Clipping Board » Environmental Pollution & Change ─ How dirty the human heart is, how dirty the environment will be...
Update Date: 2008/05/23 20:05
By Jiang Huiyi (Author is a standing director of the Taiwan Watch Institute)
In 1995, while studying environmental education in the United States, I frequently encountered an anti-war group called "Food Not Bombs." They often appeared at annual meetings of environmental groups, human rights events, and other large social movement gatherings, preparing meals for the events. All the ingredients were collected from unsold and discarded food at large supermarkets and grocery stores, then cooked. In recent years, more and more people in the U.S. have been adopting lifestyles such as voluntary dumpster diving, sharing resources, not shopping, not working, and living in abandoned houses to resist the global economic system built on exploiting Earth's resources, sacrificing the health and rights of children and laborers, and contributing to global warming. They call themselves "Freegans" (non-consumerists).
However, some have raised warnings, suggesting that Freegans' voluntary dumpster diving at large supermarkets may not necessarily be a form of resistance against corporations. The food they collect from these stores is often unhealthy canned processed goods, low-quality produce from conventional farming, and high-calorie junk food. In fact, Freegans' actions help supermarkets solve their waste problems, reducing garbage disposal costs and allowing them to profit more. Overall, this does little to challenge the structure of global corporations. Perhaps Freegans could reconsider how to use their dumpster diving time more effectively to build a new economic system.
I believe that the pure and complete rejection of the current capitalist-dominated economic system by these non-consumerists is admirable in terms of their intentions, spirit, and actions. However, for most people in society, giving up everything to become a non-consumerist and living a life of rummaging through trash bins for food requires not only courage but also strong conviction. Yet, if you also question the current economic system and do not want to support sweatshops, child labor, or the acceleration of global warming, what more proactive steps can you take to promote the establishment of a new economic system? Here are a few practical and increasingly popular approaches for readers to consider:
In terms of diet: When you can support the local economy by purchasing fresh food from the nearest farm, you reduce the need to buy imported food from corporate-run supermarkets. If there are no farms nearby, you can team up with neighbors to order organic ingredients from farmers and use delivery systems to obtain food. Alternatively, find a corner near your home that is overrun with trash, gather a few neighbors to clean it up, and plant bananas, papayas, sweet potato leaves, or easy-to-care-for herbs. Of course, rooftops and balconies can also become safe food factories for growing your own produce!
Economy is an activity of exchange, but it doesn’t always require money. You can persuade farmers to let you actively participate in farm work during holidays in exchange for free food. You can also work with neighbors to create a community skills map. Perhaps your next-door neighbor is a computer expert, the person downstairs is a graphic designer, the one upstairs is a tailor, and within 20 meters, there are teachers, babysitters, electricians, chefs, translators, and more. A five-minute bike ride might lead you to a professional carpenter. Once you complete this community skills map, you’ll discover that many daily services can be obtained through "exchange."
These actions not only allow us, like Freegans, to gradually reduce monetary consumption but also help us slowly decrease our reliance on multinational corporate commercial systems.The positive significance of these actions is that we are establishing a sustainable, healthy, and small yet beautiful new economic system through an alternative consumption model.
Source: http:/ / tw. green. charity. yaho……/ feature_article_200803. html
Consumer Patterns Driving New Economic Systems
By Jiang Huiyi (Author is a standing director of the Taiwan Watch Institute)
In 1995, while studying environmental education in the United States, I frequently encountered an anti-war group called "Food Not Bombs." They often appeared at annual meetings of environmental groups, human rights events, and other large social movement gatherings, preparing meals for the events. All the ingredients were collected from unsold and discarded food at large supermarkets and grocery stores, then cooked. In recent years, more and more people in the U.S. have been adopting lifestyles such as voluntary dumpster diving, sharing resources, not shopping, not working, and living in abandoned houses to resist the global economic system built on exploiting Earth's resources, sacrificing the health and rights of children and laborers, and contributing to global warming. They call themselves "Freegans" (non-consumerists).
However, some have raised warnings, suggesting that Freegans' voluntary dumpster diving at large supermarkets may not necessarily be a form of resistance against corporations. The food they collect from these stores is often unhealthy canned processed goods, low-quality produce from conventional farming, and high-calorie junk food. In fact, Freegans' actions help supermarkets solve their waste problems, reducing garbage disposal costs and allowing them to profit more. Overall, this does little to challenge the structure of global corporations. Perhaps Freegans could reconsider how to use their dumpster diving time more effectively to build a new economic system.
I believe that the pure and complete rejection of the current capitalist-dominated economic system by these non-consumerists is admirable in terms of their intentions, spirit, and actions. However, for most people in society, giving up everything to become a non-consumerist and living a life of rummaging through trash bins for food requires not only courage but also strong conviction. Yet, if you also question the current economic system and do not want to support sweatshops, child labor, or the acceleration of global warming, what more proactive steps can you take to promote the establishment of a new economic system? Here are a few practical and increasingly popular approaches for readers to consider:
In terms of diet: When you can support the local economy by purchasing fresh food from the nearest farm, you reduce the need to buy imported food from corporate-run supermarkets. If there are no farms nearby, you can team up with neighbors to order organic ingredients from farmers and use delivery systems to obtain food. Alternatively, find a corner near your home that is overrun with trash, gather a few neighbors to clean it up, and plant bananas, papayas, sweet potato leaves, or easy-to-care-for herbs. Of course, rooftops and balconies can also become safe food factories for growing your own produce!
Economy is an activity of exchange, but it doesn’t always require money. You can persuade farmers to let you actively participate in farm work during holidays in exchange for free food. You can also work with neighbors to create a community skills map. Perhaps your next-door neighbor is a computer expert, the person downstairs is a graphic designer, the one upstairs is a tailor, and within 20 meters, there are teachers, babysitters, electricians, chefs, translators, and more. A five-minute bike ride might lead you to a professional carpenter. Once you complete this community skills map, you’ll discover that many daily services can be obtained through "exchange."
These actions not only allow us, like Freegans, to gradually reduce monetary consumption but also help us slowly decrease our reliance on multinational corporate commercial systems.The positive significance of these actions is that we are establishing a sustainable, healthy, and small yet beautiful new economic system through an alternative consumption model.
Source: http:/ / tw. green. charity. yaho……/ feature_article_200803. html