by Celine Mason
Over the past couple of months I have been interning at Share (Portsmouth). Before starting this role, I had never heard about Repair Cafés or Libraries of Things before, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I have always been interested in climate change and sustainability, so I was excited to learn more about what can be done on an individual level, as well as the community aspect of the Hub.
I have been working across three projects – the Repair Café, Portsmouth Library of Things, and the Time After Time e-waste project.
I currently study Natural Sciences, and throughout school and university I have learnt a lot about the large-scale effects of climate change, and large-scale solutions. While these are incredibly important in climate control, they are usually dependent on the decisions of large companies and governments and can feel out of my control. I’ve also always known about the actions I can take as an individual, such as reducing my personal waste and emissions, however sometimes it can feel like these are having minimal effect. One of my tasks at Share has been to quantify the embodied carbon of the items in the library. This means the CO2 that is produced during an item’s production. We can then use this to calculate how much embodied carbon is saved each time an item is borrowed instead of buying new. Calculating these figures has definitely opened my eyes to how the actions of many do make a difference together.
It’s also been great to see the community that Share has built in Portsmouth. The amount of people that give their time to keep the charity running and sharing their skills is incredible. The Hub can get pretty busy, with people chatting over repairs or coming in to learn what we’re about. Overall I’ve had a great experience this summer and hope that more places like this open up around the country!

Hi Clare,I was really interested
Hi Clare, I think I was going to say I was really interested in the concept of embodied carbon, which I’ve never heard as an expression before.
Is there any chart of how much e.c. you are saving, or an item-by-item chart?
Each could make a great news item – and not just locally!
I keep forgetting to bring you stuff we want you to have – eg fish kettle, pasta maker, etc.
Keep up the great work!
Leon
Thanks Leon. We have a list that we use to calculate EC linked to item type and weight. You can find a variety of reports and studies that researchers have done on this. It is very hard to quantify if you look at the whole journey of a product from it’s raw materials through to disposal, but there is carbon used at every stage, which is why we’re so passionate about keeping things lasting longer and used by more people, so we make the most out of our world’s resources.