Could you imagine a library where you borrow tools, appliances and sports gear(用具)? As a student, Sabrina could see the simple solution to a problem — in order to reduce waste and create a good effect on our environment, perhaps we should try sharing the things we have.
When she arrived in Brisbane four years ago, Sabrina had nothing with her but a suitcase full of clothes and a laptop. To start settling in, she asked friends if she could borrow the things she needed. Over time, as she started to have things of her own, she would 1 them to her friends in return.
She then came to the conclusion that we don't need to own every single tool for every single2, we just need to have them; we need a place where we can borrow what we need —in other words, a library. Sabrina decided to put her idea into action and so the Brisbane Tool Library was born.
Within two years the tool library has grown to over 225 members and today is run by a team of volunteers, mostly women, from 13 different nationalities. For a small membership fee, the library offers 3 from hand and power tools to sporting and camping gear, and kitchen equipment.
The library now has over 500 items in its storeroom with another 500 waiting to come. These are items that would otherwise have gone into landfill when their owners are 4 them sitting on the shelf — most are still new. "It doesn't need to be like this," says Sabrina. "It's not just about reducing waste when things are at the 5 of their life cycle. And recycling is not enough. We need to rethink purchasing from the very beginning. We need some change."
It's a part of the rise of the share economy, where phone apps allow 6 to share rarely-used goods with people who need them. Libraries have been around for centuries offering public use of shared resources.
