#Riverhead #RepairCafe
Saturday, September 13, 2025
1:00 PM 4:00 PM
"From 1 to 4 pm on September 13th, North Forkers can bring broken items for repair. Volunteer repair coaches help fix household goods, bikes, toys, clothes, jewelry etc. at the Repair Café hosted by North Fork Environmental Council in collaboration with Greenport’s Floyd Memorial Library.
"What do you do with a broken toaster? Or when your bike’s wheel is out of kilter? Or after moths attacked your favorite sweater? Toss it? No! Making repairs is smarter:
● It saves money otherwise spent on new things.
● It keeps waste out of our environment.
● It increases independence through learning useful skills.
● Plus, it’s fun and a chance to meet new friends.
"How does it work? People visiting the Repair Café bring broken items from home: dull knives or lamps gone dark, broken tableware or teddy bears, cardigans or coffee makers , bikes – anything that is broken (and portable) is welcome. Local volunteer repair coaches share their know-how and do repairs, while the owners observe, help, and learn new skills. The service is free of charge.
"Why is this important? By promoting repairs, NFEC wants to help reduce waste. 'We throw away piles of stuff in the United States. But where is ‘away’? There is no Away', says Repair Cafe organizer Margaret de Cruz. 'Waste ends up in the oceans, or buried in our land.' The average landfill in the U.S. is 600 acres. With over 3000 active landfills in the US, that means almost two million acres can not be used for habitat. But worse than that, they all leach toxins, poisoning our water, air and our bodies. One of the solutions is to produce less waste in the first place. 'Unfortunately, many people have forgotten that they can have things repaired. Repair Café wants to change that.'
"What’s in it for the community? Repairing saves money and resources, reduces consumption and can help minimize CO2 emissions. 'But above all, Repair Cafés demonstrate how much fun repairing things can be, how easy it often is, and the results add credence to the Right to Repair movement,' says de Cruz. Among the 67 items Repair Café volunteers fixed at last year’s event, there was an elephant statue, a remote toy truck, an Irish sweater, a waffle iron, garden shears, a fan and quite a few pieces of jewelry.
“Jointly making repairs can lead to pleasant contacts in the neighborhood”, says de Cruz. 'If you repair a bike, a vase or a pair of trousers together with a previously unfamiliar neighbor, you look at that person differently the next time you run into them on the street.'
FMI: NFEC1.org – or for the International Repair Café movement, go to repaircafe.org/en
#SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafesNewYork #RepairCafe #RightToRepair #BuildingCommunity #FixIt #FixItCafe
