The Modern Cornucopia: Freeganism
BY MELODİ BÜYÜKÖZER (PSYC/IV)
buyukozer@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
One of those days again: Going to the Marmara Restaurant at 12:30, standing in the line to get lunch, placing those three plates full of food and the empty glass along with the fork and knife on the tray, paying for all this (with your coupons if you're a regular), then walking past the other hungry fellow students who are not as lucky as I am to arrive earlier and now have to wait in the longer line. Eating as quickly as possible not to be late for the 13:40 class, leaving the tray in one of those tray holders, etc. However, this time something captures my attention: Something I see all the time but do not put much thought into it but only saying "what a waste" and move on. Yes, I am talking about all that food we leave unattended in those plates. Some of them are completely untouched; probably somebody did not like the appearance after seeing it in a different light. Then a weird idea blossoms in my mind: "We could actually get ourselves some free meals from these trays." Sharing my useful proposal with my friend, she says that there are actually people who possess this kind of thinking as their life philosophy. Unfortunately she does not remember his or her name. After getting over my shattered dreams of developing an original idea against excessive consumerism, I decide to do a little research to find out about these garbage-eating people.
And Eureka, Ladies and Gentleman, I present you the movement of "Freeganism": These people, who call themselves "freegans" are rejecting today's consumer culture and conventional economy. Shaping their lifestyles around collaboration, sharing, generosity, and the community, they practice more and different activities in their daily lives than many of us. They minimize general waste by going to free stores/markets and barter their goods or get what they need and give what they do not need; they ride their bikes and participate in eco-friendly transportation; they find abandoned buildings and turn them into rent free houses or community centers or they use resources like couch surfing; they are also extremely green. Another activity that they perform is something called "dumpster diving." Dumpster diving is basically going to dumpsters and collecting usable goods that other people discarded: This also includes food. In the 10 minute documentary Bin Appetit by Australian filmaker Jenia Ratcliffe, the methods of dumpster divers from Sydney can be observed closely: When the night falls, the divers get their bikes with baskets behind them and ride until they find an appropriate garbage can. Then they start looking for the "treasures." After collecting the food that is wasted by others, they go back home, share and clean what they found, and then cook it. Afterwards they all gather around a table and eat all together. They claim that what they eat is extremely healthy since people tend to throw away food before it becomes inedible. In another documentary film titled Dive! Jeremy Seifert not only looks into dumpster diving in U.S. but also questions why so much food is wasted. The philosophy of dumpster diving is summarized in one single sentence: "It is not about not wasting food; it is about making sure that everyone has enough to eat."
While Freeganism and dumpster diving seem to be a protest against exploitation of the world, and freegans aim to make an environmental impact on the world, some people categorize these modern gatherers as intruders who get inside their property (namely their garbage cans) or "free riders with a philosophy." These people also take cautions against freegans by locking their trashcans or pouring bleach into the food they put in garbage, which is only a destructive act in addition to being twice wasteful in contrast to the constructive act of freegans. The freegans are indeed really constructive with building their own Utopia and live in it as much as they can in a world where Utopias are considered as the work of impossibly idealistic dreamers.
For more information about Freeganism, go to: http://freegan.info/