Do you have a broken item you think could be fixed, but want some advice on how to do it? Bring it to a Green Acton FixIt Clinic, offered several times a year in collaboration with the Acton Memorial Library! (Next FixIt Clinic is Feb. 24; see more below.)
FixIt Clinic coaches offer advice, tools, and supplies to help you repair your item(s). Coaches can show you how to fix clothing, electrical devices, toys, small furniture, jewelry, and other portable items, and can teach folks how to sharpen dull kitchen knives, to boot!
FixIt Clinics are held, three or four times annually, at the Acton Memorial Library (486 Main Street, Acton) in the first-floor meeting room. Although coaches and volunteers offer their time for free, we welcome donations to help defray the costs of tools and hardware.
Coach and client repairing a wall clock
The February and June 2023 clinics saw a successful repair rate of 74%. Even the “not fixed” visitors left with some ideas for how to work on repairs later. Many happy residents exit the clinics with their items restored to usefulness. This is not only a “plus” for the participants, but also, a win for the environment because it keeps materials out of landfills and incinerators — thus, reducing the environmental and climate degradation those outcomes incur.
Coaches and client brainstorming a fix for a food processor
If you are interested in repair, consider becoming a Coach! We need more Actonians on the coaching staff. In 2023, we had to “import” coaches from Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Stoneham. (In the future, this could create scheduling conflicts.) Let’s build our hometown coaching bench, with most FixIt Clinic volunteers coming from Acton and Boxborough!
The next FixIt Clinics will be held on February 24 and May 18, 2024. Stay tuned for more information on upcoming FixIt Clinics by signing up for Green Acton’s Announcements listserv (click “Join”): https://groups.google.com/g/green-acton-announcements
Hope to see you there!
