high fashion and eco-friendly
First, let's dispel the myth that eco-friendly shoes have to be ugly. Quite the opposite in fact. There are some selections that would make a fashionista clear out her closet. Shoemaker Terra Plana is offering up some hot heels made from vegetable tanned, non-toxic leather and a recycled memory foam lining. In addition to eco-friendly materials, these folks design the shoe to have as few pieces as possible, lightweight, and strong.new shoes from old stuff
Old carpet padding, recycled bike inner tubes, and discarded water bottles are not what usually come to mind when you think about the materials in your shoes. But, if you're wearing Simple Shoes, that's just what's between you and the street. These folks got their start in 1991. They were determined to counter the "over-hyped, over-marketed, and over-teched sneakers." From their ethical supply chain guidelines, to their shoe boxes made from recycled paper, Simple Shoes has made it clear that they're not green washing! And we love their tag line: Shoes for a happy planet. To the left is one of their men's "vegan-friendly" offerings. The sneaker is made from certified organic cotton, the sole of the shoe is biodegradable, and they use water-based glue (instead of the petroleum-based glue most of the industry uses).one shoe for me, one for you
If you haven't heard of TOMS shoes, then perhaps you've been away to the jungles of Africa. Oh wait, they have TOMS shoes there too! These shoes are not only good for the planet (they are made of organic canvas and post consumer recycled plastics) but they are also great for humanity. For each shoe purchased, another TOMS gives away another pair.big guys go green too
Of course, the big brands haven't overlooked the chance to make some cash from eco-friendly shoe shoppers. Keds introduced their Green Label line made from organic cotton and recycled rubber last year.
We're guessing it's not a hot seller since you can't find it on their website unless you know what you're looking for.Timberland's Earthkeepers shoes, sandals, even work boots are made from recycled PET linings, organic cotton, and leather from eco-friendly tanneries. What's more, with their new Earthkeepers 2.0 collection, they've designed all the footwear to be easily disassembled and recycled when their worn out. For example, on this work boot, after you're done with it, you'd return it to a Timberland store or mail it back to them. Then leather upper removed, cleaned and made into new footwear. In fact, 90 percent of the shoe will be recycled. Now that's thinking things through.
wait, don't toss those old shoes in the trash
If you're like many American's no doubt you have at least a few pairs of shoes that you're not going to wear anymore. We'd like you to consider one of these shoe recycling options.If the shoe is still good enough to wear, the best thing is to donate it to a good cause. For dress shoes, there are plenty of local organizations, such as Working Wardrobes in Southern California, collecting your old shoes. They clean them up and give them to someone who's working on improving their life and trying to find a better job.
Other organizations collect shoes to give to the homeless, or ship them overseas to places like South America, Africa, and elsewhere. No doubt there's a worthwhile group in your area that would love to take your usable shoes off your hands.
Of course, sometimes a shoe isn't fit for anyone's feet. Nike has an answer for that. Their Reuse-a-Shoe program has recycled more than 25 million pairs of athletic shoes since 1990. At the recycling plant, old shoes become new athletic surfaces for running tracks, basketball court padding, or foam tops for tennis courts. The great thing is that they take all brands, not just their own.
Read more about eco-fashion at AirDye: Good for Water
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