Repair Revolution How Fixers Are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture

Consumerism is such a tricky friend. I"ll be the first to admit that I'm attracted to something new and shiny, even when the item I'm replacing could be repaired easily. I'm convinced that there must be a happy medium in there somewhere, and the rise of the repair café culture definitely brings that point home. Repair Revolution: How Fixers Are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture reminds us that we don't always need to upgrade, and that loving what we already have is a really good option. Recommended By Corie K-B., Powells.com

Every year, millions of people throw away clothes, furniture, computers, appliances, and countless other items that get broken through natural wear and tear, simply because they lack the know-how to fix them. It’s just more convenient to buy new stuff. This throwaway lifestyle depletes Earth’s resources and adds to overflowing landfills. Although our society accepts frivolous waste as normal, there is a better way. Repair Revolution chronicles the rise of repair cafés: nonprofit, volunteer organizations devoted to repairing electronics and household items for free. Repair Revolution explores the philosophy and wisdom of repairing, as well as the rising Right to Repair movement. It finishes with the practical details: online resources, fixes for common product malfunctions, and tips for founding your own repair café. Ultimately, Repair Revolution is about more than fixing material objects: in an age of overconsumption and planned obsolescence, do-it-yourself repair is a way of caring for our lives, our communities, and our planet.

“The value of the repair café is that people are going back into a relationship with the material things around them.” William McDonough, architect and coauthor of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Every year, millions of people throw away countless items because they don't know how to fix them. Some products are manufactured in a way that makes it hard, if not impossible, for people to repair them themselves. This throwaway lifestyle depletes Earth's resources and adds to overflowing landfills. Now there's a better way. Repair Revolution chronicles the rise of Repair Cafes, Fixit Clinics, and other volunteer-run organizations devoted to helping consumers repair their beloved but broken items for free. Repair Revolution explores the philosophy and wisdom of repairing, as well as the Right to Repair movement. It provides inspiration and instructions for starting, staffing, and sustaining your own repair events. "Fixperts" share their favorite online repair resources, as well as tips and step-by-step instructions for how to make your own repairs. Ultimately, Repair Revolution is about more than fixing material objects: in an age of over-consumption and planned obsolescence, do-it-yourself repair is a way of caring for our lives, our communities, and our planet.

Elizabeth Knight is a marketing executive and the author of Welcome Home. She lives in Warwick, New York.

TV producer and writer John Wackman founded the first repair café in New York. He lives in Kingston, New York.