Freeganism: An Eco-friendliness Way of Living Essay examples

Our views of food and what is and is not considered food also divide us. Michael Pollan ("The Omnivore's Dilemma") tells us that even though the French eat fattier food, they have a better relationship with food and are in turn slimmer and healthier. On the other side, we have Americans have a negative relationship with food, constantly dieting and eating low-fat or low-carb and have an obsession with eating healthily, we are in turn not healthy at all. Our ideas of what is food varies depending on culture, socioeconomic status, race, and other factors. While eating dogs in some Asian countries is completely normal, many Americans can't imagine eating dogs, the loyal loving companion to us humans (Wu 2002). As stated earlier, the different classes have differing opinions on what is and isn't ok food to eat. While lower class individuals aren't as shocked by what the upper class eat, the upper class can be shocked at what the lower class eat; processed junk food, fast food, and industrially farmed fruits and vegetables are feared by some people of the upper class. As Counihan (1999) states, food is a commodity to be bought and sold and to be used to emphasize differentiation between groups of people. But what about people who don't buy or sell food? Freegans are glorified dumpster divers, getting all their food from the dumpsters. Freegans are looked down upon and belittled by others for

It’s amazing how wasteful people are. In Lars Eighner’s story “On Dumpster Diving” he discusses his many trials and tribulations of being homeless and scavenging for food and clothing out of dumpsters. He discovers and reveals how wasteful many stores and restaurants truly are. To date, many companies take for granted everyday items they discard, even though they may still have value to scavengers. Freegans, which are a part of an anti-consumerists lifestyle, live ethically by reusing trash; this practice of reclaiming discarded food is a form of dumpster diving (Freegan.info). Dumpster diving is good for the community because it eliminates waste and provides food and supplies for the less fortunate.

By evaluating the social aspects regarding the “omnivore’s dilemma,” Michael Pollan argues that people “don’t really know” where the products we consume come from. Thus, he decides to embark on a journey to discover “what exactly it is” society consumes and how this affects their health, as well as the way they enjoy their meals. Furthermore, Pollan accentuates that the role the government plays in the manufacturing of agriculture, implicates the quality of the products at local grocery stores.

By evaluating the social aspects regarding the “omnivore’s dilemma,” Michael Pollan argues that people “don’t really know” where the products we consume come from. Thus, he decides to take matters into his own hands in order to discover “what exactly it is” society as a whole is consuming and how this affects their health, as well as the way they enjoy their meals. Furthermore, Pollan accentuates that the role the government plays in the way agriculture is manufactured, implicates the quality of the products in the stands of our local grocery stores.

Another man’s trash is another man’s treasure. At least, that’s the case for artists Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz, commonly known as Guerra de la Paz. The uncommon materials they use in their installations are from the waste bins of second-hand goods shipping companies (Saatchi Gallery). Their most common item being second hand clothing, that they pick and choose to create vibrant works of art (Textile Forum Magazine 2011). Their work critiques everyday consumerism and society, while also depicting the life story of the past wearers (Textile Forum Magazine 2011). Guerra de la Paz’s art requires attention to understand the underlying message the artists are

It has been claimed in class that this treatment results from the nature of capitalism as an economic system, not merely from the doings of “bad people”. Maltreatment of workers, animals, and the environment are depicted in the film “FOOD, INC”. Capitalism also known as “The Free Enterprise System” and “The Market Economy” is a mode of production under which social classes are determined by ownership or control of the means of production. A mode of production is a system by which material production in society is organized. Under capitalism individual rights are emphasized, everything used except human labor is privately owned, and income is based on marketplace competition. In regards to food, food has

In Porterville, California, there are not many stores, causing people to have a limited amount of options to choose from. Porterville may seem like a little city, but there are many people who live in here. Statistics show that during the year of 2014, there were 55,466 citizens and each year the population increases, so picture the amount of citizens today. There is a bare minimum of stores and thousands of people who shop, meaning that there is a great chance that people will have the same exact clothing as others. Imagine you have a special outfit that you had recently bought and you plan on wearing it to school. It turns out when you go to school, you see a couple of people wearing the same exact thing, then all of a sudden it’s not so

80 billion clothing items are produced every year. About two million tons of clothes is thrown away every year. The clothes often cannot be resold due to lack of quality. Only about 10% of clothes are resold. ¾ of the clothing’s manifested from fast fashion labels will end up in a land fill after a year after it is put out for consumers to buy.

Simply to embrace the touch of Nature and living out life in the most organic way.

The USDA claims that each year, 25.9 million tons of America’s food is thrown away, the equivalent to a quarter of the total amount produced. Nationally, the wasted food is a damaging financial setback, amounting to $1 billion just to get rid of during a time of ascending food prices, nonetheless (Oliver, 2007). Food waste has skyrocketed since 1970 at an astonishing 50% increase rate, yet according to the FAO, one-sixth of America doesn’t get enough to eat.

While there are many students taking it on themselves to make a change, by becoming a freegan and changing their lifestyle in order to save money, help the environment along the way. In an article in the guardian.com, “Freegan freshers: the students making savings by living off waste”, Bethany Perkin explains how some student are opting to be part of freeganism due to the high economy and how they tend to be perpetually broke. While for some it seems pretty disgusting to go through bins of unwanted food for others it has become a way of life. It is estimated that in great Britain alone there is 4.2 million tons of food being wasted every year(Perkin). Many students in London are taking home £100 (142.13 USD) worth of food, while others are

Whether we like it or not, we all have our own specific diets or food habits that influence our actions and the actions of others in our daily routine. Some might only eat organic and/or non-GMO, whereas the other might eat mostly fast food and candy. Two very different type of diets but yet they share one interesting feature; how they look at one another, both sides view the other as non-normal. The fast food eater may laugh or tease the organic/non-GMO eater for being a heath nut, and the organic/non-GMO might view the other as unhealthy or unable to take care of their selves. The same goes for Counter-Culture diets along with vegetarians. We must ask ourselves what our food choice might be and think about how we view others food choices.

In America, we are constantly surrounded by abundance. Food is a prevalent waste item in the United States. Most people do not think about the resources it took to produce, transport, and prepare the food they throw away. Our food waste is not actually just trash; it is the key to human survival. Ordinary consumers can change the future with one small action: to stop wasting food. Actions at the individual level can decrease food waste and feed those in need. Twenty five percent of purchased food is thrown away. (TED) Often this is because food has spoiled, but it can be for other reasons such as oversupply, misread labels, or individual consumer shopping and eating habits. http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3347e/i3347e.pdf

In 2009, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) reported that around one third of the food that is purchased for consumption ends up being wasted in UK households each year and that at least 5.3 million tonnes are avoidable. Accordingly, the existing “throwaway societies” (Bauman, 2002; Cooper, 2005; Packard, 1961) where the consumer culture has become a big issue that has impacted on the financial situation and environment. It is estimated that £12 billion financial cost are spent on avoidable food waste and 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are generated annually.

According to Mintzberg, the environmental school of thought is a strategy dealing with the forces outside the organization. Unlike the other schools in his book, Strategy Safari, the environment plays a central role in the strategy formation process alongside leadership and the organization where the organization becomes subordinate to the external environment. The environmental school assumptions are that during the formative period of the organization the company shapes itself in response to the environment, but after that period is increasingly unable to respond to the environment. Moreover, the organization long term survival depends on the early choices made during its formative period. Over time, Mintzberg states, leadership becomes