Wheaton Teen Finds Treasure In Living Green

For his 19th birthday in June, Dominic Gambaiani baked his own cake and prepared his own multi-course dinner for his guests. His theme was "The Hobbit," and as any fan of the Tolkien classic knows, it's a Hobbit tradition to give to others on one's own birthday. What was special about this occasion was not its otherworldly, selfless motif, however, but the food served and from whence it came: a local Dumpster.

"No one died, and everyone loved it," quipped Dominic, an environmental science and theater major at Illinois Wesleyan University. Sampling everything first himself and salvaging only things in sealed packages, he turned discarded cherry tomatoes into pasta sauce, one-day-after-sell-date fruit into jam, and cast-off lettuce (augmented by vegetables from his own garden) into a delightful summer salad. Schooled by books on plants and countless foraging expeditions, Dominic knows what is safe for human consumption and what is not.

He is even more aware of what is safe for the environment. At the age of just eight, Dominic wrote a letter to then-President George Bush protesting his plan to cut down forest trees. "Trees are here for a reason," he said. "At the time, I didn't know they were oxygen powerhouses, but I said, 'Let's keep them for the squirrels and bunnies.'" For Christmas that year, he received a book called "True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet."

"I have always been conscious of taking care of the earth," said Dominic, whose early efforts to live sustainably included using bath water to flush the toilet, turning off lights, using re-usable bags, and hauling his and neighbors' old electronics to places where they could be safely recycled.

Later, Dominic began to make his own food to reduce the use of plastic containers and learned to crochet his own mesh bags for groceries. In his summer job as a landscaper, Dominic lugs his own giant tub of water for himself and co-workers to avoid the use of plastic water bottles. In the backyard of his house in Wheaton, where he lives with his parents and younger brother, is a large rain barrel, a compost bin, and a garden plot in which Dominic planted lettuce, kale, pole beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, radishes, and an assortment of herbs.

Edibles are not the only items Dominic rescues and re-purposes. Beginning with a shared interest with his aunt in garage sales and antiquing, Dominic's search for "goodies" expanded to waste receptacles outside of retail stores and student housing at nearby Wheaton College (whose president he wrote in middle school encouraging students to be less wasteful, resulting in the official providing him with flyers to distribute on campus). He has found cleaning products, jewelry, furniture, electronics, linens, and everything in between. Some items even still have their tags on them.

"I re-purpose and re-create everything I can," said Dominic. On one "Dumpster dive" (a legal practice), he found a giant giraffe made of pressed wood that had no head. "I cut it in half and made a high-top table for our living room." Dominic's home is not the only one benefiting from his resourcefulness; he refurbishes furniture and household items bound for landfills and sells them at bargain prices to local residents as well. In a grassroots project called #dealswithDom, he shares tips and videos on sustainable, frugal living with the social media community.

While at first his friends thought his passion for rummaging was a little odd, some of them now join him on the hunt. His commitment to preserving the environment has rubbed off on them, too. "We got a compost bin because of Dominic, something we would never have done," said his neighbor and lifelong friend, Julia St. George.

"We have to respect sustainable living," said Dominic, whose long view of the world belies his 19 years. "We're only here 90 or so years at best, and this is the only planet we have. Humans are the only creatures on earth who are innovative and can develop thought. We need to help ourselves and other animals find new ways to live." To those who doubt that their singular efforts could have any effect, Dominic says, "We all have a choice in how we live every day. If everyone does their part, we're part of the solution, not the problem. It only takes an ember to start a fire."

Visit Dominic on Twitter and Vine at DGambaiani.