Start Your Own Tool-Sharing Program
(Page 2 of 4)
April/May 2004
By Dave Wortman
Joe Nolan, a resident of Ithaca, N.Y.'s, 60-family Ecovillage housing project says his community's wood shop is an extension of their Common House. "Experts help newbies get trained on machines," says Nolan, noting that the wood shop even has a "kidsized" workbench to train children in a collaborative and supportive setting.
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Other communities, such as Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst, Mass., take a simpler approach. Resident Nancy Bair says a number of residents have banded together to form their own tool-sharing agreements, with plenty of informal sharing going on, too. "Two or three people may own a small grass clipper together," she says. "We have a couple of groups whose members own a second car together."
EMPOWERING PEOPLE
At Cobb Hill Cohousing, tool sharing is much more than a community building exercise: It's a way of life for this working farm in rural Vermont. "The community shares several kinds of tools, from Kubota tractors to woodworking tools," says Jay Mead, Cobb Hill resident. Residents share in maintaining equipment too, forming committees to deal with the largest pieces.
Tool-sharing programs also are reaping big rewards in supporting community-based volunteer programs around the country, from tree plantings to building renovations. Every spring, "green teams" of more than 1,000 volunteers take to the streets of Providence, R.I., to pick up trash and tires, and to tackle planting and gardening projects. Their success depends on a tool-sharing program called Groundwork Providence, a local nonprofit organization that shares its shovels, rakes and other equipment with Providence residents. "They wouldn't be able to do these projects without our tools," says Beshka Candelaria, Groundwork Providence's neighborhood liaison.
Among the largest tool-sharing programs in the United States is Atlanta's Community ToolBank, which operates from an old broom factory. Started in 1995, the program now serves more than 350 neighborhood groups and a staggering 47,000 volunteers every year. Mark Brodbeck, executive director, says the program owns more than $500,000 worth of tools, including 20,000 shovels, and supports projects such as street cleanups and renovations of homeless shelters. Its biggest effort is helping with the massive Hands On Atlanta Day, which draws 16,000 volunteers for a variety of projects, from park cleanups to mural paintings. "Every tool is gone for Hands On Atlanta," Brodbeck says. "We are a magnifying glass, focusing the energy of the community to create more heat and fire." (Anyone interested in learning more about starting their own tool-sharing program can contact Brodbeck at www.toolbank.org .)
FACING THE CHALLENGES
Even with all of the benefits of tool-sharing programs, they are not without their challenges. From housing cooperatives to larger public programs like Atlanta's, many common problems arise. They range from a lack of organization to funding shortages to tool maintenance. "Paint sprayers are losers," says Faris of Seattle's Well Home Program, noting that intricate tools often require frequent repair. He says the constant need for maintenance may make some tools of this sort impractical for smaller sharing programs that lack the needed maintenance skills among participants.
