Paranduskelder (in english: Repair Basement)
About this good practice
The goal is to popularize repairing and upcycling as one of the necessary components of circular economy. One of the most influential ways to serve this purpose is to organize Repair Cafés which has been done in various places around Estonia. In this way, Paranduskelder extends the lifespan of everyday objects (whilst saving valuable resources and the environment) and people acquire repair skills. In November 2019 they opened up their own workshop in the basement of an old factory complex and called it Paranduskelder (Repair Basement). Since then they have organized various workshops, events and lectures connected to sustainable lifestyle and have been working towards building a resilient community. The international community is grown via YouTube channel Paranda (meaning "Repair!" in english). Paranda’s videos are in English and they cover broader ideas on transition to sustainably functioning global systems (https://www.youtube.com/c/Paranda).
Two of their most important services from a sharing economy perspective are:
1) Sharing space for locals to fix their stuff
2) Teaching mindset and skills to thousands of visitors.
The community includes professionally skilled craftsman, engineers, architects, creatives, educators and artists. Our NGO is funded yearly by the municipality of Tartu.
Resources needed
Public funding to help cover rooms rent and labor costs of up to 3 (full- time equivalent) jobs. The amount of the subsidy depends on the cost of living of the specific municipality, the size and location of the rental space and the number of employees.
Evidence of success
Approximately 40 workshops are held annually, and hundreds of people come to repair their items independently. Youtube channel has almost 4000 subscribers. Even more people, thanks to the skills they've learned, will be able to extend the lifespan of their belongings at home in the future.
Potential for learning or transfer
Since this initiative is not only focused on repairing individual items but also influences the mindset of thousends of people, it serves as a good motivator for many new sharing economy ventures. Thanks to a rather popular YouTube channel, transferring and spreading ideas is easier. Most voluntary community initiatives start with a lot of motivation, but slow down or disappear if the initial drive wears off and the group dynamic is not working as seamlessly as expected. This situation can be prevented by having a clear vision and structure for your community initiative. This toolkit - https://paranda.ee/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Paranda-Toolkit.pdf - should give starting communities ideas on how to structure the core group of people and organise around one united vision. It can also be used by communities already in action to get some additional ideas on how to work more efficiently.
