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#Ireland - The rise of repair cafes: ‘It’s not sustainable to keep buying new stuff’
A resurgent repair culture has a bottom-up energy, but change is also coming from the top, with the EU’s Right to Repair Directive

by Sylvia Thompson
Mon Jan 20 2025 - 05:00

"At repair cafes across the island of Ireland, volunteers fix small pieces of furniture, household electrical appliances and clothing at community venues for free. This movement, which started about 10 years ago – but stalled during the Covid-19 pandemic – is gathering pace again as a kickback against the perils of #overconsumption and as a response to #environmental and cost-of-living crises.

"Tomorrow afternoon, in an industrial unit in #Dublin12, a repair cafe will take place, a community event in which a group of volunteer fixers will repair everything from broken toasters, kettles, coffee machines and air fryers to garments needing new zips or buttons.

"The #DublinMakerRepairCafe in Unit 2B, Motor City, Kylemore Road, #Dublin 12, is one of a number of repair cafe gatherings held throughout the island. Volunteer #fixers also show up for repair events organised in "#CommunityCentres, #libraries and third-level colleges.

" 'I’d do a repair cafe every weekend if I had enough volunteers. I can’t meet the demand from libraries, county councils and community groups,' says Jeffrey Roe, a software and hardware engineer who also runs Tog Hackerspace, which hosts the D12 repair cafes four times a year.

"He says there are three types of people who turn up with broken items to be repaired for free at these community events.

" 'There are the environmentally conscious people who want to get things fixed rather than consume more valuable resources by purchasing new things,' says Roe. 'There are people who want things fixed for sentimental reasons – say a food mixer their mother used or a toy they played with that they want to give to their children. And then, there are the cost-conscious people who find the cost of getting something new too high.' "

Read more:
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/2025/01/18/the-rise-of-repair-cafes-its-not-sustainable-to-keep-buying-new-stuff/

#RepairCafes #RightToRepair #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair #ReuseRepair
#RepairCafésIreland #SolarPunkSunday


#Colorado - #Libraries and the ‘economy of sharing’

An ode to the palace of the people

By Kaylee Harter - Apr. 9, 2025

"Visit one of BPL’s #makerspaces, a feature that’s become a staple in many libraries, and you can use #3DPrinters, #looms, #LaserCutters, #ScreenPrinting equipment and more.

" 'It’s a collaborative learning environment,' Farnan says. 'We’re learning together. If you were to go into the makerspace today and ask, like, ‘I’m thinking about doing this,’ then they would say, ‘I don’t know how to do that, but let’s figure it out.’

" 'That is inherently resilient.'

"He recalls a blind artist who came in with a unique challenge: 'She wanted to be able to see her drawings.'

" 'They worked with her with 3D printers, with the laser cutters and that kind of thing, in order to transfer her drawings into dimensional objects, because they were abstractions, so that she could then see them with her fingers.'

"Despite the always expanding array of programming and services, the books themselves — and literacy for all ages — are ever important."

https://boulderweekly.com/special-editions/libraries-and-the-economy-of-sharing/

#SharingEconomy #CircularEconomy #LibrariesRule #LibraryOfThings #MakerSpace #BuildingCommunity #Accessibility #SolarPunkSunday #BoulderCO


#Tennessee: #NashvillePublicLibrary, Green Hills Branch

Vegetable #ContainerGardening
When: Thursday, April 3, 2025 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Where: Green Hills

Description: "Learn how growing plants in containers can expand your gardening options! Discover you can easily and successfully grow a variety of vegetables, flowers, and fruits in containers as varied as pots, tires and satellite dishes."

Contact: Green Hills (615) 862-5863

https://events.library.nashville.org/cal/event/eventView.do?b=de&href=/public/cals/MainCal/CAL-8a3e8e4b-9569b067-0195-b50201f3-00007226.ics
#SolarPunkSunday #LibrariesRule #VegetableGardening #FoodSecurity #BuildingCommunity #Gardening


#Alabama: #RepairCafe Returning to #Tuscaloosa #PublicLibrary After First Event's Success

"After great feedback praising the wealth of knowledge and repair skills available at no charge, #TPL has announced plans to bring the event back next month, on Saturday, March 22nd from noon until 3 p.m. at the TPL Main Branch on Jack Warner Parkway.

"The library is seeking volunteers with practical repair skills to make the event work! Anyone interested can contact Kayla Sikes at 205-345-5820 ext. 1255 or email ksikes@tuscaloosa-library.org.

"'We believe in the power of community collaboration,' Sikes said. "The Repair Cafe is not just about fixing things; it's about building relationships and promoting a more sustainable way of living. We invite everyone in Tuscaloosa to join us and be part of this inspiring event."

FMI: https://tuscaloosathread.com/tuscaloosa-public-library-repair-cafe-2/#google_vignette
#RepairCafesAL #RightToRepair #RepairCafe #SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk #BuildingCommunity


Many #Maine Winter #FarmersMarkets participate in the Harvest Bucks program.

"Find a Market. Stretch your SNAP/EBT dollars! #MaineHarvestBucks gives you BONUS BUCKS to buy fresh fruits and vegetables when you spend your #SNAP / #EBT dollars on local food."

More details:
https://mainefarmersmarkets.org/winter-farmers-markets-2024-2025/
#MaineFarms #FoodSecurity #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #FoodInsecurity #FarmersMarkets #FarmToTable


#WashingtonStateRepairCafes - #RepairCafes & #FixIts

The What

- Repair Cafes & Fix-its (or Fix-it Fairs/Repair Fairs/Repair Cafés) are free community gatherings in which people with repair skills share their time and talents to fix their neighbors’ belongings.
- These gatherings can be organized by friends, a neighborhood group, a nonprofit organization, or even a city or county entity. They range in size from a handful of people to a few hundred!

The How & Why

- Organizers designate a time and place for people to gather and community members bring items that are broken, torn, or otherwise non-functional.
- Then, volunteer fixers do their utmost to get the items back in working order (at no cost to the community member) while sharing information about the repair process with the item’s owner.
- When feasible, a fixer may invite the owner of an item to participate in the repair in order to boost knowledge and confidence that anyone can fix things!
- This not only creates an opportunity to spark meaningful connections with others and help community members get new life out of beloved possessions, it saves items from going to the landfill!

Common services

- Bike repair
- Sewing and mending
- Small appliance and electronic tinkering
- Woodworking
- Knife and tool sharpening
- Jewelry repair
- Computer and device repair

Other Services

Groups may choose to add other “stations” that draw on unique talents, interests, or needs in their community. These may include things like:

- Plant and Seed Swap
- Gardening advice and soil analysis
- Paper and Fabric Crafting
- Free Table (where you can bring things you no longer need and pick up items you do)
- Haircuts
- Instrument repair
- Word-Smithing (advice on resumes, creative writing, and more)

Learn more:
https://dev.repaireconomywa.org/fix-repair/
#RepairCafe #RepairCafes #StartingARepairCafe #SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafesWashingtonState #BuildingCommunity #FixIt #DIY #RightToRepair #RightToRepairMovement #CircularEconomy