Freegans's topics - tribe.net

Favor to Las Vegas Freegans

2008-08-10T09:17:10Z

I'm looking for some experienced Freegans to go dumpster diving with. Please email me if you can help. ailyreiko@yahoo.com

posted in Freegans - 0 replies

wish list

2008-08-02T07:11:44Z

whatcha lookin' for?

posted in Freegans - 5 replies

ever gotten sick?

2008-08-02T00:05:12Z

the other day, i was craving vitamin c and bought two oranges. and by coincidence a friend brought over two oranges he'd dumpstered. and by the time i was ready to eat them, they'd been in the same bowl in the fridge for a few hours and i couldn't tell the difference between the two i paid for and the two m brought over by eyeballing them. (that's the thing about dumpstering -- so often the food in the trash is just as good as the food on the shelf, having been on the shelf only an hour or two or minutes before.) so anyway, i rinsed and peeled two -- who knows which? -- and ate them. so i guess i could say there's a 50% chance i got sick dumpstering once. i'll spare you the gory food poisoningish details. i figure most of you have pretty good imaginations.

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

freegan meds

2008-07-31T23:08:15Z

so in this fabulous country of ours, many people can't afford medication. at the same time, many take one or two pills of something, find it doesn't work and shelve it. once, a friends' mom died and i took a massive bag of meds they were going to toss -- and i never figured out what to do with it all. i know there are probably legal issues and such -- you don't see too much meds on freecycle. but it seems to me there should be a way to keep the meds moving so people who don't need them don't have cabinets full of them and people who do can access them. is anybody familiar with a med exchange of some sort?

posted in Freegans - 4 replies

freeganism at revolution books this thur (NYC)

2008-07-29T16:46:06Z

Freeganism for Beginners
July 31, 2008

Presentation and Discussion @ 7:30pm at Revolution Books, 26th St bet. 6th
and 7th Ave (1 train to 28th street.)Trash tour departs from Revolution
Books at 9:30 PM

What is Freeganism?
Freeganism might be defined as the ultimate boycott. In an economy that
can only perpetuate itself via exploitation of humans, animals, and the
earth every dollar spent and every hour of labor exchanged for wages
facilitates injustice and ecological ruin. Thus freegans seek to exist
outside the confines of capitalism as workers and consumers. Freeganism
is a social movement that aims to dismantle capitalism by building
networks of mutual aid and fostering gift economies to provide for ALL of
people's fundamental needs—food, clothing, shelter, transportation,
healthcare, education, art and entertainment, community, childcare, a
healthy environment, green and open space, and a sense of connection to
all life. We believe the experience of functional, sustainable, and
rewarding communities of mutual assistance will help people to realize the
pernicious nature of capitalism—the suffering it creates in all of our
lives, the harm it does to our environment, and the vast resources it
perpetually robs from the commons. People who have helped build a real
alternative and benefited from it will truly realize that we have noting
to lose but our chains in destroying capitalism once and for all.

About the Presentation
Join Freegan.info to learn about the philosophy of freeganism and the
myriad ways we put it into practice—bicycle and clothing repair workshops,
guerilla and community gardens, squats, mutual aid health care networks,
wild food skillshares, Really, Really Free Markets and Freecycle; diesel
to greasel engine conversions, hobo networks, -- and yes, even dumpster
diving! Refreshments in the form of rescued food will be available for
all to enjoy. Come hungry! The presentation will be followed by a trash
tour, in which participants will witness the enormous volume of food
needlessly wasted by profit-driven retailers, explore the violent
lifecycle of every commodity produced in our industrial capitalist global
economy, and harvest wasted goods to use and share.

Presented by Freegan.info in association with Revolution Books

posted in Freegans - 0 replies

Bay Area?

2008-07-18T03:43:59Z

Just seeing who lives around me in the SF Bay area.

posted in Freegans - 16 replies

freegnism becoming obsolete?

2008-07-04T15:13:02Z

There's been a dumpster dive ban in Modesto, CA. It was brought on by the rich complaining about "unsightly people" in their part of town. The official reason for the ban is fear of identity theft. With freeganism becoming more popular i'm afraid this dumpster diving ban is going to spread, and if frightens me.

posted in Freegans - 11 replies

freegan up after the college students

2008-06-23T05:09:46Z

now's the time!

just a reminder that they are leaving their dorm rooms and apartments and going back from whence they came. behind they leave furniture, dishes, electronics, clothing galore, loads of food, all manner of bric-a-brac you might like.

their parents have more money than you or i have. they buy very nice things for us freegans. we receive them gently used at the end of the academic year.

i live in a building that's owned by Columbia and filled with students from several schools and seminaries nearby, currently taking their stuff (the stuff they are actually taking with them) out of the building in wheelie carts. the rest, they leave in pristine condition by the trash cans on every floor of my building.

further down in the city, the NYU dumpsters are a notorious freegan paradise this time of year.

i got my Ethan Allen couch from a seminary student a couple of years ago. it kicks ass. with the pillows removed from the back, it's as comfortable as a good single bed.

i've gotten several TVs from my hallway (i tend to return them there in short order because they have the power to make me stop reading -- but for a short exercise in american meditation you can't beat the price). my lamp. the fancy metal thing i keep a lot of my kitchen supplies on. the better part of my wardrobe. a pink suitcase with wheels that — i shit you not — LIGHT UP.

today i got THE. BEST. BATHROBE. EVER. it is very soft, a cool dark blue, and has a HOOD. if you ever meet me, i will probably be wearing this robe. that is how you will know me. i also got the mexican/yoga type blanket i've been wishing for. and a basket i like a lot. and a plastic hatchet. you never know when you will need a plastic hatchet.

go forth to the neighborhoods where the students live. and find the roller skates and pogo sticks and cool effluvia they've left behind. and tell us what you found.

posted in Freegans - 3 replies

freeganism lives! lot of 3 maternity tshirts avail

2008-06-10T20:19:58Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/8ff21aaa-f269-4bab-afce-01ff02729189/thread/5c0ddebb-1f70-4cc3-a083-4c2f435bf63a

posted in Freegans - 0 replies

Homestedding

2008-05-31T23:10:26Z

Has anyone tried this?

posted in Freegans - 10 replies

new tribe

2008-05-24T10:01:57Z

Hey everyone.

i decided to make a new tribe today. maybe it will take off. maybe it won't.
i am just ready for some more input that is positive. it seems to be getting
rather scarce lately. this is not just some kind of hippy dippy feel good tribe.
it is a feel good tribe, but not in the form of lazy self satisfaction- inaction. no no
it is more like the kind of tribe for us to share accomplishments and insights
from around the globe and become EMPOWERED ourselves to either start
making a difference, or to know that there are many more of us out there.
it is also a place for networking with like minded people that are into other
kinds of cool stuff. like the kind of stuff that you hear about and say, "whoa...
that's cool"

share what you like. i would really like to see this work.

i check tribe a lot during lunch. it would be great to get some inspiration to marinate on while i finish out the day.

peace
m

http://tribes.tribe.net/positivehappenings

posted in Freegans - 0 replies

Wasted food in a world of hunger

2008-05-22T06:13:51Z

The food waste in the U.S. is huge. It is good to see articles about this issue, and hear of the cities and organizations that are trying to make use of some of the otherwise wasted food.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/weekinreview/18martin.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

But if more cities had programs to recover the unused food, would that effect the freegans of these communities, do you think, in the choices of fresh food they are able to find after it's been tossed?

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

achoo! affluenza!

2008-05-22T03:40:38Z

documentary on the blight of.... excessive consumption. here's part one of Affluenza. other five parts are available on you tube, too. what do you think about this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-dib6hSlcU

posted in Freegans - 3 replies

pass it on, bebe!

2008-05-13T23:56:18Z

a tribe for free swapping of kiddie stuff.

http://tribes.tribe.net/8ff21aaa-f269-4bab-afce-01ff02729189

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

free parenting

2008-05-12T08:05:22Z

anybody had any luck doing child care exchanges, homeschooling (or unschooling exchanges), etc? best hacks for raising a child on next to nada? clothing swaps for kids? thrifting? gubment cheese health insurance for kids? tell me whatcha know....

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

Cans of soup found in dumpster

2008-04-18T03:07:53Z

I found a few cans of soup in a new favorite dumpster. Which is great! But, I'm a little confused as to why they would be thrown out in the first place. The cans aren't dented or bulging in any places. Nor could I find any expiration date. Any ideas? Warnings? Past experiences with canned goods you would like to share?

posted in Freegans - 6 replies

great opportunity -- gardening internship in CA

2008-04-11T20:35:00Z

one of my friends has been at this place for a while and another is headed in that direction. it seems like a good spot and a good opportunity to get close to your food source, get into the mountains, do some yoga. no money to change hands in either direction.
-- HPmmm

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for passing on my last message regarding a tentative gardening internship at Mount Madonna Center in The Santa Cruz Mountains of California. Our pilot program has finally been approved and we are now seeking gardeners to come join our team. Please feel free to forward the following information to your family, friends and colleagues.

Yoga/Retreat Center Seeking Gardening Apprentices

Mount Madonna Center is a yoga community set amidst 350 acres of redwood forest with a gorgeous mountain top view of Monterey Bay. Our 30 year old, one acre, organic garden is filled with flowers, herbs, fruit trees and vegetables. As we seek to raise our garden's productivity we are exploring bio-intensive as well as dry farming techniques and are establishing a pilot program inviting apprentices to work with us. Since we are a small garden with a small team, apprentices will have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the garden.

The responsibilities of the apprenticeship involve 26 hours in the garden, 2 hours of kitchen clean-up, and 2 hours of theme discussions that cover yoga philosophy, community history/future/values, and "check-ins" with other interns at Mount Madonna. In exchange apprentices will receive three vegetarian meals a day and are invited to participate in all Center activities – celebration, work, and play. Amenities include daily yoga classes, hiking trails, volleyball, tennis, and basketball courts, a hot tub, a computer center, free classes at the Pacific Cultural Center in Santa Cruz (a little under an hour away), as well as programs offered by Mount Madonna Center as your schedule permits. Housing arrangements are camping only. The duration of the apprenticeship will be based on two month blocks with an assessment at the end of each period and an opportunity for extension. There is flexibility around starting dates but the sooner the better. We look forward to hearing from you.

More information about Mount Madonna can be found on the website - www.mountmadonnacenter.org . Any questions or correspondence about the gardening apprenticeship should be addressed to emilybaron@gmail.com .

Thank You,

Best Wishes,

Mount Madonna Gardening Crew

posted in Freegans - 3 replies

birth groups

2008-04-06T22:34:15Z

i may be just being cranky, but to heck with the $3000 midwife.

and to heck with the $800 doula.

what i really want when i give birth is some decent company.

like some women who know how to be silent or who will chant gate gate paragate or who can hold real eye contact. women who will pass the raspberry tea or apply the warm cloth for me.

a group of mamas and mamas to be, sharing experience, growing our wisdom collectively and taking this experience out of the realm of economy.

i wish birth groups existed now, so that i could be present as a learner, as an undegreed, unsung healer, as an energy sharer and space holder.

dagnubbit.

if there is some underground network of novice crazies giving birth in their own beds and bathtubs with the company of a holy sisterhood like the one described above, send me an esp rsvp or, uh, you know.... just call or email.

posted in Freegans - 32 replies

LIGHTS OUT for Mother Earth, tonight 8pm local time WORLDWIDE.... that's Saturday!

2008-03-29T20:11:03Z

This is to reduce global warming, send a message, and worship Mother Earth....

sings, "tulips in the garden, tulips in the park, but the tulips I like best, are the tulips in the dark...."

posted in Freegans - 0 replies

schools out for summer

2008-03-25T01:09:06Z

almost, i think
possible the most lucrative time of year for non edible dumpster treasure?
my most appreciated score this time of year is discarded house plants
although i have a feeling college kids like to water them with beer or piss because
they always have leaf burn or something.....

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

Freegans In San Diego

2008-03-21T17:18:05Z

Hello Everyone,
I am researching an article for The San Diego Reader about Freegans. I feel that this is a very cool, important and interesting topic that deserves some coverage. I would LOVE to get in touch with you for an interview and to learn more about your lifestyle. Please contact me. I promise that this will be a very positive, intelligent and respectful article. Please feel free to call me:
619-787-7696

Thank you for your time!
Casey

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

denver freegans? ALERT?!?! APB?

2008-03-21T13:33:12Z

hey my friend had 100 mini dv video tapes(among other things) stolen around colfax and franklin in denver, i checked some of the dumpsters in the vicinity but to no avail....if anyone is diving around that area and comes across video tapes (they are probably with a bunch of osiris shoe boxes, shitty clothing, and random cardboard boxes with the last name Crew on them) contact me!!!!!! if you know anyone who is down to dive for the cause please enlist them, i live 1.5 hrs away cant dive down there today !!!!

posted in Freegans - 0 replies

Free food

2008-03-21T00:53:17Z

Hello ya'll... I have found found vurtual cornucopia of food. Thing is I am sure that a lot of you know this spot already. I don't want to put it out there in the public domain and have the well dry up so-to-speak, but in good conscience I cannot stand seeing all this food go to waste every night. If you are looking for food (packaged, mostly organic, and fresh) just tribe me and I will share what I know.

L&L

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

I am looking for Southern San Diego Freegans.

2008-03-16T06:09:34Z

I am new to this group. I am a mother with 2 Autistic children and my paycheck is never enough. I was wondering if there are any people in San Diego area who can give me tips on how to be a freegan in this area.

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

Freegan dilemma #4: the unspeakable freegan question

2008-03-11T22:59:25Z

can freeganism lead to optimal health?

put another way, it seems to me from extensive (okay, slightly obsessive) nutrition reading that health lives in *vibrant,* organic produce. from colorful fruits and veggies from across the color spectrum (red orange yellow green blue purple).

now it's very easy to eat at least as well as the average american is eating, consuming the Standard American Diet (the acronym is SAD -- no joke!) from dumpsters. and you can keep your head above water when things get rough by eating from dumpsters. and it's good to know how to do this.

but if — as may be wise (or necessary) —you regard good nutrition and self care as the best form of health insurance you can afford, how well can you do in the dumpsters?

in dumpsterland, you may find a fine head of organic broc, but it may be a little yellowing, which serves as a sign to you it's been around for quite a while and lost some of its healing power. what do you do?

posted in Freegans - 8 replies

more crap the world does not need: cheeseburger in a can

2008-03-11T22:30:29Z

http://gizmodo.com/350091/cheeseburger-in-a-can-is-both-the-best-and-worst-thing-ive-ever-seen

posted in Freegans - 3 replies

MARCH 2008 FREEGAN EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY

2008-03-11T17:53:53Z

hey, all. i'm just reposting this from adam weissman at freegan.info. i'm posting it in the hopes that anyone here in the city who wants to will be able to make it to something this month -- but also because they level of NY freegan organization is kinda mind bendingly anomalous in the U.S. these crazy kids' media savvy has kind of brought freeganism out from under the radar nationally, for better or worse. and their feasts rock.

MARCH 2008 FREEGAN EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY

Freeganism = living beyond capitalism.
In a society of massive overconsumption, enormous quantities of usable
resources go to waste. Through dumpster diving, squatting, guerilla
gardening and other strategies, freegans transform waste into
resources
to meet real needs, allowing us to live our values of ecological
sustainability, cooperation & sharing while reducing our contribution
to
capitalism’s abuse of humans, animals and the earth.

Join us for upcoming freegan events, trash tours and meetings

Call Janet at (347)724-6954 or email Leia at ask@freegan.info with
questions on any event.

Journalists interested in attending an event open to media should call
(646) 402-5238 or ask@freegan.info. Events that don’t list a fee and
don’t
mention the organizing group are free and are organized by
Freegan.info.

Freegan Bike Workshop
Learn how to turn found bike parts into working bicycles and build your
own bike. For more info call or text Christian at (917) 582-9010.
When & Where?
Every Wednesday from 6-9pm, and every Saturday from 2-7pm. To get more
involved, come to open meetings at 5pm on Wednesdays.
At the 123 Community Space in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn at 123 Tompkins, G
train
to Myrtle-Willoughby.
Media WILL be welcome on Wednesday with appointment, but the Saturday
workshops are media free.

Monday, March 3 - Freegan Meeting & Trash Tour
Join us for a meeting to plan upcoming freegan events and outreach.
After,
we will explore the area’s wasted food and other goods. The meeting
is NOT
open to media, but the tour WILL be open to media that have scheduled
in
advance.
When & Where?
7:30pm in the seating area of Ms. K’s at 30th and Madison. To come
just
for the tour, meet at 9:30pm in front of the grocery on 38th St. & 3rd
Ave.

Monday, March 10: Freegan.info Book Discussion Group: Mutual Aid: A
Factor In Evolution By Peter Kropotkin
Join Freegan.info’s Reading Group to discuss writings on topics
relevant
to freeganism-- mutual aid, sustainability, anti-capitalism, waste,
ecological destruction, corporate power, etc. Join us for our first
book
discussion! On March 10, we’ll be discussing the Introduction and
chapters
1 and 2 of Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution by Peter Kropotkin.
PLEASE
READ THESE CHAPTERS IN ADVANCE OF THE DISCUSSION! You can find this
book
at your local library or free online at http://snipurl.com/mutualaid.
When & Where? 7:30-9:30 PM, Grand Central Terminal, Dining Concourse,
42nd
Street at Park Avenue, Manhattan, NYC. (Meet us at a table near Track
114.If you have trouble finding us, call Janet at (347) 724-6954.
Subway -
4, 5, 6, 7, or Times Square Shuttle to 42ndStreet/Grand Central.

Friday, March 14 - Trash Tour
Join us as we collect the discarded quality products that stores throw
out. We give advice on how to salvage these goods and comment on the
reasons for such waste. This tour will NOT be open to the media.
When & Where?
9pm in front of the grocery at the NW corner of 14th St. & 8th Ave.

Monday, March 17 - Freegan Meeting & Trash Trailblaze
Join us for a meeting to plan upcoming freegan events and outreach.
After,
we will explore an area we are less familiar with to add to our list of
locations to recommend to others. This tour will NOT be open to
media.The
meeting and tour will NOT open to media.
When & Where?
7:30pm in the seating area of Whole Foods at E. Houston & Chrystie. To
come just for the tour, meet us at 9:30pm at the corner of E. Houston &
Chrystie.

Thursday, March 20 - Trash Tour
Join us as we collect the discarded quality products that stores throw
out. We give advice on how to salvage these goods and comment on the
reasons for such waste. This tour will WILL be open to media that have
scheduled in advance.
When & Where?
Meet at 9:30pm at the corner of E. Houston and Chrystie.

Friday, March 21 - Freegan Feast
Share in the food preparation and then in the good company of a group
of
people who care about each other and about change. Media WILL be
welcome
with appointment.
When & Where?
RSVP for the location and directions. Help cook at 5:30pm & eat at 8.
Please call Janet at 347-724-6954 to RSVP.

Monday, March 24: Freegan.info Book Discussion Group: Mutual Aid: A
Factor In Evolution By Peter Kropotkin
Join Freegan.info’s Reading Group to discuss writings on topics
relevant
to freeganism-- mutual aid, sustainability, anti-capitalism, waste,
ecological destruction, corporate power, etc. On March 24, we’ll be
discussing the Introduction and chapters discuss chapters 3 and 4 of
Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution by Peter Kropotkin. On March 24,
we’ll
. PLEASE READ THESE CHAPTERS IN ADVANCE OF THE DISCUSSION! You can
find
this book at your local library or free online at
http://snipurl.com/mutualaid.
When & Where? 7:30-9:30 PM, Grand Central Terminal, Dining Concourse,
42nd
Street at Park Avenue, Manhattan, NYC. (Meet us at a table near Track
114.If you have trouble finding us, call Janet at (347) 724-6954.
Subway -
4, 5, 6, 7, or Times Square Shuttle to 42ndStreet/Grand Central.

Tuesday, March 25 - Urban Foraging 101
An event especially for newcomers. Join us for a discussion on
freeganism
and a trash tour exploring the massive amount of usable food and other
goods that is wasted every day. If you wanted to try dumpster diving
but
couldn’t bring yourself to do it on your own, join us for Urban
Foraging
101. Media will NOT be allowed at the event so don’t worry about
getting
caught on camera....
When & Where?
We'll be meeting in the area of Columbia University, but please email
ask@freegan.info or call Janet at 347-724-6954 for exact details.

Ongoing Sustainable & Freegan-friendly Events

COMPOSTING
Lower East Side Ecology Center accepts organic material for composting
(fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and tea bags, egg and nut
shells, cut flowers, and similar organic material). LESEC has drop-off
bins at the Union Square Greenmarket (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm), or drop off at the center on E. 7th St.
btwn.
Aves. B & C any time through the opening in the gate. LESEC will host a
backyard composting workshop 3/29, 1pm-3pm at LaPlaza Cultural
Community
Garden (9th St. & Ave. C). Register at (212) 477-3155 or
info@lesecologycenter.org.
The West 181st Street Beautification Project also has public
compostable
drop-off at 880 W. 181st St. in a community garden.
For other compost options, visit
http://www.nyccompost.org/resources/organizations.html.

FOOD NOT BOMBS
Food Not Bombs offers a vegetarian meal share (using donated food that
would otherwise be wasted) on Sundays around 3:30pm in Tompkins Square
Park. Help cook at ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington St. btwn. Clinton &
Suffolk
beginning at 1pm. More info: fnb@abcnorio.org or (212) 254-3697 ext.395

COMPUTER AND ELECTRONICS RECYCLING
Per Scholas is a recycling facility in Hunts Point in the Bronx that
allows individuals to drop off up residential computer and electronic
equipment. They accept residential equipment Monday through Friday
from
9:00 am to 4:00 pm at 1575 Bronx River Ave. in the Hunts Point section
of
the Bronx.
Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC) has community recycling days on
March 29 & 30, 10am-4pm, 1st Ave. btwn. 92 & 93 Sts.
Build It Green! New York City also accept electronics recycling at 3-17
26th Ave. in Astoria, Queens, from Tues.-Fri. 10-6 or Sat. 10-5.

PLASTICS RECYCLING AT PARK SLOPE FOOD CO-OP
The Park Slope Food Co-op accepts many plastics for recycling that are
NOT
collected by the city. They accept: #1 & # 2 plastics (but NOT bottles,
which NYC recycles), #4 plastics, #5 plastic tubs, cups & specifically
marked lids and caps (remove any paper labels), plastic film and bags.
All
plastics must be CLEAN AND DRY. They accept these recyclables every
month
on the 2nd Sat, 10am-2pm; the 3rd Thurs, 7pm-9pm; & the last Sun,
10am-2pm. The co-op is at 782 Union St. (btwn. 6th & 7th Aves.) in Park
Slope, Brooklyn.

WEEKLY BIKE REPAIR WORKSHOPS BY TIME'S UP!
New Location!
Times Up has a new space where workshops and events are held. Come see
the
new space at 73 Morton St, west of Hudson Street.
WOMEN AND TRANS BICYCLE REPAIR NIGHT: Every Monday, 6:30 p.m. No
previous
experience with bicycle repair required or expected.
BIKE REPAIR WORKSHOPS: Every Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Come learn how to fix
bikes, do simple maintenance and tune-ups at the bike mechanic skill
share.
FIX YOUR BIKE WORKSHOP: Every Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Share skills with
other
cyclists while you fix up your own bike.
For more information about events at Time's Up!, visit
http://www.times-up.org/calendar/calendar.php

TEXTILE REUSE AND REPAIR AT THE MAKE FUN WORKSHOPS
Make funky stuff with all your friends... Reuse materials and turn them
into new things...Fix your clothes and make new ones... Come to the
MAKE
FUN art making party! Every Tuesday from 8pm-? at the HOUSE of YES,
19-49
Troutman Street, Jefferson L train stop (Troutman at Flushing and
Metropolitian Ave). More info? Call (585) 217-7209.

TEXTILE RECYCLING, SATURDAYS and MONDAYS
Of course, the best thing to do with reusable clothes and other
textiles
is to reuse them! BUT, if you have scraps and rags that can’t be used
even
one more time, there is textile recycling every Saturday, 8am-4pm, at
the
Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket (NW entrance to Prospect Park) and every
Monday, 8am - 6pm at the Unions Square Greenmarket. Sponsored by
Goodwill;
they will also take usable clothes.
Sponsored by Goodwill; they will also take usable clothes.

WILD FOOD TOURS
"Wildman" Steve Brill holds frequent tours where you can learn to find
and
harvest wild growing plants for food and medicine. The fee is $12 ($6
for
children under 12) sliding scale, but no one is ever turned away for
lack
of funds.
When & Where?
Tours this month in the NYC area are: 3/1 in Central Park; 3/2 in
Prospect
Park, Brooklyn; 3/9 in Marine Park, Brooklyn; 3/15 in Central Park;
3/16
in Kissena Park, Flushing, Queens; 2/22 in Inwood Hill Park; 3/23 in
Prospect Park, Brooklyn; and 3/29 in Central Park.
Check the schedule and sign up at http://wildmanstevebrill.com/ or call
(914) 835-2153.

GRUB COMMUNITY BUILDING MEAL
1st and 3rd Sunday of every month.
A mostly freegan dinner for strangers and co-conspirators in a relaxed
environment. There is no charge but donations are requested. At Rubulad
Home Base, 338 Flushing Avenue (between Classon & Taaffe, near the Navy
Yard) in Brooklyn. Doors open 6:30; dinner around 7:00. More
information
at http://suckapants.com/grub.html.

Bus - M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M42, M98, M101, M102, M104, Q32

Metro North- http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mnr/index.html

Finding the Dining Concourse in Grand Central - From the Main
Concourse,
take the stairs or escalators on either the east or west sides. For a
much
more scenic view, take either of the ramps found in the Shuttle or 42nd
Street Passages.

“In the animal world we have seen that the vast majority of species
live
in societies, and that they find in association the best arms for the
struggle for life: understood, of course, in its wide Darwinian sense
--
not as a struggle for the sheer means of existence, but as a struggle
against all natural conditions unfavourable to the species. The animal
species, in which individual struggle has been reduced to its narrowest
limits, and the practice of mutual aid has attained the greatest
development, are invariably the most numerous, the most prosperous, and
the most open to further progress. The mutual protection which is
obtained
in this case, the possibility of attaining old age and of accumulating
experience, the higher intellectual development, and the further growth
of
sociable habits, secure the maintenance of the species, its extension,
and
its further progressive evolution. The unsociable species, on the
contrary, are doomed to decay.”
– Peter Kropotkin, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution (1902),
Conclusion.

About the Book: "Written partly in response to Social Darwinism and in
particular to Thomas H. Huxley's Nineteenth Century essay, "The
Struggle
for Existence," Kropotkin's book drew on his experiences in scientific
expeditions in Siberia to illustrate the phenomenon of cooperation.
After
examining the evidence of cooperation in nonhuman animals, "savages,"
"barbarians," in medieval cities, and in modern times, he concludes
that
cooperation and mutual aid are as important in the evolution of the
species as competition and mutual strife, if not more so." –
Wikipedia

About Peter Kropotkin: “Peter Alekseevich Kropotkin was born in
Moscow,
Russia, on 12th December, 1842. At the age of 15 he entered the
aristocratic Corps des Pages of St. Petersburg and four yeas later
became
personal page to Alexander II.

Kropotkin took a keen interest in politics and volunteered to help
implement the reforms being introduced in Siberia. Disillusioned by the
limits of these reforms, he undertook a geographical exploration in
East
Siberia and produced a paper on his theory of mountain structure.

Kropotkin became openly critical of the Russian political system and in
1874 he was arrested and imprisoned. Two years later he escaped and
fled
to Switzerland. His radical socialist views made him unwelcome in
Switzerland and in 1881 he moved to France where he became a member of
the
International Working Men's Association (the First International).

In 1883 Kropotkin was arrested and imprisoned by the French
authorities.
While in prison Kropotkin's ideas on anarchism were published. Released
in
1886 Kropotkin moved to England where he wrote In Russian and French
Prisons (1887). He was wrote a series of articles attacking the ideas
of
Charles Darwin. Kropotkin argued that it was cooperation rather than
struggle that accounted for the evolution of man and human
intelligence.
The publication of Kropokin's books, Conquest of Bread (1892), Memoirs
of
a Revolutionist (1899), Fields, Factories and Workshops (1901), Mutual
Aid
(1902) and The Great French Revolution (1909) turned him into a world
known political figure.

In 1899 Kropotkin moved to Chicago and lived in the Hull House
settlement.
However, his anarchist views made him an unwelcome guest in the United
States and so he returned to London.

In 1912 Kropotkin moved to Brighton where he stayed for the next five
years. After the overthrow of the Tsar Nicholas II in 1917, he returned
home to Russia and welcomed the October Revolution. Kropotkin was
critical
of the Bolshevik government and described its members as "state
socialists". Peter Kropotkin died of pneumonia on 8th February, 1921.
His
final book, Ethics, Origin and Development (1922) was published
posthumously.”- Spartacus Educational

--------------------------------

--
http://dumpsterdiving.meetup.com/4
This message was sent by Adam Weissman (adam@wetlands-preserve.org)
from Freegan.info's NYC Dumpster Diving Meetup.
To learn more about Adam Weissman, visit his/her member profile:
http://dumpsterdiving.meetup.com/4/members/1278801/
To unsubscribe, click here: http://www.meetup.com/account/?tab=comm

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632 Broadway New York NY 10012 USA

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

Trash Tour Bay Area?

2008-03-10T22:43:24Z

OK, I watched Oprah. I had heard about Freegans before and always admired the idea. Then I heard about these trash tours on Oprah and I really would like to try that and learn how to do this properly. Are there any in the San Jose/Santa Clara area that anyone knows of? We newbies need lessons and guidance.

posted in Freegans - 4 replies

Reusable containers

2008-03-10T14:19:25Z

Remember the olden days, when milk was left at your doorstep in a glass bottle? I don't, but I watch a lot of TV and old movies. Still, wouldn't it be better if you had, say, a shampoo bottle that you took to the store and filled under a spicket, like you get water out of a watercooler? Couldn't we do that with lots of things? Why is it that when I buy bread (two pack at Costco-we have 4 kids) that the bread has a plastic lining, is in a plastic bag and then there's a larger plastic bag around the two loaves? Someone posted something about packaging earlier. I'm starting to feel nauseous when I buy things just because of the packaging. This country is out of control and nobody is stopping these companies from packaging the planet to death. What can we do? Can we lobby or write up petitions or something? Seriously, when you do need to purchase something in a store, would you be willing to bring along your own empty bottles and refill them at the store in order to avoid putting more packaging in the world?

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

Freegans LA?

2008-03-10T04:55:23Z

Hey,

Any Freegan groups, resources in Los Angeles?

Also, is Freeganism just about food or is it about being able to get everything you can for free?

TTINLA

posted in Freegans - 6 replies

DIY Medicine tribe

2008-02-25T17:38:05Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/diymedicine

Please check it out if you have any interest in natural health/medicine and self care. First aid and traveler health tips included.

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

don't freegan these items:

2008-02-23T06:42:09Z

bike helmets. my brain would be scrambled from a run-in i once had with a cab, had i not been wearing a helmet. as i understand it, once a helmet has undergone impact, it is potentially structurally weaker and less effective in the next crash. so i'd say beg, borrow, or steal yourself a new one. or just buy it.

used condoms aren't so good either.

what swag won't you take however gently pre-used?

posted in Freegans - 26 replies

Freecycle is supposed to be free

2008-02-22T03:57:10Z

Some Freecycle members don't seem to understand the point behind Freecycle. For example, I've often gotten e-mails from people who suggest where can buy the items I'm looking for for. In my mind, that makes no sense. If I could afford to buy said items, I would've bought them and not ask for them on Freecycle. Besides, Freecycle is supposed to be free. Otherwise, they should've called it "Buycycle."

posted in Freegans - 9 replies

conduits activate

2008-02-14T23:49:42Z

a friend in SF needs some manner of automathingie to manifest so he can continue on his miraculouos missions on behalf of the human race. the car or truck will need to make it to joshua tree and will be used for water runs and such. anyone with something functional and free or friendly cheap, contact aj in my tribe friends. you may also be able to work out a cool trade with him -- he's a seriously talented photographer, among other things.

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

I know I'm preaching to the converted but...

2008-02-14T21:25:27Z

it's a good message to forward.

This is a new article from the NRDC:

*********

The 3R's Still Rule
Consumer product companies are always selling us a new bill of goods. The latest is that we can shop our way to a healthier planet. Over the years, they've also told us that cool cars would make us free and diet soda would make us popular. But there are some things money -- and advertising -- can't buy, and a clean environment is one of them.

The hard fact is that global warming, deforestation and other earthly ills cannot be solved by switching brands.

It takes resources to manufacture and transport all products, even those made from recycled content. At the very least, energy is spent. And spending resources leaves the world poorer, not better off.

So do what you will if you are itching for something new -- there are no environmental police here -- but don't kid yourself. Buying nothing is better for the earth than buying green.

There are exceptions, of course. If your current car or appliance is a terrible energy-waster, you may save resources in the long term by replacing it with an energy-efficient model. And it's better for your own health and your family's to replace products that could leach toxins, such as PVC baby toys.

More often, though, it is greener to follow the old dictum: reduce, reuse, recycle. I know you've heard it a thousand times before, but with the "green" word now co-opted in the service of sales, the three R's are a phrase -- and a principle -- worth reviving.

Reduce. "Reduce" means using fewer resources in the first place. This is the most effective of the three R's and the place to begin. It is also, I think, the hardest because it requires letting go of some very American notions, including: the bigger the better, new trumps old and convenience is next to godliness.

But you don't need to let go completely or all at once. "Reduce" is a comparative word. It says: cut back from where you are now.

When you shop, shop differently. Look for things that will last -- things that are not just durable and well-made, but useful and beautiful enough to please you for a long time. The extra money you spend on their acquisition will be offset by the money you do not spend replacing them.

Don't chase the latest fashions. They will age the fastest.

With electronics, extravagance may pay. A super-charged computer will still run the software that comes out two years from now, and a large monitor will accommodate the ever wider webpages that companies will be building then. Similarly, a cell phone with a full text keypad (or the iPhone) will see you through the text-messaging era that is upon us.

When you make a purchase, find out how to keep the item in shape. Then, maintain it accordingly and repair it when necessary.

In addition, try these ways of reducing your use (and abuse) of resources:

Buy products made from post-consumer recycled materials, especially paper and bathroom tissue.
Choose electronics and appliances that are energy-efficient. Ditto for cars, which you can also share.
Buy stuff made close to home. Less energy was used transporting them to the store.
Buy used. craigslist and eBay make it easy.
Avoid goods made with materials whose extraction or processing are especially destructive, such as tropical woods and most gold jewelry.
Avoid overly packaged goods. The packaging is a total throw-away.
Avoid things made with toxic materials, such as most household cleansers.
Cut back on water use at home.
Waste less energy on lights and equipment.
Eat less meat.
Reuse. Before you recycle or dispose of anything, consider whether it has life left in it. A jam jar can store leftovers. Food scraps can become compost. An old shirt can become a pajama top. An opened envelope can become a shopping list. A magazine can be shared. DVDs can be traded. A dishwasher can be repaired. A computer can be upgraded. A car can be resold. A cell phone can be donated. Returnable bottles can be, well... returned.

Reusing keeps new resources from being used for a while longer, and old resources from entering the waste stream. It's as important as it is unglamorous. Think about how you can do it more.

Recycle. Recycling is the "R" that has caught on the best. Partly, this is because there are so many curbside recycling programs today (8,660 as of 2006, according to the EPA), which makes recycling so darned easy. What keeps it from being a total piece of cake is the rules. Every municipality has its own, and they are not always as straightforward as they could be.

For example, towns are usually particular about the plastics they accept for recycling. Most only take packaging made from #1 (PET or PETE) and #2 (HDPE) resins. You need to look at the bottom of the package for the chasing arrow symbol and check that the number is right. Some towns are even more restrictive. New York City, for instance, accepts #2 containers with necks, but not wide mouths because the two are formed differently and have different melting points. The wrong kind of plastic can "contaminate" the whole batch, rendering it garbage as far as the company with the recycling contract is concerned.

So though it's a pain, try to learn what the recycling rules are in your own community and follow them whether they make obvious sense or not. It's the easiest way to do your part.

As to shopping for green products, by all means do -- when you really need the thing you're shopping for.

—Sheryl Eisenberg

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

the SO doesnt dig it

2008-02-07T09:28:40Z

whenever I bring up even the topic of freeganism he freaks out! He thinks I want to go feral ( it *does* appeal to me, but its not likely).

Anyone else encountering this?

posted in Freegans - 6 replies

environmental freegans: 15 things to never buy again

2008-02-07T05:31:02Z

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/shopunshop/unshopping/neverbuy.cfm

1. Styrofoam cups
Styrofoam is forever. It's not biodegradable.
Alternative: Buy recyclable and compostable paper cups.
Best option: Invest in some reusable mugs that you can take with you.

2. Paper towels
Paper towels waste forest resources, landfill space, and your money.
Alternative: When you do buy paper towels, look for recycled, non-bleached products. Search the National Green Pages™ for recycled paper products.
Best option: Buy dishtowels or rags to wash and reuse.

3. Bleached coffee filters
Dioxins, chemicals formed during the chlorine bleaching process, contaminate groundwater and air and are linked to cancer in humans and animals.
Alternative: Look for unbleached paper filters.
Best Option: Use reusable filters such as washable cloth filters.

4. Overpackaged foods and other products
Excess packaging wastes resources and costs you much more. Around thirty three percent of trash in the average American household comes from packaging.
Alternative: Buy products with minimal or reusable packaging.
Best Option: Buy in bulk and use your own containers when shopping.

5. Teak and mahogany
Every year, 27 million acres of tropical rainforest (an area the size of Ohio) are destroyed. Rainforests cover 6% of Earth’s surface and are home to over half of the world’s wild plant, animal, and insect species. The Amazon rainforest produces 40 percent of the world’s oxygen.
Alternative: Look for Forest Stewardship Council certified wood.
Best Option: Reuse wood, and buy furniture and other products made from used or salvaged wood.

Learn how to become WoodWise at home and in your office »

6.Chemical pesticides and herbicides
American households use 80 million pounds of pesticides each year. The EPA found at least one pesticide in almost every water and fish sample from streams and in more than one-half of shallow wells sampled in agricultural and urban areas. These chemicals pose threats to animals and people, especially children.
Alternatives: Buy organic pest controllers such as diatomaceous earth.
Best Option: Plant native plants and practice integrated pest management. Plant flowers and herbs that act as natural pesticides.

7. Conventional household cleaners
Household products can contain hazardous ingredients such as organic solvents and petroleum-based chemicals that can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your indoor environment, positing a particular danger for children. The average American household has three to ten of hazardous matter in the home.
Alternative: Look for nontoxic, vegetable-based, biodegradeable cleaners.
Best Option: Try making your own green cleaner using vinegar, water, and castile soap.

Find safe, green cleaners in the National Green Pages™.

8. Higher octane gas than you need
Only one car in ten manufactured since 1982 requires high-octane gasoline. High-octane gas releases more hazardous pollutants into the air, and may be bad for your car.
Alternative: Buy the lowest-octane gas your car requires as listed in your owner's manual
Best option: Make your next car purchase a hybrid. Or ditch the car and take public transportation, ride a bike, or walk.

9. Toys made with PVC plastic
70% of PVC is used in construction, but it is also found in everyday plastics, including some children’s toys. Vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, is a known human carcinogen. Also, additives, such as lead and cadmium, are sometimes added to PVC to keep it from breaking down; these additives can be particularly dangerous in children’s toys. PVC is also the least recycled plastic.
Alternative: Avoid plastics that are labeled as “PVC” or “#3.” Look for #1 and #2 plastics, which are easier to recycle and don’t produce as many toxins. Use sustainable construction materials.
Best option: Take action to tell manufacturers to stop using PVC plastics, especially in children’s toys.

Find safe toys in the National Green Pages™ .

10. Plastic forks and spoons
Disposable plastic utensils are not biodegradeable and not recyclable in most areas.
Alternative: Use compostable food service items. Companies such as Biocorp make cutlery from plant materials such as corn starch and cellulose.
Best option: Carry your own utensils and food containers.

11. Farm raised salmon. Several studies, including one performed by researchers at Indiana University, have found that PCB's and other environmental toxins are present at higher levels in farm raised salmon than wild salmon.

Pregnant women, women of child-bearing ages, and children should be very careful when choosing fish due to high levels of environmental toxins including mercury found in many fish. Check out our Safe Seafood Tip Sheet to see what the environmental and health risks posed by different fish.

12. Rayon. Developed and manufactured by DuPont as the world's first synthetic fiber, it is made by from liquefied wood pulp. Unfortunately, turning wood into rayon is wasteful and dirty, because lots of water and chemicals are needed to extract usable fibers from trees. Only about a third of the pulp obtained from a tree will end up in finished rayon thread. The resulting fabrics usually require dry cleaning, which is an environmental concern as well as an added expense and inconvenience.

Much of the our rayon sold comes from developing countries, such as Indonesia, where environmental and labor laws are weak and poorly enforced. There is mounting evidence that rayon clothing manufacturing contributes to significant forest destruction and pollution in other countries. Learn more about WoodWise clothes »

13. Beauty/Body Care with Phthalates and Parabens. Phthalates are a group of industrial chemicals linked to birth defects that are used in many cosmetic products, from nail polish to deodorant. Parabens are preservatives used in many cosmetics that have been linked to breast cancer though more research is needed. Phthalates are not listed on product labels and can only be detected in laboratory tests. To be safe, choose products from companies that have signed on to the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. Learn more in our Real Money article, "The Ugly Side of Cosmetics" »

14. Cling Wrap. Many people don't realize that cling wrap may be made with PVC. #3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) leaches toxins when heated or microwaved and it is an environmental problem throughout its lifecycle. Read more about problems with plastics »

15. High VOC Paints and Finishes. Volatile organic compounds or VOCs can cause health problems from dizziness to lung and kidney damage and are infamous for polluting both indoor and outdoor air. VOCs are found in products including paints as well as finishes used for wood, such a stains or varnishes. There are now a wide array of low or no-VOC paints on the market. Look for paints certified by Green Seal (www.greenseal.org). Or, look for natural paints made by green businesses listed in our National Green Pages™.

posted in Freegans - 18 replies

born free: unassisted child birth

2008-02-06T02:18:52Z

http://unassistedchildbirth.com/uc/

well, i know there's a lot to talk about and people will have lots of opinions. but i think unassisted home birth is something worth thinking about.

cost is of course not the reason to choose this, but it is also true that a medically supervised childbirth in NY (including prenatal care and hospital birth) seems to run between $16,000 and $20,000.

i'm not saying anyone should or shouldn't do this. it may not be safe for some. but what it's starting to look like is that it's safe for most, and possibly a better experience all around.

posted in Freegans - 17 replies

Food! Learn to Cook, Garden, Farm! Eating Vegetarian-Vegan-Organic is Better!!

2008-02-03T21:40:12Z

So I read this thread on Food Banks Running Very Low....
And my first thought is, GARDEN!! Everybody with sufficient dirt around them, please garden! Get some seeds of foods and kitchen or healing herbs and just Learn To Garden!
I am also intrigued by using herbs for healing, since the Medical Health Care System (hah) is collapsing under its own weight..... too damn expensive and invasive..... yes, doctors and hospitals can be useful when you're in DEEP doo doo, but....
Oh.... and that Mom who asked the wasteful cook for the food that he was about to toss out.... and got it? Brilliant idea....
I knew a woman who used to cook for Food Not Bombs... they took Vegetarian food that was destined for the Trash, and made meals for many, many hungry people, often poor or low-income folks.... yummy stuff, too. Her name was Judy Foster... Rest In Peace, Pagan Goddess-Crone of the Kitchen..... she was with Starhawk's folk, the Reclaiming Collective.
At least vegetarians don't have to carry guns and go out and shoot deer, bears, squirrels, etc.....
OH.... and everybody please find the Lost Art of Cooking.... I mean, kneading a loaf of bread isn't THAT hard..... takes some work, and time to rise in a warm spot such as an oven set on Warm mode..... and it tastes GREAT.....
Share the gardening, cooking, and eating. Brings the family or friends and community together.
Keep lots of dried grains and beans around. Cheap, sustainable, vegetarian! You can store rice, quinoa, oats, dried beans and nuts, seeds. You cook rice with I guess 2 cups water to 1 cup of grain? Great with vegetables, spices, or meat for those who can't bear to give up eating animals entirely for whatever reason. Maybe some people ARE better off eating some animal flesh?
Food is the first need. Next, is friendship, family, love, and lovemaking. OH and having enough clothes and shelter.
Then comes spirituality, art, childcare, education..... that is enough to keep ANYBODY busy.
I have a future!

posted in Freegans - 7 replies

There's no such thing as a free lunch...

2008-01-30T17:32:13Z

...or is there?

: )

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

Poopload of Cardamom

2008-01-26T04:48:06Z

I have mucho Cardamom, maybe 40-50 pounds. It smells like it has some Cinnamon and maybe some Garam Masala in it. Anyone in the East Bay interested?

posted in Freegans - 11 replies

Freegans in the East Bay, California?

2008-01-19T01:20:45Z

Im not a freegan, but I'd like to work towards being more freeganish. I also have a garden, and space to grow food, so Im always looking to share the work and the bounty.

posted in Freegans - 15 replies

Mushroom hunting

2008-01-07T20:31:40Z

For anybody who hasn't tried it, it's so much fun! Contact your local mycological society so you can start with people that know there shit. It's kind of like hunting for brilliant colored forest shells that are either edible or will make you puke. (That's why it's good to start with experts) you can cook what you find or make natural dyes out of some of them. There are even mushrooms that taste like maple that you can make cheesecake with.

posted in Freegans - 8 replies

Freegan Dictionary: free curious

2008-01-03T20:39:32Z

not doing it yet, but having a lot of trashy fantasies.

posted in Freegans - 23 replies

Free Love

2007-12-31T16:41:48Z

nows this is a deal and a place where its always free,always good,enviormentally safe, and has many recycleable lives,can be used alone or best shared with somebody and you never have a price to pay unless its not genuine.It also works comuneally here-show me the love.
Oh by the way,lovin you H.P.manifested hugs and love comeing your way.....shes my new pal.

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

the whatever thread

2007-12-25T06:53:02Z

well, i think of this tribe as a bit of a community. and no community should have to stay on topic all the time. so while we may all be freegan or freeganish or free-curious, here's a spot to talk about whatever.

posted in Freegans - 7 replies

everglades int'l hostel

2007-12-20T15:57:58Z

this is a good place. kind people, good space. they sometimes take volunteers. i'm doing cooking and cleaning and whatever else comes up. my friend i'm traveling with is doing repairs on the buildings and possibly on the boats as well. some folks are volunteering as guides.

posted in Freegans - 3 replies

Manifesting people

2007-12-20T04:09:50Z

Has anybody ever blatantly!!! manifested a person into your life that seems to have similar patterns of behavior of someone that you you weren't able to comfortably handle in the past and so decided to avoid, but now that you've blatantly manifested this person you're not exactly sure what to do with them. (I'm using the concept of manifesting a person quite flippantly, maybe I should say something more like manifesting the meeting) any thoughts on this or the concept of manifesting people in general? For some reason manifesting people is different for me than manifesting things and may have something more behind it than just me and the universe playing treasure hunt.

posted in Freegans - 10 replies

the story of stuff movie : )

2007-12-19T18:42:42Z

http://web.1.c3.audiovideoweb.com/1c3web3536/StoryOfStuff.mov

posted in Freegans - 21 replies

What is a freegan?

2007-12-19T02:53:52Z

I swiped this text off of www.freegan.info. Feel free to quibble. I thought it would be a good starting point, if not the defnitive definition:

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.
After years of trying to boycott products from unethical corporations responsible for human rights violations, environmental destruction, and animal abuse, many of us found that no matter what we bought we ended up supporting something deplorable. We came to realize that the problem isn't just a few bad corporations but the entire system itself.

Freeganism is a total boycott of an economic system where the profit motive has eclipsed ethical considerations and where massively complex systems of productions ensure that all the products we buy will have detrimental impacts most of which we may never even consider. Thus, instead of avoiding the purchase of products from one bad company only to support another, we avoid buying anything to the greatest degree we are able.

The word freegan is compounded from "free" and "vegan". Vegans are people who avoid products from animal sources or products tested on animals in an effort to avoid harming animals. Freegans take this a step further by recognizing that in a complex, industrial, mass-production economy driven by profit, abuses of humans, animals, and the earth abound at all levels of production (from acquisition to raw materials to production to transportation) and in just about every product we buy. Sweatshop labor, rainforest destruction, global warming, displacement of indigenous communities, air and water pollution, eradication of wildlife on farmland as "pests", the violent overthrow of popularly elected governments to maintain puppet dictators compliant to big business interests, open-pit strip mining, oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas, union busting, child slavery, and payoffs to repressive regimes are just some of the many impacts of the seemingly innocuous consumer products we consume every day.

Freegans employ a range of strategies for practical living based on our principles:

Waste Reclamation
We live in an economic system where sellers only value land and commodities relative to their capacity to generate profit. Consumers are constantly being bombarded with advertising telling them to discard and replace the goods they already have because this increases sales. This practice of affluent societies produces an amount of waste so enormous that many people can be fed and supported simply on its trash. As freegans we forage instead of buying to avoid being wasteful consumers ourselves, to politically challenge the injustice of allowing vital resources to be wasted while multitudes lack basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter, and to reduce the waste going to landfills and incinerators which are disproportionately situated within poor, non-white neighborhoods, where they cause elevated levels of cancer and asthma.

Perhaps the most notorious freegan strategy is what is commonly called "urban foraging" or "dumpster diving". This technique involves rummaging through the garbage of retailers, residences, offices, and other facilities for useful goods. Despite our society's sterotypes about garbage, the goods recovered by freegans are safe, useable, clean, and in perfect or near-perfect condition, a symptom of a throwaway culture that encourages us to constantly replace our older goods with newer ones, and where retailers plan high-volume product disposal as part of their economic model. Some urban foragers go at it alone, others dive in groups, but we always share the discoveries openly with one another and with anyone along the way who wants them. Groups like Food Not Bombs recover foods that would otherwise go to waste and use them to prepare meals to share in public places with anyone who wishes to partake.

By recovering the discards of retailers, offices, schools, homes, hotels, or anywhere by rummaging through their trash bins, dumpsters, and trash bags, freegans are able to obtain food, beverages, books, toiletries magazines, comic books, newspapers, videos, kitchenware, appliances, music (CDs, cassettes, records, etc.), carpets, musical instruments, clothing, rollerblades, scooters, furniture, vitamins, electronics, animal care products, games, toys, bicycles, artwork, and just about any other type of consumer good. Rather than contributing to further waste, freegans curtail garbage and pollution and lessening the over-all volume in the waste stream.

Lots of used items can also be found for free or shared with others on websites like Freecycle and in the free section of your local Craigslist. To dispose of useful materials check out the EPA's Materials and Waste Exchanges directory. In communities around the country, people are holding events like "Really, Really, Free Markets" and "Freemeets". These events are akin to flea markets with free items. People bring items to share with others. They give and take but not a dollar is exchanged. When freegans do need to buy, we buy second-hand goods which reduces production and supports reusing and reducing what would have been wasted without providing any additional funds for new production.

Waste Minimization
Because of our frequent sojourns into the discards our throwaway society, freegans are very aware of and disgusted by the enormous amounts of waste the average US consumer generates and thus choose not to be a part of the problem. So, freegans scrupulously recycle, compost organic matter into topsoil, and repair rather than replace items whenever possible. Anything unusable by us, we redistribute to our friends, at freemarkets, or using internet services like freecycle and craigslist.

Eco-Friendly Transportation
Freegans recognize the disastrous social and ecological impacts of the automobile. We all know that automobiles cause pollution created from the burning of petroleum but we usually dont think of the other destruction factors like forests being eliminated from road building in wilderness areas and collision deaths of humans and wildlife. As well, the massive oil use today creates the economic impetus for slaughter in Iraq and all over the world. Therefore, freegans choose not to use cars for the most part. Rather, we use other methods of transportation including trainhopping, hitchhiking, walking, skating, and biking. Hitchhiking fills up room in a car that would have been unused otherwise and therefore it does not add to the overall consumption of cars and gasoline.

Some freegans find at least some use of cars unavoidable so we try to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels by using cars with desiel engines converted to run on “greisel” or "veggie-oil" literally fueling our cars with used fryer oil from restaurants - another example of diverting waste for practical use. Volunteer groups are forming everywhere to assist people in converting diesel engines to run on vegetable oil.

Rent-Free Housing
Freegans believe that housing is a RIGHT, not a privilege. Just as freegans consider it an atrocity for people to starve while food is thrown away, we are also outraged that people literally freeze to death on the streets while landlords and cities keep buildings boarded up and vacant because they can’t turn a profit on making them available as housing.

Squatters are people who occupy and rehabilitate abandoned, decrepit buildings. Squatters believe that real human needs are more important than abstract notions of private property, and that those who hold deed to buildings but won’t allow people to live in them, even in places where housing is vitally needed, don’t deserve to own those buildings. In addition to living areas, squatters often convert abandoned buildings into community centers with programs including art activities for children, environmental education, meetings of community organizations, and more.

Going Green
We live in a society where the foods that we eat are often grown a world away, over processed, and then transported long distances to be stored for too long, all at a high ecological cost. Because of this process, we've lost appreciation for the changes in season and the cycles of life but some of us are reconnecting to the Earth through gardening and wild foraging.

Many urban ecologists have been turning garbage-filled abandoned lots into verdant community garden plots. In neighborhoods where stores are more likely to carry junk food than fresh greens, community gardens provide a health food source. Where the air is choked with asthma inducing pollutants, the trees in community gardens produce oxygen. In landscapes dominated by brick, concrete, and asphalt, community gardens provide an oasis of plants, open spaces, and places for communities to come together, work together, share food, grow together, and break down the barriers that keep people apart in a society where we have all become too isolated from one another.

Wild foragers demonstrate that we can feed ourselves without supermarkets and treat our illnesses without pharmacies by familiarizing ourselves with the edible and medicinal plants growing all around us. Even city parks can yield useful foods and medicines, giving us a renewed appreciation of the reality that our sustenance comes ultimately not from corporate food producers, but from the Earth itself. Others take the foraging lifestyle even farther, removing themselves from urban and suburban concepts and attempting to "go feral" by building communities in the wilderness based on primitive survival skills.

Working Less / Voluntary Joblessness
How much of our lives do we sacrifice to pay bills and buy more stuff? For most of us, work means sacrificing our freedom to take orders from someone else, stress, boredom, monotony, and in many cases risks to our physical and psychological well-being.

Once we realize that it's not a few bad products or a few egregious companies responsible for the social and ecological abuses in our world but rather the entire system we are working in, we begin to realize that, as workers, we are cogs in a machine of violence, death, exploitation, and destruction. Is the retail clerk who rings up a cut of veal any less responsible for the cruelty of factory farming than the farm worker? What about the ad designer who finds ways to make the product palatable? How about the accountant who does the grocery’s books and allows it to stay in business? Or the worker in the factory that manufacturers refrigerator cases? And, of course, the high level managers of the corporations bear the greatest responsibility of all for they make the decisions which causes the destruction and waste. You don't have to own stock in a corporation or own a factory or chemical plant to be held to blame.

By accounting for the basic necessities of food, clothing, housing, furniture, and transportation without spending a dime, freegans are able to greatly reduce or altogether eliminate the need to constantly be employed. We can instead devote our time to caring for our families, volunteering in our communities, and joining activist groups to fight the practices of the corporations who would otherwise be bossing us around at work. For some, total unemployment isn’t an option — it’s far harder to find free dental surgery than a free bookcase on the curb — but by limiting our financial needs, even those of us who need to work can place conscious limits on how much we work, take control of our lives, and escape the constant pressure to make ends meet. But even if we must work, we need not cede total control to the bosses. The freegan spirit of cooperative empowerment can be extended into the workplace as part of worker-led unions like the Industrial Workers of the World.

posted in Freegans - 10 replies

advertising = graffiti

2007-12-16T07:35:19Z

http://www.antiadvertisingagency.com/wp-content/video/lightcriticism.mov

posted on culture jamming tribe by aaron, this is an interesting idea and good art.

posted in Freegans - 3 replies

freegan dilemma #3: self preserving freegans

2007-12-14T19:14:38Z

i met a michigan freegan a couple of days ago who told me the freegans she knows dislike media, don't like newbies, want to keep the limited freegan resources in ann arbor to themselves. she talked about people who "don't need" to be freegan and are more or less messing it up for the "real" freegans.

some ny freegans invite media along on dives or set up displays outside of grocery stores to show the ridiculous amount of waste happening on a daily basis and give talks about the food being thrown out -- the people who interacted with toxic chemicals to grow the food, the plastics being tossed, the gas that goes into shipping the food into and out of the city. they want to call attention to what they are doing.

of course in ny, you can go out with 30 people and even if everyone takes as much as they can possibly haul home, you're not going to put much of a dent in it. and according to michelle, in ann arbor they may have one dumpster not locked down to peruse in a night.

i wonder if it does seem perhaps a bit not in the spirit of freeganism (as distinct from plain old hunger) to hoard resources, though -- even just informational resources.

posted in Freegans - 14 replies

Freegans in Columbia, MO?

2007-12-14T07:29:19Z

Is there anybody in Columbia, Missouri who lives the freegan-ish lifestyle? I'm interested in meeting people to dumpster dive with, etc.

posted in Freegans - 1 reply

Traveler's Aid

2007-12-14T07:11:55Z

This is perhaps not a strictly freegan resource, but it's a good thing to know about if you are on the road and run into trouble. there is a traveler's aid number in many cities. traveler's aid can help you find emergency housing for a night or a bus ticket. often funded by nice christians and other charitable folks.

posted in Freegans - 3 replies

freegan dictionary: the Shopocalypse

2007-12-14T06:59:50Z

This is a term coined by the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Reverend Billy is an activist who is famous for turning up in Starfucks (from which he has been banned) and big box stores, trying to preach the slack jawed consumers into a state of lucidity. I have yet to see a definition of Shopocalypse written out, but it seems to refer to the end of the world as triggered by rampant consumerism.

Reverend Billy rocks. He's been hanging out with the war protesting crew in NYC. He was arrested at Union Square last summer for reading the first ammendment where a lot of the protesting is going on (Union Square). I read in the Voice that he's been taking lessons with an opera coach, b/c the cops keep taking away any means for him to magnify his voice -- so he's learning to do it on his own steam.

Classic Reverend Billy -- arrested with his choir singing soulful protest music at Starfucks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj6HfWfNrN8&feature=related

Rev Billy arrested in my home town (NYC) for reading the first ammendment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8H4YATaX1k&feature=related

Here's a clip from "What Would Jesus Buy," a documentary about Rev Billy in which the word "Shopocalypse" appears:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGi21YQFjMM

Here's a clip in which rev billy appears in an interview with the word "Shopocalypse" below him on the screen. Also in the clip, a bit of him exorcisizing demons from cash registers at Victoria's Secret:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wxjl2ERhnI&feature=related

posted in Freegans - 2 replies

: )

2007-12-14T06:56:20Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuJn7pRvuj8&feature=related

posted in Freegans - 8 replies

Food Banks, in a Squeeze, Tighten Belts

2007-12-03T18:26:50Z

I thought that this would be worth posting here.

By KATIE ZEZIMA

MANCHESTER, N.H., Nov. 26 — Food banks around the country are reporting critical shortages that have forced them to ration supplies, distribute staples usually reserved for disaster relief and in some instances close.

“It’s one of the most demanding years I’ve seen in my 30 years” in the field, said Catherine D’Amato, president and chief executive of the Greater Boston Food Bank, comparing the situation to the recession of the late 1970s.

Experts attributed the shortages to an unusual combination of factors, including rising demand, a sharp drop in federal supplies of excess farm products, and tighter inventory controls that are leaving supermarkets and other retailers with less food to donate.

“We don’t have nearly what people need, and that’s all there is to it,” said Greg Bryant, director of the food pantry in Sheffield, Vt.

“We’re one step from running out,” Mr. Bryant said.

“It kind of spirals,” he added. “The people that normally donate to us have less, the retailers are selling to discount stores because people are shopping in those places, and now we have less food and more people. It’s a double, triple, hit.”

The Vermont Food Bank said its supply of food was down 50 percent from last year. “It’s a crisis mode,” said Doug O’Brien, the bank’s chief executive.

For two weeks this month, the New Hampshire Food Bank distributed supplies reserved for emergency relief. Demand for food here is up 40 percent over last year and supply is down 30 percent, which is striking in the state with the lowest reliance on food banks.

“It’s the price of oil, gas, rents and foreclosures,” said Melanie Gosselin, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Ms. Gosselin said household budget squeezes had led to a drop in donations and greater demand. “This is not the old ‘only the homeless are hungry,’” she said. “It’s working people.”

Lane Kenworthy, a professor of sociology and political science at the University of Arizona, agreed, saying: “The overall picture is that household incomes are kind of stuck. There’s very little way to increase income, and most people have a very heavy debt load. Any event that increases your costs is really, really troublesome, because you’re already stretched thin.”

The food bank in Manchester delivers provisions to a housing project each week, and on a recent Monday, Matthew Whooley, 26, of Manchester, was waiting in line with his wife, Penny, and their four children.

“Every week there’s less and less food,” Mr. Whooley said. “It used to be potatoes, meat and bread, and last week we got Doritos and flour. The food is getting shorter, and the lines keep getting longer.”

In part, food banks are suffering because farmers are doing well. The food banks rely on supplies from the federal Agriculture Department’s Bonus Commodity Program, which buys surplus crops like apples and potatoes from farmers.

“Right now, the agricultural economy is very strong and the surpluses aren’t available for us to purchase,” said Jean Daniel, a department spokeswoman. “Certainly we’re empathetic, but unfortunately we cannot count on those bonus commodities every year.”

Supplies from the surplus program dropped to $67 million worth last year, from $154.3 million in 2005 and $233 million in 2004. Figures for this year are not available, Ms. Daniel said.

Food bank operators are lobbying for passage of a farm bill currently stalled in the Senate that would raise emergency aid for food banks to $250 million a year, from $140 million. That figure has remained steady since 2002.

Susannah Morgan, executive director of the Food Bank of Alaska said, “The biggest problem is that the federal government’s programs are dropping as need is growing.”

Ms. Morgan said the decline has affected rural Alaska, where native tribes run most food pantries. She said about 10 percent of the state’s rural food banks have closed because there is not enough federal help coming in.

“They don’t feel staffing and heating is worth it for the small amount of food,” Ms. Morgan said.

Further complicating the picture, Ms. Morgan and others said, is tighter inventory monitoring, which has left many stores with less to donate.

“They know exactly what they have, down to the can,” said Darren Hoffman, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, whose supplies are down 11 percent this year. “They can track a lot better and don’t order in bulk. Efficiency has kind of been the enemy of the food bank.”

Extra food — items that are not selling or seasonal inventory that is no longer needed — is now often sold to low-cost retailers, said Tim Viall, executive director of the Greater Stockton Food Bank in Stockton, Calif.

“We’re getting fewer canned goods than last year from retail grocers, because they’re selling it to warehouse food stores,” Mr. Viall said. “We’re putting more reliance on canned food drives, and we’re trying to ramp up the fresh fruit and produce. We are in the heart of one of the most productive agriculture areas in the world, and we’re trying to take advantage.” In places where community donations are down and there are no food manufacturers to solicit, pantries and food banks are making difficult choices. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul food pantry in Cincinnati is giving families less food this year because there is not enough. It has started to ask smaller families to take fewer products.

“Donations are down, and people who need help is up,” said Liz Carter, executive director of the food bank. “So what are we going to do. We just made the decision that instead of giving people six or seven days worth of food, we’re going to give them three or four days of food, which is a drop in the bucket.”

Ginny Hildebrand, executive director of the Association of Arizona Food Banks, said many pantries were facing similar situations.

At a recent conference for food bank employees, Ms. Hildebrand said, “Everybody was saying the same thing. They’re all hit by an increase in demand, all hit by the impact of the higher costs of food, and all hit by federal reductions. We just don’t have the quantity of products available that we used to.”

Ross Fraser, a spokesman for America’s Second Harvest, which distributes more than two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually, said the shortages at food banks were the worst the organization had seen in 26 years.

“Suddenly it’s on everyone’s radar,” Mr. Fraser said. “Food banks are calling us and saying, ‘My God, we have to get food.’”

posted in Freegans - 5 replies