Guardians of Grail

cheapbag214s · Posted: Sun 22:19, 18 Aug 2013 Post subject: Green Shoe Fetish

Green Shoe Fetish
Not the Chuck Taylor kind. The rubbery,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], cushy,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], pumped-up, neon kind that may or may not feature springs, air pockets,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], reflectors,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], retractable wheels and motion-sensitive lights.
Training for the New York City marathon in 2004,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Sarah wore through three pairs of these running-shoes-on-'roids in twice as many months. In an era when the majority of "tennis shoes" are purchased not for athletic endeavors but for comfort, these products don't hold up to the promise suggested by their $100 price tags,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], she noted (and then doled out for another pair).
But with ye olde cobbler long dead (re-soling Jesus's Birkenstocks in forgotten profession heaven) and cheap production methods shortening the lives of shoes, Americans have gotten into the habit of pitching worn out (or simply undesired) kicks and buying new ones. shoes market.
The production of athletic shoes is infamously shady, from a human rights perspective. Historically,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], manufacturing giants such as Nike have followed cheap labor,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], exploiting workers in developing countries so that they might enjoy enormous profit margins. (Nike has really turned itself around in recent years, however, and is now one of the greener players on the field.)
In terms of Mama Earth, your walking shoes definitely walk all over her. They're loaded with plastic components, such as vinyl,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], that produce cancer-causing emissions when manufactured AND during their decades-long (some say centuries-long) decomposing process in landfills.
As for the cushioning that has been the foot's savior, it's the landfill's curse. Typically made of polyurethane treated with flame-retardant chemicals, the soles and lining of discarded shoes seep toxins into our earth and water--evidenced by studies finding these chemicals (penta-BDEs) in human breast milk. polyurethane foam still kicks it poison style.
Leather shoe components may result from inhumane slaughter, may come from species other than claimed on the packaging, and certainly were fashioned with highly toxic, energy-guzzling methods.
Then you've got all the stuff that holds your shoe together. Glues, solvents and such. It won't touch you when you're running,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], as far as we know, but it's a health hazard to the poor people assembling your shoes, and ultimately to your grandchildren when they drink water tainted by the Reeboks you threw out a half-century ago.
Whoa, player, what's the good news? Nike has a well-established shoe recycling program,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Reuse-A-Shoe, that turns old tenneys into basketball courts, tracks and other sports surfaces. The company also has designed an eco-friendly boot that incorporates hemp and recycled rubber waste.
Last year, Brooks introduced a biodegradable midsole. And ,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], such as Birkenstock and Splaff, have environmentalism embedded into their mission statements.
And Simple's Green Toe line (Simran loves 'em) are green from sole to lace.
Besides shopping for conscientious brands, you might ask yourself if you need to be shopping for shoes at all. Sarah says emotional shoe-shopping is a habit worth kicking. Simran, who has been called Imelda by quite a few, says make your fetish eco and try Charmone Shoes, Terra Plana or Beyond Skin.
This post was written by Sarah Smarsh and Simran Sethi. Thanks to the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Lacey Johnston for research assistance and Malik Williams for the image,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
You can find previews of these posts every week on Green Options.
It's nice to see big corporations like Nike make some changes (even if it's small). For example, several months ago they introduced the Steve Nash "Trash Talk" basketball shoes that was made from all the leftover leather scraps from their factory. Steve Nash is a big environmentalist and worked directly with Nike to make the shoes which sold out quickly! We need more athletes pushing their sponsors to act responsibly. I also love the Simple kicks and have been wearing them for years and Patagonia just started making shoes as well!
Thanks for including the shoe links. I wear Dansko's in the cooler months. I'm not sure about their eco record as far as their actual shoe construction goes, but I know that they try to follow some green guidelines in their business practices (I think their headquarters are LEED certified). Do you have any info on the production end of things?
They do last a long time and I've never had to throw a pair out. I'm hoping that when I do wear through a pair,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the local cobbler will be able to bring them back to life. (Assuming,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], of course, that the local cobbling business doesn't leave a disproportionately large footprint.)
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