From College Times Mesa AZ

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Free-Dom Fighters By Megan Dobransky January 26, 2006 The runny, yellow slime oozes from the plastic bag and drips in chunks down the side of the dumpster. It could be an egg yolk or rotten yogurt or cheese so old it liquefied. It doesn’t matter. Jon Grindell is on a mission. He tears through the garbage bags, leaping from one side of the dumpster to the other with only the bluish beam of his bike light. Every few seconds, he lifts his head and scans the parking lot for headlights or witnesses. Finally, his eyes widen – matching the reflection of the nearly-full moon in his glasses – and he exclaims, “Yeah, this is it. This is what I’ve been looking for.” He rips open the trash bag and begins pulling out the bounty one by one: a loaf of organic bread, flaxseed

oil capsules, a jar of winter-blend fair-trade coffee, a plant with small red flowers peeking through the dying leaves … He hastily shoves the goods in his backpack, puts what he doesn’t want back in the dumpster and, surveying the scene one last time, darts off into the darkness. “You can always count on bread,” he said. “I haven’t bought bread in five years.” This weekly dumpster dive is a vital part of Grindell’s life and provides him with two-thirds of the food he needs to survive. Pay for nothing and live for free; not because he’s cheap or unemployed, but because he is a freegan. PHILOSOPHY Even within the world of freeganism, there are disputes as to the definition. Some freegans, like Grindell, are strictly vegan. Even if a block of cheese or carton of eggs can be found in the dumpster, they will not eat it. Then there are other freegans that eat anything as long as it is free. Despite

the different notions of freeganism, the philosophy is always the same: limit the consumption of resources and recognize that waste is destroying the planet. “You have to realize, especially in this country, that if nobody will buy it, then it can’t be used and it’s waste,” Grindell said. Not for him. Grindell sees a Dumpster as a treasure trove, an untapped resource full of tasty delights, useful items and discarded mementos. And as he picks over the rest of the world’s garbage, he is making a political statement about the wastefulness of American culture. Adam Weissman, spokesperson for Freegan.info and the Activist Center at the Wetlands Preserve, said freeganism isn’t about purity or defining oneself as “freegan,” but rather about making choices that allow people to be a part of the world without over-consuming. “We’re trying to build a community to make it supportive to have people live lives that aren’t involved in a system that is ruining the world,”

he said. Community is an essential feature of freegan philosophy. “Our interests are inherently interwoven,” Weissman said. “So working together is natural. At the core, we’re all interconnected.” It is also through community that freegans have helped establish free markets and an internet organization called freecyle, where people post items on message boards and give them away instead of throwing them away. Their shared philosophy, though, drives freegans in many directions and in pursuit of a range of action. TEARING DOWN THE SYSTEM Most freegans have adapted their lives to such an extent that they live almost entirely for free. Weissman said he hasn’t bought food or clothing for 11 years. Grindell, who has lived in Tempe for two years, said that being freegan in this area is harder than in New York or San Francisco, so when he buys things he supports vegan restaurants and cooperatives. He still

depends on the dumpster for much of his existence. Dumpster diving is only one aspect of action, but it is the most important. “The dumpster is the microcosm for what the business doesn’t need. It’s visible,” Grindell said, “The dumpster contains trash, but so much more. It’s a symbol really.” It is through dumpster diving that freegans avert waste and survive. It is where they get most of their food, clothing, furniture and electronic items. Weissman said he has found everything from money to complete computer systems. “More than anything, what I’ve found is the capacity to feel that I can be a direct participant in challenging the waste of a society that treats everything on this planet as a disposable commodity,” he said. In the same vein as dumpster diving, Grindell said he table dives, which involves eating food left by people at restaurants. “Table diving is very public,” he said. “Sometimes one may be casual about it, pretending the food is

from their table. Other times folks may gain consent from the server in exchange for a nice tip.” Either way, Grindell admits that table diving isn’t for everyone. “There’s a huge stigma to overcome,” he said. Another aspect of freeganism is eco-friendly transportation, which includes public transportation, bike riding, walking and converting cars into bio-diesel, to limit one’s use of resources. The Valley is especially car-dominated and uncomfortably hot in the summer, but that doesn’t stop Grindell, who rides his bike everywhere. The luxury of an air-conditioned car ride isn’t worth compromising his values. “Biking riding can be a struggle,” he said, “but this area is much more bike-friendly than other metropolitan areas.” In New York City, the Activist Center at the Wetlands Preserve goes on wild foraging missions, where they collect plants to use as food. Unfortunately, no organized operation like this exists in the Phoenix area, but the

desert holds a variety of edible plants and ancient cures. The idea is to avoid buying food as much as possible and collect plants that are readily available in the surrounding environment. Growing food, certainly, is another option. Because freegans buy as little as possible, they are free to work less. Many use the extra time to volunteer in their community or raise awareness of freegan culture. In fact, education is another essential aspect of freeganism. Not only do freegans educate themselves about where products come from and what gets subjugated to produce it, but they also try to educate others. “We are literally reaching millions of people a day with our message,” Weissman said. Perhaps the most extreme of freegan actions is squatting, which involves living in an abandoned building. Although the legality is sketchy based on local ordinances, eventually the Law of Adverse Possession may kick in, making the building the property of the

squatters. Often the building will be used as a community center. “Homes should be a right, not a privilege,” Weissman said, “If the space isn’t serving the community needs, then it’s more ethical to use it than to follow the law.” The point of these actions is to step outside an endlessly wasteful system that is both economically and ecologically taxing. WHY GO TO SUCH EXTREMES? In July 2005 Dr. Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology at the University of Arizona released an eight-year study into food losses in the American economy. He found that the average American household throws out 1.28 pounds of food a day, 14 percent of which is food that hasn’t even been taken out of the package. This amount of waste costs a family of four at least $589.76 yearly. The annual cost of waste from American households is $43,052,480,000. These numbers don’t even reflect the

retail food industry, which throws away over 27 tons of food annually, most of which is not spoiled or damaged. What does all this mean? Not only does this waste cost the economy at least $100 billion annually, it fills up landfills at alarming rates and… WAITING ON QUOTE… Meanwhile, the World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world population is starving and over 4 million people will starve to death this year. “We [freegans] see a fundamental problem where we have so many resources, but so much is going to waste,” Weissman said. “People are starving to death while we throw away food.” Weissman suspects that Americans don’t really like to be wasteful. He blames being brainwashed by a capitalist consumer culture. “We’re told bigger, better, more, more, more,” he said. “We’re trained from day one to be consumers, not citizens. Nobody tells you to worry about the planet or have compassion or social justice; you’re told to tell you

junk to make you happy.” Both Weissman and Grindell were vegan before they turned to freeganism. “A vegan lifestyle is better than others, but in mass-production there is always exploitation of people and land,” Weissman said, “Even socially-responsible products don’t factor in all the effects.” It was only after realizing that making small adjustments in their lifestyles, they could create a huge impact on the detrimental effects of waste. “Beyond that – and it’s scary – the society we are living in isn’t working and it can’t survive,” Weissman said, “You need to look at choices that are uncomfortable.” He points to fuel shortages, global warming, sweatshops and a biologist-supported theory that mass extinction on earth is underway as proof for a complete societal transformation. CHANGE YOUR LIFE Maybe freeganism seems extreme. It is possible that digging through the dumpster in search

of food triggers a gag reflex. Bike riding in 110 degree heat is not fun. Perhaps not having running water in a squatted building makes your skin crawl. Just because some people aren’t cut out to be freegans, doesn’t mean that nothing can be done. “Apathy and resigning yourself is a horrible thing,” Grindell said. “There is no meaningless existence.” Grindell suggests using a knapsack instead of plastic bags at stores, not getting one-use items and becoming vegan to help limit waste. Weissman recommends frequenting thrift stores instead of buying new things. Both stress that consciousness is the most important thing. Think about where the product is coming from, who is marketing it, where the money is going and the costs of production. Adds Weissman: “There are so many passive ways we are contributing to the destruction of the world.” Free-Dom Fighters Post your feedback on this topic here Date Subject Posted by: No feedback has been posted yet. Please post yours! Feedback will open in a new window. JavaScript is disabled. Feedback will open in the current window. More Headlines Guide to Everything Peter H

 

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