BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A way to get your holiday shopping done without spending any money while helping the environment.
Western New York's first "Dare to Repair Cafe" was held at the Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy in Buffalo Saturday.
The idea is to give new life to things like old electronics, small appliances, toys, and furniture by repairing them yourself to give as a gift to someone this holiday season.
Volunteers work side-by-side with people, helping them to fix the items and teach them the necessary skills to make similar repairs in the future.
The event is meant to reduce the amount of trash entering the waste stream, pass on traditional repair skills, and foster greater sustainability.
The "Dare to Repair Cafe" is Buffalo's take on the "global repair café movement," which started more than 10 years ago in Amsterdam.
It was conceived as a way to rethink waste and transform our "throw away" economy at the local level.
Studies show that Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the holiday season
