WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A 'LIBRARY OF THINGS' HERE IN BROCKENHURST?

“Loan it, don’t own it!”

Library of Things is a concept where as a community we shift from buying things to renting things. Useful items that can be rented for very low amounts.

This idea is already working well in 14 UK locations thanks to Library of Things - a social enterprise established in 2014 that helps people save money and reduce waste by affordably renting out useful items like drills, sound systems and sewing machines from local spaces – and by helping neighbours share practical skills.

They are looking to add more libraries across the country and will support any community who can demonstrate real interest (500 votes) within the community.

This is an initiative that would need to be run by us, the community, but in partnership with Library of Things. They have purpose-built software, self-serve lockers, supply chain and 10 years of community building and behaviour change experience. If we can get 500 votes of interest here in Brockenhurst, Library of Things will support us with the securing of the funding from the council and the setting up of the library.

So we are in the very early stages of just seeing if there would be sufficient interest in a Library of Things here in our village. Would you be interested? Do you think it’s a good idea?

Well, a voting page has been set up on the Library of Things website:

Select the button below to register your interest and help us towards getting the 500 votes that we need in order to progress this idea

Our Objectives

We have been working towards five objectives to achieve the Plastic Free Communities award:

Working with the local council
Encouraging local businesses to reduce single use plastic
Signing up community groups, schools and organisations
Holding events and actions
Setting up a steering group to drive the movement

The effectiveness of the campaign is based on mobilising the whole community, working across sectors – local government, independent businesses, community groups, schools and more – to address failing systems.

Please come and join us! There is much to do!

Picture shows one of our Litter Picks around the area.

The Plastic Free Communities Manifesto

We live in a plastic world. It’s an extraordinarily useful, versatile, cheap material. And it’s everywhere.

And it’s a growth industry, with one in every ten barrels of oil now used to create new plastic.

But together, we can make sure we kick our addiction to avoidable single-use plastic, and change the system that produces it.

We can make sure we don’t choke our streets, parks and playgrounds with it. Because if it’s on our street today, then it’s in our rivers tomorrow, and our beaches and oceans forever.

We can make sure each of us understands that we can change this, whoever we are and wherever we live.

But we can only do all of this together. That’s why we created Plastic Free Communities.

It’s a community network across the UK that’s tackling single-use plastic from the beach, all the way back to the brands and businesses who create it.

We’re on a journey to unite communities in the fight against single-use plastics, wherever we find them.

It starts here and it starts with us. And if you’re still reading this, that means you too.

So join us and let’s free where we live from single-use, one plastic bottle at a time.