Trash panda: The Origin story
Me and Trash Panda on our first off-road trip.
In early 2024, I purchased my first truck, but it wasn’t an easy decision to make. At that time, I had only owned my car for five years after not having owned one for over 20! For nine of those 20+ years I drove a 4-speed manual-shifting metal-bodied scooter, a silver Vespa PX 150.
I was highly aware of the negative impact cars have on the environment, especially trucks. However, I’d been spending a lot of time exploring Oregon and some adventures were getting increasingly unsafe in my Volkswagen Jetta. The year prior, I also joined Willamette Backcountry Ski Patrol as a Forest Service volunteer, a winter safety and rescue team serving Oregon's Gold Lake Sno-Park. Truly, I needed a vehicle a bit more capable navigating the different terrains and weather I was experiencing more often. When I found this 6-speed MT Jeep Wrangler Sport JL, it was a perfect fit… or some may say “love at first sight.”
While finalizing the purchase, it was stormy and pouring rain. As I was handed the keys the rain completely stopped. Then as I left the dealership and approached the truck, the sun broke through the clouds bathing it in a warm sunset glow and a rainbow appeared behind it. A very positive and comforting sign.
So why “Trash Panda” and what does that mean? …let me explain…
A few years ago, LOWA launched a “Leave No Trace” campaign, providing customers with resources to help clean up litter in natural areas. One suggestion was to pack out any litter found on your outdoor adventures and post those clean up efforts to social media to help spread the word. So that’s what I’ve been doing since December of 2023.
I started by keeping a handful of small kitchen garbage bags in my car and when I’d go for a hike, trail run, or backpacking I’d stick one in my pocket and pack out trash I found. In the beginning, the amount was small, a few bottles or cans here and there, but over time I started seeing more and finding even larger items left behind.
First “Trash Panda” pack out. Small, but so is every first step to change.
Third “Trash Panda” pack out. Found a Queen-sized fuzzy blanket on top of a butte. It was raining, the blanket was soaked, so it weighed 15 lbs or more!
Fast forward a year later when I bought my truck, I started exploring the more rugged backcountry roads in nearby national forests and unfortunately discovered quite a few dump sites along the way. Some were close to the highway and others deeper in the forest in less accessible areas. After passing these spots more regularly, I noticed many were not being cleaned up, some were getting bigger, and more were popping up.
I decided to step up my litter cleaning efforts and now use my truck to pack out some of the trash from those piles. Then, on my way home I drop off the load at local waste management transfer stations and recycle what I can. Anything that is still usable I take to BRING, a company that receives and sells some types of salvaged and surplus building materials, garden supplies, tools, etc. I find a lot of joy in doing it and hopefully in some way it offsets a bit of the carbon footprint I make driving my truck.
Now for the name “Trash Panda”: Most of you who own a Jeep (specifically a Wrangler) are aware of the various customs that some Jeep Wrangler owners participate in (“ducking”, the “Jeep wave”, etc…). A more familiar one is naming the Jeep and putting the name along the hood. One evening, my partner and I were loosely discussing turning my forest clean up efforts into a volunteer organization. While thinking of potential names for that, some we were coming up with seemed better suited for my truck.
Within just a few minutes “Trash Panda” emerged and after a couple more months of cleaning up litter and trash sites…it became its official name. I made the sticker below to use as a placeholder for the name on the hood.
© Damian McDonald
So that’s how it all began. I’ll do my best to post more “Trash Panda Adventures” when I have time. There’s quite a few…and some are rather thrilling!
Another shot of Trash Panda on our first off-road trip.
Stay tuned!
