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Freeganism: A Better Green !!
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by Barry Artiste | May 4, 2008 at 05:08 am
917 views | 12 Recommendations | 9 comments
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Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor
I have to admit I never heard of Freegan, though most of us practise it in part when we hit garage sales.
Freegans, are "Hard Core Environmentalists", unlike the rest of us who practise recycling, hybrid cars and other "Big Picture Environmentalism" preached by the likes of Dr. David Suzuki or the Al Gores' of this world.
Freegans hate to see anything go to waste, preferring used over new and day old over fresh.
My girlfriend calls me a packrat, whereby I rarely throw anything out, because I am sure once I toss it, one day I will need it. I have a 68 Camaro SS "Steering Wheel" in the garage, hoping one day I will find the rest of the car somewhere out in someone's trash for me to tow away.
So now I can say to her "I am a Freegan" of sorts.
I do give my previously enjoyed magazines to the seniors home across the street, National Geographics, Time Mags, etc.
Some Freegans though, are not as radical as other splinter groups of "Hard Core" Freegans who actually Dumpster Dive for "Ready to Eat" supermarket produce which is past it's expiry date and taking it home to eat, with the mouldy produce to go straight into their Compost.
I would state, one is taking a chance on dumpster diving for expired produce to eat, where if not careful, certain hosts of bacteria and other organisms left in these expired foods may place you in the Status of the "Ultimate Freegan", when you yourself become "Compost" at the local cemetary.
To me that is taking "Environmentalism to the Extreme!"
Gerard Daechsel picks through a bag and produces a container of blueberries, a couple of limes -- one that's clearly gone bad -- and an orange.
These goods came from the supermarket, but were then tossed in the garbage.
And that's where Daechsel picked them up. He'll put the edible fruit in his fridge and toss the mouldy ones into the compost pile in his backyard.
The 74-year-old said he's been "salvaging" miscellaneous items -- mostly other people's trash -- for most of his life. It's only recently that his lifestyle has acquired a name as part of a growing environmental movement: Freeganism.
Freegan is a blend of free and vegan, even though some freegans, like Daechsel, eat meat because they'd rather not see it go to waste.
Foraging through supermarket trash for food, exchanging goods in what they call free markets -- where absolutely no money is traded -- and choosing to cycle or hitchhike as a way of getting around, these are all political statements freegans make in an attempt to curtail their participation in the conventional economy.
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Barry Artiste
Vancouver, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 05:29 on May 4th, 2008
What I find fascinating about freeganism is that this subculture can exist without any detriment to the rest of us- indeed, most don't realize that freegans exist. (I'm not sure that there's a societal victory condition here, though: for freegans to thrive, there needs to be a far greater number of "regular" consumers)
That ethos permeates life in NYC: A group called City Harvest sends trucks around to restaurants at the end of each service, collecting unused food and distributing it to homeless shelters, and I am but one of millions to have furnished an apartment with someone else's ex-futon.
at 05:57 on May 4th, 2008
I agree Jordan, my entire house is furnished with Garage sale bargains, with the exception of Bedding, mattresses and cookery, pretty much everything else is second hand, when I moved here 10 years ago, I pretty much came here with a suitcase, scanning Garage sale in White Rock and West Van, my entire 3 bedroom house was furnished for the cost of what a decent high end living room set would have cost at Ethan Allens. I am way past keeping up with the Jones. Recently gave away my 20 year old Suburban, close to a million Km on the odometer, and still looking as good and running excellent as the day it was purchased in 1987. I gave it FREE to a young family (2-kids) on a tight budget, as his job as a welder demanded he need a rugged heavy duty 4-wheel drive for the interior of BC.
BTW thanks for the commentary, a good addition to my story.
at 06:51 on May 4th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 06:56 on May 4th, 2008
No Problem Beaulieu, sometimes the Now Public Computer has a mind of it's own, especially in the Math department. Thanks for GS Flag! Much appreciated.
As well, you normally cannot "Good Flag" a story twice as the same reader. I am sure Jordan can make a quick fix, by slapping the Now Public computer "upside the head" a couple of times!
at 06:54 on May 4th, 2008
Cheers.. it's so annoying when it does that! Thought it was funny too.
at 06:59 on May 4th, 2008
Funny sometimes Beaulieu, unless you are in the middle of posting a story and losing the entire peice because the Now Public computer decides to go into maintenance mode. Rare, but it has happened.
That is why I write my stories in word and save them to file, then cut and paste them into the Now Public Story Box, saves me from cursing a blue streak.
at 07:27 on May 4th, 2008
I deleted the rogue flags! Sometimes gremlins run amuck, and we have to capture them.
at 23:04 on May 4th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
And I thought all the hippies were selling Guatemalan handicrafts on The Drive. Whatever floats your boat I guess. I imagine most of these people do not have normal jobs as it must be time consuming to have to "find" all your meals. Frankly I think it is disgusting to eat food from a dumpster. I wonder how many of these people get seriously ill on a regular basis. Finding furniture and other non-edible things is fine but your food?
at 08:19 on December 26th, 2008
I got all my produce this past summer from dumpsters, and I only had to go once every week or two - so I was perfectly capable of working my 40-hour-a-week internship. And in the approximately nine months I've been dumpster diving, I've never gotten sick.