Going Green: ​How repair cafés work for the environment

With Internet shopping and next day delivery it’s all too easy to just buy new however, over 62 million tonnes of e-waste are generated every year – the equivalent of 400 cruise ships. Only 15-22 per cent of that ends up being recycled, according to the European Right to Repair campaign.

https://repair.eu site.

To save money and to reduce this mountain of waste, more people are turning to repair cafés to extend the useful lives of everyday goods instead of sending them to landfill.

They’re part of a growing movement aimed at tackling the environmental impact of excessive consumption, and they’re appearing across the UK and globally.

With many household items being mass-produced and sold cheaply, people are often discouraged from fixing things when they break. Repair cafés challenge this by showing that repairing is not only possible but often quite simple and fun.

By choosing to fix not fling, we not only save money, but we decrease the demand for new products, reducing the carbon footprint caused by manufacturing and transportation.

A typical repair café is a pop-up event where skilled volunteers come together to help others learn how to give a new lease of life to almost anything – from malfunctioning electronics to broken furniture and appliances for free. And if the item can’t be fixed on site, the café’s experts can sometimes direct you to a professional who can help.

But the goal isn’t just fixing things, it’s about encouraging a repair mindset and bringing people together who may not otherwise meet, in a supportive way. It’s especially good for those of us, including teens, who can learn new skills and be discouraged from falling into the habit of just ditching our old stuff.

Lawmakers are supporting consumers’ rights to be able to repair their possessions too. The UK’s Right to Repair law was introduced in 2021 with the aim of extending the life of a range of appliances by up to 10 years. It covers dishwashers, washing machines, washer-dryers, refrigerators, televisions and electronic displays, and legally requires manufacturers to make spare parts available to citizens and third-party repair companies.

https://www.bigrepairproject.org.uk/about/right-to-repair#:~:text=The%20UK's%20'Right%20to%20Repair,and%20third%2Dparty%20repair%20companies .

If you’re interested in finding out more about repair cafés near you, the Community Repair Network lists community repair events and other recycling resources, and the Restart Project runs Fixing Factories and regular repair parties around the country. There’s also Make do and Mend cafes to help repair your clothes, teddy bears and soft furnishing as well as a variety of initiatives to help bring back to life stuff that’s broken in our homes.

For those who would like to start a repair café in your area, you can get support and advice from the Repair Café Foundation. This non-profit opened the very first repair café in Amsterdam in 2009 and now supports 2,500 globally.

https://www.repaircafe.org/en/ site.

Celebrity spot

Talk-show host Lorraine Kelly isn’t only one of the most recognisable faces on TV, she’s a champion of sustainable living too. The ITV star is such a huge fan of her fully-electric Nissan Leaf car that she regularly shares pictures of herself posing in it on social media. And she also converted a property she owned in Blairgowrie, Scotland, into an eco-home, complete with a ground-source heat pump and 18 solar panels.

https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/1894415/Lorraine-Kelly-itv-house-milk-shed-sale site.

https://www.hybrid-world.co.uk/news/Celebrities-who-have-an-electric-car/62676/ site.

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Green swap

Most kitchen sponges are made from plastic which isn’t biodegradable. Try switching to an eco-sponge made from natural materials like loofah, wood pulp or cellulose. Products from Seep and Composty are good options.

How much money do we give to environmental causes?

The evidence of climate change is all around us – extreme weather that’s disrupting farming, travel and causing regular flooding. The time to act is now, and by supporting organisations committed to solving the problem, we can reduce the harm. That’s why with a little sadness, I read the latest report that assesses how much money is given to protect our planet. Called Where the Green Grants Went and compiled by the Environmental Funders Network, it highlights that donations for climate-related issues has increased but is still falling far short of support to other sectors. https://www.greenfunders.org/blog/announcing-our-new-report-where-the-green-grants-went-9/ site.

Environmental funding accounts for just 8.5 per cent of total UK foundation giving – £606.5 million and funding given to environmental causes from lottery grants was £80.6 million.

Climate-related causes are an even smaller percentage, as the green sector covers a wide range of good causes. At One Home, we recently had a perspective grant fall through due to “reduced budgets.”

Globally, grants on climate mitigation are £3 billion annually – less than 2% of total philanthropic giving worldwide and a tiny fraction of what’s needed to tackle such a huge threat.

To put that figure in context, Equinor, the UK's biggest gas supplier, has made £129 billion in global profits since the start of the energy crisis. It’s a David and Goliath situation.

The latest UN report says we are heading, devastatingly, to an over 3-degree temperature rise unless we dramatically cut carbon pollution.

Many environmental charities are doing excellent work and need far greater support to take on the polluters. Here are some charities that really help make a difference:

Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth are one of the pioneers of climate action and have been campaigning for climate justice since they began in 1971. They’re now a leading environmental organisation taking legal action to stop fossil fuel projects. You can donate to support Friends of the Earth.

https://friendsoftheearth.uk site.

National Energy Action

National Energy Action is the leading fuel poverty charity in the UK. It helps individuals fight fuel poverty and supports communities through the energy crisis. You can donate to the NEA here.

https://www.nea.org.uk/donate/ site.

The Climate Coalition

The Climate Coalition works to secure a world in which everyone can thrive in the future. With a membership of 20 million, the group works to pressure organisations and politicians to put climate first.

https://www.theclimatecoalition.org site.

Sustrans

Sustrans has been campaigning for a reduction in traffic impact since 1977. It endorses planning policies that are inclusive to all, and they’re also custodians of the National Cycle Network.

https://www.sustrans.org.uk site.

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network/ site.

One Home

The environmental education charity One Home that I founded, provides advice on practical solutions we can all take to save money and reduce carbon emissions. As we increasingly feel the impact of climate change, One Home also helps people adapt for the changes and uncertainty ahead. You can help One Home continue its work by donating here.

https://onehome.org.uk/donate/site.

Fact or fiction

“Electric vehicles are cheaper to run.”

FACT.

While second-hand EVs are cost comparable to a petrol or diesel vehicle, the running costs are far less – especially if you charge your EV during off-peak times like at night. Also, servicing costs for EVs tend to be less.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/16/are-electric-cars-too-expensive-to-tempt-motorists-away-from-petrol-and-diesel-vehicles#:~:text=On%20upfront%20cost%2C%20electric%20cars,for%20most%20people%20to%20switch site.