(Photo: Green Heron Tools)
When Ann Adams and Liz Brensinger created Green Heron Farms on their property in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, they promptly experienced a serious problem: many of the farming and gardening tools commonly available were made for men's bodies. In particular, they expected users to have a certain height and weight that Adams and Brensinger didn't have.
So the two launched Green Heron Tools, a company that designs and sells farming tools built with women's bodies in mind. Civil Eats explains why these modified tools are important:
“Before, a shovel was a shovel, with a handle that was usually too tall for me to use with any real dexterity and a blade that often cut into the soles of my shoes over time as I dug,” says Liz.
She adds: “I’ve met people who feel like using a different tool expresses weakness, and I think when I first moved into this field, I felt similarly. It’s an ego thing, [but] not realistic when you look at the science and see the differences in our body structure.”
“The HERShovel has completely changed the way I use this type of tool,” says Danielle Marvit, a former organic grower and herdswoman, who is currently the production manager for Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery in Pittsburgh. “It has been great for my body, and it is the most efficient shovel I have ever used.”
-via Modern Farmer

