Good Shoe Deeds!

Tips on Tuesdays

You look in your closet. Some of your shoes are worn out. There are certain shoes you were sure you were gonna wear but just don't. Someone loaned you shoes you never gave back.

What to do?

Return the loaned shoes at once...you don't want coal in your stocking do you?

For those shoes you just don't wear consider giving them to friends, charity or a shelter. There are also great programs like Soles4Souls and Cinderella Project that will get your shoes to feet in need.

Perhaps, you'll turn those shoes into a groovy art project. Wooden clogs make adorable flower pots and you can fill a shoe with sand or cement and turn it into a charming door stop.

For those shoes that are just plain worn out you gotta let go...but before you throw them away you might be able to recycle them!

Chaco brand offers a “ReChaco” program for your worn out sandals to keep them out of the landfills by transforming them back into a wearable pair again.

Kamik rain boots offer a recycling option for styles made with their HE Rubber that can be mailed to the following address:

Kamik-Attn:Recycling Program

33 Catamount Drive

Milton, VT 05468

Nike and Converse even offers a “Re-Use-A-Shoe” program for their shoes that are separated and ground up into materials that go into making new shoe soles, insoles and even athletic surfacing like play grounds, tracks and courts.

UniqEco, a Kenyan company, will turn your old flip flops into cool stuff like fun jewelry, doormats and toys.

You can also rock your green sole by supporting brands like El Naturalista—using recycled and biodegradable materials in production and Brooks—continues to innovate faster biodegradability for their mid-soles and commited to sharing their technology with other brands and Okabashi brand—totally lean, zero waste entirely recyclable footwear. Also, consider brands and styles that are re-sole-able like the Clark's Natureveldt any many styles of Mephisto's, Chaco's, Birkenstocks and Finn Comfort's so that your shoes can go the extra mile.

Good Shoe Deeds,

abigail dagmar