When I wrote a blog last week about living without money, I thought it would be just that: a little blog. But it seems the money issue is much more taboo than I thought. The reaction was huge and mostly positive, but there was also a fair amount of inevitable criticism too. So I thought it could be helpful to respond, not in defence, but just to clarify.

Take this comment:

Why not give up the laptop, ey? Hypocrite. - josephnation

This was the most common criticism – many feel I'm a hypocrite for using a salvaged laptop and mobile (incoming calls only, no contract), even if they're solar-powered. I can understand why – both are products of industrialisation and they came into existence using someone's money. But this was a no-win situation. Had I gone off and lived the simple life, I would have been criticised for merely looking after my own happiness and not contributing to wider social change. But if I used these tools, I'd get called a hypocrite. I knew the choice before I started, and I chose the latter predominantly because I feel incredibly sad about the fact that we in the west indirectly satisfy a lot of our wants by exploiting those in less privileged continents and by destroying the planet through our purchases.

Maybe I made the wrong decision. But I decided that if it encouraged even one person to reduce their impact on the planet, it would be worth being called a hypocrite. But given the thousands of emails I've received from people – saying they're going to eat more local or more organic food, or go vegan, or stop flying – over the last year, I stand by that decision. The laptop and mobile don't put food in my belly; they're hardly necessary for survival or moneyless living.

Then there were many comments similar to this:

Trying to live without all the crap we think is necessary today is laudable. It's just a pity that this guy feels the need to link it in with superstitious beliefs such as homeopathy – David Chameleon

My reference to "social homeopathy" raised a debate in itself, too. Medicine is not my forte, so I don't want to get involved in a debate over that. All I was trying to say, using a metaphor, was that I don't want to spend my life fire-fighting society's symptoms ad infinitum, and that I wanted to take a more holistic look at the issues involved. Having said that, the only ailment I've had in seven years of paying into the NHS is hayfever, which I've successfully treated with a common weed called greater plantain. The animal-tested drugs I previously spent a fortune on to ease it only made me drowsier. If the NHS took more of a leadership role by prioritising training for their excellent frontline staff to empower patients to choose fresh, nutritious and organic food, and then nourished hospital patients with real food instead of the slop it's famous for, in 10 years they'd probably find their queues a bit shorter.

Next up:

People in the 3rd world don't get to write a book about their suffering. This bloke will presumably refuse any profits from his book seeing as he thinks that money is evil? Thought not - HeavydutyJudy

Actually, I will be refusing the proceeds. As readers of my Freeconomy blog know, I will be writing a book but will not be accepting the proceeds authors normally earn. I will be donating all the money to fund a real life Freeconomy community. I originally sold my houseboat to fund the website, which doesn't accept advertising, I also politely refuse donations. I'm not exactly in it for the cash – there is none.

I'm not for a moment suggesting we should all go money-less tomorrow. It's about transition. All I am trying to say is that I believe money is like oil: if we are going to use it, let's at least use it to build sustainable infrastructure for the future, and not meaningless tat. And I just wanted to show that you can live a really happy, healthy life without so much money or stuff. That's all.

I also want to encourage people to reconnect with what we consume and make more sustainable choices. Paul McCartney once said: "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarians". Well, if people could see the state of war-torn Iraq, we'd all be cyclists. If you can, try to reduce consumption to as much as your specific situation allows you to. All our energy needs are different; I don't have kids which means I need much less.

And to all the offers of marriage and casual sex ... you could have at least left your contact details. I'm not sure your mothers would approve of me though. I'm not exactly a catch.

• Mark Boyle is the founder of the Freeconomy Community. The Moneyless Man, his account of a year without money, will be published by Oneworld Publications in 2010.