Freeganism Dumpster Diving free essay sample

Who would have thought that people would resort to â€Å"dumpster diving† as a means of filling their bellies? It turns out freeganism, dumpster diving, is the result of years of protest against big business and is a logical way to help reduce consumer waste. Freegans are people who â€Å"use alternative ways of living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources† (What Is A Freegan? 2008). Freeganism is the â€Å"summation of multiple ideologies and movements, and is a total boycott of all economic systems† (What Is A Freegan? 008). Freegan strategies include â€Å"waste reclamation, waste minimization, eco-friendly transportation, rent-free housing, going green, and working less† (What Is A Freegan? 2008). According to the Freeganism Documentary, every year in Britain â€Å"seventeen to twenty million tons of food is wasted, and that twenty million tons represents one third of all food in Britain† (Hull 2009). â€Å"That one third of food would be enough to feed thirty million malnourished people around the world† (Hull 2009). In an experiment, Hull teams up with three British freegans named Paul, Ulrike, and Alan to better understand freeganism. The three British freegans have dedicated their lives to fighting waste by using as little money as possible and living almost entirely on wasted food (Hull 2009). They estimate that eighty percent of their food is from waste. They also do not receive any money from the British government. Paul, Ulrike, and Alan also â€Å"go out on the street and talk about freegan ideas to anyone who will listen and give them literature on the subject, and their motto is ‘living on less’ † (Hall 2009). Within the experiment, Hall spent a week as a Freegan and he did it without spending any money on food or help from friends of family. On night one, he dressed up in all black for his first food bin raid. He found two bags of rolls, a box of grapes, a small package of veggies, two gas station sandwiches, and a cheese and tomato pizza. In Hall’s own words, he expressed his own dissatisfaction with freeganism by saying he â€Å"clearly wasn’t going to starve but wasn’t going to have much fun either† (Hall 2009). He also signed up on a website called freecycle. com where he could barter items posted in ads much like Craigslist. He actually posted a wanted ad for food waste and came up with some potatoes and sausage that he picked up from a lady at her house. On the second day, he conducted a day raid on some commercial grocery stores and found that several stores had locked food bins. He talked to several of the store managers and found out that vandalism and contaminated foods were the culprits to blame for the locked bins. On day three, the subject of use by dates and sell by dates was a big issue. He interviewed an ex Starbucks employee and found out when they took out the trash, employees had to take food out of the packages for recycling and to prevent people from collecting out of date food. Also, health and safety standards do not allow the out of date food to be given out and they had to comply with the rules. Basically it was to ensure that they would not be held responsible for a homeless person going through their bins, getting sick, and suing a multi-billion dollar company. On day five, he realized that he could not have completed raiding bins without a car. The bins he had been raiding were far too spread out for a homeless person to walk to all in one day. Then he began to contemplate if a homeless person were to come by after he had already been there, would they have food to eat? On day six of the experiment, Hall begins to question other sources like buying locally sourced foods, but he came to the conclusion that it would be far too expensive for a middle class individual to buy that kind of food every day. He also stopped by a local benefit concert were he interviewed a spokeswomen for Fare share. Fare share is an organization that distributes food to local food banks, offers training for industry skills, and promotes â€Å"no food should be wasted† (Hall 2009). On the last day, he winds up going into supermarket and asking for food to no avail. In conclusion to the experiment, Hall says that while the â€Å"idealology of freeganism highlights the fact that we are taking food out of hungry countries only to throw it into bins†, it doesn’t solve the overall problem head on (Hall 2009). Organizations like Fare share do not apply with freeganism but in does have freeganistic characteristics, and is better suited for a more realistic and conservative approach. In my own words, freeganism is another excuse to live an extremely radical life outside of modern society. I understand that freegans want to reduce, reuse, and recycle but the fact of the matter is that they will not change six billion people’s minds. They have to understand that if it wasn’t for ass production in the first place, they would not be able to practice Freeganism. They have to have respect for the world we all live in and it seems to me that they are just like every liberal approach to a problem— it’s extreme! In some of the responses to the Freeganism Documentary, most people seem inclined to test or try the freegan ways. Freeganism is a positive influence in our society but some of the ways British freegans applied it seemed to have a negative tone towards other people .