These days, most
people think it is easier to toss something and buy a new one. The act of
fixing something appears to be innovative, creative and quirky. It
seems in most cases it is just easier to buy a new blow dryer, vacuum or
printer, than fix it. In fact, the new one will likely have new
bells and whistles. Our industrial world calls this planned obsolesce
– making something outdated, not fashionable, or no longer useful after a
certain length of time.
Planned Obsolesce is in every industry, from our mobile
phones to the clothing we wear. It is so ingrained in our lifestyle and
shopping habits, that the disposable nature of virtually all purchases
rarely get challenged. Then, I came across the
concept of the Repair Café, I
thought “how innovative”! (I was a bit sad that simply fixing stuff has become
innovative.) In 2010, a woman in the Netherlands was disgusted by the
disposable throw away culture we live in, so she founded Repair Café.
Repair Café is a free event where people can bring in their broken stuff for
free, and volunteers fix it. Today there are 40 groups in the Netherlands
that meet to fix things.
There are a few places in the US who have started their own
Repair Café’s. A Fixers Group has been founded in Seattle, called the West Seattle Fixers Collective. They even
provide advice on how to start your
own fixers group.
How about trying some of your own fixes?
- Click here to get a tutorial on darning socks.
- Click here for a tutorial on replacing a button.
- I Fix It has help on fixing everything from game consoles to vehicles.
- Does your bike need some help? Check out the free repair clinics at Mikes Bikes!
- Looking to update some clothing? Check out the video library on You Tube from Threadbanger.
Have something that is broken? Don’t toss it…. Try and
fix it!
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