ELI students, Eva Mills and Molly McGee, have founded the Isla Vista Fix-It Fair as part of their ELI project. They have hosted two successful fix-it fairs already in the fall and winter quarters, and have recently scheduled their final fair for this spring.
Eva and Molly chose to organize repair events for their ELI project, because they both recognize that rampant overconsumption and waste is a huge issue in the environmental crisis. They see repair fairs as a powerful opportunity to create change at the local level through community action. Therefore, they have worked to provide Isla Vista residents and UCSB students with access to free repair and repair education in order to motivate and empower them to prolong the lives of their items instead of purchasing new ones and creating more waste.
The first two events successfully generated community interest, gratitude, and enthusiasm from event attendees as well as positive feedback from volunteers. At the Winter Fix-It Fair, 48 volunteers helped repair 45 pieces of clothing, 13 pieces of jewelry, 31 bikes, and 2 skateboards. 29 pieces of clothing were upcycled with block stamps and seven items were repaired at the DIY table. Eva and Molly have collaborated with IV Surfrider, the IV Co-op, Zero Waste Committee, and IVCSD to make these events successful.
The spring Isla Vista Fix-It Fair is coming up on Friday, May 17th from 1-4 pm at the Isla Vista Community Center! Everyone is welcome to bring ripped or broken clothes, bikes, jewelry, etc. for free repair from talented community volunteers. There will be a free soap refill station (bring a jar!), a free clothing swap, and a clothing up-cycle station with block stamps from local IV artists. Come enjoy a great community event and reduce your waste by repairing and reusing! Email evamills@ucsb.edu or mollymcgee@ucsb.edu with any questions.
