Sustainable community action in Exeter
Repair Cafés
A great way to make items last longer, reduce waste, and to build community resilience is through Repair Cafés. Repair Cafés aim to help people fix items for free to avoid waste and to build a sense of community. Skilled menders and talented amateurs give their time and expertise for free to help people fix items that might have otherwise been thrown away. See Recycle Devon’s page on Repair Cafés for a list of on Repair Cafés in Exeter and nearby.
Library of Things
A Library of Things is a collection of objects loaned out for a small fee, that are then returned, making them available for loan by others. Sharing the things we only need to use every now and then reduces waste and the environmental effects of manufacturing and shipping goods, as well as being more affordable, and bringing the community closer together. See Exeter Library of Things and Topsham Library of Things for more information.
Community Fridges
Community Fridges and Larders are publicly accessible fridge / freezer / ambient spaces that offer food for free to everyone in a local area. They make use of surplus food that would have otherwise gone to waste – mostly from businesses but also from households.
Community Larders also tend to have a focus on those in more need within the community and so also accept food donations as gifts – like food banks do.
See Recycle Devon for more information and to find your local community fridge or larder - Community Fridges and Larders - Recycle Devon
If you are a household looking to make unwanted perishable food available to the local community, the Olio app is also suitable for this. Olio is a free mobile app where surplus food and other household items can be shared locally.
Community Action Groups (CAG) Devon
Community Action Groups (CAG) Devon is an organisation which supports grassroots groups across Devon to build more climate resilient communities. By providing information, guidance, training, online resources, access to reduced insurance, small grants, and networking opportunities, CAG Devon assists local community groups working on waste reduction, composting, re-use and repair, and various sustainability projects.
CAG Devon member groups set up and run diverse projects, including surplus food cafes, community fridges, community composting, repair cafes, clothes swaps, community gardens, beach cleans, tree planting, share shops and more. See the CAG Devon website for more information.
Climate Action Hub
The Climate Action Hub is working to find a community hub in central Exeter, offering a physical space for the public to interact with local environmental and social groups and projects.
Where everyone can come together to tackle the climate and ecological crisis, and the social issues which are interwoven with the systematic issues causing climate breakdown.
See Climate Action Hub Exeter more information.