If you see a whole thing - it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives... But up close a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern. - Ursula K. LeGuin

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Freegans

I ran across this website the other day. Tonight I asked b and Boy if they had heard of Freegans and, since they hadn't, I read them the description of "What is A Freegan." They were 100% in agreement until we got the part about Dumpster Diving and I lost them.

I also found this website and have been thinking a lot about the amount of food we (as a nation) and we (as a family) waste.

So while I won't be rummaging through other people's garbage for the food we eat I do think we can do better about not dumping so much ourselves.

3 comments:

k8 said...

Yeah, the dumpster diving for food skeeves me out. While the whole freegan lifestyle isn't for me, I can appreciate it until the food part comes in.

Having said that, a lot of food is wasted in this country. Way back when, I had an afterschool job at a grocery store. As many issues as I had with that place, I was always glad that they donated a lot of bakery and produce to a local food bank and a local shelter - items at their sell-by date that probably wouldn't get sold since there was fresher inventory. I'd like to think that this move prevented a lot waste.

Amanda said...

I'm with k8. I like the idea, but the dumpster diving grosses me out. As a nation we do waste a lot of food. However, I do like the idea of decreasing consumerism. (But I think I may be a bit hypocritical as I just bough a house... that's a bit consumer-y)

MsPrufrock said...

Oh yeah we are wasteful people, but dumpster diving - no thanks. I watched a programme recently which featured some freegans and I'm sorry, they were just odd folks, dumpster diving aside.

I think there is quite a big ol' space between a more limited consumerism and dumpster diving. Thank god. I'll inhabit that space please.