#Canada - #RepairCafé sews, bolts, and seals up the leaky, slow, and damaged

Written by Hayden Michaels Tuesday, Apr 01 2025, 6:00 AM

"The #SwiftCurrent Repair Café has once again come and gone and left the world a better working place.

"From clocks to mixers, from radios to jackets, almost anything that could fit through the door was examined, diagnosed, and put back in working order. While the volunteers can't tackle anything too out there or too large, they make sure to stitch, staple, and suture what they can mend.

"This year, Keegan Story and the rest of the volunteer handymen and women were happy to help fix 80 per cent of the items brought to them.

" 'Electronics and appliances are one of our busier areas,' shared Story. 'Today they fixed a kid's toy DVD player, a vacuum cleaner and a few other miscellaneous electronics.'

"One of the special booths at this event was the #PinballMachine corner. Kids were infatuated as local Pinball Wizard/technician Darwin Gooding built one of his '70s machines and let them play with the finished product.

"Other interesting fixes were computers, mechanical clocks, clothing, and just about anything and everything else that Swift Current brought out.

"The goal of the Repair Café is to mend items that normally would go in the trash. Be it their disposable nature, or the unrealistic monetary nature of certain fixes, this bi-yearly event unshackles practicality in favour of keeping what is old, new, and what is broken, pristine.
A child learns about circuitry, causing a rotor to fly up, up, and away!A child learns about circuitry, causing a rotor to fly up, up, and away!

" 'We've got a lot of people here that are handy that just like to offer their support,' said Story. 'We're keeping some stuff out of the landfill and keeping some money in people's pockets.'

"The next Repair Café will be held on October 25, 2025. Anyone looking to volunteer is encouraged to reach out via the Repair Café website or to contact them on Facebook."

https://swiftcurrentonline.com/articles/repair-caf-sews-bolts-and-seals-up-the-leaky-slow-and-damaged

#RepairCafesCanada #SaskatchewanCanada #RepairCafes #RightToRepair #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair #ReuseRepair
#SolarPunkSunday

#Denmark - #RepairCafeDanmark

"Repair Cafe Danmark er en non-profit forening med danske Repair Cafeer i hele landet. Alle arbejder 100% frivilligt i de lokale afdelinger.

"Foreningens formål er at facilitere og motivere frivillige, forbrugere, foreninger og kommuner til afholdelse af og deltagelse i Repair Cafeer og derved reducere affald, ændre forbrugsmønstre og skabe viden om og lyst til grøn omstilling.

"Hjælp os med til at gøre noget ved udledning af CO2. Ved at #reparere frem for at købe nyt nedbringer du forbruget af nye produkter og mindsker udledningen ved produktion, transport og bortskaffelse, til gavn for det fremtidige liv på Jorden.

English: "Repair Cafe is a non-profit organization with repair initiatives all over Denmark. We are all 100% volunteers in the local Repair Cafes.

"Our purpose is to facilitate and motivate volunteers, consumers, organizations and municipalities to create and/or participate in Repair Cafes and thereby help reduce waste, change consumption patterns and creating knowledge about a green future. We want to change today’s throw-away society by teaching consumers that it is possible to repair, rather than just throwing out and buying new."

https://repaircafedanmark.dk/

More information about our project here: Om Repair Cafe:
https://repaircafedanmark.dk/om/

#Danmark #RepairCafesDenmark #RepairCafeesDanmark #RepairCafes #RightToRepair #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair #ReuseRepair
#SolarPunkSunday

#UK - The Restart Project! Lots of locations, lots of dates!

"The Restart Project aims to tackle the climate emergency by making #electronics work for people, for the planet, and for longer.

"We’re a people-powered social enterprise that believes every product should be repairable, and that repair and reuse should be accessible and affordable for everyone.

"Right now, we live in a throwaway economy. It can be tough to find options for repair locally, and electronics can be needlessly hard to fix. As a result we’re losing repair skills in our communities, throwing more away, and buying more new. It’s building a mountain of e-waste while using ever more of our planet’s limited resources.

"That’s why we make repair easier for everyone.

We help people run repair events in their communities where they teach each other how to fix their broken and slow devices – from tablets to toasters, from iPhones to headphones. We run fixing factories that help people repair their things, build repair directories where people can find help near them and train people in repair skills."

https://therestartproject.org/networks/hampshire/

#RepairCafes #RightToRepair #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair #ReuseRepair
#RepairCafésUK #SolarPunkSunday

#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

So, in other news, this week's #SolarPunkSunday will focus on #Rewilding -- especially #GuerillaGardening! Also, #RepairCafes and #LibraryOfThings (because #LibrariesRule despite budget cuts. Every week should #LibraryWeek!)
#ReduceReuseRepair! #BuyLess! #FixIt! #Borrow! #Share!

So, whenever possible, I stick to household solutions to remove rust -- lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar -- and a lot of elbow grease. As for rust-proofing the objects afterwards? That can be a bit problematic, since it seems most rust-preventing paints for metal contain PFAS (I'm looking into alternatives. Linseed oil paint might be good for metal). Mineral spirits and paraffin wax are another way to rust-proof metal, but both are petroleum products. Limonene and beeswax might be a petroleum-free way to rust-proof metal, but I haven't tried it yet (though I have both on hand). Feel free to chime in with suggestions!

How to Remove Rust From Metal Surfaces—From Garden Tools to
Vintage Finds

Seven proven ways to remove rust corrosion in just a couple of hours

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-remove-rust-from-metal-surfaces-from-garden-tools-to-vintage-finds?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#DIY #SolarPunkSunday #FixIt #RustProofing #RustRemoval #ReduceReuseRepair #ReuseRepair

HT @WansteadClimateAction (and welcome to the Fediverse!)

"Anyone in #Wanstead #London #LondonE11 #Redbridge please follow and come to our events.

Here's a #RepairCafe coming up Saturday 12th April with help from @restartproject Bring your faulty stuff."

https://kolektiva.social/@WansteadClimateAction@greennet.social/114264249631956492
#SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk #RepairCafesUK #RepairCafesLondon #RightToRepair #RepairCafes #SolarPunk #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair

This #KansasCity nonprofit will help you fix your lamp so it doesn’t end up in a landfill

KCUR | By Brandon Azim
Published March 26, 2025

"This is one of a dozen Repair Cafes held over the last year. The fix-it sessions are sponsored by Re.Use.Full, a Kansas City nonprofit that is dedicated to raising awareness about sustainability, and a smarter approach to waste disposal, as landfills reach their maximum capacity."

Read more:
https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-03-26/re-use-full-kansas-city-nonprofit-repair-shops
#RepairCafesKS #SolarPunkSunday #RightToRepair #RepairCafes #SolarPunk #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair

#RepairCafe offers free fixes for broken items to help limit #environmental waste

by Nadja Woods, April 5, 2025

“I really like doing this, and for the planet, we don’t have to waste more resources trying to put something else new into the market. We already have great things, so there’s a multitude of reasons why I do this,” said Espinoza.

https://www.mynbc5.com/article/repair-cafe-fixes-broken-items-limit-environmental-waste/64394795
#SolarPunkSunday #RightToRepair #RepairCafesIN #RepairCafe #SolarPunk #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair

#Canada - #RepairCafé #Pierrefonds serves up new life for broken goods

April 5, 2025

"On the first Saturday of every month, Repair Café Pierrefonds takes place at the public library. Volunteers help repair damaged items brought in by residents, while also teaching them how to do it themselves."

https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/04/05/repair-cafe-pierrefonds/
#RepairCafesMontreal #SolarPunkSunday #RightToRepair #RepairCafes #SolarPunk #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair

#Canada - How a #ScarboroughOntario couple is building community, one repair at a time

by Jessica Patterson
Published March 28, 2025

"Once a month, volunteers gather in a Scarborough, Ont., community centre to fix broken appliances, bicycles, housewares and computers and mend torn clothing – all for free. The Mid-Scarborough Hub Repair Café was launched 18 months ago by Krissan Veerasingam and Fizza Khalid, a couple on a mission to make Scarborough a kinder, greener place.

They both have day jobs – Mr. Veerasingam is a software developer, Ms. Khalid is a health and safety adviser – but volunteering is a big part of their lives. They founded the Scarborough Environmental Association (SEA), a non-profit organization that hosts events like pollinator plant giveaways, clothing swaps, sewing workshops and park clean-ups. The Repair Café is a key SEA initiative, focused on supporting low-income and historically disenfranchised communities. (Repair Cafés originated in Amsterdam in 2009 and there are now more than 3500 of them around the world.)"

Read more:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/globe-wealth/article-how-a-scarborough-couple-is-building-community-one-repair-at-a-time/

Link to #Ontario #RepairCafes:
https://repaircafetoronto.ca/upcoming-events/
#SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafesONT #RightToRepair #RepairCafe #SolarPunk #BuildingCommunity #ReduceReuseRepair

What exactly is a Repair Café? It’s an event where you learn how to fix your stuff and build community! If you aren’t able to repair an item, you still walk away with next steps and new connections.

Repair Café Pittsburgh is always free and open to the public, but we strongly encourage that you sign up in advance to secure your spot! Register for our April 5 event on our website

What Are #RepairCafes & How They Can Protect The Planet

January 26, 2022

"We live in a throwaway society, one which creates vast amounts of waste while using up valuable resources for mass manufacturing. This can lead many to start reducing their waste on an individual level, in particular moving away from #plastic, but did you know there are also vital community-run initiatives that can make a huge difference to our global waste problem?

"Alongside #LibrariesOfThings, which reduce consumption, there are also repair cafes, which help items last longer. Here’s why they’re vital to a sustainable future.

"What is a Repair Cafe?

"Repair cafes are free meeting places where people come together to fix things. Unofficial community repair groups have likely been around for a long time, but the model as we now know it was created by #MartinePostma. Postma organised the very first repair cafe in Amsterdam in October 2009, which was a resounding success. She then founded the Repair Cafe Foundation in 2011, a non-profit providing professional support to local groups wanting to start repair cafes. There are now over 2000 repair cafes in over 35 countries around the world.

"In a repair cafe you can usually find tools and materials needed to fix items such as electrics, clothes, bikes, furniture, and more. You can also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in different areas, to help you. Most repair cafes also teach essential mending skills such as sewing buttons, fixing zips, and wiring plugs, helping people learn something by watching and working with volunteers.

"Repair cafes focus on making things last, saving people money and helping the environment by reducing consumption, manufacture, and use of raw materials."

Read more:
https://ethicalunicorn.com/2022/01/26/what-are-repair-cafes-how-they-can-protect-the-planet/

#SolarPunkSunday #RightToRepairMovement
#HackerSpace #Repair #CircularEconomy #RightToRepair #ReduceReuseRepair

Dorky but effective... patched a wear hole in by cargo shorts with an iron on patch, which does not match. But better than blue or red, LOL. #reducereuserepair #fashion #cheapdad