Repair Revolution: How Fixers Are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture

Have you ever purchased something new only to find it no longer works or is tattered a year later? Did you throw it out because it was cheaper to buy a new one or you didn't know how to fix it? Whether you grew up in a different time or are a thrifting pro do you find yourself saying "they don't make things like they used to!" Have you ever wondered where all of this broken STUFF ends up? And what exactly can you do about all of this?If you're interested in disrupting throw-away culture and building community while protecting our environment for future generations( and did I mention saving money, making friends, and learning new skills?)- I highly recommend picking up Repair Revolution. The art of repair is becoming lost in our modern techno industrial culture of planned obsolescence- and the large corporations prefer it that way. When the art of repair is lost or stolen from us we no longer have the skills to be self sufficient and we become reliant on having to purchase more and more material goods. And make no mistake- in Repair Revolution you will learn about how it's not an accident that your coffee maker broke after a year- a quick end of life is now planned into products to perpetuate an endless cycle of waste and purchasing. Whether it's fast-fashion or disposable goods, modern life seems to favor a linear throw-away culture over a circular economy.Repair Revolution is a wonderful introduction to the repair movement- it will teach you how to take the power back into your own hands, realize your right to repair, and give you a roadmap of how to learn new skills. Repair Revolution will bring you through the history of repair, how we risk losing this lost art, and how you can get involved in the Repair Movement to revive the culture of repair. It will take you inside community Repair Cafes where repair coaches can teach you everything from woodworking, fixing electronics, home appliances, furniture, jewelry, clothing- you name it and a fixer can teach you how to fix a broken item. You will learn that the repair movement is about so much more than simply fixing something, but it's also about sewing together the seams of our communities that can often feel broken. It's about mending hearts while mending a family heirloom. Absorbing or passing on generational knowledge and learning new skills. It's about community resilience and most of all it's about a revolution in which we embrace our self reliance and no longer accept that when something is broken it is beyond our power to fix it- whether it's a material object or a life problem. Repair has many lessons to teach. Pick this book up- its a roadmap about how to become active in your community today and join the Repair Revolution!

Repair Cafes are an international movement, founded on grass roots community interaction. Anyone interested in sustainability, community involvement, creative tinkering or becoming more than just a consumer will love this book and be inspired to find a Repair Café in their community, or even get one started. Elizabeth Knight and John Wackman provide a complete road map to setting one up in your community. Their enthusiasm shines through as they affectionately describe the “fixers” and their patrons, and the wonderful stories attached to the “beloved but broken items” brought in for repair. The genuine feeling of satisfaction and sense of community is evident in every line. Sample documents, job tickets and more are included, as well as several informative “How To” chapters developed by the repair coaches. It’s a Repair Café handbook! Repair Revolution, How Fixers Are Transforming Our Throwaway Society, written by two Repair Café organizers in New York State’s Hudson Valley, describes the fascinating development of Repair Cafes from the single event established by Martine Postma in the Netherlands, to more than 2000 in practice today in over 33 countries, 150 in the United States. A simple but elegant idea; volunteer repair coaches gather to repair, free of charge, items brought in by community members. Not a drop off service, the owners stay and learn how the item is repaired and have a cup of coffee as well. The repaired item given a longer life is kept out of the landfill, new knowledge is gained, and the repair person is your neighbor. This book also explores the movement’s historical and social contexts, the shift in thinking towards repair and reuse as the best road to sustainability, and the documented human impulse to create and repair. Further, it describes the development of other similar institutions such as Tool Libraries, Fixit Clinics, giant swap meets and charitable initiatives that collect, mend and distribute helpful items like bicycles and baby strollers that make a big difference to people in need. In addition to fostering sustainability attitudes and practices, Repair Cafes can be seen as a path to revitalizing communities, to fostering feelings of trust and belonging, to establishing intergenerational communication. Martine Postma says Repair Cafes send the signal, “We are better off when we see our community in the midst of cooperation creativity and downright decency, in a place where goals are achieved and positive outcomes are realized.” She also states that the ethos of skill sharing is a mutually beneficial empowering thing. Singer, songwriter Dar Williams calls it positive proximity. This book opens the door to all of that and much more.