Articles Food and Lifestyle Freegans
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| Monday, 26 July 2010 10:04 | |
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Freeganism has received a lot of publicity of late. Wikipedia defines it like this: “Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources”... The lifestyle involves salvaging discarded, unspoiled food from supermarket dumpsters that have passed their display date but haven't passed their edible date.” Of course the “salvaging food from dumpsters” part has received the most publicity.
Freegans also salvage discarded consumer goods, such as televisions and computers, thrown out simply because they are not the latest model or declared to be “obsolete”. They see their actions as rebelling against the throw-away nature of our society. Not all of us are up to the challenge of “dumpster diving”. Many supermarkets have started spraying bleach over fresh foods that could otherwise be eaten, or crushing everything immediately, making the possibility of “diving” less possible. However, there are ways that we can all choose to limit our participation in the money machine. Often city councils have roadside collection of large items. Some do this on an as-needs basis, while other council areas have certain weeks or a certain month of the year when they carry this out. Oftentimes perfectly good items are discarded because their former owner no longer needs them. I know someone who picked up half a dozen sewing machines of the side of the road in one week, all in good working order, although mostly ten to thirty years old. Picking up an old dining chair off the side of the road, instead of buying one, means that you are not only saving something from landfill, you are also reducing carbon emissions by ensuring that one less chair needs to be produced. While the carbon produced by one chair may be minimal, all of us making small choices like this, often, adds up to a big difference. Some people still can't get past the “poverty” mindset when picking up discarded goods. If that is still too “hardcore” for you, then there is still something that you can do. Purchasing second hand items, either in classifieds, from garage sales or from op shops or consignment shops confers the same benefits to the environment as collecting from the roadside, albeit at a greater cost to you. And if even purchasing second hand products is beyond your comfort zone you can at least make the effort to donate your unwanted goods to local charities, enabling someone else to use your unwanted goods. This article originally appeared in Mixtapezine |
