UPCOMING EVENTS:
GET PUMPED – A BETTER WAY TO HEAT & COOL YOUR HOME
MAY 26, 7:00 PM (FREE EVENT)
Click here to register for this event
Heat pumps are the next generation of home energy. They are hyper efficient and heat and cool your home without burning fossil fuels. Although they are rapidly gaining popularity in Canada and many other countries, heat pumps are often poorly understood.
To address this problem, the Nith Valley EcoBoosters and Get Pumped Waterloo Region are hosting an information session on May 26th at 7:00 p.m. at the Wilmot Recreation Complex. The session features local experts discussing the pros and cons, ins and outs, of the technology:
- Jim Bolger is a heating and cooling equipment technician who has been installing heat pumps in Waterloo Region for many years.
- Andrew Schiedel is a registered energy advisor with Reep Green Solutions.
- Diane Stanley-Horn is a homeowner who was so impressed with her heat pump that she became the driving force behind Get Pumped Waterloo Region getpumpedwr.ca
If you are interested in heat pumps and would like the opportunity to hear from experts and ask them questions, then this is the place to be on May 26th!
Click here to register for this event
REPAIR CAFE – MAY 30
9:30 AM TO 12:30 PM (FREE EVENT)
Registration is not required for this event
It’s easy to forget that the earth has limited resources, especially when companies continue to push new products for the sake of novelty, or because the previous products have not been designed to last. The solution? Use what we have! Reusing, upcycling, recycling, and repairing are powerful ways to protect the planet, save money, practice hands-on skills, and turn us from passive consumers to active contributors.
For these reasons, and many more, NVEB decided to organize a Repair Café in New Hamburg. A Repair Café is a free community event run by volunteers, where people can bring in their broken items and designated ‘fixers’ will walk them through the process of repair.
Our next Repair Café is being held on Saturday, May 30th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Zion United Church, 215 Peel Street in New Hamburg. No appointment is necessary! Just drop in, and our greeters will walk you through the process and direct you to the appropriate fixer.
Bring clothing that needs mending including knitted and crocheted items plus jewellery and books that need repairs. One of our fixers will also be able to do repairs on broken household items, non-electric appliances, and simple mechanical or woodworking and chair repairs. Most materials, tools and safety items will be provided. However, if you know that your item requires specialized materials or tools, please bring them along.
Community members are required to stay with the fixer while the repair is happening, so that they can learn new skills and apply those skills to future repairs. Because of this, items cannot just be dropped off for repair. That being said, sometimes the item being repaired requires more specialized skills, such as knitting, and the fixer may not be able to walk the owner of the item you through the process so they can replicate it in the future. If that’s the case, there will be snacks, refreshments, reading material, and places to sit and mingle while you wait for your repair to be done. You’re also welcome to keep the fixer company, even if they can’t teach you how to do future complex repairs.
The NVEB Repair Café is looking for one or more qualified, licensed and insured electricians to volunteer their time and expertise. Currently, we are not able to do repairs on any electrical appliances because we do not have a volunteer electrician participating in our Repair Café. If you or someone you know has the necessary qualifications and would be interested in helping to do small electrical repairs, please contact us.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at: nvebrepaircafe@gmail.com. We hope to see you at our next Repair Café!
