Lately, I've stumbled across a couple articles on Freeganism, which is a new word for me. Freegan.info describes freegans--"people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources,"--and their common tenets:
Waste Reclamation Waste Minimization Eco-Friendly Transportation Rent-Free Housing Going Green Working Less/ Voluntary Joblessness
Here's a piece in the BBC from a while back, and in the New York Press, and a recent feature in the Washington Post.