In many ways, it is a lighthearted piece that puts a name and face to anonymous people, in this case, those laboring to restore mundane household items and family treasures. On another level, the film is a tool to spur discussion about conservation. Fadiman hopes to encourage similar screenings and community meetings around the nation. People can go above and beyond recycling cans and bottles,'' she said. Wagner and associates George Lynch and Greg Page are among those featured in the film, which captures their hands at work and also their contemplations of the value of what they do.
Page describes the instant reward in making a lamp work, turning it on and off.
You don't need anyone to applaud,'' he quips dryly. Fix-It Shops'' also indirectly raises questions about society and intensive marketing that drives consumers' perceived needs for ever new and improved products. Wagner, like owners of other fix-it shops around the Bay Area, said he considers repairs just one part of his job. The other is education about the value of paying more for well-made appliances that will last, rather than buying inexpensive products with plastic innards that cannot be repaired and end up in landfills after a year of use, Wagner said. About 5 percent of the waste stream consists of discarded appliances, according to a recent study in Alameda County, and that percentage will grow as the use of plastics increases, said Ann Schneider, a recycling market development manager at the University of California at Santa Cruz.