The 40th anniversary of Earth Day arrives on April 22nd so to do my part I thought I’d share a couple of smart, good-for-the-earth souvenirs I found recently on a road trip in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory.
The first is this funny looking bar of soap -“designed to eliminate the unused center of traditional soap bars” – that I found in my room at The Resort at the Mountain in Welches, Oregon.
There are plenty of other hotels stocking this product, but it’s the first time I’d come across it. And while it looks funny, it makes a lot of sense to me. I mean, really – when was the last time you used an entire bar of soap on an overnight at a hotel?
(Vintage sprinklers at the Red Pig Garden Tools Museum)
The other unusual and super-earth-friendly souvenir I encountered in my travels recently were “Old Gold” tools that Bob Denman and his wife Rita have for sale at Red Pig Garden Tools in Boring, Oregon. (I’m not saying Oregon is boring; there’s actually a town named Boring)
Bob Denman is a blacksmith who makes much-in-demand, hand-forged tools out of recycled materials. The “Old Gold” tools are just that: perfectly good and, in many cases, valuable old tools Bob and Rita rescue at yard and barn sales that just need a bit of cleaning and, in some cases, repair, before going back to work.
Denman explains a bit more in this video:
Interested in visiting Red Pig Garden Tools yourself? The folks at the Mt. Hood Territory are having a Sweet Spot Sweepstakes. Prizes include a free trip to the area – and a variety of weekly prizes.