Excellent article in this week's San Francisco Bay Guardian about scavenging the streets of the Bay for freebies and the like. Loved reading about Swap SF, and I am really excited to attend the next one. Books and clothes...what else do I need?
Oh yeah: food. While I don't generally dumpster-dive for food items, I do actively investigate and take full advantage of my local stores that will give away items that are expired but still good. Mmmmm, free whole milk ricotta. And I do advocate sharing the wealth if you have it. At work, we are blessed to partner with so many great organizations like Full Belly Farm that give us full boxes of quality organic produce for our clients. Also, when we have events we're always sure to drop off the inevitable extra food at the park. People are always so grateful.
But y'all know household items are my big thing; in fact, most of my house is furnished with things found on the street. Sustainable, inexpensive, and fun, it is. Hey, and it isn't as filthy as you might think -- there is a lot of wealth in the Bay, and people will put really nice stuff out on the sidewalk rather than put themselves out to haul it to the thrift store or sell it on Craigslist. As my red 1950s formica table, Coach leather satchel, and solid oak bookshelf, and the Guardian's profiled scavenger's 50 inch color TV will attest, there's gold on the sidewalks of the Bay Area.
However, there are pitfalls to watch out for. I never pick up anything that is upholstered, unless it comes from the free area downstairs (inside) in my building. My friend Megan picked up some sweet abandoned upholstered antique chairs on the sidewalk by her place in the Mission, and a flea infestation commenced. Ugh. But undaunted, she rid herself of the problem and instead took my clean and flea-free couch off my hands when I moved to Japan.
And y'all knew labeling this as a "movement" was going to happen sooner of later, and I was both amused and appalled at the both blanket and inaccurate term used in the article, "Freeganism." Actually, seeing myself type that word, I think I'm more appalled. Sure, I do this partly for political and environmental reasons, but I'm still taking advantage of someone else's consumerism. I don't feel self-congratulatory or anything, because I also really enjoy scavenging (and I love myself some non-vegan eating!).
I guess I don't really mind the attempts at pigeon-holing this as a movement -- I welcome it if it gets more folks diving into doing this, even though it makes things harder for me to score the excellent goods. It's a win-win for the consumer and the planet.
Oh yeah: food. While I don't generally dumpster-dive for food items, I do actively investigate and take full advantage of my local stores that will give away items that are expired but still good. Mmmmm, free whole milk ricotta. And I do advocate sharing the wealth if you have it. At work, we are blessed to partner with so many great organizations like Full Belly Farm that give us full boxes of quality organic produce for our clients. Also, when we have events we're always sure to drop off the inevitable extra food at the park. People are always so grateful.
But y'all know household items are my big thing; in fact, most of my house is furnished with things found on the street. Sustainable, inexpensive, and fun, it is. Hey, and it isn't as filthy as you might think -- there is a lot of wealth in the Bay, and people will put really nice stuff out on the sidewalk rather than put themselves out to haul it to the thrift store or sell it on Craigslist. As my red 1950s formica table, Coach leather satchel, and solid oak bookshelf, and the Guardian's profiled scavenger's 50 inch color TV will attest, there's gold on the sidewalks of the Bay Area.
However, there are pitfalls to watch out for. I never pick up anything that is upholstered, unless it comes from the free area downstairs (inside) in my building. My friend Megan picked up some sweet abandoned upholstered antique chairs on the sidewalk by her place in the Mission, and a flea infestation commenced. Ugh. But undaunted, she rid herself of the problem and instead took my clean and flea-free couch off my hands when I moved to Japan.
And y'all knew labeling this as a "movement" was going to happen sooner of later, and I was both amused and appalled at the both blanket and inaccurate term used in the article, "Freeganism." Actually, seeing myself type that word, I think I'm more appalled. Sure, I do this partly for political and environmental reasons, but I'm still taking advantage of someone else's consumerism. I don't feel self-congratulatory or anything, because I also really enjoy scavenging (and I love myself some non-vegan eating!).
I guess I don't really mind the attempts at pigeon-holing this as a movement -- I welcome it if it gets more folks diving into doing this, even though it makes things harder for me to score the excellent goods. It's a win-win for the consumer and the planet.
Labels: SF Guardian, sustainable living, things found on the street
posted by Ammie at 11:55 AM
1 Comments:
You know what would be awesome? Is if everything that you and Your Own Private Ninja found on the street came from the same person.
Now that would be someone worth having at a dinner party.
Post a Comment
<< Home