Yesterday Oprah was exploring the joys of freeganism and dumpster diving with Lisa Ling. I sat smugly, proud that I had known about freeganism for years. I nodded my head knowingly as they talked about freegans making a political statement about how much we consume and throw away. I tried to go to the freegan.info website to give you some statistical information, but by then Oprah had blown up the Internet waves by merely uttering the word and the freegan.info site was down for the count, presumably from all the traffic. If she had said the word "didigeroo", the world's inventory for didigeroos would have instantly sold out and be on back order for the next 9 years.
I managed to find some information to share that Oprah's influence hadn't reached. According to our friends at Wikipedia, "Freeganism is an anti-consumerism lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy.." Throwing out food costs the US approximately $30 billion every year.
Freegans may recover unused food, clothing, electronics, housewares, furniture and more from dumpsters. They are known only to buy what they truly need, sometimes only spending $10-$20 a week, thus lowering their impact on the environment and the need for a cycle of constantly working 40+ hours a week. They might recover hundreds of dollars worth of goods and often give what they cannot use to goodwill or friends. There are even free 'trash tours' in New York and many other cities to teach aspiring freegans how to recover goods safely. Many freegans are notoriously ex-corporate execs and were once avid consumers themselves.
Let's think about this. Admittedly, I can understand why people might be utterly grossed out by this. But living in a neighborhood full of Italian bakeries, I can tell you that I've witnessed firsthand bakers throwing out bags and bags of fresh bagels and bread. You can literally smell their aroma when you walk past them on the street. Many respectable neighbors simply open the bags, fish out some bread of their choosing, retie the bag, and go about their day. Freegans are quick to point out that slightly dented canned goods, unopened pre-packaged vegetables and crackers, and clothes with tags still on them constantly litter the street. Freegans aren't exactly foraging for half-eaten apples and torn clothing. They're recovering virtually unused goods.
There's a reason freeganism is becoming wildly popular in New York. Just come visit the city on trash day and go into a neighborhood like Park Slope, Astoria, or the Upper West Side. There's fancy coffee tables, working plasma TV's, artwork, books, electronics, clothes, and more lined neatly on the curb. People will even leave out a box marked 'Free' for anyone who wants it, otherwise the sanitation workers will discard it. But they day students move out of their NYU dorms is perhaps one of the most popular freegan days in the city. Students dump stereos, iPods, books, clothes, dishes, bedding, and more. Ever non-freegans will get into the dumpsters to find their treasures.
This got me thinking. How do freegans travel, if at all? If you google 'freegan travel' or just 'freegan' scores of websites come up with advice, testimonials, profiles, forums, and more. Then I realized freegans (who dumpster dove for an iBook and WiFi software) can simply log in to find out where all the hot dumpsters are in other cities. This will allow them to eat and carry on their lifestyle while away from their own homes.
I've also read that some freegans feel hitchhiking is perfectly acceptable. The thought is that car would be traveling from point A to B and they are merely taking up space in the car. Others may fee lthat while freeganism is a lifestyle, it doesn't prohibit them from actually owning a car or buying a plane ticket, as long as they keep their consumption in check. I for one think exceptions are fine. Do you have to dumpster dive for life because you don't agree with overt consumerism? If you're wealthy, do you have to only buy name brand or can you buy a pair of shoes at Payless?
So here are my ideas for freegan travel (I am not endorsing these ideas, merely suggesting how freegan travel might work):
- Hitchhike or find a car share
- Pitch a tent on campgrounds or safe area
- Use couchsurfing.com to find a free couch to crash on
- Forage through dumpsters for daily meals
- Sight-see by foot or on bike at free attractions. All museums have a free day. Also see parks, libraries, botanical gardens, and hiking.
- Read a guide book on the area you're visiting -- found in the dumpster
- Research freegan activities and meetings in the area to connect with like-minded people and tourists
- Check the local craigslist for free events, classes, and its 'Free' section for unwanted goods you might need.
- Purchase carbon offsets from a legitimate organization to offset any transportation or consumption impact you may have left.
That's what I came up with. It's harder to travel free-style freegan than I first imagined. I wonder how it would work overseas? In many areas, it's illegal to dumpster dive, but people generally just look the other way if you're not causing any trouble. Do other countries look away or would you wind up in a Thai prison? (If you read my Jamie Lynn Spears Might Teach You Something... Besides Sex Ed post, you know I'm obsessed/terrified of Thai prisons.)
Regardless of your situation, everyone can travel (and live) more responsibly. Keep in mind that putting a coffee table in a Goodwill store and putting a coffee table on the street isn't that different. One has a price tag and one doesn't. One is outside next to someone's garbage, the other isn't. Or is it? If you're discarding your old clothes and goods to goodwill, you're still discarding it. it's still your own garbage in a way. I for one have found brand new books on the street or brownstone stoops and have then sold on ebay. I've also found kitchy art, a coffee table, and a pair of boots on the curb. A freegan? Not exactly, but I know the value of garbage and the pointlessness in consumerism when I see it.
Though not exactly a Freegan book, "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" chronicles a year in the life of author Judith Levine who refrained from shopping and spending money on nearly all non-essentials.
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