THB's FixIt Don't Landfill It workshop, run as part of the Sustainable Living Festival's fortnight of local sustainability events on Sat 9th Feb 2013, was a great success.

Thanks to our two very experienced volunteers Noel (bike repairs) and Christian (sharpening garden tools), their expertise and passion were clearly visible to all who attended. And thanks also to all the other volunteers who helped out and made the event possible.

The workshop worked very well alongside the Altona Fruit & Vegie Swap.We did a rough estimate and reckon that maybe up to 40 people were buzzing around at the swap and the fixit workshop.

Some ideas that came out of the FixIt workshop:

- Get a bunch of THBers trained up a bit more on sharpening garden tools so we could easily hold more garden tool sharpening sessions.

- Definitely an opportunity available out there for anyone that wants to start a tool sharpening business as the word was that there was no longer anywhere to get them done around Altona, Newport and Williamstown. 

- Hold some more FixIt events in conjunction with the Altona and Newport swaps, covering some other repair areas - sharpening scissors, woodwork, soldering, pop riveting, sewing repairs etc

- Limit repair items to one per household, reduce future FixIts to 1 hour instead of 4 hrs & have a first aid kit on hand at future FixIts

- Hold a FixIt workshop at the Altona Beach Festival

- Follow up the possibility of running something with the local Mens Sheds - The Hobsons Bay Mens Shed mentioned the possibility of running a FixIt type workshop at their shed, they have woodworkers and engineers.

Written by Wendy Clarke

THB ran a FixIt event where volunteers carried out bike repairs and sharpened garden tools alongside the monthly Altona Fruit and Vegie Swap. Both events were part of the Sustainable Living Festival local fortnight of sustainability events.       

The Altona Fruit and Veg swap is happening this Saturday as well as the Fix It workshop so I'll be bringing along my gardening secateurs to get them ready for summer pruning and also some cardoon seeds and ceramic garden pots for the swap.

Both events are start at 10:30am in the Rotunda in Logan Reserve in Pier St, Altona. The Fix It workshop runs until 2:30pm while the swap finishes at 11:30am.

More information:

THB is running Fixit Don't Landfill It! as part of the Sustainable Living Festival's fortnight of local events.

We will be sharpening manual garden tools and assisting with basic bike repairs*. So bring along your blunt garden tools or your bike that may need some TLC or just come along to chat to other interested locals and watch the repair workshop in action. This event will run along side the regular monthly Altona Foodswap** for the first hour at the same location so it will be possible to get involved in both events.

*The repair work will be done by local volunteers passionate about cycling and gardening and our skills and tools will have limitations and there will be no responsibility taken nor warranty of any kind supplied for the work carried out.

** If you haven't been to a foodswap before and aren't sure what you can bring along to swap, have a look at this helpful list of what you can swap-

• homegrown fruit, vegies, nuts or eggs
  
• gardening goodies (coffee grounds, shredded paper, lawn clippings, homemade mulch or compost, worm juice, worm castings)
  
• recycled hessian sacks
  
• something you've baked (cake, bread, biscuits)
  
• recycled jam jars
  
• seeds you've saved, seedlings and cuttings you've raised (edible stuff)
  
• copies of your favorite seasonal recipes
  
• gardening magazines or gardening books you've read
  
• homemade preserves (relishes, jams, lemon butter, tomato sauce, cordial, ginger beer)
  

Written by Wendy Clarke