Freegan -- Strategies for Sustainable Living Beyond Capitalism

 
It's a new movement -- and it's sweeping across the country.  Honestly, I rarely see these sweeping movements, and believe me, I look.  And I don't see this one catching on anytime soon in this area because I think it could only support a small group, and that's no sweep.

What is it?  Freegan.info

Well, it's really dumpster diving, which is a term I came across when I worked at Moms Online.  Those women were really the pioneer Freegans -- and their goal was to stay at home at all costs (or at a big time reduction of cost) to raise their little angels.   They would go to dumpsters outside of department stores, or anywhere, really, and paw through and take out the "good" stuff, and either take it home to use it or sell it.

Freegan is just the yuppiefied word for dumpster diving -- sounds far more chic, don't you think? 

Now these are intelligent people (hence the new name, those mom's just didn't give a damn!) and I just don't understand why they don't come up with another system.  Right now they comb the streets of New York City (this particular faction of Freegans) and paw through garbage outside of markets and bakeries and take home the food.  Yes, the food is packaged and in perfectly good shape, but why don't they create an underground food system?  Why don't they pay off someone who works at the store to package the food in say a cardboard box and leave it at a set time so they don't have to deal with the other garbage?

The reason that the stores throw out the food (as opposed to say feeding the poor) is because it is easier and then there are so many rules and regulations to donating food and it's all on you (like you would have to transport it to the shelters, etc.) so in pure American wasteism, the food is tossed.  And it's not gross, ruined or even expired.  Some of it is often days away from expiration -- one has to assume that they just got in fresher food and had to toss the other stuff for shelf space.

IT'S INSANE.

So these Freegans don't spend their hard-earned money on food, they search for it in the trash.  And they furnish their homes with the stuff they find in dumpsters, etc.  It doesn't gross me out, particularly, I just don't see why they don't look a little deeper.  Now they know what kind of food is thrown away -- and they themselves can't use it all either, it's that much.  So why aren't they coming up with a way to distribute it to those that aren't savvy enough to dumpster dive, ahem, I mean become a Freegan?

That is the part I found most disturbing.  But then again, they've obviously contacted reporters so they are trying I suppose.  And when you check out the freegan.info website, apparently they don't keep their spots secret, they tell anyone who wants to know where they are obtaining their free food, and run tours and groups to show people where to go.  Also on the website is a dumpster directory!  

I wonder if I have the nerve to go check out the dumpster behind the local supermarket!  The idea fills me with pure disgust mingled with sheer curiosity with a smidgen of excitement!

Now I am beginning to see why my mother wanted to know if the FBI could track my blog!!! HAHAHAHA.

No, seriously!  :)