30 Day Zero Waste Challenge
Day 12
JOIN A TOOL LIBRARY – OR REACH OUT TO YOUR NEIGHBORS AND START YOUR OWN!
What can prevent waste, save money, build connections with our neighbors and make you happier? Community sharing projects!
Need a tiller, a chainsaw, a snow-blower or a tall ladder? Instead of every household stocking its own stash of power tools, make it a shared community resource. Do you have a craft project and need a special tool? Don’t buy a new one at Home Depot.
Join a tool lending library like the wonderful NE Seattle Tool Library. http://neseattletoollibrary.org/aboutus/
Live in South King County? Zero Waste Washington is working on three community projects: Tacoma Tool library, Federal Way Tool Library, and Tacoma Event Supplies Network.
http://www.zerowastewashington.org/index.php/community-sharing-project-join-us
See if there is one near you! Explore the map and find your local tool and lending libraries here:
Or grab some friends and start your own tool lending library. We all thrive from connection—whether it’s with family, friends or neighbors. Creating a network of friendly relationships in your neighborhood can give you a greater feeling of belonging and wellbeing. Working together to create a tighter-knit community makes you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself.
See if your community library can donate a space that you can turn it into a tool sharing center. Neighbors can donate used tools, and if possible, get donations from local hardware and home stores. Here’s some ideas:
https://makezine.com/2012/05/29/how-to-start-a-tool-lending-library/
Quote of the Day:
“We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbors. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously.”-Grace Lee Boggs
