Freeganism

An old high school friend of my younger brother, Lance, wound up in September's issue of Cosmo-Girl. Jean Desiree Pockrus, a Wesleyan University graduate, is a passionate "freegan" and dumpster diver, and is doing her part to cut back on the post consumer trash that is taking up so much space on landfills.

Freeganism is not only good for the earth, it is good for your wallet and your piece of mind. America alone, which makes up a small percentage of the earths population (about 6%), uses around 60% of the worlds resources. One American consumes in one day what 20 Ethiopians consume in one day. And most of our products come from foreign countries where people (and many many children) are paid slave wages. The children are often horrifically abused in these sweatshops. And it keeps happening because we want multitudes of cheap stuff, and we want it easily accessible and convenient.

Many of us may not be aware how much of our stuff comes from foreign factories where human beings are exploited, and many of us know but just don't care. Until recently I belonged in both of those categories. My closet is full of clothes (most items purchased from Wal-Mart) made in other countries. In fact, nothing in my closet was made in the states. I, and many others, need to change that. Be it dumpster diving or shopping at second hand stores, reusing and recycling reduces the impact on the environment, and no new human exploitations are made when you buy used or reuse.

The most empowering thing about freeganism is that it sends a message to the corporations that dominate us, telling them that we don't need them. The oil companies have made us dependant on them just like the other corporations. Imagine if we could drastically reduce our dependance on oil? (but that's a whole other blog entry)

Read the article about Jean here.

Peace