Freegan - The Free Lifestyle

[Slatch]

Teaser from web page:

What is a Freegan?

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.

http://freegan.info/

This lifestyle is a little too radical for my tastes. It may be just right for someone - thinking of some aquaintences from my past.

It is an interesting concept. A nitch you might say. I don't see whole societies forming around this idea - maybe I'm wrong. There is that scavanger slum in Brasil.

Caught wind of Freeganism through this news article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060526/..._freegans_dc_1

[loochypooch]

Um, is that chick digging in a dumptser in this pic? http://freegan.info/

Yea, heh, that is pretty alternative lifestyle allright! It looks a lot like the "homeless street person" lifestyle...

[Slatch]

I might just have to reconsider my life choice if I could dumpster dive next to such a cute red head. LOL

[akoutdoors]

Dumpster diving is the BEST you never know what you might find.

[dbzeroone]

Originally Posted by Slatch

I might just have to reconsider my life choice if I could dumpster dive next to such a cute red head. LOL

Agreed!
Hopefully she occasionally finds deodorant and toothpaste and razors.

[Hippie3]

freegan eh ?

we used to call them
bums.

believe that real human needs are more important than abstract notions of private property

and, of course,
thieves.

btw
there's nothing 'abstract' about private property,
even children and animals understand the concept of
'it's mine'
and will protect their 'property'

[beardedlady]

Originally Posted by akoutdoors

Dumpster diving is the BEST you never know what you might find.

I've gotten lots of stuff dumpster diving. All sorts of equipment (magnetic stirring plates, microscope stuff), furniture, electronics. And then... bagels/bread! Panera bread throws their day old baked goods out every night. Half the time the employees just place it outside the dumpster in bags...never even hits the real trash! It's all good and safe. Try it!

[cap]

gross.

btw last time i ate "Panera" they gave me free catepillars in my salad.

[hogwild]

Originally Posted by beardedlady

I've gotten lots of stuff dumpster diving. All sorts of equipment (magnetic stirring plates, microscope stuff), furniture, electronics. And then... bagels/bread! Panera bread throws their day old baked goods out every night. Half the time the employees just place it outside the dumpster in bags...never even hits the real trash! It's all good and safe. Try it!

I used to live on a sailboat for a while and the homeless people out there were telling me how they go to the honey baked ham place every day and get hooked up. I personally would only do that if it was the only way to survive.

Dumpster diving can be very profitable because often employees from the store where your diving will steal things by throwing them into the trash and planning to go pick them up later when the place of business is closed. Years ago i used to go ddivin all the time because i was so successful in finding cool shit. Ive found graphics cards, computers, monitors, printers, usb hubs, wireless routers, network hubs ( one time i found a 500 port firewall/ networking hub that was worth 560$!)

That was just from a local computer stores trash.
Dumpster diving is legal unless posted otherwise or unless its a trash compactor unit. Its certainly frowned upon and you WILL be stopped by police if they see you simply because they dont want people rummaging through garbage.

Ive also come across tons of sensative information just thrown out in the trash. If i were someone who wanted to steal other peoples money i could easily do it with whats found in dumpsters behind places where they spend their money or get some services done. Always ask the place of business if they shred their paperwork trash or if they just throw it away. Social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank accounts, bills, checks these are all things found in dumpsters.

Dumpsters are smelly and now that im wealthy i have no need to dumpster dive, at one time it was fun and now its just a waste of time imo.

[synth]

Originally Posted by Hippie3

freegan eh ?

we used to call them
bums.



and, of course,
thieves.

btw
there's nothing 'abstract' about private property,
even children and animals understand the concept of
'it's mine'
and will protect their 'property'

Originally Posted by hip (mission statement)

if you are poor, you may freeze or starve
but you may not steal food nor fight back.

But I do not accept this.

this isn't an attack, but what are you trying
to say here? of course, you've posted so much,
and you're imperfect, so you have to be
hypocritical fairly regularly. i just found
this interesting and i'm looking for clairification.
are you beginning to think differently from
certain points in your mission statement?
a special case? good humor? or are you trying
to say that these bums don't fall under the
category of helpless [and they should just
get some damn jobs]? or are you not
criticizing them in the first place?
it seems to me that you are, but
i'm not sure so i simply ask you to
clairify.

also, the reason that i even noticed this is
because i've been going through some of your
posts lately [and i re-read the mission statement],
trying to decide if i agree with your viewpoint or not.
also, this post is not meant to be indicative of my
opinion of your viewpoint [presented in your mission
statement].

[Hippie3]

these bums don't fall under the
category of helpless

it is one thing to be a victim
of circumstance
and it's an entirely different matter
to choose to be a burden on others-
and to disregard the rights/needs of others
in pursuit of your own desires.

these 'freegans' are not victims,
but instead they are political activists
making some obscure point
at the expense of others.

i don't see where they get off
saying they have a higher 'right'
to steal another person's property,
i'd say that's my main objection.

that, and the fact
that they generate no 'wealth'
and so have nothing to offer to help
their fellows who need money.

who pays for these freegans' medical bills ?
we do, the working stiffs who pay taxes.

who will pick up the tab
for these freeloaders when they get too old
to provide for themselves ?
us, that's who.

who will pay the property taxes that
fund the schools
where their children are educated ?
everyone who owns a home
but not the 'freegan' parents of the children.

to my mind
these people are parasites
and that is a far different thing
than being oppressed unjustly.

[synth]

thanks

[dbzeroone]

Well put Hippie.
Ya know, the more I think about it...
They're not only parasites, but they're scavengers as well.

Both have a place in the food chain, but that doesn't mean we have to adore them.

[srgtm1a]

Originally Posted by Hippie3

freegan eh ?

we used to call them
bums.

LMFAO


Kinda like saying "I'm not a janitor....I'm a Custodial engineer".

I agree with hippie, from everything I read on their site.....only one word came to my mind....."Parasite"

You can wrap a bow tie on a pile of shit.....still doesn't change the fact that it is a pile of shit.

[xenos]

I'm confused as to why many of you feel that the freegan lifestyle is so parasitic. Whose property do they steal? Or do you see dumpster diving and squatting as theft?(some do, I'm only curious).

Originally Posted by Hippie3

that, and the fact
that they generate no 'wealth'
and so have nothing to offer to help
their fellows who need money.

While freegans may not be able to offer a lot of money, they are anything but selfish people who only help themselves(of course, some are). I'm involved with a food not bombs in my area, and we use food that would otherwise be thrown away to feed a lot of hungry people. The food is gotten by dumpster-diving and by asking various wholefoods store for food with damaged packages or with some other 'defect' that makes it unfit for sale(we don't use food thats gone bad of course).

[srgtm1a]

They are parasitic for the exact reasons hippie3 listed....all of that and more.

Lets start off by not calling them "freegans"....call them what they really are....BUMS.

They are nothing more than bums that have now tied a "political/economic" point of view to cover up the fact that they are lazy, non productive, members of society.

As their website states: Working Less / Voluntary Joblessness

Blame the economy, products, and everything under the sun just so you don't have to work. It's nothing more than an excuse to be a bum. Insert any one you like in there..."corporations are corrupt...so I'm not going to work." Any excuse will do. Who are they helping besides themselves?

give me a break.

or better yet: Eco-Friendly Transportation.....I remember when we use to call it hitch hiking...lmao.


I highly doubt any of the "Freegans/bums" had homes and jobs before they became these uber political/economic rebels.

They are doing nothing more than taking standard words and phrases for being a bum and making them sound like they have meaning. They help no one but themselves...and when the shit hits the fan for them...the taxpayers clean up the mess.

ALL FROM THEIR WEBSITE....WHAT THEY SAY AND WHAT IT REALLY MEANS:

Waste Reclamation - Dumpster Diving

Waste Minimization - buried their garbage or drop it on the soil so they don't have to pay waste management.

Eco-Friendly Transportation - Hitch hiking

Rent-Free Housing - Squatting in an abandoned building

Working Less / Voluntary Joblessness - No ambition in life.

now...tell me...all of those things don't define a BUM?

once again.....put a bow tie on a pile of shit...it's still a pile of shit.

There is a HUGE difference between being a person that helps the less fortunate, as you may do, and being a person who makes excuses for being a bum. No matter what fancy way they want to describe what they are...it all comes out the same....BUMS.

[loochypooch]

I don't eat things out of a dumpster. In my opinion you have to reach a certain low in order to do something that desperate. If you had $5, then wouldn't it make perfect sense to pay for a nice fresh big mac and support the economy?

Okay so if I didn't have $5 to my name at all what would I do? I'd go get a damn job making big macs maybe, but I still wouldn't dig through trash cans -- that is plain disturbing. If all else failed I would beg for money or even prostitute my body before I'd eat out of a dumptser....

[srgtm1a]

That's the thing though....they eat out of dumpsters because they don't want to work. Getting a job at Mc'd's would be blasphemy. It Has nothing to do with the economy or any of the other bullshit they babble...it all comes down to one thing....they don't want to work. The rest of it is them trying to justify why they don't want to work.


This whole thing reminds me of a past friend of mine. He was collecting welfare and wasn't going to ever get a job.

His reason for it:

"I'm black and corporations are all racist....I'm not going to work to make white people rich".

Which I found amusing cuz we were friends and I am the "white people" he so much hates...lol.

Translation: "I'm a total stoner.....I don't want to work because I'd rather smoke weed all day and collect welfare checks to buy more weed. Using my race as an excuse not to work really gets people, who think i'm a loser, off my back.

same shit....different island.

Needless to say, we no longer keep in touch, but he still lives in public housing, and still smokes weed all day long......way to shoot for the bottom...lol.

and who pays for his lifestyle?...You do.

[Hippie3]

squatting as theft?

of course squatting is theft
or call it home invasion
whatever
but i know if i come
park my ass in your house
make myself at home
and tell you to bugger off
because you have too much money,
i'm quite sure you'd agree.

now i have no problem with scavengers,
making wealth out of trash is legit
but to refuse to take a positive part in the economy
as a political statement
is anti-social behavior,
selfish and inconsiderate.
these people must recognize that it is
impossible to be separate from society
and since they are benefitting from society
even if only by sifting thru it's trash
then they owe something back
to the rest of us
and that means they need to put
wealth back into the pot
to replace what they take,
and hopefully even
generate a surplus
that they can share with others in need.

Originally Posted by loochypooch

I'd go get a damn job making big macs maybe, but I still wouldn't dig through trash cans -- that is plain disturbing. If all else failed I would beg for money or even prostitute my body before I'd eat out of a dumptser....

Yeah, cause eating out of a dumpster is way worse than selling your ass to random strangers for some cash (not like you could get all kinds of incurable diseases).. Besides, plenty of good shit gets thrown away.. One man's trash is another man's treasure..

[loochypooch]

I don't think saving goods from a dumpster is bad. But food certainly could be contaminated and it is just not appetizing!

I left out one option that these freegan freegans should consider. Hunting for food. If they hate coorporations then why eat their leftover food? Wouldn't it be "tainted"?

Why don't they do it the old fashioned way and go nab their own food? Shoot a squirrel or catch a fish? That is a respectable way to get food and you are actually working to get it so you're not being a bum.

In fact, if you hunted larger game like deer then you could use the meat to feed everyone at the homeless shelter for weeks. That is being productive and contributing.

[akoutdoors]

You know What?
I am a janitor, I have a steady $2500 a month job 2 kids and a wife that also works.
I am not a bum a mooch or a parasite, But I dont pay taxes cause My state says I dont have to other than sales tax(no income tax) and I get money back from the Feds more than I pay in so Does that make me a freelaoder?

What is wrong with reclaiming things and keeping them outta the land fiill? How many pple here actual "buy" tires for their cars.bikes/atv's? I dont cause I scrounge for em I look in the paper and I ask I do not steal. How many pple here buy Shoes? Not me I got enough pairs of shoes new in the box or next to new for me and my family for the rest of our lives.
As far as food goes in dumpster.......... Well I have taken food and lots of it Esp when Kmart closed down WOW Cases of ramen I mean cases not the boxes of 24 packs but 24 of those boxes, A flat or so of BBQ sauce the JD and KC masterpeice kind, flats of canned veggies soups Ect and all sorts of NON pershiable items that Kmart was told to destroy so they get the insurance money rather than take a "loss" and give it away.

Waste reclimation is a good No great thing it keeps items outta the land fill, and waste minimization to me is keeping a "check" on waht gets thrown away and wasted. When my wife and I stepped back and looked @ what we throw away and waste We decided to make an effort to use less and you know what we did We went from filling up a 30Gallon garbage can every day to every 3 days and now that we recycle its about 1ce a week we do a run to the recycling center and we take 1-2 bags to the dumpster a week.
these are my thoughts so when you see someone digging thru a dumpster dont think "Jobless lazy loozer burnout" without @ least talking to Em.

[Hippie3]

didn't you read their political statement ?
it's more than just dumpster diving,
they refuse to buy anything at all,
or work.
obviously from your description of yourself
you don't fit the profile
so don't get your feathers ruffled up,
no one's talking about you.

[srgtm1a]

They aren't dumpster diving because they want to reduce waste and put good use to good food. They dumpster dive, just like any other bum,....because they are hungry.

It's not like they are dumpster diving and saving this food to distribute to other freegans (bums).....it's more of an every man for him/her self.

They say that they will "share the food" with others if they need it on the way......on the way to what? All the bums I see dumpster diving, eat what they find right there....but oh well...i guess it's the thought that counts...hehe. Maybe if they hit the motherload.

There actually are groups of hunters that donate a lot of deer meat to the homeless every year loochy....They butcher it and package it for them......but that would be against the freegan beliefs.....it's a lot of work to butcher and package a deer.....and they don't want any of that.

[xenos]

Originally Posted by srgtm1a

Blame the economy, products, and everything under the sun just so you don't have to work. It's nothing more than an excuse to be a bum. Insert any one you like in there..."corporations are corrupt...so I'm not going to work." Any excuse will do. Who are they helping besides themselves?

Originally Posted by srgtm1a

It Has nothing to do with the economy or any of the other bullshit they babble...it all comes down to one thing....they don't want to work. The rest of it is them trying to justify why they don't want to work.

I dont understand how you can make these sweeping generalized statements on the inner intentions of all freegans. About 90% of all the freegans I've met are very active and have beautiful ideas, hopes, and dreams. They certainly aren't living a lazy life.

Originally Posted by loochypooch

If all else failed I would beg for money or even prostitute my body before I'd eat out of a dumptser....

Yikes, loochypooch! It's really not as bad as you may think. Most food is in a bag or some sort of package and is fine to eat, and the moldy slice of pizza that's been in the bottom corner of the dumpster for a week is definitely left alone!

Originally Posted by hippie3

of course squatting is theft
or call it home invasion
whatever
but i know if i come
park my ass in your house
make myself at home
and tell you to bugger off
because you have too much money,
i'm quite sure you'd agree.

That's not what squatting is though. Squatters inhabit abandoned buildings that are not being used for any purpose. They aren't homes because no one lives there or uses it. Personally, I wouldnt consider it even close to home invasion. Of course, the building will usually have an owner somewhere, so it does belong to someone. The morality of this is a matter of opinion, I think, so we may have to agree to disagree.

[srgtm1a]

Originally Posted by akoutdoors

You know What?
I am a janitor, I have a steady $2500 a month job 2 kids and a wife that also works.
I am not a bum a mooch or a parasite, But I dont pay taxes cause My state says I dont have to other than sales tax(no income tax) and I get money back from the Feds more than I pay in so Does that make me a freelaoder?

When I made the comment about "I'm not a janitor, I'm a custodial Engineer" I wasn't saying anything bad about people who are janitors. Just a point of unsing fancy wording to describe the same thing, which is what they (freegan bums) are doing.

There is a very big difference between what you do, and what the "freegans"(bums) do. Read their website.

I too take things that are going to go to waste and put good use to them.

My company gets new computers every year....the olds ones are thrown out (nothing wrong with them) so they can collect the insurance money and buy new ones.

I take all of the computers they are going to throw out....repair and rebuild them if needed (at my own cost), and give them to people and groups who cannot afford to purchase one.

No one is saying that that is a bad thing. You are still working and a productive member of society...there is a big difference.

[srgtm1a]

Originally Posted by xenos

About 90% of all the freegans I've met are very active and have beautiful ideas, hopes, and dreams.

So do 90% of all of the 5 year old children I've met....what's yer point?

The only difference is that those 5 year olds will grow up and amount to something.

They are nothing more than bums, plain and simple. Using society, economy etc etc as an excuse not to work. Sugar coat what they say and do all you want...doesn't change the fact that they are nothing more than common bums with a new name and look.

I have hopes and dreams too....but you know what....I work and I turn those hopes and dreams into reality, while these bums just talk about what they want to do. Anybody can do that dude. Talk is just that...talk. I can sit around all day and smoke weed and talk about becoming the president....it isn't getting me any closer to that, it's just talk.

At least bums are unionizing now.

[xenos]

Originally Posted by srgtm1a

So do 90% of all of the 5 year old children I've met....what's yer point?

The only difference is that those 5 year olds will grow up and amount to something.

They are nothing more than bums, plain and simple.

I have hopes and dreams too....but you know what....I work and I turn those hopes and dreams into reality, while these bums just talk about what they want to do. Anybody can do that dude.

You still didn't explain how you can make these sweeping generalizations. There is a big difference between a freegan and what you would normally consider a 'bum'(not that either deserve more or less respect). Because I have met and am friends with so many people that adopt this lifestyle, whose mentality is so completely differerent than what you describe it to be, I just can't agree with you on this.

[srgtm1a]

Originally Posted by xenos

You still didn't explain how you can make these sweeping generalizations. There is a big difference between a freegan and what you would normally consider a 'bum'(not that either deserve more or less respect). Because I have met and am friends with so many people that adopt this lifestyle, whose mentality is so completely different than what you describe it to be, I just can't agree with you on this.

How I can make these "sweeping statements"? Read their website...simple as that. They put it up there...not me. Everything is based on what they put out....which is all sugar coated bullshit.

There is ABSOLUTELY no difference between being a Freegan bum and being a normal bum. Oh yeah...the whole economic excuse...sorry, I forgot.

You are right...there is a big difference between being a freegan bum and a normal bum.

Normal bums don't try to sugar coat what they are. They also don't try to use economics and politics as an excuse for falling on hard times.

And no...the people you've met did not "adopt this lifestyle".....they gave up...took the easy way out....plain and simple. Being a bum is not a lifestyle choice made by people with ambitions.

People don't choose to live in a house one day and give that all up to squat illegally on someone else's property the next. That right there is a load of crap. Unless of course it's Maurie Povich and he wants a killer undercover piece for his show the next day As I said before, I highly doubt any of these people had house or jobs before making this "lifestyle" choice.

to reiterate:

Waste Reclamation= dumpster diving

Waste Minimization = Throwing your trash on the ground

Eco-Friendly Transportation = Hitch hiking

Rent-Free Housing = squatting illegally

Voluntary Joblessness = refusal to work



and what is all of that? A sugar coated definition of a bum. Where exactly do you see a difference...other than using fancy wording to describe things like hitch hiking?

From now on...maybe we shouldn't refer to cancer as cancer....maybe we'll call it "unfortunate cell mutation disease"