The Freedge is a nonprofit dedicated to promote equal access to healthy food through the installation of community fridges (public refrigerators) that are used to share food and ideas at the neighborhood level.
Since 2014, we have installed or supported the installation of many community fridges, in North America and abroad. We also provide resources to potential community fridge users and hosts, such as the freedge map (http://freedge.org/locations/) and the “freedge yourself” DIY guide (http://freedge.org/freedge-yourself/). Additionally, we give support to other organizations with similar scopes, offering funding and sponsorship. Since 2018, we have sponsored 20 organizations, and given away 100 mini-grants that have helped with the installation of freedges around the United States.
Why are we doing this?
Despite the tremendous amount of resources devoted to the production and transportation of agricultural products, approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year. Much of this waste occurs at the household level—residential disposal of food waste accounts for 31-39 percent of total food waste in middle and high-income neighborhoods.
At the same time, 14 percent of households in the United States (17.4 million households or 48.1 million Americans) are considered ‘food insecure’. The large amount of food waste coupled with high rates of food insecurity highlights the importance of projects that focus on reducing food waste through redistribution.
It is estimated that the total carbon emissions associated with the global food system, from petroleum-based fertilizers to plastic packaging for transport, accounts for one-third of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
Thus, reducing food waste through redistribution at the residential level is a ‘low-hanging fruit’ with the potential to simultaneously address goals related to environmental and economic justice. However, there are currently few solutions that address food waste at the residential and neighborhood level. Our project aims to address this gap through creating networks of people who are passionate about reducing food waste and strengthening relationships with neighbors, while providing local sources of food for community members who may face food insecurity.