Evanston Public Library will host a Repair Café on Saturday, June 26, in the Reading Garden outside the Robert Crown Branch Library. During this Climate Action Program, all are welcome to come take advantage of volunteer repair experts and get broken items—bikes, toasters, appliances, jewelry, and more—diagnosed and fixed for free.
Too often dysfunctional appliances are sent to the landfill without a second thought, and this culture of disposability has a substantial impact on the environment. The Repair Café works to overturn the mentality that everything can be easily replaced without a second thought
Broken items don’t have to be thrown away, and trained professionals aren’t the only ones who can repair them. The purpose of this community event, co-sponsored with Citizens Greener Evanston, is to dismantle these myths, promoting skill sharing and sustainability. Community members can support each other, exchange expertise, and grow stronger together.
“Our goal is to shift people’s ideas about repair, helping them understand that often repair is something that one can tackle at home, individually, or with the help of a neighbor or a relative,” organizer Bea Echeverría said. “Also, we believe that repair clinics are part of the ‘glue’ that strengthen and keep a community together, something that supports its resilience in a fun way.”
Once you know what type of item you wish to bring to the Repair Café, sign up for a 30-minute time slot, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Only one time slot per participant is allowed.
The volunteer repair experts at the Repair Café are committed to engaging participants in the repair process, sending them home with knowledge and experience with repair that can be used in the future. Anyone with broken items is encouraged to attend.