Value: Let's face it--it's hard to escape stuff! There are some things that we need--food, weather-appropriate clothes, shoes, toiletries, appliances and more. There are also some things we want! Like on trend outfits, stylish decorations, equipment for our hobbies, and gadgets to make life easier. It's hard to say "no" to the things we want, especially when our world is designed to convince us that every want is a need. However, it's not sustainable for us to produce and consume as many items as we do, because every item has embodied carbon and externalities. It may be hard to live with less stuff total, but it could be easier to live with the same stuff for longer. I value keeping our items as long as we can, and fixing them when they're broken, instead of buying new things.
Vision: I can see a vision where clothing and item repair is a community service provided to everyone. Everyone would have access to the tools and knowledge they need to repair their own items in a way that looks good, feels good, and even saves time and money in the end!
Intervention: Just like how we can access the library for books, tool libraries could be created as a public service! Tool libraries would offer many tools, like drills and sewing machines, so that people could access tools to fix their own items instead of buying new ones. Say you need a sewing machine to fix your favorite pair of pants--you could book a sewing machine from the local community center and fix them yourself! This would also reduce consumption because people could share items instead of buying their own--a neighborhood could share three drills, instead of having one for every single household.
Hi Anya, I think tool libraries are an amazing innovative idea to allow people to repair their stuff more easily. I think another good way to reduce the general need to purchase stuff would be if a communal space with appliances was set up so people can come in and use them if necessary. I suppose it would probably be similar to a laundromat but with a greater variety of appliances.
Hey Anya, I completely agree with your message in the post. Society today is latched onto the idea that if something in their life breaks, it should be replaced. I think it is important for people to realize that goods can be repaired rather then replaced!
Hello Anya, I like the idea of fixing the stuff we own so that it creates less waste for the environment and it's great that you are incorporating this as one of your hobbies. I would like to start doing so, too however, not everyone has access to the tools and the knowledge to do all this ourselves. So, how can you educate more people to get involved?
Hi Anya, I think you brought up many good points in this post! I especially like your idea of having the tool library; I think this could greatly reduce consumption! However, I am wondering, say we implement tool libraries, what could we ethically do to stop people from continuing to purchase tools despite the libraries being in place? Is it a limitation on one's autonomy when they are being restricted by laws to only use tools from a designated library? Also, what if someone already owns many tools and does not want to use the tool library? Is it unethical to "force" them to only use the tool library instead of their own tools?