Anti-consumerism
Related social movements
Anarchist movement Anti-globalisation movement Environmental movement Situationism Postmodernism
Ideas and theory
Society of the Spectacle Culture jamming Corporate crime Productivism Media bias Buy Nothing Day Alternative culture Affluenza Simple living Do it yourself Cultural Creatives Commodity fetishism Cultural hegemony Conspicuous consumption Ethical consumerism Post-materialism
Popular works
No Logo The Corporation The Theory of the Leisure Class Surplus
People and organizations
Adbusters Ralph Nader Green party John Zerzan Noam Chomsky Ron English Naomi Klein Thorstein Veblen Guy Debord Michael Moore Michel Foucault RTMark The Yes Men Reverend Billy
Related subjects
Advertising Capitalism Economic problems Left wing politics Sweatshops
Relevant lists
List of Anti-consumerists List of social movements
This box: view • talk • edit

Freeganism is an anti-consumerism lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies 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."^[1] The lifestyle involves salvaging discarded, unspoiled food from supermarket dumpsters that have passed their expiration date, but are still edible and nutritious. They salvage the food not because they are poor or homeless, but as a political statement.^[2][3] It has been suggested that Affluenza be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Social movements are broader political associations focussed on specific issues. ... Anarchist redirects here. ... Anti-globalization (anti-globalisation) is a political stance of opposition to the perceived negative aspects of globalization. ... For the psychology topic, see Environmental psychology. ... The Situationist International (SI) was a small group of international political and artistic agitators with roots in Marxism, Lettrism and the early 20th century European artistic and political avant-gardes. ... Postmodernism is a term applied to a wide-ranging set of developments in critical theory, philosophy, architecture, art, literature, and culture, which are generally characterized as either emerging from, in reaction to, or superseding, modernism. ... The Society of the Spectacle is a 1967 book by Guy Debord, which developed concepts relating to modern culture and commodity fetishism. ... Culture jamming is the act of transforming existing mass media to produce commentary about itself, using the original mediums communication method. ... In criminology, corporate crime refers to crimes committed either by a corporation (i. ... Productivism is the (purported) ideology that measurable economic productivity and growth is the purpose of human organization and perhaps the purpose of life itself. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Buy Nothing Day demonstration, San Francisco, November 2000 Buy Nothing Day is an informal day of rism]] observed by l acti While critics of the day charge that Buy Nothing Day simply causes participants to buy the next day[1], Adbusters states that it isnt just about changing your... Alternative culture is a catch-all phrase used predominately by the media and the marketing industry to refer to a variety of separate sub-cultures – (which are either loosely related or near-totally unrelated) – and are perceived by the general public as being outside or on the edge of so... Affluenza is a term used by critics of consumerism. ... Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals may pursue for a variety of motivations, such as spirituality, health, or ecology. ... See also: DIY Network, a cable TV network. ... Cultural Creatives is a term coined by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that has recently developed beyond the standard paradigm of Modernists versus Traditionalists or Conservatists. ... In Marxist theory, commodity fetishism is a state of social relations, said to arise in complex capitalist market systems, in which social relationships center around the values placed on commodities. ... Cultural hegemony is a concept coined by Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci. ... Conspicuous consumption is a term used to describe the lavish spending on goods and services that are acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. ... Ethical consumerism is buying things that are made ethically. ... Post materialism is an economic philosophy focussing on quality of life and enviornmental sustainability over income and material possessions. ... No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a book by Canadian journalist Naomi Klein. ... The Corporation is a 2003 Canadian documentary film critical of the modern-day corporation, considering it as a class of person and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a psychologist might evaluate an ordinary person. ... The Theory of the Leisure Class is a book, first published in 1899, by the American economist Thorstein Veblen while he was a professor at the University of Chicago. ... Surplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers is a 2003 Swedish documentary about consumerism and anti-consumerism, directed by Erik Gandini and Johan Söderberg. ... Adbusters is a political magazine, founded by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz that is published in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by the Media Foundation. ... Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist in the areas of consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. ... A Green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of Green politics. ... John Zerzan (born 1943) is an American anarchist and primitivist philosopher and author. ... Avram Noam Chomsky (Hebrew: אברם נועם חומסקי Yiddish: אברם נועם כאמסקי) (born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer. ... Welcome to the Monkey House cover painted by Ron English Ron English is a contemporary pop artist who explores popular brand imagery and advertising. ... Naomi Klein is a Canadian journalist, author and activist well known for her political analyses of corporate globalization. ... Thorstein Bunde Veblen (born Tosten Bunde Veblen July 30, 1857 – August 3, 1929) was a Norwegian-American sociologist and economist and a founder, along with John R. Commons, of the Institutional economics movement. ... Guy Ernest Debord (December 28, 1931, in Paris – November 30, 1994, in Champot) was a writer, film maker, hypergraphist and founding member of the groups Lettrist International and Situationist International (SI). ... Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American political-activist, a film director, author, social commentator, and political humorist. ... Michel Foucault (IPA pronunciation: ) (October 15, 1926 – June 25, 1984) was a French philosopher, historian and sociologist. ... RTMark is an activist art collective that subverts the Corporate Shield protecting US corporations. ... Wikinews has related news: HUD hoaxer calls attention to lack of affordable housing The Yes Men are a group of beloved culture jamming activists who practice what they call identity correction by pretending to be powerful people or spokespersons for prominent organizations. ... The Church of Stop Shopping is an activist performance group based in New York City, led by Reverend Billy, the stage name of Bill Talen. ... Advert redirects here. ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... A sweatshop is a factory, where people work for a very small wage, producing products such as clothes, toys, shoes, and other consumer goods. ... An Anti-consumerist is one who opposes consumerism. ... This is a partial list of social movements. ... It has been suggested that Affluenza be merged into this article or section. ...

The word "freegan", is a portmanteau of "free" and "vegan".^[4] Freeganism started in the mid 1990s, out of the antiglobalization and environmentalist movements. Groups such as Food Not Bombs served free vegetarian and vegan food that was salvaged from food market trash by dumpster diving. The movement also has elements of Diggers, an anarchist street theater group based in Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco in the 1960’s, that gave away rescued food.^[4] A portmanteau (IPA: ) is a word or morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded meaning. ... Vegan redirects here. ... Anti-WEF grafiti in Lausanne. ... Bold textHello ... Logo Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. ... Dumpster diving is the practice of rummaging through trash, whether commercial or residential, to find items of use that have been discarded. ... The Diggers was a radical community-action and guerrilla-theater group from 1966-68, based in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. ... Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... Street theatre is a form of theatrical presentation and performance in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. ... Categories: US geography stubs | San Francisco neighborhoods ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Beliefs

Freegans believe that even if a product is vegan, it does not guarantee that:

• Workers were not exploited in the product's production;
• Pesticides were not used in its growing;
• Non-renewable and radioactive resources (such as petroleum and nuclear power) were not used in production, energy use and shipping;
• Rainforest was not cleared to generate plantation land;
• Wildlife was not harmed in production;
• Wasteful packaging was not used.

Freegans claim that people sincerely committed to living the "cruelty-free" lifestyle espoused by vegans must strive to abstain not only from eating, wearing, and using animal skins, secretions (e.g. milk and its by-products), flesh, and animal-tested products, but must attempt to remove themselves from participation in the capitalist economy altogether as workers and consumers. ... A cropduster spreading pesticide. ... Wyoming coal mine. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - creator of the process of refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... This article is about applications of nuclear fission reactors as power sources. ... The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Packaging is the enclosing of a physical object, typically a product that will be offered for sale. ...

Freegan practices

There is some confusion as to what constitute freegan practices, and numerous misconceptions. One misconception is that all freegans are also vegans. Some freegans, sometimes called "meagans"^[5], consume meat and other animal products as long as they would otherwise be wasted; others are strict vegans. Meagans claim that even seemingly benign products are produced exploitatively under capitalism, so there is nothing "pure" about a vegan diet. Some freegans - meanwhile - use the label because they are willing to pay for vegan or vegetarian food but will only eat meat if it is free, instead abstaining only from the economic support of animal exploitation. In essence calling themselves freegan because their diet is "vegan unless its free" though for these individuals the use of the label is often intended only as a clever joke based on wordplay. This article is about the food. ... Look up Benign in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

"Why Freegan" pamphlet

Even the manifesto pamphlet "Why Freegan" (written by Against Me! drummer Warren Oakes in 1999) is unclear in its definition of what constitutes freeganism. At one point, it defines freeganism as "an anti-consumeristic ethic about eating" but goes on to describe practices including dumpster diving, plate scraping, wild foraging, gardening, shoplifting, employee scams, and barter as alternatives to paying for food. Freegans' motivations are varied and numerous; some adhere to it for religious reasons, some for environmental reasons and others do it to embrace the philosophy as a form of political consciousness. A short documentary film, Bin Appetit, gives reasons why people become freegans. Against Me! is an American rock band formed in 1997 in Gainesville, Florida. ... Dumpster diving is the practice of rummaging through trash, whether commercial or residential, to find items of use that have been discarded. ... Foraging just means looking for food (or, metaphorically, anything else). ... A gardener Gardening is the practice of growing flowering plants, vegetables, and fruits. ... For the band Shoplifting see Shoplifting (band). ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ... Barter is a type of trade in which goods or services are exchanged for other goods and/or services; no money is involved in the transaction. ... // Consciousness typically refers to the idea of a being who is self-aware. ... Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ...

The pamphlet does include a lengthy section on non-food related practices, including solar energy, conserving water, carelessness, precycling and reusing goods. Some freegans consider these non-food practices to be components of freeganism itself; others simply consider them to be complementary practices. Heat and light from the Sun fuel life on Earth. ... Water conservation refers to reducing use of fresh water, through technological or social methods. ... Precycling is the practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid bringing into the home or business items which will generate waste. ...

Foraging

Dumpster diving or skipping

Many freegans get free food by pulling it out of the trash, a practice commonly nicknamed dumpster diving in North America or skipping in the UK. Freegans find food in the garbage of restaurants, grocery stores, and other food-related industries, and this allows them to avoid spending money on products that they claim exploit the world's resources, contribute to urban sprawl, treat workers unfairly, or disregard animal rights. By foraging, they believe that they are preventing edible food from adding to landfills and sometimes feed people and animals who might otherwise go hungry.^[2] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 3789 KB) Summary A man rummaging through a skip at the back of an office building in Central London. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 3789 KB) Summary A man rummaging through a skip at the back of an office building in Central London. ... Dumpster diving is the practice of rummaging through trash, whether commercial or residential, to find items of use that have been discarded. ... Rubbish skip on skip-carrier lorry The word skip is used for various large open-topped containers, including the load-carrying container part of a dumper. ... Dumpster diving is the practice of rummaging through trash, whether commercial or residential, to find items of use that have been discarded. ... Rubbish skip on skip-carrier lorry The word skip is used for various large open-topped containers, including the load-carrying container part of a dumper. ... Waste inside a wheelie bin Waste in a bin bag Waste, rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk is unwanted or undesired material. ... ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ... The labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and political governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labor relations. ... Animal liberation redirects here. ... Look up landfill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Wild foraging and urban gardens

Instead of buying industrially grown foods, wild foragers^[6] find and harvest food and medicinal plants growing in their own communities. Some freegans participate in "Guerrilla" or "Community" Gardens, with the stated aim of rebuilding community and reclaiming the capacity to grow one's own food. They claim to seek an alternative to dependence and participation in what they perceive as an exploitative and ecologically destructive system of global, industrialized corporate food production.

Sharing

Sharing is also a common freegan practice. Food Not Bombs recovers food that would otherwise go to waste to serve warm meals on the street to anyone who wants it. The group promotes an ethic of sharing and community while working to show what they consider to be the injustice of a society in which they claim fighting wars is considered a higher priority than feeding the hungry. Logo Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. ...

Criticism

Freeganism has a number of critics who point out that it is only due to the capitalist system existing that Freeganism can exist. The food that they collect from dumpsters has no value to a capitalist economy and so the validity of their actions is limited. A simplistic description of their beliefs could be as human rats; taking from society, but not adding to it. Others point to the fact that it is the regulations placed on food manufacturers and distributors to meet hygiene levels demanded by society that is causing this waste. Without the regulations there would be a higher value placed on the disposed food, and it would not end up in the dumpster. However, Freegans would denounce removing the legislation as it would conflict with their ideal of exploitation.

Really, Really Free Markets are free social events in which freegans can share goods instead of discarding them, share skills, give presents and eat food. A free store is a temporary market where people exchange goods and services outside of a money-based economy. The Really, Really Free Market (RRFM) movement is a non-hierarchical collective of individuals who form a temporary market based on an alternative gift economy. ... Free store is a shop, mostly inspired by anarchist ideas. ...

Freegans also advocate sharing travel resources. Internet-based ridesharing reduces, but does not eliminate use of cars and all the related resources needed to maintain and operate them.

Community Bike Programs and Bike Collectives facilitate community sharing of bicycles, restore found and broken bikes, and teach people how to do their own bike repairs. In the process they build a culture of skill and resource sharing, reuse wasted bikes and bike parts, and create greater access to environmentally friendly transportation.

See also

• Simple living
• Tax resistance
• Itinerant
• List of subsistence techniques
• Food Not Bombs, an organization based on freegan principles
• Gleaning
• One World Cafe

Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals may pursue for a variety of motivations, such as spirituality, health, or ecology. ... A tax resister resists or refuses payment of a tax because of opposition to the institution collecting the tax, or to some of that institution’s policies. ... Look up itinerant in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Subsistence means living in a permanently fragile equilibrium between alimentary needs and the means for satisfying them. ... Logo Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. ... Gleaning is the collection of leftover crops from farmers fields after they have been mechanically harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. ... One World Everybody Eats is a cafe and nonprofit community kitchen based in Salt Lake City, Utah. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is a conservative political news pundit who formerly co-hosted CNNs Crossfire and hosted MSNBCs Tucker. ... For the news website, see msnbc. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Live4Free, A holistic approach to eating, living, traveling, etc.,
• College and Beyond - Dumpster Diving for Fun and Profit Guide to supporting your freegan or low-impact lifestyle
• Freegan.info
• Scavenge UK
• Freegan Kitchen, a cooking video blog
• How to Drop Out - 2004 article by Ran Prieur
• Free-lunch foragers
• Skip Dipping in Australia
• "Freegans forage for food in bins," Reuters article
• The Global Free Economy Project
• Freeganism: Ethical Eating?
• Interview with Adam Weissman about freeganism - small World Podcast 2006
• Freecyclegreat site for giving/getting free stuff
• "Freegan" Dumpster Diving Reveals America's Colossal Waste of Food – Nicole Bergot, Newsday, September 29, 2004, URL accessed February 24, 2006
• Rubbish meals a gourmet treat for freegan diners – Richard Luscombe, The Scotsman, November 25, 2005, URL accessed February 24, 2006
• Harvestr - Maps Mash-up for fruit trees, edible plants, Food Not Bombs, etc
• FreeShit Project - Maps Mash-up of dumpsters and free community resources