After reading this post, don't forget to enter our contest – you could win a new dishwasher. Plus, do you have your own story to tell? Send it to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com (no more than 300 words, please), and you could win one of 30 daily prizes.
Last summer, I was given a beautiful big hot pink umbrella. It's not the type of umbrella I would normally buy (I'm partial to basic black), but I fell in love with it and looked forward to rainy days so I could use it. Then, a few months ago, the inevitable happened and it broke – not a major break, I think it's fixable, but something beyond my repair capabilities.
Since we weren't lucky enough to have above-zero temperatures from then until recently, it wasn't top of mind. But the other day I decided I should get my umbrella repaired instead of replacing it – after all, it's in perfectly good shape other than one minor thing, and I like it, and fixing rather than throwing out is the eco-friendly thing to do.
But what did I discover? Apparently, there's not a single umbrella repair store in Toronto (although I did find one in Vancouver), and according to an article in the New York Times, even New York is down to one umbrella repair shop.
This is a sad symbol of our throwaway culture. Just think how many broken – but repairable – umbrellas are littering our landfills, not to mention other fixable items such as shoes, clothing and household goods.
There is a happy ending to this story: the kind people at Toronto store Raindrops have offered to have a look at my umbrella and see if it can be easily fixed – although they don't officially repair umbrellas, they can do minor work. Wish my umbrella luck!
What do you fix, and what do you throw away? Why do you think we shifted to a throwaway culture, and how can we turn back the clock?
Today's code word: umbrella
Read more:
• Clothing care: How to fix moth holes, a sweater that shrunk in the wash, and yellow armpits
• 8 great websites for vintage clothes shopping
• Natural stain removers
