Before the Tech Bit: Observations on the Workings of a Scottish Community Fridge

Abstract

In the last few years, we have seen an increased interest by communities in developing technologies, including telecommunication infrastructures. In HCI, we have seen work around food sharing and the role of technology in supporting sustainability efforts to reduce food waste. We bring these two debates together, reflecting on our experience of working with a Community Fridge to explore possibilities of technologies to support ongoing efforts. In finding our definition for community building, our contributions are twofold: (1) we must meaningfully consider community priorities in digital developments; and (2) introduce locally relevant technologies that relate to genuine priorities of grassroots organisations.