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At age 30, Mark Boyle celebrated the end of a year-long effort by hosting a Freegan Festival at Hamilton House, in Stokes Croft, Bristol, where he cooked a free three-course meal for the public.
For the past 12 months Boyle has lived as a 'freeconomist', leading a self-sufficient lifestyle in a caravan in Timsbury, near Bath. He cultivates his own food and reprocesses junk that people have thrown away.
Boyle cycles everywhere, his phone only obtain incoming calls; he possesses solar-powered showers and cleans his teeth with toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones. He either plants or forages for his food and gets his clothes from bins or from the Freecycle website.
Boyle, an Irish-born economics graduate and former businessman, blogs online about his life using a solar-powered laptop on wi-fi time he receives in return for carrying out odd jobs on a local farm.
“It’s been the happiest year of my life, and I will continue indefinitely, so I do not see any reason to return to a money-orientated world. It has been really liberating. It does have challenges but I do not have the stresses of bank accounts, bills, traffic jams and long hours in a job I don't enjoy.” His priority is to re-use things that people throw out” declare Boyle.
Boyle, a vegetarian, now plans on promoting the Freeconomy movement through his blog and Freeskilling events to educate people how to live frugally.
The most difficult part of spending no money, Boyle reveal was not being able to socialize with his friends. “I have missed that aspect. Instead of going to the pub I make camp fires, play music or go for walks.”
Boyle leaved his challenge to try to walk 12000km in a cash-free peace pilgrimage from Bristol to India, relying entirely on people's goodwill and generosity. In France he abandon after a month of facing difficulties.
However the question remains, if everyone became a free economist, what would happen to the real economy? Mark has had a kind offer if he is prepared to write a book about his ‘freeeconomy’
For those genuinely living with very limited cash, take a look at the tribal people of the tropical islands of the South Pacific, such as Vanuatu.
Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO's of YouMe Support Foundation (http://youmesupport.org) provide high school education grants for children who are without hope. You can help in this really great project by taking a few minutes to check it the Tropical Island Treasure Chest at Win a Resort (http://winaresort.com) It really will change your life.
Feel free to contact Wendy on admin@youmesupport.org
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
