Are freegans closest to a true authentic environmentalist or green living?

Jude Kennelly: They are dependent on modern society. They contribute nothing. Without their "free" shelter and food, they would die.

Gregg Hagge: Reading for about 20 min about "freegans" (Never heard of the word, thanks!...), they might be the closest thing to the "gathering" lifestyle, except today, where it mostly occurs in the urban jungle. Good for them, too - I used to live on a commune. I admire the idealism, but doubt that my "comfort level" would permit me to last long. I like to be clean and when sick, it's usually serious. As far as "authentic environmentalism", it's a term with too historical and cultural reference points for me to be comfortable with vis-a-vis freegan. "Authentic" being relative to common usage instead of mostly "fact", and "environmentalism" is too laden with the meaning-reference as the counter-point of industrialism, pointing to the fact that there were no environmentalists called that by name until so much damage was caused b! y the friggin' industrialists!!I think that becoming the authentic environmentalist would mean moving AWAY from industrial civilization and BACK to the jungle, forest, prairie, mountains, etc. and by CHOICE living in a solitary state or among other humans in a "clan" society and away from whatever "civilization" is now (which disgusts me). Once in the jungle, you wouldn't be living as an environmentalist any longer, but has a human being in a more "natural" state.-------------------Just playing with words, but an "urban, anti-industrial survivalist" or "eco-survivalist) are better, more practical descriptions, to me, and shed the pretentiousness of "authentic" and the idealism of "environmentalist". However, something about "survivalist" suggests violence, hmmm....(I won't bother discussing "green living"... Pretty much is absorbed/covered with environmentalism.---------------Good luck - we're all going to need it, soon....Show more