Thanks to everyone who made it out to the VTL’s first community event! We had an awesome day, fueled by pancakes and some promising summer sun, welcoming new members into the space we will soon be setting up with shelves and our tool inventory.
We were joined by the awesome Jazz duo Def Jeopard, who serenaded us with live music, our volunteers Amy, Brenna, and Brittney ran a mason-bee house making station on our back patio, and we were serving up berry pancakes all morning. We had some great ideas posted to our collage wall: highlights – ladies nights, tree fort building workshops, partnerships with local public schools, and facilitating a network that would help VTL members share spare building materials.
Most importantly, we began signing up our first official members! If you want to get your hands on one of these flashy cards, too, you can come down to the shop during one of our weekly work-parties, which will be taking place throughout the month of May. Stay tuned to the blog and facebook page, where we will be posting specific dates and times.
One of the most effective ways you can support us in our start-up phase is by becoming a member! Membership signups are really important to us because the fees contribute to our tool purchasing fund and will help us build a better inventory, so please consider becoming a member this month.
Thanks again Vancouver for an awesome day, it was great to see so many excited faces in our space and get to know some of our neighbours on Commercial Street!
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, May 01st, 2011 | No Comments »
Just two days until our very first event, Nuts and Bolts, and the weather man is calling for sunshine! We’ve been busy busy getting the space ready to welcome you: scrubbing, sweeping…
and decorating!
All the contributions we collect on Saturday from membership and pancake sales will all go towards our start up costs, and every bit counts!
So do stop by this Saturday to meet the VTL crew, sign up for your membership (bring $50 cash or cheque), down some pancakes, build a mason bee house, and drop off your tool donations. We’re also encouraging everyone to bring your ideas and suggestions for the VTL, and a photo of yourself working on a project (or of a project you’d like to do using VTL tools!), to post up on our collage wall.
Our open house runs from 10am – 2pm this Saturday, April 30th at 3448 Commercial Street.
’til then!
– The VTL Board
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, April 29th, 2011 | No Comments »
We are so excited to share the news with you all that we’ve found a space for our tool lending library! Over the next couple of weeks, we will be setting up and moving into our new shop at 3448 Commercial Street (near 18th avenue). Photos of the space to come soon.
In the meantime, check out what we have planned for our open house and fundraising event on April 30th. Invite your friends, invite your neighbours, spread the word! See you there…
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, April 20th, 2011 | No Comments »
Check out this Ted Talk by Rachel Botsman, who is passionate about what she calls “Collaborative Consumption” – traditional sharing redefined through technology and peer communities. It’s something she believes is not only transforming business, consumerism and the way we live, but also helping us move away from the hyper-consumerism that has levied such high environmental and social costs on our communities.
Botsman would describe the VTL as a “product service system” that allows users to pay for the benefit of using the product without needing to own it outright. As a member of the tool library, that is, you’ll get the hole without having to own the drill!
It’s exciting to see that our initiative is just one part of what is increasingly being recognized as a larger scale change in the way our society thinks about ownership, and to hear from a professional who agrees with our opinion that sharing is good for you, your community, and the planet. Before watching her Ted talk, take a guess as to how many minutes the average drill is used in its lifespan…
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, April 03rd, 2011 | No Comments »
