Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.
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Copenhagen’s Elephant in the Room
Rather than accepting the tempting conclusion of overwhelming futility towards expressing any dissenting views about the present climate talks in Copenhagen, I have decided to use this space for any and all of its potential. and so, not so modestly, I propose ideas like this:
Recently in AM New York, one of our two free daily papers here in NYC, the headline was “A World Divided: Nations struggle over best way to stop global warming. To its left, one of the side headlines read, “Gifts for the little women in your life.” The bitter irony hit me like a sledgehammer — are they really that dim? Among all the international media hype about these talks (which hasn’t really been THAT much, considering the fate of all life on ear this at stake), among the specifics (whenever they are rarely mentioned) of “renewable energy,” “cleaner” technologies, and other “advanced” alternatives that different businesses and empires are proposing, there’s one question that’s so simple, so obvious, that no one (not even the guy from Moldives, bless his heart) dares to broach:
What about consumption?
Why is it that we don’t question our need to buy more (and, we believe, better) stuff every day — especially at this time of year — even when our credit card bills are looming, and our closets are full of things that we never use? Don’t you think there’s some correlation between the facts that the U.S. and China together produce 40% of the world’s greenhouse gases, and the U.S. is the world’s biggest economy, while it seems like everything here is made in China? (Everything from dollar-store knick-knacks to the high-tech iPhones, yes.) When Canada has the Tar Sands oil fields — possibly the most environmentally destructive project in the world — and China has the Three Gorges Dam, where a nation is willing to destroy the homes of millions of people for the mouth of more energy, we would be joking to claim we could build enough geothermal, wind, and solar power plants in the next 5-10 years (the window we have to turn around global warming, according to NASA climate scientist James Hansen) to replace all of these gigantic toxic power structures.
It’s time we start seeing every dollar we spend on new products as one dollar too many. It’s come down to that. There is simply NO WAY our global economy can continue this scale of production for the next 50 years and expect to be able to have enough resources left (and I’m talking basic things, like clean air, water, and land) to survive another generation. Take the example of oil. Everyone talks about oil when the greenhouse gas issue comes up…. people talk about cars and consider them inevitable for their lifestyles, and think wistfully or sarcastically about the new hybrids. But look inside the interior of that Prius, and what do you think it’s made out of? Derivatives of oil, of course! Look at the pen in your hand — OIL! Your tube of toothpaste, your lawn chairs, your insulation, your comb, even your medicines, and you’ll find the same thing — OIL. The media isn’t going to mention that when their broadcast tapes are made from oil. Nearly everything we buy is made from, if not oil, than dead trees, or some mass-produced monoculture crop that requires huge amounts of oil-based pesticide and fertilizer as well as water, or mined from some place that destroys its surroundings and will eventually run out.
So far, even in this short analysis, we’ve touched on two main sources of greenhouse gases: oil emissions/production and direct industry pollution. Then there’s the third – methane – as a result of livestock waste — not for any fault of the animals, but because we’ve bred BILLIONS of them, an increasing majority of which live in intensive confinement — and there’s no way any environment can support that long-term. The global agriculture industries have pushed intensive meat production at a much higher rate in the last few decades, causing even more production of a highly consumptive industry that harms everyone from the workers to the land to the water, and most of all, the animals themselves. And don’t forget the other major source of methane, landfill off-gassing! We throw away so much crap every day that it actually becomes more toxic over time; or else, the trash incinerators end up burning a lot of plastic, which people already know is a toxic thing to do.
So what are we supposed to do about this? Just sit and sulk, from Copenhagen to Christmas? No, actually, the unthinkable IS possible. There is a way we can all contribute. It all comes down to two words:
BUY LESS.
We have to learn to leave well enough alone. If we have something that already works, why get a new one? If it’s broken, seek out that old appliance repair shop before it goes out of business — it might be a simple fix. Shoe repair shops can be very affordable. Ask your grandmother how to sew and knit. Imagine how happy your loved ones would be if you made something new and beautiful out of some old clothes that needed repair! You could go the tech route and fix your friend’s old laptop, upgrade it to run really well, and decorate the front, to make it a truly unique piece. Make it easy to reuse. If you want some new clothes, music, toys, or furniture, scour the thrift stores or garage sales for the most enjoyable, unique pieces, and find something special. Find some music from previous generations, that costs next to nothing on vinyl or cassette, and convert it to CD or digital files. Learn how to fix your mp3 player! Teach the skills you’ve learned to your friends and family. The internet is such a vast resource that we can learn how to do almost anything.
Our production is so bloated right now that we have enough right here, already, to satisfy our needs for the foreseeable future. If we can rely on what we have, we can cut down on the never-ending waste stream of industrialized nations like ours, survive better on less money while incurring less debt, and finally reclaim the creative skills we have neglected for most of our lives. Sure, all the media will say that “consumer spending is down,” that this is hurting the economy — but on the long term, this is the only thing that will save us. We have to consider the impact of every purchase, every material that our possessions are composed of, the transportation and the labor involved in every facet of every last thing that we buy, and realize that THIS, from global warming to habitat destruction to species extinction – is what is destroying our planet. It may look pretty pretty good to us right now, but by the time the effects of global warming really kick in, it will be too late to reverse. The global warming symptoms that we’re seeing now are from the pollution of 50 years ago – when our global population was a small fraction of what it is now. Global warming WILL get worse — but if we don’t radically change our lifestyles right now, our fate will be inevitable.
December New York Events Calendar Online
Hi New York area folks! The December events calendar is online! You can see it here.
Why do we buy?
I was cleaning out my bathroom today and thought about how easy it was for me to do so.
~There is almost nothing in it.
Sometimes I think I am a bad freegan, but then sometimes I look at myself from the perspective of the ultra-clean-freak overconsumer, and I realize that I own almost none of the regular all-american cleaning products that you see in almost any household.
I will start with Shampoo.
I threw out my shampoo and conditioner bottles today. They were a year and 8 months old. I know this because I remember when they were given to me. I didn’t buy them. My mother forced me to take them when I went to the hospital to give birth. She said I would need things to wash myself with, which was not true. The hospital provided almost everything.
I used them sparingly over the course of a year, and when they ran out, they just sat there for 8 months. I have not bought any more.
Soap is enough for me.
There may be problems with my hair that I am unaware of. And perhaps I don’t get treated by some people as well as I would if I were to fix those problems with shampoo. But for me, the thought of spreading chemical waste all over my body repulses me.
Indeed many companies produce chemicals that would otherwise have no place to go if they did not so shrewdly sell their waste to beauty care companies.
And anyway, natural soap and natural shampoo is all made of the same stuff. So I see no need to have both.
But this isn’t all I don’t have.
I don’t have any chemical cleaners. I don’t have air fresheners, none of the stuff that you would see in a regular bathroom. Vinegar, baking soda and H2O2 is all I need.
I am proud of this. As far as I can see, life is nothing more than being happy, making others in your life happy, living out your purpose in life and being part of community.
I have had that in my life without the bleach, chemical hair and face washes, and whatever else people go crazy buying.
If my hair is not up to Hollywood standards, that’s fine. I still feel like a human being. I still live my life fully. And I do that much less to contribute to capitalism, class society and ecological damage.
It makes me wonder, really wonder, why, if I can go so long without hurting, without feeling any sense of struggle or inconvienience, why do people feel so strongly that they need these things to live a good life? It’s bad for so many more reasons than it is good.
Bank Bail Outs and Other Public Bludgeons
I was reading about the bail outs in the NY Times today. It said “The Obama administration plans to require banks and corporations that have received two rounds of federal bailouts to submit any major executive pay changes for approval by a new federal official who will monitor compensation,”
It also said that the “executive pay has been a delicate issue for the Obama administration and Congress, particularly since it was revealed that A.I.G., the recipient of at least $180 billion in taxpayer money, was handing out $165 million in bonuses. The episode left officials struggling with just how to balance public anger with compensation rules that would not put the industry at a competitive disadvantage”
Public anger? More like Public Bludgeon. lol
A competitive disadvantage? Hey official representatives, just whose side are you on? Aren’t we haveing this whole conversation because we know that the bankers are scammers? Isn’t that the very hope for change that Obama rode in to the white house on? What are we all acting surprised about here?
“The banking industry had been lobbying the Obama administration to exclude traders and other highflying salespeople from the top 25, fearing it would lose top talent to competitors not constrained by the rules of a taxpayer bailout.”
Talent?
I would like to ask you, the people reading this right now. How much ($$$) is banking talent worth to you? Have you thought about that in terms of it being a service you’re willing to pay for?
I mean to say, do you think that some little banking starlet deserves a 165 million dollar bonus over let’s say, some talented artist? Really. Would you rather give one hundred dollars to the hippy on the street juggling balls with his pet travel companion, or give some “talented” banker an almost unaccountable amount of YOUR money that YOU worked for just because he was smart enough to figure out how to scam you?? Come ON?? Even if you don’t LIKE the hippy! I think we know what the answer really is.
I don’t want to go on here about how evil the banks are. The point is that we are freegans here, and we’re talking about dropping out of that economy, right? What can we do about those banks? First of all… don’t do any business with them!
My bank, Bank of America, increased my monthly fee arbitrarily and then fined me when I unknowingly over drafted! They are making billions off of these scams.
There comes a time, people, when you have to realize that the nuts and bolts of daily living are infused with a deep political reality. Who you do business with greatly effects the course of world history, and lives across the world right now.
So please all reading this post, switch to a nice community based credit union! For starters.
Here is a link to the article I’m quoting.
And here is a link that I googled to help find a credit union in your area. I have no idea if it’s anything good! lol. I just googled it! Please, if you use it, comment back to this post and tell us if it was good or bad!
~MaDTruthSeekeR
Stories in the media about what we do
We’ve added lots of new (and not so new) media stories to the “Freeganism in the Media” page! If you’re interested, you can take a look here.
Cute Freegan Blog
This kid in NC has a cute blog about his diving experience. He talks about what he and his friends find, recipes and feasts.If you’re in NC you can pick up some diving and cooking tips from this guy! It’s really awesome when you know what you can expect to find at a given place, and what kinds of things you can make with what is found there.
http://freejunkfood.blogspot.com/2009/04/so-much-food.html#comment-form†
Welcome Oprah Fans!
Oprah today reran the freegan show, which I only found out when I read it from Alfred over at MIMO:
On the Big O today, this woman, who was previously earning a 6-figure salary, gave up that life and started picking up food from dumpster. She even organised trash trips for people of the same interest. Such trips are not fancy trips with fancy drink but trips where you get closer to a possum or rodent, skill-wise speaking. What striked me the most, was that our society wastes so much. American, being 5% of the world population, consume 30% of the world’s resources. Madeline and her troop could find buckets of food, loaves of bread, fresh fruits, muffins, cereal, salad and canned food from just a handful of dumpsters, mostly all from grocery stores.
Have you not picked an apple and seen a small dent on it and not purchased it eventually? I have. These perfectly fine fruit are thrown away, they are not even given to the poor or homeless (due to some restrictions). And how much food have I wasted? If I remember correctly, $30 BILLION of food is wasted annually in the US. Now wouldn’t it timely if the CEOs of failed companies started embracing freegan lifestyle?
Consumerism, I think, is a more serious problem than drug or alcohol addiction.
That’s about how we feel about it too.
So welcome to everyone who saw us on Oprah. You’ll find many useful articles both on and off our site linked to through the menu on the left. If you’re looking to go diving, take a look at our dumpster directory. If you dive already and know of some choice spots you’d like to share, help us and fellow freegans by adding to the directory.
And if you’re in New York, check out the calendar and come to one of our events.
11 yo passes food rescue bill
http://bocaraton.com/index.aspx?pid=1098
11 yo Jack Davis in FL pushes and succeeds in getting a bill passed protecting food store owners from being liable for people who get sick eating food that is donated in good faith. Hey… if this kid can do all that, what about us at freegan.info?? Perhaps it’s time to start thinking of ways that we can change how food is distributed institutionally? Just a thought. It’s cute though. This kid is cute. lol The link is above.
Whole Fools
Gothamist has an article up about a man who was recently fired from Whole Foods for eating a sandwich that was intended for the trash. Many branches of Whole Foods compact their trash, and the compactors are inside their loading bays. I.e., they actively guard their trash and clearly want to make it dangerous to eat from it.
What’s interesting about this case is their argument that Ralph Reese, the employee they fired, was attempting to steal the sandwich. As you can read on our site, items thrown in the trash are considered a part of the commons. The issue has been decided upon by the Supreme Court. Persons have no reasonable expectation their trash won’t be looked through or taken before the garbage collectors haul it to the landfill. And the sandwich had already been thrown away. It became fair game as soon as that decision was made.
Whole Foods is basically making the argument that maintaining their authoritarian corporate culture and increasing the ranks of the unemployed is more important to them than either reducing the devastating effects of food waste or feeding the hungry.