The LOS CoOp is litterally a shed filled with good quality items that are shared amongst its members.  It exists to radically reduce  our communities demands on the planet for resources required to make things we infrequently need.  Instead of shopping for these things you could borrow instead, spend those 5 hours instead helping care, share and repair the stuff in the LOS CoOp and borrow whatever you want in return!

We are Climate Change Mitigation & Adaption in practice.

To multiply our conservation impact we prioritise quality and repairability above all other considerations when accepting new items to add to the inventory – regardless of whether we buy them or receive them as a donation.  We want to showcase high quality items and inspire our members to buy better themselves when they decide they use an item frequently enough to justify buying it. 

Many items that we accept as donations get cleaned up and professionally checked for  electrical safety (if applicable) before we sell them to raise funds for the CoOp or on-gift them.

The LOS CoOp is located in the blue brick shed on the south side of the Mullumbimby Community Hall (formerly the Scout Hall) on River Terrace (behind the post office) in Mullumbimby.

It operates on the traditional land of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge and pay respect to traditional custodians past, present and emerging, and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.  

The CoOp is currently open on Thursday’s, 3-5pm, and every second Saturday from 9-11.  Check our Insta or Fb for the next open Saturnday.

The inspiration for the Library of Stuff name came from Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff mini documentary (20mins) that details the detrimental effects of increasing consumption of low-quality consumer goods.   These goods use materials extracted from the earth, some are finite, most are not renewing at the rate of extraction.  These goods have a massive emissions impact from extraction to production to transport to disposal.  These goods are often made by people who are not paid fairly and in countries who’s environmental protection rules are not as robust as Australia’s. 

Stop Wasting

Buying items we infrequently use wastes money and storage space.  If those items are not made in Australia or under a Fair Work Agreement they may also be exploiting the people and places involved in their journey from extraction through manufacturing to the store that you bought them from. 

Borrow Don’t Buy

If you can take or leave a purchase, ask yourself if the items creation is good for the planet, bad or neutral.  You’ll probably know the answer well enough without needing expert information.  If in doubt, borrow instead of buy.  Or go without.  Saving the planet by being a Library of Stuff Co op member seriously saves our members heaps of cold hard cash.  

Buy Better & Actively Care for Your Stuff

We connect members with the benefits of using good quality items and through our maintenance processes and working bees we demonstrate how to really take care of the stuff.  Sharing & Repairing have been described in this era of hyper-consumption as ‘radical acts’; activities that fly in the face of the core capitalist message of ‘buy now’.  Watch the Netflix movie with that name here. 

Behaviour Works Roadmap to Circular Economy project has lots of great intel on the problem and solutions to over consumption and production of goods.   Borrowing/Renting are the most impactful behaviours you can do to reduce the unsustainable waste of the planets finite resources.  Here’s the one pager and all information about their project can be found at :  https://www.behaviourworksaustralia.org/major-project/responsible-consumption-behavioural-roadmap-to-circular-consumption

To join the LOS CoOp you must attend the shed when we are open and discuss with the crew on shift how you will contribute your 5 hours a month.  If it’s clear after that chat that the LOS and You are a good fit for each other you will be shown where to sit and sign up on our shed computer.  Once you are signed up you will be able to login on your own devises to manage your membership and make and manage reservations.