Project Description
We have established the Griffith University Repair Cafés Initiative. As part of this program, we have run 4 successful Repair Cafes on Griffith University campuses. These are now part of the AustralianRepair Cafes network -which consists of over 104 repair cafes . Repair cafes are part of a growing grassroots movement associated with the International Right to Repair movement in Australia and around the world.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
The Griffith University Repair cafe offers all students and staff the opportunity to bring along their broken items and have them repaired for the purpose of keeping the goods in use for longer and reducing landfill. Students and staff come together for the shared purpose of repairing broken items. Skills and knowledge are shared
Outcomes to Date
We have held 4 Repair Cafes at Griffith University Campuses: Nathan, Southbank, Gold coast and Logan. WE have hosted also Repair information tents at the. Green Heart Fair in 2022 and 2023 as well as the Logan LEAF Festival in 2023.
Project Significance
Repair (and Reuse) are important steps in the transition to a circular economy in Australia. Repair Cafés are a free meeting place where people bring their broken items to be repaired, come to learn about how to repair all kinds of items, such as clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys and more. Expert student and staff volunteers with repair skills in all kinds of fields come together to fix goods so they can be reused instead of throwing them away. Repairing goods extends their lifetime, and this saves consumers money, lowers CO2 emissions, and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill. There are many examples of the social, economic and environmental impact of Repairing and Reusing. Repair and Reuse also aligns strongly with UNSDGs 4, 11, 12 and 13.