Green Heron Tools • HERShovel

Posted on August 10, 2014 Updated on August 17, 2014

WATER SLIDES AND BUGGY RIDES are OK for some tourists. 30% milk-fat ice cream & funnel cake. But around these parts, it’s farming. Crops & animals. It was no surprise recently, while visiting an exhibition at the Penn State Landisville Experimental Farm, to find myself in front of a display of shovels. Ahh, tools! Love every durn one of them. And these, especially!

As it turns out, I have seen these particular shovels before, having bought one at a home show a few years ago. My Mom loves it, and even Dad chooses it over a conventional shovel (strong enough for a man, made for a woman?).

Conceived by two Pennsylvania residents. Made in Pennsylvania (in America). Designed expressly for bodies which are not engineered for digging. Fortunate to find, manning the booth, one of two woman behind the company, I was able to get a clear understanding of what went into their shovels.

Both Ann (my partner) and I have backgrounds in health — she has a master’s in nursing. Our health backgrounds played a major role in realizing the need for tools and equipment designed to work with women’s bodies. We understood the connections between tools & health/safety — and Ann, in particular, has a very good understanding of body mechanics (how to use/move your body in ways that get tasks done while preventing injuries). We do workshops for farmers and gardeners on ergonomics, body mechanics etc.

As for design of the shovel — we had a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, which enabled us to convene a design team that included, in addition to ourselves, an agricultural engineer, an industrial engineer with a specialty in ergonomics, and an occupational therapist. – Liz Brensinger , Master of Public Health

When you want a perfect gift for the active female gardener in your circle of loved ones.

http://www.greenherontools.com