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ZIMBABWE
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Lawrence experienced the collapse of the bread-basket of Africa, the dictatorship of Robert Mugabe, and the after-effects of brutal colonialism. Lawrence left at 18 and has since lived in Canada, Botswana, South Africa and Argentina and traveled through Scandinavia and Southern Africa, and hitch-hiked from Toronto to Vancouver.
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CANADA & COMMUNITY
Through environmental activism Lawrence met a group who sought the same; solutions beyond telling people how to live their lives.
INSTITUTE FOR A RESOURCE-BASED ECONOMY (IRBE)
In 2011, together with a handful of environmental activists, Lawrence co-founded the Institute for a Resource-Based Economy. It's mission is to work at the intersection of economics and the environment by challenging people's perceptions of ownership and our relationship to the Earth's resources. IRBE recognizes that today's dominant economic system has created unprecedented crisis that exploit people and our planet. IRBE envisions a world that responds to these crises by sharing resources, creating resilient projects and communities, motivating us to our highest potential.
In March 2013 IRBE founded the first location of the Toronto Tool Library in Parkdale. The second location, a teaching and learning centre and makerspace, would come just 6 months later in October in East York. In May 2015 IRBE would open its third location of the Tool Library project inside the Downsview Toronto Public Library branch, an incredible step towards shared community hubs. In April 2016, IRBE launched the Sharing Depot, Canada's first library of things, at its East York location, and in March 2017 would move it's Downsview branch to Hillcrest, and convert it too additionally into a library of things.
The Tool Library and Sharing Depot aim to make the tools and things to improve lives as accessible as possible. It recognizes the finite nature of the Earth's resources and does justice to them by sharing incredible complex and resource-expensive tools in communities. Instead of a community buying 10 drills, 10 tents, one of these resource heavy items is used 10 times.
In March 2013 IRBE founded the first location of the Toronto Tool Library in Parkdale. The second location, a teaching and learning centre and makerspace, would come just 6 months later in October in East York. In May 2015 IRBE would open its third location of the Tool Library project inside the Downsview Toronto Public Library branch, an incredible step towards shared community hubs. In April 2016, IRBE launched the Sharing Depot, Canada's first library of things, at its East York location, and in March 2017 would move it's Downsview branch to Hillcrest, and convert it too additionally into a library of things.
The Tool Library and Sharing Depot aim to make the tools and things to improve lives as accessible as possible. It recognizes the finite nature of the Earth's resources and does justice to them by sharing incredible complex and resource-expensive tools in communities. Instead of a community buying 10 drills, 10 tents, one of these resource heavy items is used 10 times.
Accepting first Ontario Trillium Foundation grant on our first anniversary with (from left) Clare Nolan (OTF representative), Ryan Dyment (IRBE Executive Director), Victoria Buchy (IRBE Board), Lawrence Alvarez, and Cheri Di Novo (MPP Parkdale-High Park).