It will be an educational session on how the Energy Works program helps with understanding energy usage and solving energy waste, discomfort, and other problem areas in your home. The workshop is free and there is no obligation, although there will be a chance to sign up for the program that includes a low-cost audit, contractor connections for retrofit work, and low-interest financing.

Click here for a flier with more information.

TONIGHT, we bring you KNOWLEDGE and INSPIRATION! Oh, and PIZZA!! The Tool Library will be holding the second monthly installment of Pizza and Power Tools in our newly consolidated space from 7:00-8:30. See the flyer for details and we hope to see you there!

Thanks, everyone, for coming out to our Winter Workday on Saturday. We had almost 20 people come out to help us drywall, build shelves, move other shelves, clean out old stuff we didn’t need any more, and lots more.

Special thanks to Linda, Kathleen T, Kathleen O’D, Stacey, Robert, James, Jake, Ben, Oliver, Gwyenth, Pete, Subash, Zach, Megan, Morgan, Mimi, and Tim.

Stop by soon to see all the changes we’ve made.

The Tool Library and The Energy Co-op are excited to announce a new partnership.

For every person that joins the Energy Co-op through a referral from the Tool Library, the Co-op will give the Tool Library $20.

Why should you join the Energy Co-op?

Renewable energy. The Energy Co-op offers two plans. EcoChoice20 is 15% windpower, 5% solar, and 80% standard energy. EcoChoice100 is 99% windpower and 1% solar. All of its energy is generated by turbines and solar panels here in Pennsylvania.

Affordable electricity. Currently, PECO charges 9.91c per kilowatt/hour (kWh). The Energy Co-op’s EcoChoice20 Plan is 9.85c per kWh. Its EcoChoice100 Plan is 10.95c per kWh.

Here’s how your monthly bill would compare if your household uses 700 kWh:

The Energy Co-op also charges an annual co-op membership (just like the Tool Library) of $15.

Support Cooperatives. The Energy Co-op is the only non-profit, member-owned energy supplier today. Just like the Tool Library, the Energy Co-op doesn’t operate just to make a profit for its shareholders.

Help the Tool Library. Did we mention that the Energy Co-op will give the Tool Library $20 for every person who joins the Energy Co-op?

It’s Easy. When you’re ready to join, you’ll need your PECO Account Number. Then go here. On the second page, where it asks you how you heard about the Energy Co-op, write “Tool Library.”

If you prefer, we have paper copies of the application available at the Tool Library.

More information about The Energy Co-op’s electricity programs is available on their website.

On Saturday, January 28, we’re having a Winter Work Day from 9am to noon. We’re going to be re-organizing our tools, building new shelves, and sorting through tool donations. We could really use your help.

We’ll provide you with coffee to get you going in the morning. And we’ll provide you with pizza at lunch time.

Come out, meet other interesting Tool Library members, and have some fun. We could really use your help.

If you can make it, please RSVP by sending Michael an email at michael@westphillytools.org.

Thanks! And see you then.

Ladies & Gentlemen, let’s welcome Abby (and her friend, Justin), the Tool Library’s 1000th member. They joined the Tool Library tonight.

Happy borrowing!

Want to see what tools the Tool Library has?  Want to see whether they’re currently in stock and when they might be due back?  Now you can.

Thanks to the our new tool library database–officially called ToolLibrarian, but around here affectionately called “Portland” because it was developed by the Southeast Portland Tool Library–you can see an up-to-date listing of all 3000+ tools by going to our website and clicking “Our Tools.”

It’s been a big project getting this up and running.  When we started the Tool Library, we never expected that anyone other than the Tool Librarians would be viewing the names of the tools.  So we’ve had to go back and re-write a lot of the tool names, changing, for example, “Big red pliers with funny handle” to “Pliers – Large.”

We couldn’t have done it without the great volunteer assistance of Nick who went through all of the listings and categorized hundreds of tools.  (That’s him to the left there in a place much warmer than Philly was this week.)  Thanks, Nick.

As you’re reviewing the tool listing, if you see any name that should be changed or a tool that’s in the wrong category, can you let us know?  Email the tool ID (you can find this out by hovering your mouse over the tool name), the tool name, and what you think should be changed to info@westphillytools.org.

Thanks!

John is one of our regular volunteers here at the Tool Library. Not only is he handy at fixing tools when we’re in a pickle, John’s also been helping us sort through our new donations at lightning speed!

Originally from New Hampshire, John is trained as an architect and now works to make West Philly more livable. He finds the grilled cheese at Gold Standard especially tasty but doesn’t mind sharing the other half. He enjoys his weekly trips to the tool library because he never knows what he’ll find! There’s a gleaming retro floor buffer he’s got his eye on.

Thanks, John.

Interested in volunteering with us?  Please drop us a line at info@westphillytools.org.  

You can read it by clicking here.