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In This Issue:
I. Berkeley Repair Events
Fixit Clinic, Mending, Repair Café
II. Repair in the Schools
Integrating Repair into Maker Programs
III. Tool Lending Library Featured
Repair in The Story of Stuff's New Video
IV. Repairability and Right to Repair
New York Times, Wall Street Journal and More
V. Sundry Other Good Stuff
I. Upcoming Community Repair Events
Berkeley Public Library Fixit Clinic
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Tarea Hall Pittman Branch / Tool Lending Library
1901 Russell Street, Berkeley, CA 94703
Celebrating repair by conveying basic troubleshooting skills, Fixit Clinics are do-it-together hands-on, STEM-based explore and learn workshops for all ages. Clinics are staffed by volunteer Fixit Coaches who generously share their time, tools and expertise to consult with you on the disassembly, troubleshooting, and repair of items.
So bring your broken things -- electronic gadgets, appliances, computers, toys, sewing machines, bicycles, fabric items, etc. Fixit Coaches will offer consultation, workspace, specialty tools, and guidance for you to disassemble and troubleshoot your item. Whether you fix it or not, you'll learn more about how it was manufactured and how it worked, ready to share your new-found confidence and insight.
For more event information: Fixit Clinic page / Library page
To bring a broken item: Register
To volunteer to help repair items: Coach
To volunteer to help greet participants, please register as a Coach and note that you'd like to be a greeter.
Mending at the Library
February 22, 2020, 1:00 - 3:00
Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch
"Bring your well-used and well-loved clothing and learn how to make simple visible clothing mends. The Mending Collective is a Bay Area artists’ collective dedicated to spreading mending practices far and wide. The collective supports creative mending as a subversively fun way to push back against the garment industry and deepen our connection with our wardrobe! Mending Collective co-founders Leeza Doreian and Liz Harvey will facilitate."
Fixit Clinic
While we focus on Berkeley and Oakland, Fixit Clinic hosts events around The Bay. We encourage you to check out other venues: Information
New volunteer fixer / coaches and greeters are always welcome!
Sign up HERE
Repair Café
Transition Berkeley's next Repair Café is in the planning stages. Swing around to their website or FB page soon for information about the next Repair Cafés in Berkeley. Events will also be posted on our Community Repair Events page.
Their November Repair Café was a resounding success. TB lead a collaboration with Cal students, Berkeley Technology Academy and Berkeley Independent Studies teachers and students.
Sixty volunteers worked with over 100 members of the community to repair some 93% of 91 broken things brought to the event - 621 lbs of perfectly functional goods didn't go to landfill. See HERE for a video of the event.
An important publication on the CO2 impact of extending the life of our things is reported on below.
Join The Culture of Repair Project VOLUNTEER POOL and we'll let you know about these and all kinds of local opportunities in Repair:
II. Repair in the Schools
Integrating Repair into Maker Programs - Local to National
With the conviction that it’s essential for youth learn to repair rather than reflexively trash and repurchase, and that there are vibrant synergies between Repair and Making, The Culture of Repair Project has been collaborating with Agency by Design Oakland and Maker Ed to explore integrating Repair into school Maker programs.
We reported in November that Maker educators from the two groups presented research and first generation tools at Maker Ed's annual gathering of Maker educators from around the world.
Tools and strategies have been further developed and will soon be published in Maker Ed's open source Online Learning Library for maker educators.
Tools and strategies have been further developed and will soon be published in Maker Ed's open source Online Learning Library for maker educators.
Much of the work builds on the Agency by Design framework and tools from Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Interested in helping in the classroom?
Join the VOLUNTEER POOL:
Get Involved
III. Tool Lending Library featured in The Story of Stuff Video
Check out a new video from Berkeley's own The Story of Stuff Project about The Zero Waste Movement, featuring BPL's Tool Lending Library.
"Borrow Tools and Repair Stuff at This Library!"
"The Zero Waste movement is spreading across the United States. Say NO to mindless consumerism, say YES to Zero Waste."
IV. Repairability and Right to Repair
In the face of technology companies' significant opposition, Right to Repair legislation failed in California last year. It's not yet currently active but will be back soon. We'll let you know when and offer guidance about how to support it.
Meanwhile, only 5 weeks into 2020 and legislation is already active in 17 states, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. See below for the tip of the iceberg.
An opinion published in The New York Times on November 20, 2019 by Captain Elle Ekman, logistics officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
"Here’s One Reason the U.S. Military Can’t Fix Its Own Equipment"
"Manufacturers can prevent the Department of Defense from repairing certain equipment, which puts members of the military at risk."
"A few years ago, I was standing in a South Korean field, knee deep in mud, incredulously asking one of my maintenance Marines to tell me again why he couldn’t fix a broken generator. We needed the generator to support training with the United States Army and South Korean military, and I was generally unaccustomed to hearing anyone in the Marine Corps give excuses for not effectively getting a job done. I was stunned when his frustrated reply was, "Because of the warranty, ma’am." ...
At the time, I hadn’t heard of “right-to-repair” and didn’t know that a civilian concept could affect my job in the military. The idea behind right-to-repair is that you (or a third-party you choose) should be able to repair something you own, instead of being forced to rely on the company that originally sold it. This could involve not repairing something (like an iPhone) because doing so would void a warranty; repairs which require specialized tools, diagnostic equipment, data or schematics not reasonably available to consumers; or products that are deliberately designed to prevent an end user from fixing them.
In the United States, conversations about right-to-repair issues are increasing, especially at federal agencies and within certain industries. In July, the Federal Trade Commission hosted a workshop to address “the issues that arise when a manufacturer restricts or makes it impossible for a consumer or an independent repair shop to make product repairs...
"How pervasive is this issue for the most powerful military in the world? And what does it mean for a military that is expected to operate in the most austere and hostile environments to not possess the experience, training or tools to fix its own very technical equipment? ... "
Visit The New York Times for the complete opinion: a discussion of the implications of manufacturers' prohibitions to owner repair for military preparedness, and the relevance of Right to Repair legislation.
While you're there, check out last April 6th's Sunday Times lead editorial concerning Right to Repair:
"It's Your Phone. Why Can't You Fix It Yourself?"
"When the tools of modern life stop working, people should be able to shop for the best price on repairs."
Matthew Kronsberg reports on right to repair and on reclaiming an idea we've lost touch with: Buy for durability and repairability. Published January 9, 2020.
"An Umbrella That Lasts Forever: How Much Would You Pay?"
" ... But this fall, when I brought [my broken backpack] into Patagonia’s shop on the Bowery in New York, the repair desk gladly accepted the bag and its issues with closure under its Ironclad Guarantee; a month later, it was returned, good as new, for the price of nothing...
"Consider that my bag was one of more than 100,000 pieces of gear the brand repaired last year—whether in stores, at its repair facility in Reno, Nev., or during 164 Worn Wear events Patagonia staged around the world—and the ecological impact of durability and repairability becomes apparent."
Read the full article HERE.
European Environmental Bureau (EEB) Report
The EEB published a report in September 2019 on the impact on the environment of short-lived products. Repair is central to extending products' useful lives.
"Our analysis shows that extending the lifetime of all washing machines, notebooks, vacuum cleaners and smartphones in the EU by just one year would save around 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually by 2030, the equivalent of taking over 2 million cars off the roads for a year."
The full report including data, methodology and conclusions can be found HERE.
See especially page 16, recommendations to users and manufacturers.
More on Right to Repair
Go to our Advocacy page for resources about the issue, information about the movement, and guidance on how to get involved.
V. Sundry Other Good Stuff
Fix-it Shops ~ An Endangered Species
This short video (5 minutes) by Dorothy Fadiman profiles a repair shop in Menlo Park, California. Though made in 1998, it's as relevant today as ever and offers easy access to considering the challenges small repair businesses face. Viable independent repair shops contribute to a vibrant local economy and a healthy community.
Synopsis: "Fix-it Shops takes an affectionate look behind the scenes at a neighborhood business which repairs small appliances. In this intimate portrait, viewers meet the people whose dedication, patience, and skills contribute to their own community. This form of “recycling” adds significantly to the urban ecosystem by reducing unnecessary waste in landfills."
"Fix-it Shops ~ An Endangered Species"
Menlo Vacuum and Fix-It
1179 El Camino Real in Menlo Park
One of the last general appliance repair shops still standing in The Bay
Restart Radio
The Restart Project of London hosts an informative and surprisingly engaging podcast about repair. Their Top Five of 2019 are posted here.
Want to know more about Repair?
Visit our website at The Culture of Repair Project for information about:
~ Local, National and International Repair Initiatives ~
~ Repair, Educator and Research Resources ~
~ Private, Public and Non-for-Profit Projects ~
And more...
Join our mailing list at: Mailing List
Volunteer at: Get Involved
Follow us on Twitter: @cultureofrepair
"We" ~ ~ I'm me, but usually write as "we" because everything I do is in collaboration with a fantastic community of public-spirited people. The work wouldn't happen without everyone pulling together.
That’s it for now.
Best wishes,
Vita