BACKGROUND

The Tucson Repair Cafe began when Sustainable Tucson Zero Waste Committee members Rocky Baier and Stephen Menke teamed up to make positive change in Tucson. Our first event was November 13th, 2021, and we are continuing to grow. Our mission is to:

Reduce local landfill waste
Give items a new life
Empower Tucson citizens to be self-reliant
Create a place for people to connect and share skills

MEET THE TEAM

Rocky Baier

Co-founder. Rocky, an Arizona native, graduated class of 2020 from the University of Arizona with a degree in journalism. She has always had a deep love of the environment, and she's passionate about doing her part to mitigate climate change. She became involved with Sustainable Tucson and started this project to give people a way to help fight climate change in their day-to-day lives. She likes singing, running, cooking, and creating things!

Steve Menke

Co-founder. Steve was raised on a farm in central Nebraska and believes that small farms and small businesses are important to revitalizing America. Having experienced childhood stability, he adventured into wine education, extension, and research as an adult, always relishing food and wine. He currently is retired from his position as associate professor of enology at Colorado State University. He is involved in sustainability in Tucson, particularly with helping foster small and local circular economy entrepreneurs that can provide local employment, preserve environmental diversity, and build community equity.

Pete Vieira

Repairer and Webmaster. Pete has a background in mechanical engineering, robotics, and web development. Repairing and teaching others to repair their own broken items is a longtime passion of his. He's been visiting family in Tucson for years and moved here from France in 2021.

Mark Mitchell

Repairer Coordinator. Mark Mitchell grew up in Canada and got his degree from the University of Victoria in electrical engineering. He moved to Tucson in 2021. He got involved with the Tucson Repair Cafe because he likes fixing stuff, inventing things, and wanted to help Tucson be more sustainable.