NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — On a drizzly Saturday morning late last month, the basement of the New Paltz United Methodist Church filled with old lamps, blunt knives, malfunctioning sound mixers and balky zippers.About a dozen volunteers welcomed the broken goods and their owners to a worldwide movement that’s evangelizing new relationships between people and their things. Repair Cafes — free events where volunteers with technical know-how help neighbors fix myriad household items — are part of a new brand of anticonsumerism that’s trying to offer an alternative to the mass-produced disposable goods that have dominated the global economy for the last half-century. Helping fuel that move to repairing, not buying, are U.S. consumer prices, which climbed sharply again last month as the war with Iran delivered higher gasoline prices and more pain for Americans.After starting in the Netherlands with a single event in 2009, Repair Cafe has grown into a global nonprofit with more than 59,000 members, some 4,000 cafes and close to 850,000 items fixed a year.“We need to change our mindset. We need to change the economy,” Repair Cafe founder Martine Postma said. “Even if Repair Cafes can’t solve the problem alone, then still they are a very clear sign that change is needed on a much higher level.” In New Paltz, a Hudson Valley college town about two hours from New York, 50 people brought about 85 items to the Repair Cafe: an antique fan that required rewiring, shirts, pants, jackets, stuffed animals. There were old family photos that needed restoring and jewelry awaiting work like restringing beads or replacing clasps.Repair experts waited behind long cafeteria tables to teach alternatives, giving people chances to learn that flawed goods aren’t automatically junk.“Maybe their initial reason for coming is monetary or sentimental,” organizer Holly Shader said. More than that, she added, “it gives people a chance to work together and extend the life of something. People form relationships.”The experts on hand fixed 71 of the items, found that four needed more work and deemed 10 beyond repair. They said they volunteer for the low-pressure joy of fixing things, with networking as a side benefit. “I get to come and actually do the work and meet the nice people and show them how to put something together,” contractor Patrick L. Murphy said. The Buy Nothing Project, “right to repair” legislation, and a growing number of tool libraries also are dedicated to repairing, trading, and giving instead of buying and selling.Starting in Washington state in 2013, the Buy Nothing Project maintains an app and social media presence that links people giving things away with people nearby who want them — a worldwide network of gift economies, as described on its Facebook page. Founder Liesl Clark said the network has expanded to at least 12.5 million people on Facebook, showing a growth rate with the ability to influence corporate and state behavior.? for high school students (grades 9–12) in a clear, engaging, and age-appropriate way. Use straightforward but respectful language and keep the summary under 150 words. Focus on key facts and why the story matters. Then, on a new line and as a separate paragraph, include one insightful, open-ended question labeled as “ QUESTION:” The question should: • Be directly related to the article • Be varied in tone and structure (not repetitive) • Encourage reflection, curiosity, or connection to students’ lives Examples of question types to rotate through: • What could happen if…? • How would you feel if…? • Why do you think…? • What should people do about…? • How might this affect your generation? Format: [Summary paragraph] QUESTION: [Your insightful, open-ended question here]
Broken speaker? Finicky zipper? Anticonsumerist Repair Cafes urge you to fix it instead of pitch it
