I was very intrigued by the freegan approach to environmentalism. Prior to this reading, I had not encountered this school of thought before, yet it makes sense. More mainstream veganism still relies on the capitalist logic of exploitation and domination that Freegans seek to escape. However, is it even possible to exist completely outside the system? Capitalism is a foundational aspect of living in the US, as well as the majority of the countries across the world. Every item that is produced, from food to medical equipment, is produced with the intention of bringing the producer profit. Producers are therefore incentivized to pay their workers less and less in order to secure more profit for themselves. As Barnard writes, “Yet herein lies the great paradox of freeganism: it is largely through the collective repurposing of capitalism’s waste that freegans are able to put their anticapitalist values—‘community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing’—into practice” (Barnard 12). Even items intended to be sold but were instead discarded, or ex-commodities, were still produced under this system of exploitation. However, by obtaining these items without paying for them, I do believe the Freegans succeed in not incentivizing capitalist exploitative practices. As with any social movement, widespread participation is needed to make any kinda of change, especially for a framework as ingrained in our society as capitalism. I question how many people are willing to abandon the comforts provided by the system for a life of rummaging through other’s discarded items. That being said, I will certainly keep an eye on this movement in the future as, if successful, Freegans could spark real systemic change.