Yesterday we hit some big milestones of waste and CO2 prevented, logged by Restart Party hosts across the world: five tons of electronics diverted from waste, and 100,000 kg CO2 prevented through repair.
Five tons of waste is small considering globally, we are projected to create 50 million tons of electronic waste in 2018. But five tons feels like something significant nonetheless. We’d like to see all of the imaginary gadgets that were *not* produced to replace these saved gadgets. (Seeing mountains of electronic waste made a real impression on us.)
The carbon figure is interesting, because many comparisons can render it small. The comparison we most like is to the number of cars that could be manufactured with that 100,000 kg. We estimate this to be 17 cars. So by keeping the things we already own for longer (and probably saving money and learning new skills) we’ve prevented the carbon that would go into the production of 17 cars.
Our comparisons are intended to help build “carbon literacy”, especially in what relates to the manufacture of stuff and the speed at which we throw stuff away. We like what Mike Berners-Lee says about carbon accounting – most of us are still at the early stages of having a real, working understanding of what these impacts mean, and all of the personal tradeoffs we make on a day to day basis.
Our “Fixometer” tool helps groups fixing in their communities to track their impact – and more groups are starting to use it, from Montreal to London to Milan. In advance of our global gathering, the Fixfest, groups are entering historic data from past events, and helping to create a more accurate picture of our global impact. And it’s really exciting to see.
While we are celebrating this milestone, it is only just the beginning! We are here to help this little repair revolution grow. If you’d like to join us, learn more about our Fixometer, or how to host a community electronics repair event.