People may worry that living sustainably requires extra money, time or effort, but a local tool-share program shows that need not be the case. This program is an example of how sustainable living can be both practical and affordable.

The 3Sixty Tool Library, located in the “red garage” at 448 College Ave., houses a wide assortment of hand tools and power tools for home maintenance, lawn care, woodworking and more.

What began as a pile of leftover tools from a local home renovation became the nucleus of the library, and the library’s tool collection has grown to efficiently serve the needs of dozens of community members.

The library operates similarly to any other public library except that instead of renting books, members rent tools like pruning shears, an electric lawn mower, garden trowels, leaf rakes or an electric chain saw.

“From lawn care to roof care, we’ve got you covered,” said Dave Alexander, a volunteer with the tool library. 

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By sharing resources, the tool library offers a more sustainable approach to home improvement and lawn care. Without the tool library, every household would likely need to purchase all of its own tools, even if the tools were only needed for a single project.

The tool library thereby reduces the community’s environmental impact by conserving resources among residents. Additionally, it reduces costs for its members by providing access to a full range of tools without requiring that they purchase any of them.

In an attempt to further decrease the library’s environmental impact, all gasoline-operated power tools have been replaced with battery-powered electric tools.

To rent tools, individuals must become members of the library. Members can either pay a small annual fee for access to the library’s power tools or they can choose to borrow only hand tools at no cost.

Previously, membership in the library was only available to residents in the 3Sixty neighborhood, 13th Street to 24th Street between River Avenue and Lincoln Avenue, but the organization recently expanded membership to anyone who would like to join.

More than 50 households have become members of the tool library. The library is hoping to grow its membership this season. 

The tool library is open for drop-in visits on Friday evenings 7-9 p.m. and Saturday mornings 9 a.m.-noon. Visits to the library outside of the drop-in hours can be arranged by appointment.

If you or someone you know would like to join the 3Sixty Tool Library, stop in during weekend open hours or visit the website 3-sixty.org/hammertime to learn more.

— Haley Weesies is a sustainability intern at the ODC Network.

The MiSustainable Holland column is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives.

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme:

Community & Neighborhood: The places we live and the individuals we interact with support the development of our personalities and perspectives on life. Encouraging vital and effective communities is essential.