freegans
Trash-reclaiming anticonsumerists
Freegans practice an anti-consumerist lifestyle centered on reclaiming discarded food and goods, most visibly through dumpster diving behind grocery stores and restaurants.
The movement combines "free" with "vegan," though not all freegans follow a vegan diet—the unifying principle is rejecting waste and opting out of conventional economic participation.
The freegans found enough perfectly good produce behind the supermarket to feed everyone at the gathering.
Salvaging from waste containers
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- gleaningCollecting leftover grain
- freecyclingGiving away unwanted items
squatting · anti-consumerism · secondhand · bartering · reuse · nomadic · off-grid · minimalism
No garbage produced
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
- upcyclingImproving discarded materials' value
- repurposingAdapting for different use
- salvageRecovering damaged goods
eco-friendly · closed-loop · reduce · biodegradable · ecological
Opposition to market economies
- boycottOrganized economic protest
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
advocacy · awareness · solidarity · resistance · movement · reclaiming · occupy · anarchism
Amount exceeding requirement
- overproductionExcessive manufacture beyond need
- spoilageFood degradation process
- packagingProtective product enclosure
- abundanceAmple supply, overflowing
Sourced from flora
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- conscientiousScrupulously careful and thorough
- harm-reductionMinimizing negative outcomes
- locavoreOne who eats locally
organic · agroecology · permaculture · humane
dumpster-diving
Salvaging from waste containers
- scavengingGathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- gleaningCollecting leftover grain
freecycling · squatting · anti-consumerism · secondhand · bartering · reuse · nomadic · off-grid · minimalism
zero-waste
No garbage produced
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
- upcyclingImproving discarded materials' value
- repurposingAdapting for different use
salvage · eco-friendly · closed-loop · reduce · biodegradable · ecological
anti-capitalism
Opposition to market economies
- boycottOrganized economic protest
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
grassroots · advocacy · awareness · solidarity · resistance · movement · reclaiming · occupy · anarchism · teach-ins
surplus
Amount exceeding requirement
- overproductionExcessive manufacture beyond need
- spoilageFood degradation process
- packagingProtective product enclosure
plant-based
Sourced from flora
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- conscientiousScrupulously careful and thorough
- harm-reductionMinimizing negative outcomes
locavore · organic · agroecology · permaculture · humane
- Nonconformistsnonconformist, rebels, rebel, misfits, misfit
- countercultureflower power, flower children, hippie communes, Summer of Love, Woodstock
- eco-activistseco-warriors, eco-warrior, eco warriors, climate activists, tree hugger
freegansconsumerists
Advocates of buying culture
shopaholics · big spenders · impulse buyers · consumers · materialists