Sententia Vera, LLC, the parent company of Sententia Vera Cultural Hub, joins the Fixer Movement, creating a space with a mix of maker and DIY. Repairing is the fourth “R” of environmentalism after Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. This culture is related to the DIY phenomenon, the Maker Movement, and the Collaborative Culture. The Repair Café at The Hub will foster a fixer culture that promotes shared learning and pooling knowledge, promoting the empowerment of people through autonomy and intergenerational exchange. Throwing things away will no longer be the norm!
What do you do with a broken toaster? Or with a garbled PowerPoint file or Excel spreadsheet? Or with a favorite clothing item with a snag or holes? Delete it? Toss it? No way! Sententia Vera, LLC is organizing the first Repair Café at The Cultural Hub, coming January 2023!
At the Repair Café at The Hub at 4002 E. US Highway 290, Dripping Springs, TX, everything centers on sustainability. Various volunteer repair “experts” will be available to help make all possible repairs free of charge. Some tools and materials will also be on hand. People visiting the Repair Café will bring along their broken items from home and any tools they may have. Toasters, lamps, hair dryers, documents, clothes, bikes, toys, crockery… anything that is broken is welcome. And may more than likely be repaired. The Repair Café repairers almost always have the know-how.
Getting their start in the Netherlands, Repair Cafés are popping up across the globe. Offering the option of helping someone ‘fix-it’ themselves, with tools, assistance from an “expert” repairer, and an encouraging culture, often leads to success and confidence. It’s also just as rewarding for the “expert” repairers within our community to share their time and talent with others.
Repair Café is also meant to put neighbors in touch with each other in a new way. And to discover that a lot of know-how and practical skills can be found close to home. Generations can build off each other’s skill sets. For example, older generations are often better repairers than the younger generation, who tend to be more natural with electronics and know how to maneuver through apps and settings. There are many talents to draw from in our community and you look at that person in a different light the next time you run into them on the street. Jointly making repairs can lead to pleasant contacts in the neighborhood.
Teresa points out that repairs can save money and resources, and can help minimize CO2 emissions. But above all, Repair Café at The Hub just wants to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is.