Freegans and FreeCycling On The Rise
Posted by Big Gav in freecycling, freegan, recycling
Bruce reports that freeganism and freecycling are becoming ever-more popular (I suspect there is a fairly low ceiling for freeganism barring a deep worldwide depression though) - Freegans and FreeCycling Gain Fans.
(((Anarchists quoting BUSINESS WEEK. Yeah, something weird's going on.)))
Freegans and FreeCycling Gain Fans
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_42/b4104056853835.html
Josh Corlew's grocery bill is zero. The furniture in his Nashville home didn't cost him anything, either. His fridge, TV, and microwave -- all free. It's been two years now since he last bought the ingredients for his signature sausage dish. (((Yum.))) Corlew, a 26-year-old nonprofit manager, has effectively dropped out of Consumer Nation. He goes shopping in the disposable culture's garbage instead.
Corlew is part of a growing number of Americans for whom getting stuff for free is next to godliness. Yes, most everyone is cutting back. But these folks take frugality to its extreme. In cities like New York and wealthy suburbs like Grosse Pointe, Mich., and Plano, Tex., it is possible to live like a king (well, a duke anyway) out of a dumpster. Sushi, cashmere sweaters, even Apple computers -- all for the taking.
"We're used to fulfilling most of our needs through the marketplace," says Syracuse University culture professor Robert Thompson. "But now with technology there is access to more that is free than in any time in the history of the world." (((Somebody should be quoting Chris Anderson right here, but it won't be me.)))
As you might expect, the free movement is heavy on idealism. (((No, I wouldn't expect that at all, necessarily.))) (...)
But what if you don't want to climb into a giant garbage can to get your free groceries or barely used PC? Maybe Freecycle is more your thing. A Craigslist-type Web site, Freecycle lets people post items they don't want and ones they do. Giveaways have included everything from a camping trailer to a pair of rats. Freecycle now has 6 million members internationally, and since Wall Street imploded it has been registering 50,000 more each week, up from 25,000 previously. <----- Freecycle and the Freegans are among the fastest-growing groups on Yahoo!
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