Learn How to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle at the Third Annual Conservation and Repair Fair at MHCC

The three R’s of sustainability – reduce, reuse and recycle – serve as core tenets of the Community Conservation and Repair Fair at Mt. Hood Community College, which returns on Saturday, June 8, at the Yoshida Event Center.

“We’ll have demonstrations and workshops on recycling and reducing your carbon impact from the City of Gresham and some of our other partners and educators,” said Troy Builta, mapping and sustainability specialist at MHCC. “Plus, the Gresham Repair Café team will be running another repair café, so you can bring in broken items and have them fixed, offering a great alternative to throwing out broken things laying around your house.”

Now in its third year, the Community Conservation and Repair Fair at MHCC continues to grow annually. In 2018, the fair moved to the event center due to its popularity and to accommodate more vendors and exhibitors. This year, you can expect many of the same great exhibitors and vendors, like the City of Gresham’s Water Conservation and Recycling teams, Imperfect Produce, and the Portland Trail Blazers’ sustainability outreach crew.

“The Conservation and Repair Fair really remains focused on grassroots community education,” said Builta. “The public is invited – free of cost – to learn about local and regional organizations that can offer them sustainable living solutions. There’ll be sellers of environmentally friendly light bulbs, organizers of recycling and outdoor activity programs, and pretty much everything in between.”

A key component of the Conservation and Repair Fair is the repair café. “Fixers” from the community will volunteer to repair household goods, including bicycles, small appliances, electronics, and clothing and fabric items.

“Our volunteer fixers are community members who have passions for helping their fellow community members repair household items that might otherwise be thrown away,” said Carol Rulla, coordinator of the Gresham Repair Café. “We’re one of several groups that hold these repair cafes throughout the Portland area, doing the work entirely on a volunteer basis.”

While the fixers volunteer their time and tools to repair a wide range of household goods and items, they cannot supply parts, so if something needs batteries, buttons, or similar pieces, bring those with you, added Rulla.

Another popular educational element of the Community Conservation and Repair Fair is the workshops.

“We want to teach you skills that you can take home and use to live greener and healthier,” said Shaunna Sutcliffe, residential recycling coordinator with the City of Gresham. “We’re sharing with you our passions and interests, as well as practical skills and activities.”

Past workshops have focused on composting with worms, attracting more birds and pollinators to your yard, and saving money by preventing food waste.

Interested in running a workshop or serving as a vendor, exhibitor or volunteer at the Community Conservation and Repair Fair at MHCC? Visit mhcc.edu/ConservationFair to learn more, or email greshamconservation@gmail.com. The deadline to register is May 15.