And now with the Bower straining under the weight of its own success, it is putting out a call for community support to raise $5,000 for vital renovations.
General manager Guido Verbist said: “With the rapidly increasing volume of goods coming through the door, our old building just can’t cope. The Bower ‘backyard’ has increasingly become a chaotic overflow area for our goods – everything from kitchen sinks to kids’ scooters – with a hotchpotch of temporary storage and poor displays, with little weather protection.”
The Bower Reuse & Repair Centre began 22 years ago when a group of Sydney residents from all walks of life, who shared a determination to live more sustainably, got together with aspirations to establish a reuse centre for everyday household items.
This passionate group of volunteers built the warehouse and store – Sydney’s first straw bale construction – which stands today at the Addison Road Centre in Marrickville, as an environmental charity and cooperative committed to cutting household ‘hard waste’ and reducing landfill.
“Recent expansion of the Bower’s environmental and social programs including our ‘House to Home’ program for refugees, domestic violence victims, homeless and those in need, our Tiny House course and other workshops, women’s shed and expanded repair services, mean we need more and better organised storage areas,” Mr Verbist added.
If you can help, donate at actionnetwork.org/fundraising/re-boot-the-bower-in-2020.
Bower calling on community help
WITH awareness of the major environmental problems caused by our wasteful lifestyles at an all time high, more and more goods are making their way to the Bower, instead of the tip.