Comments on: Replate: first-rate or not so great?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:13:52 +0000

Yeah, I hear you, teresa. I’ve come around a bit on the Replate thing. I still think it has some shortcomings, but it’s certainly better than nothing. Anything’s better than inaction! Hope you continue to redistribute food…

By: teresa

teresa — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:23:37 +0000

I love this effort! Replate.org is trying to bring awareness to this problem and awareness is the first step to activism. Please don’t minimize what they are trying to accomplish and don’t minimize what individuals can easily do, by complaining about “setting the bar too low”. Every little bit helps, both by putting food in a poor soul’s belly, and diverting this un-eaten food from the waste stream. The cumulative effect has great potential. I’ve personally tried to give food directly to homeless individuals in San Francisco and only sometimes have I had success. Many times they will decline the food but ask for money instead. I think leaving it atop a bin is a better solution – it allows the hungry to “save face” if they prefer since they can snatch up leftovers quickly and discreetly, and it allows the giver to avoid rejection and to quickly place their “offering” somewhere, since there are trash containers on almost every corner. I think “replating” is a thoughtful gesture and I have no problem calling it activism, even it if is on a micro-scale. I would almost guarantee that that small act will lead to even more action on the part of the “activist”.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 04:57:38 +0000

I hear you, Laura. But I will say I’ve come to appreciate how much attention a well-conceived, snappy-looking site like Replate.org can bring to an issue. And they do seem pretty flexible to all ideas. So it’s up to us folks to create a less cheap activism.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:13:45 +0000

Hi Jonathan, I just came across your post from replate’s website. I posted my reaction, basically not in favor, to this idea on my blog. I agree with the five things you don’t like. On the whole I think this is cheap activism, which doesn’t even deserve the “activism” label.

By: tiny gigantic » Blog Archive » The conversation has begun!

tiny gigantic » Blog Archive » The conversation has begun! — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:54:39 +0000

[...] Here’s a few threads of the conversation: Bake Town StumbleUpon Wasted Food [...]