Growing Food is Like Printing Money!

By: Seth Columbia

Watching Fight Club in high school made me realize I didn’t want to ever put myself in the position of begrudging my days in order to acquire material things. I was already on this path from a young age however, when prompted with the Q’ “Whatchya gonna do when ya get all big and old kiddo?” I’d cheerfully reply “I wanna be a hobo” my reasons being that they had no responsibility and got to do whatever they wanted. imagine the curiosity of my family members…

But then there are all the things that you actually NEED. Food, Water, Shelter, And Such! Well to provide for all of these needs with one fellow swoop requires something a little more complete than the popularized version of permaculture as permanent+agriculture. Yet that is a perfect place to look a little closer.

Im No Farmer, but I am a Good Investor

Part 4 of Dumpsterize My Diet!- Dumpster Virgin No More

By Seth Columbia

How did I get started?

The same way I start most things, along side some great people.

I have some friends in Montreal who I went to visit early in the summer of 2014 and I was very excited to learn of their alternative lifestyles. These two open minded ladies opened their fridge and pointed to the bread, the cheese, the yogurt, the fruits, the vegetable, and told me they got it from the trash. I became quite excited as my regular cheap diet of rice beans and vegetable was becoming quite boring.

Anyway it was not just their action but their style that inspired me so. The duo had enough money to buy food, however they are eco-groovey and couldn’t stomach the waste of perfectly good food. The two of them have rather classy jobs, one a secretary for a school, the other a waitress at a quaint local restaurant.

Surprisingly, their preferred times to dive not only included under the cover of night, but also on their way to work in broad day light.

They were dressed to impress, and strivin’ for a divin’.

I found it hilarious and impressive watching  as one of the girls fished through a dumpster with her high heels and floral prints on!

They weren’t diving because they had to… not exactly. They dive because they feel a need to effect change on this little pebble floating through space.

Its not just about getting food, I mean that is a goal, but the idea on a larger scale is about raising awareness about waste and neccesity. I will be exclusively dumpster diving in broad daylight in a tuxedo from now on.

Part 3 of Dumpsterize My Diet!- PermaCycle Will Eat Trash

By Seth Columbia

A few days ago I talked about the scope of food waste in the US, today I will talk about inspiration.

Jasmine and I have been inspired…..by dumpster.

Together we will travel the country eating as high a percentage of dumpster goods as possible. Can

In essence, PermaCycle will eat trash.

Just like this guy, Rob Greenfield, check out his amazing video of how he biked across the country eating about 70% dumpstered foods.

Rob Greenfield’s Dumpster Diving Across America

We are not ashamed and we want your attention, we want you to know about the art of Dumpster Diving. Yup I capitalized that. Dumpster Diving will sustain us and it actually sustains me right now, damn near the entirety of my regular diet is reclaimed food.

The scope of how much good delicious FRESH food that is thrown away is literally shocking for most people when they begin to experiment with Dumpster Diving. Me included!  I have thrown back lids before and found myself face to face with what looked like both the bakery and produce sections of a grocery store, nicely boxed up and waiting.  Can you say: Holy grail?!

Needless to say, Jazz and I won’t be going hungry on our trip, especially helpful because we don’t have much cash to spend!

 

Coming Up: Part 3 of Dumpsterize My Diet!- Dumpster Virgin No More

 

Part 2 of Dumpsterize My Diet!- The Big Picture of Food Waste

By Seth Columbia

A few days ago I talked about how waste is a popular, consumerism driven misconception: most things that are “wasted” are just that, items of value that go deliberately unused.

Do you have any freaking clue how much food goes in the dumpster?

No that’s not my point, I meant: In America people go hungry every day and OH MY NON-SECTARIAN GOD IS THERE A LOT OF GOOD FOOD IN DUMPSTERS! wait no… refinement.

What I’m saying is:

America does not face anything close to a food shortage…

Part 1 of Dumpsterize My Diet! – We’re Wasting Away

By Seth Columbia

Lets talk about waste.

If there is one good thing that  we do efficiently it is, to waste. As a college student it sometimes feels as though every object I find crammed into a dorm living space is labeled as “single use”. Beds, lamps, posters, last seasons clothing, electronics, and textbooks with much more all tend to fill out the massive profiles of industrial dumpsters moved into the city early in September and midway through May. Unfortunately not much of this lightly-used material waste is given a second home by those who really need it and in some cases is taken by small business and returned to the local economic cycle. But what happens to everything else?