Dumpster Diving for A Cause

 “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."   ~ Margareth Mead

   I am always inspired by the revolutionary gains brought on by the determination and dedication of individuals who collectively come together, united by a common purpose to enact awareness and change. In a previous post, I commented on the food industry, predominately on mass production and organic food, but this post has to do with food waste, and alternative lifestyle choices.

   In a Yahoo article this week, titled Family Lives Without Money—By Choice—and Thrives, I saw, yet another family or individual take a stand against our broken systems. The young family featured in the article have renounced money, and are subsequently getting by with trading work for food, or goods for services, etc. They also get some of their food from “diving” into dumpsters, and thereby advocate against the massive amounts of food wasted by corporate food retailers. That waste would be enough to feed the entire world’s starving population… It sounds gross, but this food is not half-eaten or unpackaged- it’s perfectly fine food. Let’s look into that a bit more, shall we?

   They have a neat website, which highlights “EarthlingsLiving Without Money”- people who have also renounced money, and adopted alternative lifestyles focused around a philosophy where       “…Reality means change...it means breaking the old rules, putting down the bases of a society that is going straight to self-destruction. Today is the time to put an end to the absurdity of our ways of living, consuming and thinking.” 

   The article about the young family also brought to mind a movie I watched, called DIVE! , in which a young man, Jeremy Seifert, tells his tales of how he and his family survive off the food they get from “diving” in food retailers’ dumpsters.

   His film also highlights the amount of food wasted by the commercial food industry. He names Trader Joe’s as being a culprit of throwing away massive amounts of food that, basically, has nothing wrong with it. The film is highly enlightening, and I encourage you to watch it to get a better understanding of the subject- and the opportunities. Knowledge is empowerment, is it not?

   Definitely check this stuff out- at the least it’s enlightening, and at its best, it may inspire you to make small changes in your own lifestyle, or make a difference by getting involved. Imagine…