:11.274
that I kept in my freezer for a good 6
months.

00:40:11.274 --> 00:40:12.723
Rob: They were good bagels.

00:40:12.723 --> 00:40:14.988
Lauren: There were some really spicy 
flavors.

00:40:14.988 --> 00:40:16.383
Everytime someone came over,

00:40:16.383 --> 00:40:17.709
I would make them a bagel.

00:40:17.709 --> 00:40:18.653
They would eat it.

00:40:18.653 --> 00:40:21.069
I would tell them, "I got that from the 
trash."

00:40:22.769 --> 00:40:23.721
It was amazing.

00:40:23.721 --> 00:40:25.456
I think it opened their eyes to see,

00:40:25.456 --> 00:40:26.932
"Wait, this is just a bagel.

00:40:26.932 --> 00:40:28.316
It is still perfectly good.

00:40:29.449 --> 00:40:31.789
One of the last things I wanted to ask you
about,

00:40:31.789 --> 00:40:32.954
or talk to you about is,

00:40:32.954 --> 00:40:35.179
one of the reasons why I find you so 
amazing,

00:40:35.179 --> 00:40:37.163
I mean, you do so many incredible things,

00:40:37.181 --> 00:40:40.085
but you are one of the only active men

00:40:40.085 --> 00:40:42.011
talking about sustainability.

00:40:42.011 --> 00:40:46.123
Which, to me is amazing because you 
are incredible,

00:40:46.123 --> 00:40:47.734
but also, such a bummer.

00:40:48.375 --> 00:40:50.391
Why do you think that is?

00:40:50.391 --> 00:40:53.236
This is probably the most men we have ever

00:40:53.236 --> 00:40:55.347
had at one of our events.

00:40:55.347 --> 00:40:56.846
Thank you for being you,

00:40:56.846 --> 00:41:01.021
and expanding the demographic of our 
space.

00:41:01.021 --> 00:41:02.792
But why do you think that is?

00:41:02.792 --> 00:41:05.720
How do we get more men to feel

00:41:05.720 --> 00:41:08.048
comfortable getting involved with 
sustainability?

00:41:08.316 --> 00:41:12.240
Rob: You are right, it is mostly women
here tonight.

00:41:12.240 --> 00:41:14.785
Maybe 80% or so.

00:41:15.689 --> 00:41:18.387
As far as the zero-waste movement,

00:41:18.837 --> 00:41:21.736
and much of the sustainability movement,

00:41:22.073 --> 00:41:26.224
there are 2/3 to 3/4 women.

00:41:26.224 --> 00:41:28.600
There are parts of the environmental

00:41:28.600 --> 00:41:32.959
movement that are more male-oriented.

00:41:32.959 --> 00:41:35.474
In permaculture for example,

00:41:35.474 --> 00:41:36.462
it is the opposite.

00:41:36.462 --> 00:41:38.395
I was just at a regional permaculture

00:41:38.395 --> 00:41:39.952
gathering in Florida.

00:41:40.092 --> 00:41:43.436
I had a woman come up to me afterwards.

00:41:43.436 --> 00:41:48.475
She said, "Your resource list has almost 
all men."

00:41:50.240 --> 00:41:52.592
As soon as she said that, I realized it.

00:41:52.592 --> 00:41:54.516
Then I had to go do research.

00:41:54.516 --> 00:41:56.699
I found that there actually a lot of 
women.

00:41:56.699 --> 00:42:00.090
I just had not put enough energy into 
finding them.

00:42:00.597 --> 00:42:04.453
I added them all to my resource list.

00:42:04.453 --> 00:42:06.178
Then I realized there is a lot more.

00:42:07.358 --> 00:42:12.681
As far as zero-waste, and this element of
sustainability,

00:42:12.681 --> 00:42:16.562
It is so much more female than male.

00:42:16.562 --> 00:42:19.073
I think one reason is,

00:42:19.073 --> 00:42:23.179
I generally feel women care more than men

00:42:23.179 --> 00:42:25.602
[care] about these issues.

00:42:25.602 --> 00:42:30.512
I do not know if that is sexist to say.

00:42:30.512 --> 00:42:32.482
But that is generally what I have seen.

00:42:32.482 --> 00:42:35.246
You see that throughout cultures.

00:42:35.246 --> 00:42:37.703
Women are the nurturers, the protectors.

00:42:37.703 --> 00:42:41.861
That goes into this as well, possibly.

00:42:41.861 --> 00:42:46.129
Then, also, I am happy to say

00:42:46.129 --> 00:42:48.142
that I ascended manliness.

00:42:48.142 --> 00:42:52.138
This idea of "manliness", where manliness

00:42:52.138 --> 00:42:58.202
is sports, or Old Spice deodorant, or 
this certain way.

00:42:58.202 --> 00:43:02.382
In American culture, even hugging,

00:43:02.382 --> 00:43:06.127
A lot of my men friends do not hug

00:43:06.127 --> 00:43:07.594
because they are worried about

00:43:07.594 --> 00:43:08.992
the feminine aspect of that.

00:43:08.992 --> 00:43:11.577
I think that is another thing.

00:43:11.577 --> 00:43:14.282
Alot of this plays more into the

00:43:14.282 --> 00:43:16.653
feminine than the masculine.

00:43:16.653 --> 00:43:19.672
It is crazy to say, but a lot of men

00:43:19.672 --> 00:43:26.566
are so afraid of expressing emotions and 
such, even crying.

00:43:26.566 --> 00:43:29.533
It is weird, because for me, crying is 
just a part of life.

00:43:29.533 --> 00:43:31.190
Lauren: I love when a man cries.

00:43:31.190 --> 00:43:32.967
Rob: Yeah, men who cry are great.

00:43:32.998 --> 00:43:36.896
I mean, to me all of those things are 
absurd.

00:43:36.896 --> 00:43:39.276
It is absurd that our culture has pigeon-

00:43:39.276 --> 00:43:41.164
holed men into this protective way

00:43:41.164 --> 00:43:45.461
where they fear expressing their emotions.

00:43:45.461 --> 00:43:47.062
But it is such a real thing.

00:43:47.062 --> 00:43:48.471
I think that all plays in.

00:43:48.471 --> 00:43:50.798
As far as getting more men involved,

00:43:50.798 --> 00:43:54.889
1. It is a societal structure that creates

00:43:54.889 --> 00:43:56.484
it in the first place.

00:43:56.484 --> 00:43:58.967
Of course, it is hard to change societal 
structures.

00:43:58.967 --> 00:44:01.554
But I think that is what both you and I
are all about.

00:44:01.554 --> 00:44:03.088
It is not zero-waste.

00:44:03.088 --> 00:44:06.109
Zero-waste is what we talk about,

00:44:06.109 --> 00:44:08.056
but when we get into the deeper part of

00:44:08.056 --> 00:44:09.926
the conversation, it is going way back

00:44:09.926 --> 00:44:11.707
to the foundation of how our entire

00:44:11.707 --> 00:44:13.568
structures of our society are set up.

00:44:16.038 --> 00:44:18.814
Did I answer the question?

00:44:18.814 --> 00:44:23.483
Lauren: Yes. Two more quick questions 
for you.

00:44:23.483 --> 00:44:25.307
Then I am really excited to open it up

00:44:25.307 --> 00:44:27.867
to the audience, who I am sure have many

00:44:27.867 --> 00:44:30.448
interesting questions to ask this 
incredible human.

00:44:30.448 --> 00:44:35.488
2 things: First, what or who is inspiring 
you right now?

00:44:35.533 --> 00:44:37.433
I always like to ask.

00:44:37.878 --> 00:44:40.696
I love to point people towards other

00:44:40.696 --> 00:44:43.274
people who inspire amazing people.

00:44:43.274 --> 00:44:45.426
So what's inspiring, motivating you,

00:44:45.426 --> 00:44:46.946
or exciting you right now?

00:44:46.946 --> 00:44:50.243
How can people learn about it?

00:44:50.243 --> 00:44:51.588
Rob: I like this guy.

00:44:51.588 --> 00:44:54.672
I just came his farm this weekend in 
Swoope, Virginia.

00:44:54.699 --> 00:44:56.428
His name is Joel Saliton.

00:44:56.428 --> 00:44:59.649
Polyface farm, regenerative agriculture.

00:44:59.649 --> 00:45:01.520
I just spent the weekend with him.

00:45:01.520 --> 00:45:03.369
He is one of the most legitimate

00:45:03.369 --> 00:45:04.545
human beings on earth.

00:45:04.545 --> 00:45:06.412
I think one of the biggest problems

00:45:06.412 --> 00:45:08.510
with our environmental movement today

00:45:08.510 --> 00:45:11.295
is that most issues have been made very
black and white.

00:45:11.295 --> 00:45:15.876
So much of it is boiled down into viral 
Instagram posts.

00:45:15.935 --> 00:45:18.726
Yesterday, I was swiping through 
Instagram.

00:45:18.726 --> 00:45:23.085
I had gotten into the environment section.

00:45:23.085 --> 00:45:26.710
Honestly, I would say 95% of it was just 
garbage.

00:45:26.710 --> 00:45:29.940
So much inaccurate information.

00:45:29.940 --> 00:45:32.666
So much polarization that does not

00:45:32.666 --> 00:45:34.801
tell the real story.

00:45:34.801 --> 00:45:39.075
This guy, you know, I respect people

00:45:39.075 --> 00:45:41.033
so much in the environmental movement,

00:45:41.033 --> 00:45:44.252
who go far deeper than the headlines,

00:45:44.252 --> 00:45:46.731
and these basic black and white ideas

00:45:46.731 --> 00:45:50.674
of what is the right, wrong, or only 
way to do it.

00:45:50.674 --> 00:45:55.528
He is one person who really inspires me.

00:45:55.528 --> 00:45:57.820
Lauren: He is amazing. 
Rob: You know of him?

00:45:57.820 --> 00:45:59.700
Lauren: When I was in college, studying

00:45:59.700 --> 00:46:01.888
environmental science, we read all about 
him.

00:46:01.888 --> 00:46:02.671
Rob: Ok, cool.

00:46:02.671 --> 00:46:04.782
Lauren: I thought, "Damn, this guy is 
cool."

00:46:04.782 --> 00:46:07.074
He was one of the first people 
approaching....

00:46:07.074 --> 00:46:08.944
He was one of the people that showed me

00:46:08.944 --> 00:46:10.969
that the world that we see is not the only

00:46:10.969 --> 00:46:12.487
world that we have to live in.

00:46:12.487 --> 00:46:15.241
Rob: Yeah. Visit his farm.

00:46:15.241 --> 00:46:17.251
That would be an amazing thing to do.

00:46:17.251 --> 00:46:19.420
See where your food is really coming 
from.

00:46:19.420 --> 00:46:21.886
That is another really big thing.

00:46:21.886 --> 00:46:24.314
When people think of vegan food,

00:46:24.314 --> 00:46:28.574
or their vegetables, they think of these

00:46:28.574 --> 00:46:31.032
glorious places where everything is fine.

00:46:31.032 --> 00:46:35.113
But go to any place where almost any

00:46:35.113 --> 00:46:36.881
of the produce at Whole Foods down

00:46:36.881 --> 00:46:38.802
the street is coming from, and you would

00:46:38.802 --> 00:46:41.303
not be there and think, "This is 
glorious."

00:46:41.303 --> 00:46:42.798
No, you would probably think,

00:46:42.798 --> 00:46:45.675
"Oh, this is a big, industrial, factory 
farm."

00:46:45.675 --> 00:46:48.842
They just have different chemicals that 
they spray.

00:46:49.715 --> 00:46:51.839
Anyway, regenerative agriculture.

00:46:51.839 --> 00:46:55.819
That is the reason that you and I

00:46:55.819 --> 00:46:57.629
connected so well, because that first

00:46:57.629 --> 00:47:00.944
night when we were talking, I quickly saw,

00:47:00.944 --> 00:47:04.259
"Okay, she actually really knows."

00:47:04.259 --> 00:47:07.614
The story starts with your jar,

00:47:07.614 --> 00:47:10.580
but you understand the intricacies

00:47:10.580 --> 00:47:13.782
of the zero-waste movement extremely
well,

00:47:13.782 --> 00:47:15.834
which is what I really respect about you.

00:47:15.834 --> 00:47:16.895
Lauren: Thanks, dude.

00:47:16.895 --> 00:47:19.973
Last question, which is kind of a hard 
question.

00:47:19.973 --> 00:47:22.389
If you do not have an answer, that is ok.

00:47:22.503 --> 00:47:24.596
I like to ask this question because

00:47:24.596 --> 00:47:25.856
it is interesting to me.

00:47:25.856 --> 00:47:29.087
If you could play God for a day,

00:47:29.087 --> 00:47:32.020
and make one change that you believe

00:47:32.020 --> 00:47:35.136
would affect the system in the most

00:47:35.136 --> 00:47:37.332
impactful way, what would you do?

00:47:38.174 --> 00:47:39.474
Rob: Ok I will answer that,

00:47:39.474 --> 00:47:40.980
but I want to mention one other

00:47:40.980 --> 00:47:42.717
person, and that is Winona LaDuke.

00:47:42.717 --> 00:47:44.287
She is another one of my biggest

00:47:44.287 --> 00:47:45.465
inspirations right now.

00:47:45.465 --> 00:47:48.030
She has Winona's Hemp Farm in 
Minnesota.

00:47:48.030 --> 00:47:51.128
She is trying to use hemp as a way

00:47:51.128 --> 00:47:52.566
to create regeneration.

00:47:52.751 --> 00:47:53.751
Everything about her!

00:47:53.836 --> 00:47:55.837
She has been doing it for about 40 years.

00:47:57.600 --> 00:48:02.917
As far as the change, I think it would be

00:48:02.917 --> 00:48:04.557
bringing common sense back.

00:48:04.557 --> 00:48:05.817
You know?

00:48:07.837 --> 00:48:10.322
It is all about our minds.

00:48:10.324 --> 00:48:12.687
The way that we approach the world,

00:48:12.687 --> 00:48:14.427
the way that we think about things.

00:48:14.427 --> 00:48:16.757
If we approach the world with basic

00:48:16.757 --> 00:48:19.615
common sense, which the reality of

00:48:19.615 --> 00:48:22.011
common sense is that it is no longer 
common.

00:48:22.011 --> 00:48:24.781
When I meet people with common sense,

00:48:24.781 --> 00:48:28.511
I think, "Yeah!!! Awesome!",

00:48:28.511 --> 00:48:31.864
because our society, our structures are

00:48:32.110 --> 00:48:33.826
actually designed to remove our

00:48:33.826 --> 00:48:35.984
common sense, because if they want us to

00:48:35.984 --> 00:48:39.157
buy things, you do not need to have common

00:48:39.496 --> 00:48:41.682
sense to earn some money to buy things.

00:48:42.025 --> 00:48:45.633
I do think that the structures benefit

00:48:46.073 --> 00:48:48.370
from people having less common sense and

00:48:48.370 --> 00:48:50.834
more people that just follow the system.

00:48:51.120 --> 00:48:53.841
Just common sense. If everybody had

00:48:53.841 --> 00:48:55.893
common sense that would change everything.

00:48:56.687 --> 00:48:59.133
Far deeper than any one individual change.

00:48:59.497 --> 00:49:06.193
Everybody would then question everything.

00:49:06.193 --> 00:49:08.421
Lauren: Who was it that wrote Common 
Sense?

00:49:08.421 --> 00:49:09.604
Thomas Paine?

00:49:09.604 --> 00:49:12.676
Rob: The book? I need to read that.

00:49:12.676 --> 00:49:14.659
Lauren: It is really good.

00:49:15.253 --> 00:49:20.959
Ok, I will stop talking so you can start
talking.

00:49:20.959 --> 00:49:22.741
I would first like to give you a mini

00:49:22.741 --> 00:49:25.374
round of applause before the big round 
of applause.

00:49:25.374 --> 00:49:27.227
Just a quick thank you.

00:49:28.178 --> 00:49:32.464
Applause.

00:49:33.243 --> 00:49:35.122
Lauren: We will open up to questions

00:49:35.191 --> 00:49:37.903
from you, the audience, and some questions

00:49:37.903 --> 00:49:38.875
from the interwebs.

00:49:39.310 --> 00:49:41.913
We will be taking both if anyone has a
question.

00:49:41.913 --> 00:49:45.222
Rob: And, no question is too crazy,

00:49:45.474 --> 00:49:47.366
in fact, I encourage the craziest ones.

00:49:48.637 --> 00:49:50.651
Lauren: The craziest question wins.

00:49:51.415 --> 00:49:53.405
Rob: The craziest question wins!

00:49:53.405 --> 00:49:54.972
I will decide what.

00:49:54.972 --> 00:49:57.316
First, there has to be a crazy question, 
though.

00:49:57.316 --> 00:50:00.426
Question: I do not know how crazy it is,

00:50:00.672 --> 00:50:04.306
but, as far as dumpster diving goes,

00:50:04.306 --> 00:50:11.706
has there ever been a negative experience 
with it?

00:50:11.738 --> 00:50:13.991
Have you ever had issues where you are

00:50:13.991 --> 00:50:16.697
not sure whether the integrity

00:50:16.697 --> 00:50:18.824
of the food is quite there?

00:50:18.824 --> 00:50:22.660
Rob: Yeah. I should also say, do not feel

00:50:22.661 --> 00:50:24.468
like you can only ask crazy questions.

00:50:24.468 --> 00:50:26.180
Every question is a good question.

00:50:26.180 --> 00:50:29.674
So, common sense is the number 1 thing

00:50:29.674 --> 00:50:30.734
with dumpster diving.

00:50:30.734 --> 00:50:32.497
Just like you would use common sense

00:50:32.497 --> 00:50:34.647
with everything you buy at the grocery 
store,

00:50:34.647 --> 00:50:36.761
You have to apply common sense to 
your food.

00:50:36.761 --> 00:50:38.998
Unfortunately, we have lost food common
sense.

00:50:38.998 --> 00:50:42.547
Looking at dates and deciding whether

00:50:42.547 --> 00:50:45.030
food is still good is not common sense.

00:50:45.034 --> 00:50:46.711
That is one of the main reasons

00:50:46.711 --> 00:50:49.478
we are wasting up to half of our food.

00:50:49.478 --> 00:50:51.338
Because we have removed our common

00:50:51.338 --> 00:50:53.547
sense and put dates on there instead.

00:50:54.103 --> 00:50:56.655
Once you get in touch with food

00:50:56.655 --> 00:51:00.644
you understand the basic biology of how
things work.

00:51:00.644 --> 00:51:03.473
For example, if you have a bloated
package,

00:51:03.473 --> 00:51:05.625
a bloated package is the gases being

00:51:05.625 --> 00:51:08.039
created by bacteria eating things,

00:51:08.039 --> 00:51:11.010
breaking it down, fermenting and creating
gas.

00:51:11.432 --> 00:51:13.814
When you want that to happen, that is 
great.

00:51:13.814 --> 00:51:16.571
That is what creates beer, kombucha,

00:51:16.571 --> 00:51:19.602
and thousands of fermented foods.

00:51:19.602 --> 00:51:21.441
But when you do not have the right

00:51:21.441 --> 00:51:25.364
set-up for that, like a hot dumpster

00:51:25.364 --> 00:51:27.042
and milk, that is not the kind of

00:51:27.042 --> 00:51:28.165
fermentation you want.

00:51:28.298 --> 00:51:32.102
If you find a bloated package in the

00:51:32.102 --> 00:51:33.823
dumpster, then that is something you

00:51:33.823 --> 00:51:35.652
generally do not want to eat, because

00:51:35.652 --> 00:51:36.559
that is fermented.

00:51:36.559 --> 00:51:39.149
The 3 things are: first you look at it.

00:51:39.149 --> 00:51:41.453
If it looks good, you proceed.

00:51:41.453 --> 00:51:42.803
Then you smell it.

00:51:42.803 --> 00:51:44.448
If it smells good you proceed.

00:51:44.448 --> 00:51:46.755
If it smells good, then you taste it.

00:51:46.775 --> 00:51:49.808
If it tastes good, then you are eating it 
now.

00:51:50.771 --> 00:51:51.616
Laughter

00:51:51.616 --> 00:51:52.641
Then you swallow it.

00:51:52.641 --> 00:51:59.018
The number one rule of foraging

00:51:59.018 --> 00:52:02.126
-People call dumpster diving 'urban
foraging'-

00:52:02.126 --> 00:52:04.023
The number 1 rule or foraging for food,

00:52:04.023 --> 00:52:05.800
is that you only eat something if you

00:52:05.800 --> 00:52:07.260
are a 100% sure of what it is.

00:52:09.329 --> 00:52:11.239
The other thing is that you do not eat

00:52:11.239 --> 00:52:12.520
a bunch of it right away.

00:52:12.520 --> 00:52:14.192
You taste it, you try out any new

00:52:14.192 --> 00:52:16.562
foods before eating a lot of it,

00:52:16.562 --> 00:52:18.982
because you do not know if you could be
allergic.

00:52:18.982 --> 00:52:20.388
Lauren: or you start tripping

00:52:20.388 --> 00:52:22.496
Rob: I have never tripped off dumpster
food.

00:52:22.496 --> 00:52:24.258
I do have to say that this one beer

00:52:24.258 --> 00:52:26.861
has got me a little drunk now.

00:52:26.861 --> 00:52:27.759
Laughter.

00:52:27.759 --> 00:52:29.526
This is my first time being a little

00:52:29.526 --> 00:52:31.209
drunk in about 3 years.

00:52:31.209 --> 00:52:35.215
I will try to keep this up.

00:52:37.165 --> 00:52:39.136
Next question?

00:52:39.866 --> 00:52:41.849
There is one here.

00:52:41.849 --> 00:52:44.635
Question: Hi. My question is for both of 
you.

00:52:44.635 --> 00:52:46.263
I am a zero-waste practitioner,

00:52:46.263 --> 00:52:48.682
but also trying to educate people 
about it.

00:52:48.682 --> 00:52:51.056
I started doing a few workshops in New 
York City.

00:52:51.056 --> 00:52:52.733
I am curious, what kind of advice

00:52:52.733 --> 00:52:54.612
you would like to give to a zero-waste

00:52:54.612 --> 00:52:56.122
entrepreneur on how to grow my

00:52:56.122 --> 00:52:58.647
presence and my business, if you will.

00:52:58.647 --> 00:53:00.882
Rob: Do you want to go first?

00:53:00.882 --> 00:53:03.191
Lauren: You go first, because I feel

00:53:03.191 --> 00:53:04.882
that you have done such an amazing

00:53:04.882 --> 00:53:08.885
job at creating so many different types of

00:53:08.885 --> 00:53:10.350
communities online.

00:53:10.350 --> 00:53:14.092
Rob: The first thing that comes to mind is

00:53:14.092 --> 00:53:19.673
be yourself, be the real thing.

00:53:19.673 --> 00:53:27.015
Peope today are attracted to authenticity.

00:53:27.015 --> 00:53:33.174
People are attracted to authenticity in

00:53:33.174 --> 00:53:35.006
this world that is dominated by

00:53:35.006 --> 00:53:38.515
politicians, who are so inauthentic.

00:53:38.515 --> 00:53:46.834
That is another weird thing about today.

00:53:46.834 --> 00:53:49.531
If you look at the spectrum of who is out 
there,

00:53:49.531 --> 00:53:53.040
you will see a smaller percentage

00:53:53.040 --> 00:53:55.341
of people who are actually truly 
authentic.

00:53:55.341 --> 00:53:57.912
That would be my number one 
suggestion.

00:53:57.912 --> 00:53:59.100
Be authentic.

00:53:59.100 --> 00:54:00.869
Another one is do what you are really

00:54:00.869 --> 00:54:01.826
passionate about.

00:54:01.826 --> 00:54:04.193
Do what you wake up and want to do.

00:54:04.193 --> 00:54:06.112
If you are doing that, it is not work.

00:54:06.112 --> 00:54:08.999
I am sure Lauren is working 15 hours 
a day.

00:54:08.999 --> 00:54:12.033
That is because she really loves this.

00:54:12.033 --> 00:54:13.782
It is what she is passionate about.

00:54:13.782 --> 00:54:15.892
I do not recommend becoming

00:54:15.892 --> 00:54:17.471
an environmentalist and choosing

00:54:17.471 --> 00:54:20.107
a topic that you do not really love.

00:54:20.107 --> 00:54:23.546
Those are a couple of thoughts.

00:54:23.546 --> 00:54:25.804
Lauren: I perfectly agree with that.

00:54:25.804 --> 00:54:28.278
I was thinking about this today, 
actually.

00:54:28.278 --> 00:54:30.272
Things that have really helped me.

00:54:30.272 --> 00:54:32.298
To your point, yeah, I work a lot.

00:54:32.298 --> 00:54:35.408
There are some days where I am so tired,
or do not sleep.

00:54:35.408 --> 00:54:37.906
The only thing that keeps me going is
my 'why'.

00:54:37.906 --> 00:54:39.745
Why am I doing this?

00:54:39.745 --> 00:54:41.499
What is my north star?

00:54:41.499 --> 00:54:43.406
My north star is creating large-scale

00:54:43.406 --> 00:54:44.901
positive environmental change.

00:54:44.901 --> 00:54:46.467
I know it. I say it in my sleep.

00:54:46.467 --> 00:54:47.928
I dream about it.

00:54:47.928 --> 00:54:50.279
If you do not know why you are doing
something,

00:54:50.279 --> 00:54:53.421
then maybe you should choose something 
else.

00:54:53.421 --> 00:54:55.049
Or think deeply about it.

00:54:55.049 --> 00:54:56.238
What is your north star?

00:54:56.238 --> 00:54:58.586
What is the mission of what you are
trying to do?

00:54:58.586 --> 00:55:00.209
What are you trying to accomplish?

00:55:00.209 --> 00:55:02.176
I think it is important to think about

00:55:02.176 --> 00:55:03.815
when the shit hits the fan,

00:55:03.815 --> 00:55:05.429
and business does not go so well,

00:55:05.429 --> 00:55:07.157
which happens some days.

00:55:07.157 --> 00:55:08.886
How do you stay motivated?

00:55:08.886 --> 00:55:11.705
My north star is what keeps me inspired.

00:55:11.705 --> 00:55:14.681
Question: How long did it take you

00:55:14.681 --> 00:55:15.860
to build your...

00:55:16.385 --> 00:55:18.226
Lauren: To build what?

00:55:18.226 --> 00:55:19.838
Questioner: build your empire.

00:55:20.071 --> 00:55:21.975
Laughter

00:55:27.235 --> 00:55:30.181
Lauren: I have been passionate about

00:55:30.181 --> 00:55:32.514
this and I have been talking about trash

00:55:32.514 --> 00:55:39.375
for 8 years now, to my dad's dismay.

00:55:39.375 --> 00:55:42.009
He thought I was going to do something
very different.

00:55:42.009 --> 00:55:44.082
I do not know.

00:55:44.082 --> 00:55:46.156
For me, this feels like the beginning.

00:55:46.156 --> 00:55:50.545
I started by saying no to a conventional

00:55:50.545 --> 00:55:52.580
job that made me cry everyday.

00:55:52.580 --> 00:55:54.900
That was the start.

00:55:54.900 --> 00:55:57.119
I feel like we are just scratching the

00:55:57.119 --> 00:55:58.817
surface of what we are doing here.

00:55:58.817 --> 00:56:00.806
If I keep my eye on my North star

00:56:00.806 --> 00:56:02.948
-large-scale, positive environmental 
change-

00:56:02.948 --> 00:56:04.593
then every decision that I make is

00:56:04.593 --> 00:56:05.688
centered around that.

00:56:05.688 --> 00:56:09.013
From there, who knows what could happen.

00:56:09.013 --> 00:56:10.085
Questioner: Thank you.

00:56:10.085 --> 00:56:12.214
Rob: I have no empire, so I can not speak.

00:56:12.214 --> 00:56:13.886
Laughter.

00:56:13.886 --> 00:56:19.512
I do want to say that I am loving this 
conversation.

00:56:19.512 --> 00:56:22.609
A lot of people would come to something

00:56:22.609 --> 00:56:25.470
like this and they would think about....

00:56:25.470 --> 00:56:27.349
We are not talking about the individual

00:56:27.349 --> 00:56:28.789
ways to do zero waste because

00:56:28.789 --> 00:56:30.872
you do not need to know the individual 
ways

00:56:30.872 --> 00:56:33.079
when you look at the foundation of life.

00:56:33.079 --> 00:56:34.981
It is all about questioning your values

00:56:34.981 --> 00:56:36.943
and living in alignment with your values.

00:56:36.943 --> 00:56:38.482
Once you decide you are going to

00:56:38.482 --> 00:56:40.204
live in alignment with your values,

00:56:40.204 --> 00:56:44.246
everything else, though still challenging

00:56:44.246 --> 00:56:47.905
to run against the grain of society 
everyday,

00:56:47.905 --> 00:56:50.893
but when you are just choosing to live
with your values,

00:56:50.893 --> 00:56:54.070
it makes everything a lot easier.

00:56:54.070 --> 00:56:57.241
Lauren: I am a big believer that if you

00:56:57.241 --> 00:56:59.429
think about what you want,

00:56:59.429 --> 00:57:01.019
think about what your values are,

00:57:01.019 --> 00:57:02.522
are focused on your North star,

00:57:02.522 --> 00:57:04.270
your body tells you if you are doing

00:57:04.270 --> 00:57:06.058
something in misallignment with that.

00:57:06.058 --> 00:57:07.477
It sounds really weird,

00:57:07.477 --> 00:57:09.161
but that is how I live my life.

00:57:09.161 --> 00:57:10.863
When something does not feel good,

00:57:10.863 --> 00:57:12.694
I know that it is not in alignment

00:57:12.694 --> 00:57:14.245
with my greater goal.

00:57:14.245 --> 00:57:15.681
I do not mean to sound like my

00:57:15.681 --> 00:57:19.485
head is in the clouds, but it has worked
for me so far.

00:57:20.407 --> 00:57:22.272
The point is, what are your values?

00:57:22.272 --> 00:57:23.465
Are you living them?

00:57:23.473 --> 00:57:25.021
Ask those 2 questions.

00:57:25.021 --> 00:57:27.740
Question: How do you travel?

00:57:27.740 --> 00:57:29.333
Rob: How do I travel?

00:57:29.333 --> 00:57:31.788
Sometimes, I walk. Sometimes I bike.

00:57:31.788 --> 00:57:32.968
Sometimes I get in cars.

00:57:32.968 --> 00:57:34.948
Sometimes I take a train or buses.

00:57:34.948 --> 00:57:36.026
Sometimes I fly.

00:57:36.026 --> 00:57:40.500
Any other ways that I travel?

00:57:40.500 --> 00:57:44.751
Canoe. Occasionally a boat or canoe.

00:57:47.301 --> 00:57:51.893
Generally, if I can, I try not to get in 
a plane.

00:57:52.857 --> 00:57:55.270
It has been 2 years since I have flown.

00:57:55.633 --> 00:57:57.955
But next month I am doing a trip around

00:57:57.955 --> 00:57:59.735
the world where I will be flying.

00:57:59.735 --> 00:58:02.044
I will do that accross oceans,

00:58:02.044 --> 00:58:05.949
but once I get to Europe for my speaking 
tour,

00:58:05.949 --> 00:58:10.911
then I will be taking trains, buses,
boats around.

00:58:10.911 --> 00:58:13.479
To get here from Florida,

00:58:13.479 --> 00:58:16.048
I drove to Atlanta with someone who was

00:58:16.048 --> 00:58:17.608
already going that way,

00:58:17.608 --> 00:58:19.887
then I took a train to Virginia.

00:58:19.887 --> 00:58:22.176
Then I took a bus to DC, then a bus here.

00:58:22.176 --> 00:58:25.212
Lauren: We are very glad you did.

00:58:25.212 --> 00:58:26.873
Rob: Me too

00:58:26.873 --> 00:58:28.420
Lauren: Any other questions?

00:58:28.420 --> 00:58:33.393
Question: I volunteer with City Harvest
when I can.

00:58:33.393 --> 00:58:37.098
9am-5pm Monday-Friday is when they need

00:58:37.098 --> 00:58:39.634
volunteers and I am usually at work.

00:58:39.634 --> 00:58:41.623
Are there any other food rescue

00:58:41.623 --> 00:58:45.907
organizations that might need volunteers?

00:58:45.907 --> 00:58:50.318
Lauren: My favorite in the city, I have

00:58:50.318 --> 00:58:54.548
been using their service for so long,

00:58:54.548 --> 00:58:55.577
is 'Growing my Seed'.

00:58:55.577 --> 00:58:57.476
They always need volunteers at the

00:58:57.476 --> 00:59:01.187
compost pick-up, or the clothing pick-up.

00:59:01.187 --> 00:59:03.747
Questioner: I go there all the time.
Lauren: Me too.

00:59:03.747 --> 00:59:05.335
I have not actually volunteered.

00:59:05.335 --> 00:59:07.935
I probably should because I have been

00:59:07.935 --> 00:59:11.367
dropping my compost off for so long.

00:59:13.902 --> 00:59:15.682
So thank you to Growing My Seed.

00:59:17.437 --> 00:59:19.251
Rob: I am sure there is a lot of

00:59:19.251 --> 00:59:21.202
different food rescue programs around.

00:59:21.202 --> 00:59:23.473
I can not think of any off the top of my
head.

00:59:23.473 --> 00:59:26.062
But I know there are other smaller ones.

00:59:26.764 --> 00:59:29.111
Audience: Rescuing Leftover Quisine

00:59:30.715 --> 00:59:33.313
Rob: That is Lucy Biggers.
Lauren: Yay!

00:59:33.313 --> 00:59:35.719
Rob: She helped me spread my message
many times.

00:59:35.719 --> 00:59:37.129
She is at Now This

00:59:37.129 --> 00:59:38.004
Thank you Lucy.

00:59:38.759 --> 00:59:40.383
Lauren: If you do not follow Lucy,

00:59:40.383 --> 00:59:42.413
then follow her. You will not regret it.

00:59:44.853 --> 00:59:46.197
Any other questions?

00:59:47.031 --> 00:59:50.650
Question: I often find myself getting
frustrated

00:59:50.650 --> 00:59:55.756
trying to be more aligned with zero waste
values,

00:59:55.756 --> 00:59:57.331
and also be in a society where

00:59:57.331 --> 01:00:00.663
everyone else is more or less on the same
page.

01:00:00.663 --> 01:00:04.499
I understand that we are all progressing

01:00:04.499 --> 01:00:06.208
in our own way and at our own pace.

01:00:06.208 --> 01:00:10.435
I agree not to waste too much energy

01:00:10.435 --> 01:00:15.761
on people who would not really do it,

01:00:16.506 --> 01:00:20.981
but for those who are already in a 
position

01:00:20.981 --> 01:00:23.380
where other people look up to them,

01:00:23.380 --> 01:00:26.526
for them to be more environmentally
sustainable.

01:00:26.526 --> 01:00:28.459
How would you recommend to

01:00:28.459 --> 01:00:31.421
approach them about that?

01:00:31.421 --> 01:00:34.431
The most direct way would be calling them
out,

01:00:34.431 --> 01:00:37.441
but that may not be effective.

01:00:37.441 --> 01:00:39.872
Rob: How do you approach people

01:00:39.872 --> 01:00:42.860
who are leaders? Is that the question?

01:00:42.860 --> 01:00:48.050
I would say that you are just going to

01:00:48.050 --> 01:00:50.097
have some guts [courage] to call out

01:00:50.097 --> 01:00:53.401
people who are leaders.

01:00:53.401 --> 01:00:56.133
Lauren: I would start by saying, do not
call them out.

01:00:56.133 --> 01:00:58.634
Do not judge them or be negative towards 
them.

01:00:58.634 --> 01:01:00.618
Be loving.

01:01:00.618 --> 01:01:02.106
If they are already leaders,

01:01:02.106 --> 01:01:04.372
they have done something that 
inspired someone.

01:01:04.372 --> 01:01:06.137
Approach them like you would approach

01:01:06.137 --> 01:01:08.516
someone you love, and say,

01:01:08.516 --> 01:01:11.541
"I love what you do and this is something
I care about.

01:01:11.541 --> 01:01:13.896
Would you like to have a converstaion 
about it?"

01:01:13.896 --> 01:01:18.466
Rob: Yeah, approach with passion.
Lauren and Rob: compassion.

01:01:18.466 --> 01:01:24.937
Even if the person is totally off base.

01:01:24.937 --> 01:01:28.174
If you do not combat them with compassion,

01:01:28.174 --> 01:01:30.733
then it is unlikely you are going to get
anywhere.

01:01:30.743 --> 01:01:33.257
Generally, I would say, approach

01:01:33.257 --> 01:01:36.731
with compassion and a genuine desire.

01:01:36.731 --> 01:01:40.958
If you strategically actually want to try

01:01:40.958 --> 01:01:42.618
to get the conversation going.

01:01:43.352 --> 01:01:45.106
The standard response of someone

01:01:45.106 --> 01:01:46.952
when they get told that they are doing

01:01:46.952 --> 01:01:48.570
something wrong, whether they are

01:01:48.570 --> 01:01:50.904
leader or not, is to become defensive.

01:01:52.821 --> 01:01:54.987
As far as the environmental movement goes,

01:01:54.989 --> 01:01:57.017
I think one of the most important things

01:01:57.017 --> 01:01:59.046
that we can all do is become psychologists

01:01:59.046 --> 01:02:01.403
or understand basic psychology.

01:02:01.403 --> 01:02:05.146
It is all about how people perceive 
things.

01:02:05.146 --> 01:02:08.765
That is the way that I always approach
things.

01:02:08.765 --> 01:02:11.385
For example, wearing my trash around for a
month.

01:02:11.385 --> 01:02:14.904
I had to ask, "How will people perceive 
this?"

01:02:14.904 --> 01:02:18.088
If the answer was that everybody would 
be turned off,

01:02:18.088 --> 01:02:20.044
then I would not have done it.

01:02:20.822 --> 01:02:24.710
I try to always design everything I do
around perception.

01:02:26.469 --> 01:02:29.472
In regards to approaching leaders,

01:02:29.472 --> 01:02:31.888
you cannot put them on the defense,

01:02:31.888 --> 01:02:34.173
because then they are more likely to go

01:02:34.173 --> 01:02:35.516
in the opposite direction.

01:02:36.023 --> 01:02:39.401
Approaching with compassion is very
important.

01:02:40.589 --> 01:02:45.341
Also, approaching with knowledge to be

01:02:45.341 --> 01:02:47.009
able to explain yourself.

01:02:47.009 --> 01:02:49.601
It is best to know what you are talking
about.

01:02:49.601 --> 01:02:51.894
This applies to any situation.

01:02:52.254 --> 01:02:56.038
Come to them with information to help.

01:02:56.594 --> 01:03:02.131
If you do not have solutions or
alternatives,

01:03:02.131 --> 01:03:03.936
then they will often write you off.

01:03:06.733 --> 01:03:09.614
If you cannot say what that person should 
do,

01:03:09.614 --> 01:03:11.604
then they will often just write you off.

01:03:11.604 --> 01:03:14.244
So that is the other thing: sharing the
alternatives.

01:03:14.944 --> 01:03:15.944
So I do not know.

01:03:15.944 --> 01:03:17.348
Those are a couple of things

01:03:17.348 --> 01:03:19.135
that come to mind for me.

01:03:20.097 --> 01:03:24.308
One other thing to mention is

01:03:24.308 --> 01:03:27.095
most of our leaders do need be called out

01:03:27.095 --> 01:03:31.279
in one form or another, but also remember

01:03:31.279 --> 01:03:33.200
everybody is a hypocrite.

01:03:33.200 --> 01:03:35.258
Every person in this room is a hypocrite.

01:03:35.258 --> 01:03:36.306
I am a hypocrite.

01:03:36.306 --> 01:03:37.438
Lauren is a hypocrite.

01:03:37.438 --> 01:03:38.610
We are all hypocrites.

01:03:38.610 --> 01:03:41.359
It is a matter of reducing our hypocrisy.

01:03:41.359 --> 01:03:44.259
The problem is, if we want to live in
society,

01:03:44.259 --> 01:03:46.891
and we want to see positive changes

01:03:46.891 --> 01:03:49.236
in humanity and our environmental
situation,

01:03:49.236 --> 01:03:51.706
then we are all required to be 
hypocrites.

01:03:51.706 --> 01:03:54.883
Because if you want to be a part of the
change,

01:03:54.883 --> 01:03:57.769
you can not go and live the perfect 
life.

01:04:00.463 --> 01:04:04.565
For example, Al Gore flies around

01:04:04.565 --> 01:04:06.492
the world in private jets.

01:04:06.492 --> 01:04:09.245
Personally, for me, that is something

01:04:09.486 --> 01:04:11.436
I think he could do a better job at,

01:04:11.436 --> 01:04:15.951
and not do that, at least so much.

01:04:15.958 --> 01:04:19.251
There are things where leaders need to 
be called out.

01:04:19.251 --> 01:04:22.901
But the one thing that I was going to say

01:04:22.901 --> 01:04:28.211
is it is important remember to also look
at their situation.

01:04:28.211 --> 01:04:34.678
For me personally, I have to always make
trade-offs.

01:04:38.334 --> 01:04:40.207
I generally have done a really good job

01:04:40.207 --> 01:04:42.465
at living my values, but next year I am

01:04:42.465 --> 01:04:44.370
going to fly around the world.

01:04:44.370 --> 01:04:47.696
And I am going to emit more carbon

01:04:47.696 --> 01:04:51.335
in that flight traveling around the world

01:04:51.336 --> 01:04:53.384
than probably 95% of human beings.

01:04:53.384 --> 01:04:55.454
To call me sustainable would be

01:04:55.454 --> 01:04:58.523
a complete fallacy in reality.

01:04:58.523 --> 01:05:01.730
What I have to do is look at the 
situation.

01:05:01.730 --> 01:05:05.584
I have to say, "Is what I am doing worth
it?"

01:05:05.584 --> 01:05:08.644
Is it going to make the impact that is 
needed?

01:05:08.644 --> 01:05:12.662
Some people would call this a 
transitional society.

01:05:12.662 --> 01:05:16.134
You cannot just look at a current 
situation

01:05:16.134 --> 01:05:20.082
to decide what is right if we are trying 
to shift society.

01:05:20.099 --> 01:05:22.279
If I want to shift society, I have to look

01:05:22.279 --> 01:05:24.254
strategically at everything I can do,

01:05:24.254 --> 01:05:27.584
and say, "OK, there is a negative impact

01:05:27.584 --> 01:05:32.152
over this, but will it offset itself?"

01:05:32.152 --> 01:05:34.573
For example, when I was wearing my trash

01:05:34.575 --> 01:05:36.973
for a month, some people were very mad at
me.

01:05:36.973 --> 01:05:39.359
"What are you doing creating garbage for 
a month?

01:05:39.359 --> 01:05:41.207
You should be zero-waste."

01:05:41.207 --> 01:05:43.080
But by creating garbage for that month,

01:05:43.080 --> 01:05:44.949
and creating that visual, thousands and

01:05:44.949 --> 01:05:49.121
thousands of people stopped creating so
much garbage.

01:05:49.121 --> 01:05:51.767
So it was completely worthwhile.

01:05:51.767 --> 01:05:52.537
I do not know.

01:05:52.537 --> 01:05:54.127
I guess that is the other thing.

01:05:54.127 --> 01:05:56.632
I think, understanding and compassion

01:05:56.632 --> 01:05:58.816
are two essential tenants of my life.

01:05:58.816 --> 01:06:01.192
Also try to be understanding.

NOTE Paragraph

01:06:01.192 --> 01:06:02.990
I am not downplaying at all that

01:06:03.335 --> 01:06:05.433
people do need to be called out because

01:06:05.580 --> 01:06:09.023
most of us, are ultimately pretty 
delusional.

01:06:09.023 --> 01:06:10.874
So we need to be called out

01:06:10.874 --> 01:06:12.533
to get out of those delusions.

01:06:16.410 --> 01:06:20.297
Lauren: Let us get a temperature check.

01:06:20.297 --> 01:06:22.688
Do people want one question?

01:06:22.688 --> 01:06:25.383
Clap your hand if you just want one 
more question.

01:06:25.383 --> 01:06:26.950
Nobody is going to be offended.

01:06:28.301 --> 01:06:29.878
Rob: I think they want more.

01:06:29.878 --> 01:06:31.734
I want to be respectful of the room.

01:06:31.734 --> 01:06:33.372
I know you all have places to be.

01:06:33.372 --> 01:06:34.442
Also, It is snowing.

01:06:34.442 --> 01:06:36.392
I just want to give gratitude to all of

01:06:36.392 --> 01:06:38.028
you for being here in the snow.

01:06:38.028 --> 01:06:40.282
Two more questions? Does that sound good?

01:06:40.982 --> 01:06:41.982
[clapping]

01:06:43.973 --> 01:06:45.869
We have one from Cyber Space.

01:06:47.035 --> 01:06:48.750
Cyber Space: The people on Instagram

01:06:49.098 --> 01:06:51.337
Live are asking, do you get overwhelmed

01:06:51.697 --> 01:06:53.764
by the future and the state of the planet?

01:06:53.769 --> 01:06:55.779
Do you think we can still create change?

01:06:55.779 --> 01:06:57.786
How do you deal with that anxiety?

01:06:57.786 --> 01:07:00.772
Lauren: That is a great question.
Rob: Do you want to go or me?

01:07:00.772 --> 01:07:01.622
Lauren: Rob

01:07:01.622 --> 01:07:05.689
Rob: I rarely get anxiety about the state

01:07:05.689 --> 01:07:07.233
of the world or the future.

01:07:09.755 --> 01:07:12.623
I think that I am somewhat of an exception
in that way.

01:07:12.623 --> 01:07:14.126
What is the word that they say?

01:07:14.126 --> 01:07:16.194
I think eco-anxiety or something like 
that.

01:07:16.194 --> 01:07:17.712
I am not up to date.

01:07:17.712 --> 01:07:19.330
I actually do not even really know

01:07:19.330 --> 01:07:21.023
how to use Instagram, to be honest.

01:07:21.023 --> 01:07:22.663
I am figuring it out.

01:07:22.663 --> 01:07:24.313
Lauren: You do a good job.

01:07:24.313 --> 01:07:26.341
Rob: I do alright. I still do not know how

01:07:26.341 --> 01:07:27.656
to do the 'stories' thing.

01:07:29.795 --> 01:07:31.742
Lucy was trying to help me out with
that.

01:07:31.742 --> 01:07:33.540
Lucy: I am making a story right now.

01:07:33.540 --> 01:07:35.220
Rob: She is making a story about my

01:07:35.220 --> 01:07:36.540
inability to make stories.

01:07:39.538 --> 01:07:42.741
Ok, here is why I do not suffer from

01:07:42.741 --> 01:07:45.493
anxiety or depression.

01:07:45.493 --> 01:07:49.863
The reason is, for me personally,

01:07:49.863 --> 01:07:53.702
1: I do not take responsibility for the 
world.

01:07:53.702 --> 01:07:55.888
I take responsibility for my own actions.

01:07:55.888 --> 01:07:57.599
I want to make a positive change

01:07:57.599 --> 01:07:58.775
in the life that I have.

01:07:58.775 --> 01:08:01.265
I do not take responsibility for the 7
billion.

01:08:01.265 --> 01:08:02.381
I am just one person.

01:08:02.381 --> 01:08:04.757
I can really only take responsibility for
myself.

01:08:04.757 --> 01:08:07.512
That is essentail to my life.

01:08:07.512 --> 01:08:12.313
The other thing is that it does not matter

01:08:12.313 --> 01:08:14.154
what is going to happen 300 years,

01:08:14.154 --> 01:08:16.500
400 years, 500 years from now.

01:08:16.500 --> 01:08:20.736
if you design your life around living in 
a way

01:08:20.736 --> 01:08:22.258
that is beneficial to the earth,

01:08:22.258 --> 01:08:23.632
your community and yourself.

01:08:23.632 --> 01:08:27.716
What I do is look at what I can do to

01:08:27.716 --> 01:08:32.618
improve quality of life around me now

01:08:32.618 --> 01:08:34.741
and be living in a way that

01:08:34.741 --> 01:08:36.330
if we do have a future,

01:08:36.330 --> 01:08:39.675
I am positively contributing towards that.

01:08:39.675 --> 01:08:43.894
Basically, I think that life matters.

01:08:43.894 --> 01:08:45.895
I value my life, Lauren's life,

01:08:45.895 --> 01:08:47.728
the life of every person in this room,

01:08:47.728 --> 01:08:50.331
every species, the 4-20 million species

01:08:50.331 --> 01:08:53.312
that there are on earth; I just value 
life.

01:08:53.312 --> 01:08:56.494
If I can improve the quality of life 
around me,

01:08:56.643 --> 01:08:59.871
and not destroy life around me, then

01:08:59.871 --> 01:09:02.251
that is a life worth lived.

01:09:02.251 --> 01:09:04.877
That is something I can generally control.

01:09:04.877 --> 01:09:08.752
We also live in very complicated times.

01:09:08.752 --> 01:09:10.211
We do not know what the world

01:09:10.211 --> 01:09:11.285
is going to be like in

01:09:11.285 --> 01:09:12.567
Lauren: In eleven years

01:09:12.567 --> 01:09:15.455
Rob: Eleven? Eleven years is kind of
unfathomable.

01:09:15.455 --> 01:09:16.796
We really do not know.

01:09:16.796 --> 01:09:19.863
There are things that we do know.

01:09:19.863 --> 01:09:21.467
We do know ways that we can make

01:09:21.467 --> 01:09:24.278
make a positive impact now

01:09:24.278 --> 01:09:26.285
to improve quality of life now,

01:09:26.285 --> 01:09:28.274
and do it in a way that does not strip

01:09:28.274 --> 01:09:30.633
quality of life elsewhere for the future.

01:09:33.999 --> 01:09:36.042
Lauren: I do not know if you all just

01:09:36.042 --> 01:09:38.220
want to hive-five him every time he 
speaks.

01:09:38.220 --> 01:09:39.777
Audience Laughs

01:09:39.777 --> 01:09:40.563
... but I do.

01:09:41.484 --> 01:09:42.484
[clap]

01:09:44.525 --> 01:09:45.688
One more question?

01:09:45.688 --> 01:09:47.603
Does anyone hace a question in the 
room?

01:09:47.740 --> 01:09:49.820
Ok. Last question.

01:09:49.998 --> 01:09:51.712
Question: Why do you cap your cash?

01:09:51.712 --> 01:09:53.721
Rob: Why do I cap my cash?

01:09:53.721 --> 01:09:55.691
I have never put it in those exact words.

01:09:56.221 --> 01:09:59.826
I have committed to making less than the

01:10:00.102 --> 01:10:02.434
federal poverty threshhold for life,

01:10:02.434 --> 01:10:03.821
as long as I am alive.

01:10:03.821 --> 01:10:07.112
In no way am I trying to simulate poverty.

01:10:07.112 --> 01:10:10.091
In fact, a short segway.

01:10:10.091 --> 01:10:12.688
I have always liked to acknowledge

01:10:12.688 --> 01:10:15.411
my privilege because a lot of what

01:10:15.411 --> 01:10:17.713
I am doing, I can do because of the

01:10:17.713 --> 01:10:19.244
privilege that I have.

01:10:19.244 --> 01:10:22.969
Dumpster diving: because I am white,

01:10:22.969 --> 01:10:24.967
because I am pretty eloquent,

01:10:24.967 --> 01:10:27.542
if the police show up, they are not

01:10:27.542 --> 01:10:29.387
really going to do something about it.

01:10:29.387 --> 01:10:30.767
Homeless people are much more

01:10:30.767 --> 01:10:31.904
likely to get arrested.

01:10:31.904 --> 01:10:33.566
Traveling the world with no money?

01:10:33.566 --> 01:10:37.348
Western passport, white, not running

01:10:37.348 --> 01:10:38.900
from dangerous situations:

01:10:38.900 --> 01:10:40.926
That is why I can easily do that.

01:10:40.926 --> 01:10:42.343
Biking across the country.

01:10:42.343 --> 01:10:44.562
So many of the things that I do,

01:10:44.562 --> 01:10:47.358
I can do out of a place of privilege which

01:10:47.358 --> 01:10:49.741
ties into that question.

01:10:49.741 --> 01:10:52.167
I can choose to live with very little 
money,

01:10:52.184 --> 01:10:54.042
because it is a choice.

01:10:54.042 --> 01:10:58.944
But if you trying to get by, day to day,

01:10:58.944 --> 01:11:01.601
then to try and earn as little as possible

01:11:01.601 --> 01:11:04.115
is not really something that is going 
to work.

01:11:04.115 --> 01:11:06.959
Some people would call this voluntary 
simplicity.

01:11:06.959 --> 01:11:10.429
The reason that I choose to live

01:11:10.429 --> 01:11:13.044
with a minimal amount of money,

01:11:13.044 --> 01:11:15.647
is because I am trying as much as 
possible

01:11:15.647 --> 01:11:18.604
to live in a more just and sustainable 
way.

01:11:18.604 --> 01:11:22.200
In a world where 1% of the population

01:11:22.200 --> 01:11:26.360
has [what, like] 50% of the finances.

01:11:26.360 --> 01:11:30.133
I want to stand out as the opposite of 
that.

01:11:30.133 --> 01:11:32.559
I want to live in a way that is more 
equal

01:11:32.559 --> 01:11:35.427
with the general population.

01:11:35.427 --> 01:11:39.319
It is a way of restricting

01:11:39.319 --> 01:11:42.450
myself from getting too much.

01:11:42.450 --> 01:11:44.385
I could be making a lot of money off

01:11:44.385 --> 01:11:47.258
of what I am doing.

01:11:47.258 --> 01:11:49.206
The problem is that often, when you

01:11:49.206 --> 01:11:51.337
have the opportunity for making a lot of

01:11:51.337 --> 01:11:52.869
money, it can get in the way.

01:11:52.869 --> 01:11:54.210
There are some people who do

01:11:54.210 --> 01:11:56.133
a great job at making money,

01:11:56.133 --> 01:11:58.057
plugging it into the places that matter.

01:11:58.057 --> 01:11:59.930
The reality is that most people,

01:11:59.930 --> 01:12:01.431
when they get a lot of money,

01:12:01.431 --> 01:12:04.058
they rationalize that flight to Polynesia

01:12:04.305 --> 01:12:07.470
for a vacation, or things like that.

01:12:07.470 --> 01:12:10.670
It is a way to force me to live my values.

01:12:10.670 --> 01:12:12.334
If I do not have money,

01:12:12.334 --> 01:12:14.296
I have to connect with my community.

01:12:14.296 --> 01:12:15.580
That is another thing.

01:12:15.580 --> 01:12:17.804
I am dependent upon humanity,

01:12:17.804 --> 01:12:21.885
because I cannot meet my own needs.

01:12:21.885 --> 01:12:23.956
I need other people to meet my needs,

01:12:23.956 --> 01:12:26.659
which is a way to encourage people

01:12:26.659 --> 01:12:28.171
to depend on each other.

01:12:29.447 --> 01:12:31.253
The only societies that I have seen

01:12:31.253 --> 01:12:34.507
that are somewhat sustainable

01:12:34.507 --> 01:12:36.468
are societies where people are actually

01:12:36.468 --> 01:12:38.579
dependent upon their neighbors.

01:12:40.042 --> 01:12:42.544
Today, in a monetized society,

01:12:42.544 --> 01:12:46.135
I can just pay for everything I want.

01:12:47.046 --> 01:12:49.200
You do not have to understand your 
actions,

01:12:49.200 --> 01:12:51.200
and how they affect the world around you,

01:12:51.200 --> 01:12:52.694
but when you do not have money,

01:12:52.694 --> 01:12:54.961
you have to understand your relationships

01:12:54.961 --> 01:12:57.991
and how things get to you.

01:12:57.991 --> 01:13:02.109
There is obviously a lot to it,

01:13:02.109 --> 01:13:05.628
but that is a bit of an idea

01:13:05.628 --> 01:13:07.380
why I minimize the amount of money.

01:13:07.380 --> 01:13:09.149
Lauren: There is that documentary,

01:13:09.149 --> 01:13:10.860
'A Dollar a Day, Living on One.'

01:13:10.860 --> 01:13:12.161
Have you seen that?

01:13:12.161 --> 01:13:13.641
Oh my god.

01:13:13.641 --> 01:13:16.169
Such an incredible show.

01:13:16.169 --> 01:13:18.510
Rob: Chris Temple, they are the guys

01:13:18.510 --> 01:13:20.518
who filmed Trash Me, actually.

01:13:20.518 --> 01:13:23.047
Lauren: They are amazing.

01:13:23.047 --> 01:13:24.580
Rob: They have a new documentary

01:13:24.580 --> 01:13:25.553
coming out in March.

01:13:25.553 --> 01:13:27.258
Lauren: Did they do Salam Neighbor

01:13:27.258 --> 01:13:28.028
Rob: Yeah

01:13:28.028 --> 01:13:29.495
Lauren: with Angelina Jolie?

01:13:29.495 --> 01:13:31.166
Rob: I did not know she was in it.

01:13:31.166 --> 01:13:33.426
Lauren: I think she was associated in some
way.

01:13:33.426 --> 01:13:34.764
That is a really interesting

01:13:34.764 --> 01:13:38.209
documentary on the value of a dollar

01:13:38.209 --> 01:13:39.834
in different places in the world.

01:13:41.039 --> 01:13:43.588
I want to say, thank you very much for 
being here.

01:13:43.624 --> 01:13:47.758
I think that the radiance you created,

01:13:47.758 --> 01:13:49.772
and how inspiring you are, and how

01:13:49.910 --> 01:13:52.177
you decided to challenge what the world

01:13:52.179 --> 01:13:54.226
looks like, has motivated me, and so many

01:13:54.226 --> 01:13:56.768
people in our community so many times.

01:13:56.768 --> 01:13:59.155
I am grateful that you decided to come 
here

01:13:59.155 --> 01:14:02.455
and share your life with us.

01:14:02.455 --> 01:14:04.446
On behalf of me, my team,

01:14:04.807 --> 01:14:07.428
and everyone here, thank you for being
here.

01:14:07.451 --> 01:14:09.916
And thank you, Rob, for being here.

01:14:09.948 --> 01:14:11.370
I am so happy.

01:14:11.370 --> 01:14:16.982
Applause.

01:14:16.982 --> 01:14:19.227
Rob: Thank you to Lauren

01:14:19.227 --> 01:14:21.610
Thank you, Lauren, for opening

01:14:21.619 --> 01:14:23.278
up this space to have this

01:14:23.278 --> 01:14:25.764
and inspiring me to come to New York,

01:14:25.764 --> 01:14:27.566
and for everything she is doing,

01:14:27.568 --> 01:14:31.483
for opening up a second shop, right?

01:14:34.762 --> 01:14:36.455
And, thank you all for being here.

01:14:37.714 --> 01:14:39.550
I would be nothing without all of you,

01:14:39.550 --> 01:14:41.948
because I expect all of us to inspire.

01:14:42.726 --> 01:14:44.642
Lauren: Last thing, we are trying to do

01:14:44.642 --> 01:14:47.291
more talks with more incredibly inspiring
people,

01:14:47.291 --> 01:14:49.223
so if any of you know of anyone who you

01:14:49.223 --> 01:14:52.626
would like to introduce to the Zero-Waste,

01:14:52.626 --> 01:14:55.899
Package Free community, this woman who is

01:14:55.899 --> 01:14:58.876
hiding behind here-
this is Joy, stand up-

01:14:58.876 --> 01:15:01.053
Joy is in the red so you cannot miss 
her.

01:15:01.053 --> 01:15:02.714
Please share their name with Joy.

01:15:02.714 --> 01:15:05.267
We would love to invite them to our
conversation.

01:15:05.267 --> 01:15:07.080
Thank you everyone.

01:15:07.080 --> 01:15:15.584
[Applause]

01:15:15.584 --> 01:16:04.675
[Music and Mingling]