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#RepairReuseRecycle

2 posts1 participant0 posts today

My partners espresso machine had an electrical fire last month.

Decided to fix it myself and long story short, $65 in parts and a trip to Autozone she has a working espresso machine again.

Makes me wonder if I could help others locally save money by helping them repair things.

Side note I was very happy to see Autozone still has their DEI in place. I checked before going because no company who shuttered DEI is getting a penny from our pockets.

#California: Need Help Fixing Your Broken Stuff? Volunteers at the #HumboldtCounty #RepairCafé in #ArcataCA Will (Most Likely) Fix It for Free!

by Isabella Vanderheiden / Wednesday, March 26

"You know that broken lamp that’s been sitting in the corner of your garage for the last decade? You know, the one with the busted pull chain and persnickety cord your college roommate gave you? Yeah, that one. Do you think it might be time to get that thing fixed?

"What if I told you there is a place you can go to have your lamps rewired, your vintage denim mended, your bicycle tires patched, your weed wackers restrung and your great-grandmother’s heirloom necklace soldered — all for free?

"Sounds too good to be true, right? Not so! On Sunday, April 6, volunteers and staff with Arcata’s Recreation Division will host the first Humboldt Repair Café, a free event at the Arcata Community Center where people can take their broken stuff (electronics, clothing, jewelry, furniture, crockery, small appliances, etc.) to be repaired by local fixers. If you can carry it, chances are, they can fix it.

"'The rule is it has to be small enough that you can carry it in by yourself,' volunteer coordinator Wendy Ring told the Outpost. 'We won’t be able to take in refrigerators and things like that. We’ll have a retired electrician to work with smaller electrical appliances. We also have some IT specialists to help people with their computers. We have experts at putting fancy patches on clothes and another person for bicycle repairs. This is our first Repair Café, but we have quite a variety of people!'

"The upcoming event is part of an international movement, which originated in Amsterdam in 2009, to combat '#ThrowawayCulture,' promote #sustainability and teach people practical repair skills. 'We just bring our skills and fix stuff together,' Ring said.

"'The Repair Café movement is trying to change consumer culture and say, ‘No, we can’t just throw things away because they don’t just disappear,’ she continued. 'This is a way of making the things that we have last longer and teaching people how to fix things by watching our volunteers as they’re doing repairs. It’s also community building, which is something that we really need right now.'

"While the event is free, volunteers may request a donation if they need extra materials for repair. In some cases, it may take volunteers a little longer to diagnose the issue and get the parts needed for the fix.

"'If we don’t have the part on hand, we may ask you to come back next month,' Ring said, adding that she hopes to host the event once a month. 'Sometimes, it’s going to be a multi-step repair. We do have some people who have 3D printers who will be able to make parts for people. … We’ll also have little handbells around, and when a repair is made, we’ll ring the bell and have a mini celebration.'

"Asked what she would be taking to the Repair Café, Ring said she has a Kindle that needs fixing, some clothes her dog has chewed on and a jacket with a broken zipper. 'I put a collection of beautiful beach pebbles in my jacket pocket, and I’ve never been able to unzip it,' she said. 'That was a year ago. I can sew a little bit, but I can’t do zippers!'

"Cullen Groom, recreation supervisor for the City of Arcata’s environmental services department, is helping to support the program on behalf of the city, which is allowing the Repair Café to use the community center’s senior room free of charge."

FMI: lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/mar/
#RepairCafesCalifornia #SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafes #RepairReuseRecycle #BuildingCommunity

Lost Coast Outpost · Need Help Fixing Your Broken Stuff? Volunteers at the Humboldt Repair Café Will (Most Likely) Fix It for Free!By Isabella Vanderheiden

#MadisonNJ Rotary, Grace church, #RepairCafe team up for free ‘#Repair, #Reuse, and #Recycle’ event on April 12

Mar 13, 2025

MADISON, NJ – "The Repair Cafe, an event during which volunteers help make all possible repairs of various items for free, is coming to Grace Episcopal Church at 4 Madison Ave. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12.

"The event will be hosted by the Madison Rotary, Grace Episcopal Church and the Repair Cafe.

"#Repairers will show attendees how the repairs are made and what tools are needed.

"All types of items can be brought in including lamps, bicycles, clothing and other fabric items, small appliances, wooden things, jewelry, toys, knives in need of sharpening, phones and computers. Items should be small enough to be carried in by one person. No gasoline motors or hazardous materials are allowed.

"There will be a #TechTable, where experts will help with #troubleshooting settings and software on phones and computers, as well as repairs on other tech items. There will be no screen replacements.

"The Kids’ Take-Apart Table will return. Children will get to take apart common items with supervision including laptops, small appliances and toys.

"The last repairs will start at 2:30 p.m. and will be on a first come, and repairs will be made on a first come, first serve basis. If possible, attendees are asked to email Paul Lemaire at pjlema@gmail.com to tell the repairers what they will be bringing in.

"The repairers always looking for new volunteers to join the team. Expert repairers with their own tools and people who want to help out with logistics and organization are welcome. There is no age requirement, and volunteers have ranged from their teens to their 80s."

Original article:
newjerseyhills.com/madison_eag

Archived version:
archive.ph/LA2lo#selection-264

Replied in thread

@gerrymcgovern
⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️ #RepairReuseRecycle (pssst everything has potential as Art if you can’t fine a practical use.) Peter McFarlane creates e-waste art using old circuit boards. He does everything from sculptures and paintings to even scrapescapes, which is “a marriage between the circuit board paintings and sculpture.” Great article on him & others here. And if you’re an artist looking for some E waste for a project, contact your state. ewaste1.com/e-waste-art/
#Art #Handmade #Sculpture

Replied in thread

@susankayequinn ad Throwing away: I work in a #farmLife museum, beginning of the 20th century. When I guide people to our attic with broken things, off parts, or crazy collections of pieces, they roll their eyes, until I explain that they repaired their stuff with these pieces or gave pieces to friends/neighbours for repairing. "Wow, that's so modern!", they say then. #CircularEconomy ...

I upcycled a lamp. Ok, I hope I did. I like it. It's certainly beter then it was.
I found the donor lamp next to our communal bin at our appartement block. The price tag was still attached. I did need to use a drill for some widening of holes.