Repair and Repurpose

Tips on how to cut down waste in New York City Read More

Sandra Goldmark, author of "Fixation: How to Have Stuff Without Breaking the Planet" provides well-researched solutions to systemic issues related to our throwaway society, with deep insights into why we want to keep — and fix — our stuff. It's a book well worth reading. Read More

Ten great ways apartment residents in NYC can reduce waste via free DSNY recycling collection programs, free online resources and low-cost methods for sharing, borrowing, swapping, repairing and more with neighbors. Four strategies for measuring success, too. Read More

Stop throwing away clothing that becomes torn or worn! Jussara Lee has a better, more beautiful solution: mend it artfully and visibly, with what she calls 'Visible Mending'. Read More

Sandra Goldmark explores the disconnect between breaking things and replacing them — and offers a solution: making repair options more accessible and convenient in NYC with Pop Up Repair. Read More

What does it take to help New Yorkers to repair, fix, mend, repurpose, refurbish and reuse more? The Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (M SWAB) will soon find out, when they start to award the first round of their Reuse and Repair Grants in later this year. Read More

NYC residents now have more options for getting things fixed in NYC. Get free tips on where to repair, as well as tips to reduce, reuse and recycle in the Big Apple. Read More

Want to see more fixing and less tossing in your community? Farnham UK's repair café provides a model within an international movement. Read on to learn how and get helpful resources and links. Read More

What could be more creative than repurposing ordinary objects for art projects in schools? That's the magic behind NYC's Materials for the Arts, a reuse center that puts used materials into the creative hands of young artists. Harriet Taub, the Executive Director of the organization, explains more. Read More

Next time you go out shopping, #ThinkTwice before you buy. The products you buy have an impact that reaches deeper than your wallet. Read More

The reasons why we prevent waste aren't just about saving money or the environment - it also makes us feel good, and a whole lot more! Read More

Our family tradition of wrapping presents in fabric gift bags began as little brown paper bags. When my parents were first married in 1942, they lived in a basement apartment, the ceiling crisscrossed with pipes. For one of Mom’s birthdays, when Pop couldn’t afford much, he got her a bunch of little gifts, “Ning-A-Nings,” as we call them. He put them in little brown paper bags and hung them with string on the pipes. When Mom came home from work, she was greeted with all these little bags of surprises. She loved it! We had paper bag birthdays from that point on! Read More