Edinburgh Tool Library (ETL) has opened its newest little free library in Portobello full of books, litter pickers and beach toys for anyone to borrow.
The Neighbourhood Partnership Community Grants Fund, Plane and Simple, charity Dads Rock funded the Portobello outlets, and the Leith Chooses participatory budgeting scheme funded the two solar libraries in Leith at Citadel Court Community Garden and the Leith Links Croft. The solar libraries have phone charging points, a covered seat and information on coping with the cost of living this winter.
The libraries are book sharing boxes which operate on an exchange basis, one in one out. ETL has built more than 30 in Edinburgh although there are around 50 in the city in total. ETL is a tool library established in 2014 which lends tools or shows people how to use them.
A spokesperson for ETL explained: “The Porty Beach Little Free Library is aimed at encouraging a sharing culture in a place that often bears witness to our linear throw away one, with litter and plastic waste washing up on the shore.
“Much like the drills, ladders and lawn mowers the ETL lends out, beach toys are seldomly used, and by sharing resources that already exist, we collectively reduce our carbon footprint, and save money at the same time. Borrowing from the beach library means you save a few quid and reduce your waste plastic by sharing one of the ETL buckets and spades instead of buying one for that one off trip.”
Cllr Alys Mumford opened the library. She said: ““It’s so exciting to see the Beach Library open in Portobello. This will help residents and visitors alike enjoy the beach while saving money and stopping more waste going to landfill. I can’t wait to see it in action, and hopefully inspiring more projects like this across the city – thank you Edinburgh Tool Library.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
