Viable Freeganism?

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Digital Commons @ ESF

City Wild Landscape Architecture

Spring 2014

Nathan LaPierre

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Recommended Citation LaPierre, Nathan, "Viable Freeganism?" (2014). City Wild. 7. https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/citywild/7

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STUDY AREA Fayetteville, New York

Adjacent to Green Lakes State Park lies a there was much to be uncovered. As a way plot of land roughly 300 acres in size. This of discovering more artifacts I applied my area was once an agricultural landscape. explorations to a topic I was greatly Since then it has been acquired by the interested in. I decided to research • state of New York and transformed into a freeganism and determine if any of the Green La' es State Part< public outdoor recreation area. There are artifacts I found could be utilized by numerous trails traversing the property, and freegans. To fully understand this project they are all utilized by mountain bikers, one must be well versed in the principles of runners and hikers. When navigating these freeganism. trails it's easy to forget what was there previously. It isn't until one ventures off the beaten path that they are reminded of what use to be. Hidden behind thick vegetation lies trash and agricultural artifacts. Some artifacts are more significant than others, however, they all share a similar narrative.

Prior to this investigation I typically remained on the designated hiking trails rarely venturing off. Through my brief bushwhacking experiences I came to realize 8mSt FA m t

FREEGANISM looking to replace them. Items that are no caring for their fam ilies. Freegans believe longer needed are reallocated to other that too much time is spent working, people who share similar views. Community greatly affecting ones physical and mental gardens are highly valued by freegans and well being. According to www.freegan.info. "freegans they find immoral. Freeganism exists medicinal plants are utilized rather than are people who employ alternative because consumers are continuously drugstores. While some freegans don't own www.freegan.info strategies for living based on limited throwing things away and replacing them automobiles, many hitchhike, walk, bike, participation in the conventional economy with newer items. Freegans recognize this trainhop, or skate to their desUnations. Of To properly determine what items could be and minimal consumptions of resources. pattern and capitalize on the opportunity. those who own automobiles many are used by a freegan, I will walk the entire Freegans embrace community. generosity, Through foraging or ''dumpster diving'', diesel engines that run on vegetable oil_ property and photo document everything I social concern. freedom, cooperation, and freegans are able to support themselves see. This exploration will span two days. J sharing in opposition lo a society based on while being less wasteful than the typical According to www.freegan.info, "freegans will walk both on and off the trall, so as not materialism, moral apathy, competition. consumer. Many of the Items claimed by believe that housing is a right. not a to overlook anythmg important. I will conformity, and greed." freegans are in good condition and far from privilege." It is common for freegans to complete the photo documentation in the being considered trash. There Is a wide occupy abandoned buildings that are spring before there are leaves on the trees. The term freegan is denved from combining range of recoverable items including food. dilapidated or rn poor condition. Many times There Is no way of knowing exactly what I the words free and vegan. While vegan's clothing, electronics. bicycles, appliances they improve the appearance of the will find. but I believe many of the things I avoid animal products, freegans reject the and artwork. structure both inside and out. granting encounter could be utilized by freegans. complete economic system in which our them the permission to stay there by the society adheres to. This practice is based Through foraging for discarded items in property owner. Freegans are not typically on the idea that many large companies are dumpster's. freegans are reducing the employed: rather they focus on things that corrupt and dishonest. Since freegans amount of trash entering the waste stream. are important to them. Since many of their refuse to purchase many of their goods. They compost all organic matter and basic necessities are met through foraging, they are not supporting the system that attempt to repair broken items before more time can be spent volunteering and

5 6 AUTOMOBILES FARM EQUIPMENT

7 8 LARGE ARTIFACTS SMALL ARTIFACTS

9 10 SMALL ARTIFACTS SMALL ARTIFACTS

11 12 DUMP PILES DUMP PILES

13 14 CONCLUSION WORKS CITED

Page 2: "Fayetteville. New York." Map. Google Maps. Google. 26 April 2014. Web. Upon the conclusion of this project it spend the money locally maybe this would seemed that the mcljority of the items [ be a viable option. Page 3: Benedetto. Anthony. "Freeganism." Behance. N.p., 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 28 Apr. found wouldn't be particularly valuable to 2014. . freegans. Many of the artifacts could be If this study were to be Improved upon or transformed into Interesting art pieces. but altered I would have completed It In a Page 4: Web. 22 Apr. 2014. . were limited in their other uses. The large different location. After two days of walking dump piles were littered with useless items through fields and wooded areas it became Page 5/6: "What is a freegan?." freeganinfo RSS. N.p.. n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. . batteries. There was a limited amount of difficult time removing some of these items. reusable wood and nothing I found was in Not to mention many of them do not have good condition. Glass bottles. chicken wire, cars. making it nearly impossible for them and car hubcaps were the only items that to get the artifacts back to their homes. It could be reused. There was an excessive would have been beneficial to choose a amount of metal on the site. but these more urban location. There probably aren't items would only be beneficial if they were any freegans that reside in the area brought to a metal recycling facility. lf considering it's several miles outside the freegans were to recycle all the metal city of Syracuse. The urban context paired found on site they would make a significant with human wastefulness and greed allows amount of money that could then be spent freeganism to exist, not old agricultural land on goods. This whole idea rejects the with artifacts from the past. principles of freeganism. but if they were to

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