On Wednesday, 23 March 2016 04:38:40 UTC+1, Bill Wright wrote:
In the interests of the conservation of materials and energy, should not
DIY, especially the repair of goods, be a priority for the environmental
movement?

Yes. It is. There are many environmental groups running "Repair Cafes"
and similar.

Of course, from the point of view of the environment, there is no particular
advantage to ripping out that three year old kitchen yourself as opposed to
paying a builder to do it for you.