The Revolution is Coming
It takes me a while to get comfortable. Comfortable with people, comfortable in a new place, and it takes even longer for a pair of jeans to feel comfortable. If you’re lucky; friends and places to call home will last a lifetime – those jeans might not be so lucky.
We’ve all done it, gone to the closet and pulled out the jeans that are filled with memories and to our absolute horror, there it is, clear as dawn – the rip. Hearts sink, memories flash, and you wonder for a second if you have the style to pull off a rip like this. They never seem to rip in a cool spot; you ball the denim in hand for a fleeting farewell and toss them toward the bin.
With good intentions, you decide to drop them off at the charity shop, but there is a harsh reality to remember. If your ripped jeans are unwearable for you, they are just as unwearable for someone else. Globally, something like 80% of donated clothing ends up in landfills, and your favourite jeans will be there too. Unless…
Enter the Repair Revolution! Coming back to Queenstown this weekend (Saturday, 23 November, at the Salvation Army in Frankton from 10am – 2pm), this free event presented by Sustainable Queenstown is the answer. Staffed by a selection of dedicated and skilled volunteers – they take what needs fixing and put in the mahi to mend.
Those ripped jeans are no match for these repair heroes. The same goes for broken appliances, furniture, bikes, household items, and almost anything else.
It’s not a drop-in and drop-off ethos. While your stuff is finding a new lease on life, you might be making a new friend. You’ll sit with the repairer as they work on your precious items, learning what goes into fixing them, how to make some of these repairs yourself, or even just some helpful tips on how to buy better in the future.
Not only does this add some lifespan to some of our favourite things it also saves them from the landfill. Nothing is more difficult for a sewer or a tinkerer to see is something that, with just a little fix could last for years, or even generations, end up in the tip. And it’s not just the planet we are saving; it’s also a great way to save some money, and we’d all appreciate a few more folds in our wallets these days.
So dig out those old jeans and join in the Repair Revolution!
This Resourceful Communities event is proudly supported by Queenstown Lakes District Council’s Zero Waste District Programme. Resourceful Communities is created by Wastebusters and delivered in Whakatipu by Sustainable Queenstown.
