A Virtual Twist on Repair Café

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November 9, 2021/Udara Abeysekera/Comments Off on A Virtual Twist on Repair Café

Congrats to our raffle winner who received an ifixit electronics repair kit!

The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project coordinates with an amazing group of volunteer fixers to host Repair Cafés every few months. These free events connect people with broken stuff to people who like to fix stuff – they’re all about repairing things together. Stuff like, jewelry, small appliances and electronics, outdoor gear, clothing, and more. Repairing with other people conserves natural resources, prevents waste, and cultivates community. And Repair Cafés are held around the world!

While we paused holding in-person Repair Café events over the past year, we decided to take Repair Café to Zoom earlier this fall. Here’s a glimpse into how we experimented with a virtual Repair Café…

One of our favorite repair stories – Ida’s family heirloom clock!

Ahead of the event, we matched guests and their items for repair with fixers. We also coordinated pick-up and drop-off of several items the fixers needed to get their hands on. During the event, Fixer Art and Fixer Mike had their own breakout rooms where guests learned what fixers were doing to repair their items or received recommendations for conducting their own repair. Fixers conducted hands-on repairs of two timers, a family heirloom clock, and a microwave. Fixers also made recommendations for guests to conduct repairs. Fixer Art recommended using a tent repair kit from Amazon on a torn rainfly. Fixer Mike suggested recharging refrigerant in a wine fridge.
 

Visit rethinkwasteproject.org/repair for updates on the next Central Oregon Repair Café as well as other repair tips and tricks!

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