Reykjavík Grapevine - Jun 2023, Page 37

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1 Eden Blanket, designed by
Aníta Hirlekar.
Made in Reykjavík from pure
Icelandic wool.
2 Arctic Blanket, designed by
Sigrún Halla Unnarsdóttir.
Made in Reykjavík from pure
Icelandic wool.
1
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1940
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Skólavörðustígur 7
Skólavörðustígur 12
Kringlan
Harpa
Flugstöð Leifs Eiríkssonar
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE
T H E
BEST DESIGN STORE
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE
T H E
BEST DESIGN STORE
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE
T H E
BEST DESIGN STORE
All things
Icelandic in
design and
craft
WORDS Jóhannes Bjarkason
IMAGE Art Bicnick
Scattered around the capital
cityscape are freedges — tiny cells
of environmental activism operated
by regular people. A freedge is, in
essence, a fridge devoid of private
ownership. It’s meant as a sharing
mechanism for food — where locals
can drop off leftovers or pre-made
meals for others to enjoy. Among
other things, the initiative combats
food insecurity and waste by way of
sharing food with the community. The
freedge movement is international,
operating in all inhabited continents
and Iceland now has 10 of them.

The first freedge in Iceland was set
up in 2021 on the lot of the Andrými
community space on Bergþóruga-
ta. Since then, seven others have
sprung up within the capital area and
two have been established further
afield, as Akureyri in North Iceland
and Höfn in South Iceland boast one
each.
YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
SOUP LADY

Rósa Björg Jónsdóttir is one of Rey-
kjavík’s many freedge volunteers and
supervisors. She helps manage the
freedge by Neskirkja in Reykjavík’s
west end. Since 2021 she has been
a frequent donor to the freedge
community. “In the first six months I
donated about 540 litres of soup to
the freedge,” she says. “It’s probably
getting close to 2,000 litres these
days – it’s no wonder people have
started calling me the soup lady.”

Through sharing food, people are
given a chance to help their neigh-
bours and bolster community ties.
“I live in the neighbourhood, so it’s
a short distance to the freedge. My
friends and neighbours are active in
giving me their leftovers, which I then
bring to the freedge. When I’m not
home, people leave their donations
outside my door. Everyone in my
building knows it’s there for me.”

The freedges have started resem-
bling small community centres, ac-
cessible to all. “Although the freedg-
es are important to people who may
be food insecure, they are meant
for everyone. Their ultimate goal is
to reduce food waste,” Rósa says.
Regarding the freedges’ necessity
for low-income groups, she says she
notices them emptying more rapidly
as the month goes on.
SMALL-SCALE ENVIRON-
MENTALISM

There’s a splash of can-do attitude
that permeates the local freedge
Facebook groups. People online are
quick to conceive new locations for a
freedge, and quick to put it to prac-
tise. They spot if anything’s wrong,
predict foreseeable challenges and
work together to solve them. It’s
small-scale environmental activism –
one of many climate actions required
if we want a liveable future.

Rósa encourages those wanting to
get involved to lend a helping hand
to their local freedge, whether by do-
nating food or showing it some love
by cleaning it. People should open
their own freedge, too. “The freedg-
es’ supervisors have done all the
groundwork when it comes to estab-
lishing a new one,” Rósa says. “So,
there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
If someone is interested, they’re
more than welcome to get in touch.”

The freedge movement is spreading
quickly — there are currently two in
the process of being built, in Haf-
narfjörður and Akranes; and four
others are in the process of find-
ing suitable locations. These small
grassroots cornucopias allow com-
munities to better connect, pav-
ing the way for a more sustainable
environment.
You can see if there’s a freedge
near you online at frisskaupur.live.
If you feel your community needs a
freedge, you can help by setting one
up in your neighbourhood.
The Neighbourhood Watch Grassroots
Cornucopias
Fighting food insecurity through freedges
[I’ve] donated about 540 litres
of soup to the freedge […] so
it’s no wonder why people have
started calling me the soup
lady.