Repair Cafe Kolding endorses the 17 SDGs by creating a better future. The organization would like to engage all creative minds in the city experiencing the sense of community who will become empowered to build a greener life: “We would like to increase the belief that each person is important, each step towards fighting climate change is valuable.”
Recently, the organization presented its first CO2 report, collecting the performance of the items fixed and not fixed every month. The report covers repair workshops and other activities from May 2018 – April 2019. Besides being an ambassador of the zero-waste culture and raising awareness about the importance of shifting towards a circular economy, the approach of reporting is to inspire and engage. This report also represents its policy towards sustainability throughout building a future where people live in harmony with nature.
The key numbers
- That the volunteers achieved a saving of 0.5 tonnes of CO2 by repairing instead of buying new – The 82 items repaired prevented 0,5 tons of potential waste.
- That the volunteers have a success rate of repairs as high as 89%! – For the previous year we repaired 82 various items (41 textile pieces, 18 electronic devices fixed, 23 bicycles)
- That the volunteers together put 1200 hours in the project – During 14 events, more than 180 people visited Repair Cafe Kolding ́events. They are held both Danish and English, run by around 20 volunteers. Only for the last 4 months, we have managed to attract 6 new members: a social media marketing & PR specialist, one volunteer skilled in electronics (student at IBA), two volunteers with a passion for photography, a bike guru, and our last new member is an expert in tailoring.
- That the volunteers were a part of 14 workshops! – 12 repair workshops & 2 wood workshops called “Tobbers & Friends” were hosted through the year. The last is a collaboration between Repair Café Kolding, Tobbers Madbar & Kolding Municipality aiming to establish communities among young people in Kolding. It happened two times when young students and fixers from Repair Cafe Kolding repaired, upcycled and refurbished old furniture from RE:USE.
The main goal for the upcoming year is to increase the awareness of the locals about the existence of the community. By attracting more visitors, more items potentially would be fixed, more Co2 emissions will be saved.
The story
Read below more about the story behind Repair Café Kolding revealed by its founder, Tina Klemmensen:
“I started Repair Cafe Kolding in May 2018 after a visit to the local recycling station. The amount of stuff people sees as junk is CRAZY! Lots of things are perfectly fine and could easily be of use to others. As a handy person, I find it easy to up-cycle and repair stuff, but not everybody can visualize how an old chair or a pair of jeans can be mended and last longer. So, why not start a community where we could show and train people how easy it can be done.
So, I got in contact with two people I knew from an evening course in furniture restoration and asked if they would join me. They immediately said YES so, I contacted a few more. At the same time I discovered the worldwide movement called; Repair Cafe that´s spreading around the globe and getting bigger and bigger. I got in contact with them and became part of their concept.
One year on, we are 20 volunteers of all ages and different skills, who help and tutor people how to up-cycle, reuse and repair existing things instead of throwing it out. So far, we have collaborated with Tobbers Friends about up-cycling furniture, selling it at Tobbers and giving back the money to the young, lonely people in Kolding. This project is in complete alignment with our mission to leave a positive environmental and social footprint.”
Photos: Kuba Cybila