Ten years of repair café Esslingen: Celebrate with us on the XXL action day!

Ten years of repair café Esslingen: Celebrate with us on the XXL action day!

There is reason to be happy in Esslingen: The repair café is proudly celebrating its tenth anniversary! This will be celebrated on July 19th with a large-scale anniversary celebration, which includes an all-day XXL repair café from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Under the motto “10 years – 10 hours”, everyone interested is invited to bring their broken items and work with volunteer repair specialists to revive them. The aim of the event is not only to raise people's awareness of sustainability, but also to impart practical repair skills.

Since the repair café was founded, the dedicated helpers have successfully repaired over 1,200 items. It is repeatedly shown that many things end up in the trash far too quickly, even though they can be repaired with a little skill. The concept is simple but effective: visitors bring their broken treasures and learn how to repair them themselves or with support. In addition to practical work, books and materials are also available to provide inspiration.

Actions and participants

Already on July 12th an interesting presentation took place in the “Das ES!” shopping center. took place, at which repair cafés from Esslingen, Zollberg and Ostfildern introduced themselves. Other committed initiatives such as the makerspace “essembly”, “Tat und Rat”, “Citizens Go Online” and the Linux Café Esslingen were also involved. Such community actions show how important it is to work together and share knowledge when it comes to repairs.

However, the work of the repair cafés goes far beyond just repairs. They create a platform for the exchange of skills and promote appreciation for craftsmanship. This is particularly important as many items that could be easily restored are wasted in Europe. The volunteers are committed to not only saving resources through their work, but also to increasing awareness of the need for sustainability.

A look at the repair movement

Repair Cafés, like the Esslingen model, are part of a broader movement that began in Amsterdam in 2009. Martine Postma, the initiator of this initiative, has been pursuing the goal of promoting local sustainability since 2007. In their Repair Cafés, volunteers can not only repair things, but also learn how to fix broken things themselves. This not only increases your own satisfaction, but also shows how repairs can be – and are – fun!

Repair cafés are becoming increasingly popular across the country. More and more people are realizing that through repairs they can not only relieve the burden on their wallets, but also actively contribute to protecting our environment. “Repair instead of throwing away” is becoming the new motto.

The anniversary offers everyone in Esslingen an excellent opportunity to devote themselves to the topic of repair and sustainability and to get in touch with the experts. Participation is free and everyone is welcome. Further information can be found on the [Repair Café Esslingen website](https:// repaircafe-esslingen.de/) and on the official Repair Café website.