Robin Greenfield owns almost nothing — all of his possessions have been reduced to fit in a three-wheeled stroller. A handmade sign on the front reads, “WALKING CANADA TO L.A. EACH STEP A GREETING TO MOTHER EARTH.”

On January 10, Greenfield made it to Santa Barbara. The environmental activist had completed 1,500 miles of his journey from Canada, including 900 miles in handmade moccasins and 600 miles completely barefoot.

His trek to Los Angeles is the lead-up to a three-month experiment in “non-ownership,” where he plans to shed everything he owns, including, yes, even his clothes.

Greenfield, a sustainability YouTuber with more than 400,000 subscribers, is no stranger to social experiments — in the past, he’s worn his trash for 30 days straight. But this will be a new kind of challenge for him.

Sitting cross-legged in Plaza de Vera Cruz — the Cota Street park known for its trapeze acts  — Greenfield was surrounded by a circle of local fans, fellow walkers joining him for the final stretch, and a modest film crew.

“I’m thinking about how, days from now, I will be naked in a park, owning absolutely nothing,” he said with a smile, picking at the grass beneath his legs.

The Wisconsin-born environmentalist set out on his adventure from the U.S/Canadian border in July 2024, primarily following the Pacific Coast Highway. His long journey is evident in his calloused, dirt-covered feet and his clothing, held together by safety pins.

Once he reaches Los Angeles, Greenfield plans to give up the last remnants of his belongings.

The walk, he said, is to help him slow down, simplify, and break free from the common “trappings” of everyday life. He’s walked six to seven hours each day (minus rest days), which he’s spent living in the moment and “making the sky his best friend.”

“I can tell you my relationship with the birds is very different than it was when I left Canada,” he chuckled.

To prepare, Greenfield simplified his physical possessions down to things he can walk with. And he’s been giving away some of those possessions as he’s passed through different communities, along with revealing all of his secrets in a YouTube series, to “empty his mind” and open himself up to “complete transparency.”

“With each day on the road, I’m shedding more of the past and walking into the present,” he said.