OCAD U’s First Repair Cafe
The tools resting before action!
Throw away? No way!
On Feb 14, OCAD U’s Sustainability Committee and ODESI hosted its inaugural OCAD U Repair Café.  Repair Café is a global movement to reduce materials sent to landfill and transform society’s throw-away mindset. Volunteer ‘fixers’ invited members of the OCAD U community and the public to develop skills repairing jewelry and textile items. Our enthusiastic Fixers were made up of faculty, students, and community members. Over 50 items were successfully repaired! As per Repair Cafe tradition, a bell was rung after each repair. 100 McCaul lobby was filled with the music of fixing!
Great connections were shared. Faculty took on student apprentices during the event. Faculty and students led a sewathon to create and give away handkerchiefs from scrap fabrics, in an effort to reduce single use paper towels. An OCAD U alumnus from Class of 1978 joined as a Fixer, her first time visiting OCAD U since graduating! A full-circle delight. And in addition to the participating OCAD U students/staff/faculty/alumni and neighboring residents, a Grade 11 geography class studying the value of circular economies took a field trip to Repair Cafe. We discussed disposability as a design flaw and the students came prepared with materials for repair.
As a small intervention in an economy that is hungry for single use, the OCAD U Repair Café exemplified the multiple benefits generated by sustainability: reduced disposability and material consumption, financial savings, community-building, skills sharing, and neighborhood engagement.Thanks everyone! And thanks to the Repair Cafe Toronto community, who provided mentorship and even came out to visit OCAD U’s event. Written by: Victoria Ho, Sustainability Coordinator, Office of Diversity, Equity & Sustainability Initiatives (ODESI)
Photos by: Cathy Cappon
Prof. Kathleen Morris and Zev Farber revive a jacket pocket.
Prof. Rob Mitchell surrounded by beads and bobbles.
Community member Pauline Tetley with OCAD U student apprentice Salisa Jatuweerapong.
OCAD U community members picking out their handkerchief/ tenugui.
Prof. Lynne Heller teaching zipper repair to a community member.
Prof. Ken Vickerson manipulating metal to bring necklaces back to life.
OCAD U student Anita is thrilled to repair Shamina’s knitted cat sweater!
Viola, Anita, and Emma working with community members on repair.
Prof Beverly Dywan leads the sewathon and asks the OCAD U community, What is your commitment to reducing waste?
