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repair

Repair is in the air: A decade of Repair Cafés and a growing national movement

Repair is in the air: A decade of Repair Cafés and a growing national movement

Repair PDX is celebrating their 10th anniversary and planning for the future. This local, grassroots organization hosts Repair Cafés, and has led the repair movement in Portland. 

Repair Cafés are free events that bring volunteers who like to fix things together with people who have items that need fixing. 

Lauren Gross started Repair PDX based on her experience with Repair Cafés in the Netherlands. She continues to be at the helm of the repair movement, along with many volunteer fixers.

Reflecting on 10 years, Lauren shared her thoughts on the future: “I'd say my vision for the future is the same as our mission: Spread repair culture. It's senseless that we extract things from the ground, use them for a few minutes, and then bury them in the ground again. It's imperative that we make things that will last, and that we take care of those things for as long as possible. That vision extends to seeing that repair and reuse is everywhere and deeply ingrained in our culture.” 

Regional repair events are popping up all the time, including monthly events in Portland and weekly drop-in hours at Repair PDX headquarters at ADX. The drop-in options allow interaction with experienced fixers so anyone can learn about small appliance repair.

Find out more about Repair PDX and the list of local events.

Volunteer fixer Brit with Repair PDX founder Lauren at a recent Repair Cafe.

Repair is in the air

There are shifts in the air locally and nationally, with recent Earth Day promotion and ongoing Right to Repair legislation efforts expanding awareness and enthusiasm for repair throughout the country.

In Oregon, Senate Bill 542 Right to Repair is currently part of Oregon’s Legislative Session. The bill is in the Rules Committee, awaiting amendments, and a possible vote in the Senate. To learn more about the bill, listen to the OPB Think Out Loud segment with Oregon Senator Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, a sponsor of the bill. A similar bill was part of the 2021 session.

At a national level, repair was recently highlighted in a New York Times Wirecutter article and the Los Angeles Times. The Today Show has featured repair twice: once with a live Repair Café and a second about the Northeast Seattle Tool Library.

The Today Show segments highlight core virtues of the community repair movement like thrift, the environment, community building, and skill sharing.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary for iFixit. This open-source online resource has a mission to teach everyone to fix everything.

Partners activate reuse and resale shop in Old Town

Partners activate reuse and resale shop in Old Town

Bullfrog’s Treasure N Trash has opened in Northwest Portland’s Old Town neighborhood. It’s a retail store where you can find antiques along with reclaimed furniture and other goods.

But it’s not just a store. It’s an innovative Reuse Hub focused on environmental justice and workforce development. It was created through a unique partnership between local businesses and nonprofits that facilitates low-barrier job opportunities in reuse, repair, and litter collection.

The organizations that came together to create Treasure N Trash are:

  • Trash for Peace, a 10-year-old community-based organization providing hands-on learning, low-barrier job opportunities, and education about sustainability in environments that are peer-led, welcoming, safe, and collaborative. 

  • Ground Score Association, a peer-led initiative of Trash for Peace. It celebrated its fourth anniversary in 2022. Ground Score is an association of informal recyclers, dumpster divers and other environmental workers who create and fill low-barrier waste management jobs. Ground Score is collectively organized and seeks to be radically inclusive, prioritizing work opportunities for those facing work and housing insecurity. They aim to build a more environmentally and socially aware community, while also changing society’s perceptions of what and who is considered valuable.

  • Junk It Junk Removal, a local, family-owned company that began in 2012 and specializes in residential and commercial waste hauling.

  • Frog & Toad Hauling celebrated its third anniversary in 2022. They specialize in waste-conscious junk removal, creative reuse, and home repair. 

These organizations moved into the Old Town warehouse in October 2022 and use the space for many things; a co-working office space, headquarters for Ground Score's peer-led litter collection and reuse/repair program, a meeting spot with a kitchen and lounge; and short-term storage for the two junk removal companies to sort and determine if repairs are needed before moving items to the thrift store.

Reuse has been a large part of both Junk It and Frog & Toad’s business models. Donation and diversion of materials are key elements in how they work with clients to remove unwanted items from homes and businesses. The warehouse provides the companies with a space to inspect and repair items that still have a lot of useful life left in them.

The owners of Frog & Toad, Revel and Sun, shared, “Our goal with the shared retail space is the establishment of a vibrant and useful place for our neighborhood and wider community where ‘stuff,’ which may have once been discarded, can flow towards where it will be treasured, which often is where it is needed the most. We feel that being in collaboration with the other groups in the warehouse is what will make this possible and help our store to thrive!”

Michelle Barrows-Carter from Junk It Junk Removal, said, "We are proud to be a part of a new warehouse space shared with Ground Score Association, Frog & Toad Hauling, and Trash for Peace, where we can prioritize sustainability and creative reuse.”

Low-barrier job opportunities

Trash for Peace partners with local government and other agencies to implement programs for renters in supportive, multifamily affordable housing communities. Based on community interest and initiative, some pilot projects clear unwanted large household items from apartments and homes, like dressers, tables, mattresses, and other furniture. Working alongside the junk removal companies allows thousands of pounds of trash to be diverted from the landfill by utilizing reused and donated materials in other activities that the organization leads.

Ground Score’s G.L.I.T.T.E.R program provides litter collection and tent side waste collection services for members of the houseless community across the Portland Metro Region. The program name was sourced by workers and stands for Ground Score Leading Inclusively Together Through Environmental Recovery. 

“It’s incredible to witness everyone’s unique progress. The sense of accomplishment bursting out of each participant when they finish their tote bag is so powerful! We provide a different type of purpose. You are worth the time it takes to learn a new skill.” - Rachel Linden

Many of the litter collection routes are serviced by electric trikes, as part of Ground Score's goal to create carbon neutral litter collection services. As this program is peer-led, most of the litter collection team are currently or formerly houseless. 

New programs taking place in the shared space

Two programs taking place at the shared warehouse offer a glimpse into other low-barrier opportunities with room for skill building and further growth.

Rachel Linden is an artist and founder of Thuja Studios, an independent design studio dedicated to the dissemination of utilitarian sewing education to marginalized communities across Portland. Rachel has extensive sewing production and teaching experience, and with the help of Molly Mattern, has started a sewing and mending education program for Ground Score workers.

The Sewing Department offers accessible, professional machine sewing education where members of the Ground Score community can gain competency and hands-on experience in the field of production sewing. Every participant is guided through the production process of a basic tote bag where they learn about strategic fabric selection, pattern reading, marking, and cutting out components, and sewing processes. Currently, the emerging sewing team focuses on the mass production of hand-mending sewing kits made from discarded fabrics that would otherwise be sent to the landfill. After being produced and filled with relevant, second-hand mending tools, these kits are then distributed back into the Ground Score community through professional, classroom-style, hand-mending workshops offered every other week with a $30 stipend offered to participants as extra incentive to learn.

“I’m in my element.” - Beck, a Ground Score employee

"Here at Ground Score, we're making space for folks to form community. Through jobs we help them reclaim the fruits of their labor stolen by poverty and houselessness." - Toma Solano

Another Ground Score manager, Toma Solano, previously trained houseless community members to design and build structures for several of Portland's tiny home villages while also contracting for private residential clients. At Ground Score, Toma helps provide low barrier jobs to houseless individuals as apprentice carpenters. Together they use donated and salvaged wood to repair and upcycle furniture. They also build trellises, lamps, bookshelves, and flower boxes.

If you would like to get involved or donate, visit the Trash for Peace website at www.trashforpeace.org.

If you would like to visit Bullfrog’s Trash N Treasure retail store, check out the website for current information, contact information, and social media handles.

ReDeploy serves Veterans through reuse and repair

ReDeploy serves Veterans through reuse and repair

G.I. Junk Removal, and its nonprofit arm ReDeploy, were created by Matthew Calhoun, a former member of the U.S. Army and the Oregon National Guard.

Matt started G.I. Junk Removal in 2018, just a few years after retiring from the military. Three years later, he created ReDeploy as a way to provide Veterans employment, furniture, and other goods.

Creating community and a second life for usable goods

At ReDeploy, Matt employs former military, including his father-in-law, Kevin Knerr, who is active on the board and with Veterans in Vancouver, Washington. ReDeploy is based in Oregon City, but they deliver goods throughout the Portland metro region through their mobile service.

Matt shared his vision of the organization: “Beyond the redistribution of usable secondhand goods from the junk removal service, ReDeploy will also become a place where Veterans can volunteer their time and skills to refurbish and fix up items destined to be donated to fellow Veterans in need. Also, our warehouse will become a place of camaraderie for Veterans to regain that sense of belonging to a group.”

G.I. Junk Removal and ReDeploy owner, Matt Calhoun.

ReDeploy donates directly to Veterans who are getting housed and can benefit from usable, donated household goods and furniture. Items such as couches, tables, chairs, dressers, nightstands, and beds. ReDeploy also donates to partners and other organizations that provide goods to those in need.

The G.I. Junk Removal crew is trained to offer a compassionate approach when working with customers and emptying spaces. They also know how to spot usable items for donation or resale. Furniture that may need a small fix before being donated can get a second chance because Kevin has a wood shop and repair skills.

In the future, Matt aims to build a workshop space within their warehouse for Veterans to fix and refurbish items on site.

Partnerships are key to success

Over the years, Matt has built relationships with social service agencies and nonprofit and community-based organizations, including many that serve Veterans. These include:

  • A Caring Closet provides gently used durable medical equipment to those in need at no cost.

  • Fort Kennedy provides essential food, clothing, and resources for homeless and low-income veterans and their families living in Oregon and Washington.

  • LoveOne Community provides clean laundry, showers, meals, personal care resources, and community connections to those in need in Clackamas County.

  • Tools 4 Troops collects and donates tools to Veterans and active-duty service men and women.

ReDeploy also received grant funds from Metro to help set up their warehouse with storage and tools for assessing, sorting, storing, and refurbishing salvaged items.

Contact ReDeploy through G.I. Junk Removal, to set up a donation pick up or clean out service.

A note about clean out companies   

Portland residents have many bulky item drop-off and pick-up options for recycling, donation, and disposal. This includes from many junk removal companies in the region, like G.I. Junk Removal. These businesses will clear out and clean up your unwanted stuff and haul it away for a fee. Do a web search for “junk removal Portland” to find other options. 

Customers are responsible for ensuring your materials are handled legally and taken to a facility. Ask for a receipt with the person or company's name, address, phone number and vehicle and driver's license numbers.  

Portland’s circular economy: A needs assessment

Portland’s circular economy: A needs assessment

What does Portland’s circular economy need to survive and thrive? 

In 2021, reuse, repair, and share organizations were invited to participate in a needs assessment project as part of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) sustainable consumption and production work. This process included interviews, small group discussions, and surveys asking leading reuse organizations in Portland to evaluate the needs and current state of Portland’s circular economy.   

Top needs 

Five areas of support were raised by reuse organizations throughout the discussions and survey responses:  

  1. Space, location, and storage 

  2. Equity, diversity, and inclusion; accessibility; and climate justice  

  3. Communications and marketing 

  4. Capacity building and staffing support 

  5. Funding and grants 

Next steps 

Seven reuse, repair, and share organizations have formed a group – the Reuse Collective – and are meeting regularly to address the needs raised in the assessment. 

To address the need of affordable spaces in convenient locations, BPS is exploring the creation of shared reuse, repair, and share spaces throughout Portland. These spaces would act as community hubs, offering more borrowing and sharing opportunities within neighborhoods. One current place is the Leaven Community in Northeast Portland. This is where many community organizations have space, including the Northeast Portland Tool Library and Kitchen Commons, and could be a model for future hubs.

BPS is also committed to continuing to use Resourceful PDX to share and promote community resources and events, elevate the upstream conversation of thoughtful consumption, and invest in community-led opportunities to rent, share, fix, and reuse goods.  

Read the full report 

2021 Needs Assessment of Portland-based Reuse, Repair, and Share organizations: 

Learn more about sustainable consumption and production through local circular economy case studies.  

Have an idea about ways to create a more circular economy in Portland, or support an existing reuse effort? Contact Resourceful PDX to share your ideas. 

Holiday gift ideas from the Reuse Collective

Holiday gift ideas from the Reuse Collective

Are you looking for holiday gift ideas?

This year, Resourceful PDX has partnered with Chinook Book to promote a curated collection of special offers from reuse and repair organizations on the Chinook Book mobile app.

The Reuse Collective includes coupons and discounts with the following businesses:

·         Community Cycling Center

·         Community Warehouse Estate Store

·         Free Geek

·         ReBuilding Center

·         ReClaim It

·         Repair PDX

Consider choosing gently used gifts by visiting one of the many nonprofit thrift stores in Portland. Find inspiration for local ways to upcycle, repair and reuse.

There are more ideas and places for alternative gift ideas in our resourceful #holiday series. 

Help advance the repair movement in Oregon

Help advance the repair movement in Oregon

The Right-to-Repair movement is growing, with 14 states exploring right to repair legislation, including Oregon.  Oregon House Bill 2698 is one of many bills making its way through the state legislature in the 2021 session. Here’s a summary of the bill language:

Requires original equipment manufacturer to make available to owner of originated equipment or independent repair provider on fair and reasonable terms any part, tool, documentation or other device or implement that original equipment manufacturer makes available to authorized repair provider for purpose of diagnosing, maintaining or repairing originated equipment. 

If approved into law, the bill would require that large companies must release tools, parts, and manuals so consumers and repair businesses can fix and maintain what you already own. Extending the life of devices saves you money and keeps repairable items out of the landfill. 

Learn more and advocate for the bill.  

R2RflyerSMpost.jpg

The national Repair Association supports this legislation and continues to offer consumers and businesses repair information. A new online feature includes a Where to Repair search tool. Other local repair resources include Portland Repair Finder and FiX iT Lane County.  

Repair PDX is offering virtual workshops, including how to hem your pants, as part of the virtual Fix-It Fair. Other repair partners, like Global Virtual Fixit Clinics, offer options to be a coach, get something fixed, or just come for the experience. You can jump from room to room to see how different fixes are going. 

Check out a previous blog post about repair businesses as essential services and options to fix at home.  


Gear up for gardening season, again

Gear up for gardening season, again

With so much time spent at home these last few months, it has been a chance to be outdoors in the fresh air with your hands in the earth. And while summer seems to be moving at a faster pace than spring, there is still time to garden and prepare for another harvest season — with sharpened tools and your planting list at the ready.

Sharpen garden tools

A sharpened pair of pruners, a shovel with a good clean edge, and a well-tuned push-mower can make gardening and mowing easier and more enjoyable.

Borrow tools

Portland’s tool lending libraries are filled with garden tools large and small. Some also offer seed lending libraries!

Get it on the calendar

·         Use Portland Nursery’s handy vegetable planting and harvesting calendar.

Share the Bounty

If you expect to have a wealth of edibles, consider donating fresh fruit and vegetables to a nearby food pantry.

Questions answered

 

Fix at home and grow the repair movement

Fix at home and grow the repair movement

Being resourceful has never seemed to be more appropriate than now, while we have been at home for an extended period, surrounded by our stuff. Out of need or boredom, we may have rediscovered our long unused sewing machines or tools to create, make and maybe repair our own stuff.  

Repair is an essential service 

From bikes and cell phones to shoes and toys, local repair businesses are open and seeking to help customers. Repair shops are essential businesses during the COVID-19 emergency, and they have adjusted and created new opportunities, like many other types of businesses.  

One resource that is dedicated to helping more people fix more things is Portland Repair Finder. This online resource helps tell the stories behind repair work, including recent entries about how businesses such as Bridgetown Electronics Repair and Hidden Opulence Design House have tried new options to support their customers and the larger community.

If you’re interested in the status of bike shops for DIY repair or to purchase needed gear, BikePortland has updated information about over 40 local shops.   

#FixatHome 

Portland’s repair organization, Repair PDX, has gone virtual. They hosted an online workshop about zipper repair, partnering with Zipper Rescue and Portland Underground Grad School to offer a skill-share session on how to repair your own zippers.  

Regional Repair Fairs has an online toolbox full of how-to videos. And don’t forget about iFixit, the go-to resource with online tutorials for pretty much anything. They are also behind the #FixatHome campaign, sharing the Do-It-Yourself spirit with those who are curious to repair their own goods. 

Ready to try repairing something at home? Here’s what one volunteer Repair PDX fixer shared about how to repair anything. 

1. Decide what the problem really is before you start; most problems are either electrical or physical. 

2. Don't be in a hurry to tear it apart. Remember, you have to put it back together. 

  • When it is together, you have the answer of what it looks like when it is complete. 

  • When it is apart, you hold the question of, "What have I done?" 

  • Take pictures on your phone as you disassemble the unit. 

  • Lay out the parts in the order that you take them off. 

  • Put the screws in a container so you won't lose them. 

3. Use oil – engine oil, sewing machine oil, bearing grease, spray lubricants or Vaseline – they all lubricate most things. 

4. Use glue – school glue, epoxy, rubber cement, contact cement, goop and instant glue – they all hold most things together. 

5. Fear of failure causes unclear thinking, so here are things to keep in mind: 

  • If you can fix it, great! 

  • If you can't, you know it’s already broken: You can throw it out--or recycle the parts--with a clear conscience. 

  • Bonus: You now have screws, springs, bulbs, and more for your next project! 

Top resourceful trends over the last decade

Top resourceful trends over the last decade

Resourceful PDX has existed in its current format for the last six years. In that time, there has been a lot of information shared, questions answered and resources that have come and gone.

The top posts from Ideas and Tips followed trends with similar themes: share, repair and DIY.

Sharing stuff for free

Portland residents are interested in sharing items they no longer need or want – and getting things for free through swapping and reusing.

The most popular post and how many people find out about Resourceful PDX is through Rooster. Rooster is a community of neighbors who share resources at no cost. It’s about borrowing things you need—and making rewarding connections in the community. 

Other community resources that offer free options include:

PDX Free Store is like a rummage sale except everything is free - clothes, housewares, music, toys and games. Bring clean, working items to donate, and take items you need.

Swap Positive offers clothing and accessory swaps around the Portland region, plus offer annual spring and holiday events.

Freecycle is a grassroots movement committed to a sharing economy and helping people give and gain cool free stuff. It promotes reuse and keeping usable items out of landfills.

Buy Nothing Project members post anything you’d like to give away, lend or share. It is neighborhood- and Facebook-based, focused on items you’d like to borrow or acquire, at no cost, from neighbors.

The repair movement is strong

Free repair events, open to the public, took off with Repair PDX in 2013. Now events take place all over the Portland region every month, where people bring broken items to be fixed. Items like small appliances, bikes and clothing are repaired by volunteers who give their time and talents to help anyone keep their items in use longer. Some bring in items that are nostalgic, others for economic or environmental reasons.

Repair PDX by the numbers:

·         Helped 2,665 people

·         Sharpened 404 tools and knives

·         Looked at 1,629 small appliances

·         Sewed 1,212 items

·         Worked on 219 bikes

Portland Repair Finder includes a variety of ways to fix and maintain existing goods, including shoes. The post ‘With a little TLC, your shoes will love you back’, continues to be one of the most popular.

In the next decade, we may be digging into the Right to Repair. State legislation for owners to be able to repair their own things – from electronics to farming equipment – is taking off in other states and Oregon is among them.

Do-It-Yourself (DIY)

From forging your own knife to learning to make a cutting board, creating, making and learning to DIY is widely popular.

The ReBuilding Center Open Shop is filling a gap in the community maker space since options have come and gone over the years. Become a member to use tools and equipment or take one of many classes they offer.

Or grab your friends and book time at the DIY Bar in North Portland.

As a reminder, there is always the Resourceful PDX map, available to show residents where to find all the community resources to continue to reuse, repair, donate, lend and swap.

Contact us in the new year to share ideas, resources or questions.

When used clothing surpasses fast fashion

When used clothing surpasses fast fashion

Alicia Polacok from the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability shares what she learned about sustainable fashion and how to waste less clothing.

The Sustainable Fashion Forum was held in Portland in April, providing an opportunity for those in the fashion industry – and those who may be curious (like me!) to learn more – to have an open dialogue about the social and environmental effects fashion has on our world and what we can do to improve it. 

A panel of experts spoke on a variety of topics from cities around the country. There were plenty of Portland connections too, including panelists, stylists and more.

From learning about fair trade certified clothing and what personal stylists can do for you, to thinking about repurposing and repairing, the day was packed with new ideas, tips and tricks, and professionals who can help if you need more inspiration!

Repair, Repurpose, Reinvent

The world of fashion has an overproduction issue. We have plenty of clothes to choose from, so why not wear what you already own, or shop at thrift stores to add to your wardrobe in new ways. Extending the life of our clothing is key and we can do this by wearing what’s in our closet. Organize by color, category and try new things together. One stylist said if you get compliments, then it is working! Confidence is key.

Here’s an idea from a stylist that I am going to try too: Take out 10-15 of your favorite pieces from your closet and put them away for a week. This will force you to wear other stuff you have instead and experiment with different styles.

Another stylist who specializes in buying used clothes at local thrift stores gave this advice: Shop early and often and return to the same places. Once you find some signature pieces, have them altered to fit your body type. Know your body type and measurements, especially when shopping online. Try an item in a new way before getting rid of it, especially if it’s a signature piece. Wear it inside out, backwards, upside down, or experiment and mix-and-match with pieces you already own. Fashion is about breaking the rules with shapes, colors and textures.

A collective path to sustainability

The forum also shared what happens to clothes that make their way to donation centers that can’t use them. Not surprisingly, a large percentage are sent abroad. It is tough to combat these practices, however there are alternatives.

The Fair Trade Certified campaign, We Wear Fair, informs shoppers who is behind the clothes we buy, supporting livelihoods for factory workers and creating transparency in the fashion industry. Consumers drive change when they shop their values, so get informed on brands that are certified by learning more with the guide to fair trade clothing.

FABSCRAP is trying to do something about reusable fabric. Sorting is a difficult but important part of the process by separating out the types of materials that are recyclable. Fabrics that can be recycled are cotton, polyester and wool. Mixed materials may end up as “shoddy”, which is a shred material and not recyclable.

FABSCRAP started in response to waste in the fashion industry in New York City, and shows those in the industry that there is financial and environmental value in materials, by offering reuse and recycling options instead.

The Renewal Workshop in Cascade Locks, Oregon, is about waste minimization. They take discarded apparel and textiles and turn them into Renewed Apparel, upcycled materials or recycling feed stock. They provide the apparel industry a circular and sustainable solution and offer customers a way to become zero waste consumers.

There was so much good stuff shared at the event. You can learn more from these related resources: