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Others say the inconvenience and expense is not worth it, especially since no fridge equals extra trips to the grocery store equals more driving. Plus, being able to buy and store food in bulk is often cheaper and less wasteful than buying smaller packages more frequently. And Energy Star fridges don't actually use up that much energy as far as household appliances go - far less than clothes dryers. "I think a lot of people in the environmental movement have a romanticized idea about living like a pioneer," says Deanna Duke, a Seattle-based eco blogger. "But moving icepacks around and rotten food doesn't have the same romantic appeal as hanging your clothes on a line."
I do think Americans tend to store too much stuff in the fridge. In Europe and Asia, eggs are never refrigerated, nor are many kinds of cheeses. Ditto for tomatoes and many other fruits and veggies - refrigeration actually kills their flavor and texture. If we refrigerated less we might be able to have smaller, more efficient fridges.
What do you think? Could you live without a fridge?
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2-05-2009 @3:48PM skeptic said... "trips to the grocery store will become more frequent" - unless the grocery store is within walking or biking distance, this would very quickly outweigh any energy savings from having no, or a small, refrigerator. Also, one would have to be very careful of potential food poisoning.
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2-05-2009 @5:45PM Lydia said... Hmmm, maybe social life is less important to these folks than reducing their impacts on this suffering globe. Plus, last time I checked, a frozen bottle of water can last 6-12 hours or more depending on how big it is and the environment (obviously in super-hot desert environment not much, but if they are smart and keep their cooler packed, things will stay relatively cold). Last time I checked, most dinner parties are 4 hours tops, so as long as you aren't going on vacation, everything should survive just fine! Plus, when you are going on vacation, don't you try to eat up stuff in your fridge that would spoil while you were gone? I'm sure these folks would do the same thing.
Buying in bulk is only wasteful if you are not smart about it. I RARELY throw out food because I bought too much of it.
And more trips to the grocery store = more driving ONLY if you live in suburbia. Remember, since they don't have a fridge, they're not stocking up on gallons of milk and meat etc, so they only have a couple of bags of groceries to carry at time usually, and, probably they walk or ride a bike.
Instead of making excuses and trying to convince the rest of us that it's really not worth it, how about challenging yourself and others to do without. My father lived for 10 years in a cabin with no electricity, running water, etc. and he did the same thing with a cooler and an icebox; AND he had a social life, AND he enjoyed himself--it's not like he was a slave to his icebox.
Three cheers for at least TRYING to care and walk the walk!
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2-05-2009 @4:35PM Monika said... The rationale seems a bit off.. wouldn't no-fridge-only-freezer living mean MORE packaged foods?
I guess they don't eat veggies or have enough people per household to eat it all before it goes bad?
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2-05-2009 @5:42PM Lydia said... Hmmm, maybe social life is less important to these folks than reducing their impacts on this suffering globe. Plus, last time I checked, a frozen bottle of water can last 6-12 hours or more depending on how big it is and the environment (obviously in super-hot desert environment not much, but if they are smart and keep their cooler packed, things will stay relatively cold). Last time I checked, most dinner parties are 4 hours tops, so as long as you aren't going on vacation, everything should survive just fine! Plus, when you are going on vacation, don't you try to eat up stuff in your fridge that would spoil while you were gone? I'm sure these folks would do the same thing.
Buying in bulk is only wasteful if you are not smart about it. I RARELY throw out food because I bought too much of it.
And more trips to the grocery store = more driving ONLY if you live in suburbia. Remember, since they don't have a fridge, they're not stocking up on gallons of milk and meat etc, so they only have a couple of bags of groceries to carry at time usually, and, probably they walk or ride a bike.
Instead of making excuses and trying to convince the rest of us that it's really not worth it, how about challenging yourself and others to do without. My father lived for 10 years in a cabin with no electricity, running water, etc. and he did the same thing with a cooler and an icebox; AND he had a social life, AND he enjoyed himself--it's not like he was a slave to his icebox.
Three cheers for at least TRYING to care and walk the walk!
Reply
2-06-2009 @1:06PM JustaTech said... On the refrigerated eggs: The reason that in the US we keep them in the fridge and in Europe (and other places) you don't is because in the US eggs are washed to get the chicken poop off. This also removes the protective coating that allows the eggs to stay good at room temp (or under a chicken). I do believe that the washed eggs stay fresh longer (60 days) but I am not totally sure.
Personally, I like my fridge and would give up many other things before it. Not all leftovers freeze well. And what do you do if chilling something is a necessary step in cooking, like cookie dough or chicken stock?
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2-07-2009 @2:57PM Rt said... "I do think Americans tend to store too much stuff in the fridge...." but you say nothing about the water/ice dispensers in the door.
What a farce - "anti-fridge advocates say" - indeed!
Preserving food has been a good thing for many centuries - salted/cured/(and now) irradiated. That there are some appliances making this convenient is not bad. Refrigerated trains, and later trucks, allowed a lot more people to eat than was previously available - especially vegetables.
Perhaps that is the intent - the complaint is that technology allows the expansion of humans, and they don't want that.
Europeans also tend to drink warm(er) beer. If you think you are going to convert me to that good luck.
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3-02-2009 @10:49PM Julia said... I lived abroad in Asia for 7 years and found that many people can do just fine without refrigerators. They get fresh food at local open air markets and produce very delicious dishes! So I've seen it done, but never ventured that far myself. Still, I think we can stand to learn something from the simplicity they demonstrate is possible.
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