Blake Kane | Buffalo, NY
Coming from a blue collar family, I have always been taught, “there is no such thing as unusable.” My father is a stone mason, and in a weekend visit with my family, I noticed what appeared to be an ‘explosion’ of a concrete mixer within our garage. Parts and pieces were scattered everywhere. Before I could even ask, my dad said, “We’re fixing them all up. Stripping them down to the bare bones. Scraping layers of concrete sediment off of each bearing and paddle, and then putting them back together and sraight to use.” He then went on to explain the cost of buying such a piece of machinery. Not only was there a high price tag associated with one of these machines, but there was also a sourcing factor - the closest distributor being located in Rochester.
Looking across the shrapnel of this great mechanical endeavor reformatted my perception of sustainability. The increasing demand for rapid delivery and use of products/services may not be the proper direction for our 21st century society. My father could have made the 2 hour drive to Rochester and back. He could have scrapped his previous mixer. He could have purchased a brand new machine. Instead, a little patience and perseverance from his end delivered a cheaper and more sustainable solution for his current mixer dilemma.
So the next time a laptop or phone breaks down, and panic starts to ensue, just stop. Be patient. Get creative. Think of alternate options, and potentially come up with a better solution than just ‘get a new one.’ There is more life to a broken object that meets the eye.