Waste reduction facilitator Rae Stewart talks about Repair Cafe
Twice a year in Kelowna, broken items are made new at the Repair Cafe hosted by the waste reduction office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. Residents are encouraged to bring in their broken lamps, bicycles, toasters, figurines and more for a second chance at life. The next event is scheduled for March 30 at Okanagan College, where volunteers will be ready and waiting to help people fix their stuff.
Rae Stewart, waste reduction facilitator with the district, has been organizing the event since its inception in Kelowna since 2014. She recently spoke with the Courier about the origins of the Repair Cafe and the value of repurposing old items instead of throwing them away. COURIER: What is a Repair Cafe? STEWART: It’s a group of volunteer mentor fixers that gather together in one place to service the needs of residents. Residents can bring in pretty well whatever they can fit under their arm and carry in to have looked at and repaired.
COURIER: Where did the idea for a Repair Cafe come from?
STEWART: This whole idea of Repair Cafe started in 2009 in the Netherlands, and it’s grown globally since then.
COURIER: Has the popularity of the event been growing every year in Kelowna?
STEWART: It certainly has grown over time. People were unaccustomed to the concept initially when we started with the first one in 2014.
We held one event in the fall, and because of popular demand . . . we added an additional event. We’ve had two a year since then, in the spring and the fall. Each event that we hold we learn something new and we try and improve upon the next event.
COURIER: How many volunteers and attendees normally come to the event?
STEWART: We have on average maybe 25 to 35 volunteers, sometimes more, and in terms of attendance, that ranges from 100 to 150 to 200, depending on the event and the weather and other events going on in the community. It’s always steady traffic right from the get-go.
COURIER: Where do you find these volunteers? STEWART: We have an amazing talent pool here in the Okanagan, and some wonderful people that are really willing to pay it forward and do great things for their fellow residents, and we’re exceptionally thankful for that.
We have quite a pool of people now that we’re coming up to the 10th event. It continues to grow by social media and advertising and word of mouth.
COURIER: What kinds of skills do the volunteers have?
STEWART: There’s a vast array of talent, and a lot of jacks of all trades. It’s not very often that an item can’t be addressed. The volunteers will take a look at pretty much anything and give it their best shot.
There are a lot of small electrical appliances that come through the door, so if someone has electrical expertise we’re very thankful for that. In addition to small appliance repair . . . there is a chap that fixes clocks, someone who does small upholstery and sewing repairs, we have a few seamstresses on hand, a gal that specializes in fine ceramics and china. At the last event there was a gal that was teaching people how to knit while they were waiting to have their items fixed.
COURIER: What is the purpose of a Repair Cafe?
STEWART: It’s really fostering, nurturing and encouraging that whole culture of repair, promoting behaviour change in terms of reusing, repurposing, making things last.
There’s a movement toward that kind of concept more so now than ever before. We love to help foster that in whatever way we can. The ultimate goal is to keep items unnecessarily out of our one remaining landfill.
COURIER: How are people who bring items in to be fixed involved in the process?
STEWART: We’re not asking residents to come in and hand over their item and leave and come back when it’s fixed.
It’s meant to be a learning experience so they learn a little about troubleshooting, about how they can participate in the fixing process so they have a little more empowerment walking out of the event.
COURIER: What are some of the unique items people have brought in to be fixed?
STEWART: There’s some really happy faces that go out the door with old family heirlooms that have been fixed that haven’t been working for years that people have been hanging onto for sentimental value, or silly things that have kitschy value to them that they can’t let go.