I think I have the same problem as you with my feet! i used to have a pair of ECOsneaks but IMHO they sucked, no support for my poor underdeveloped feet. I have a pair of Brooks Mogos now, quite by accident as I went to get a consult from a podiatrist at a specialists shoe shop a couple of months ago and they ARE GREAT. It also appears that Brooks atleast tries to be an environmentally responsible company..

I think my birkenstocks are made with cork but I’d have to check. They have held up for 4 summers of hiking so far and still going strong :)

Great shoe discussion. One important point you didn’t cover relates to the country of origin of the shoes and/or the shoe materials. Third-world countries tend to put very little emphasis on environmentally-friendly manufacturing. Thus they may dump waste streams directly into rivers, discard hazardous waste into landfills, or discharge toxic gases into the air. Thus when you buy a shoe made in such ways, you are a part of the world environmental degradation problem.

I bought a pair of END running shoes just two weeks backs and so far they’ve been a huge hit with me. The particular model I bought, the OTG, is super lite weight which in this case means it won’t give any protection at all in the rain, but like I’m going to actually convince myself to run in the rain. They’re also super attractive shoes that I’ve found myself wearing out and about.

Also, it’s worthwhile to note that they don’t just use recycled plastics and have donation drives lined-up. According to Zappos, they current output at least 95% less manufacturing waste than the typical manufacturer. Even better for us plastic haters, they’ve removed a large plastic component many running shoes have called the “shank” (which also helps reduce steel waste as a shank mold is made for every size of every model of shoe). They’ve ultimate goal isn’t just to make a compostable shoe but to make a shoe that doesn’t use any glue what-so-ever. Sounds pretty crazy to me yet exciting. If you ever find yourself purchasing new shoes, I really recommend the END brand.

By the way, did you see this Daily Mail article pooh-poohing running shoes and making a case for the bare foot? Not that we could go barefoot in the city, but it does give you pause about all the claims for running shoe features.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

In addition to the "walking is not totally plastic-free" I would also mention that I wear through shoes SO much faster now that I walk more. Unfortunately nearly all of my walking is on concrete which wears down shoes pretty quickly when compared to something like carpet.

With that said, I have a couple of pairs of Simple shoes, which I really love. They are, well, simple, I appreciate the materials used and they are super comfy for someone like me who is not willing to endure pain for "cuteness". I need to walk to get places and pain from my shoes is not part of my plan. I'd also recommend looking into shoes that can be repaired or specifically seeking out a shoe repair shop in your area. A good shop can help extend the life of your shoes. I wish this idea would catch on not only in terms of getting better and more shoe repair places, but also when it comes to the manufacturers constructing the shoes with this in mind.

I also love not wearing shoes, but again, with the concrete and all of the hazards that come along with it & city life (broken glass, metal, razors, syringes) and the fact that many walkways are not shielded from the sun in any way, so the concrete is blazing hot, I almost never get out without shoes on :/

you_in_Phila_.html

Check this out Beth.

What about produce. Like berries that are in plastic containers, or grapes in plastic bags?

FairDealTrading.com has canvas sneakers with natural rubber soles and they also have all rubber flip flops.

I have to do some more homework about natural rubber but it is a renewable resource.

i’m a huge walker, and it was so interesting to see the pros and cons of walking. thanks so much!

feel free to check this out when you have a chance: “30 days to a greener you” )

christina

If they are in super shape you can send em here:

Great info on the recycled materials front. Hoping to source more eco friendly sneaks next time round.

Oops I meant to say that my old athetic shoes are usually donated to a person because they are in better/wearable condition than my husband’s old running shoes. by the time his shoes have gone through 2-3 rotations they have so many miles on them that they shouldn’t be worn by another person and are ground up for playground material.

I have very tiny feet and it's a challenge to buy shoes that fit me that don't light up or have cartoon characters on them. When I find a pair of dress shoes, boots, or sandels I try to prolong their life by putting heel taps on them and then getting them resoled. My Birks have rubber soles & I've been able to get them resoled too. It doesn't completely keep items out of the waste stream but at least it cuts down on what I'm putting into the waste stream. For athetic shoes both my huband and I drop our used shoes in the bin at our local running store where they are donated to charity – usually mine because they are in better condition than my husband's. He rotates his running shoes. He'll run in Pair A for X number of miles until the shoes start to break down. He buys and trains in Pair B and Pair A are wore as his kicking around town shoes. when Pair B needs to be retired from training, he buys Pair C. Pair A are either donated/ground up for playground material or are work in the garden, etc shoes and Pair B becomes everyday wear shoes.

I love my Simple EcoSneaks! They are so comfy. But they have no arch support at all, so if that’s something you need, they won’t solve your problem.

Keen has fantastic shoes and I know they make some good efforts to turn out a greener product. They also make very sturdy products. I’ve had a pair of slip ons for two years now. I wear them constantly and they still look and feel great. I love walking. We don’t have a very walkable community, but I still try to whenever I can.

@Clif — I took that photo myself, holding the camera in my right hand away from myself. Yes, it took several tries to get it right.

@islandveggie — My dad loves Birkenstocks, too, and he has the same weird feet as I. They do have plastic foam soles, but over all are pretty cool.

@monkeyjen — Just can’t wrap my head around those 100% plastic shoes, try as I might. But even TreeHugger had some arguments about their light greenness.

Mitigate. Tim Gunn loves that word. And I love Tim Gunn.

Remember that program from Crocs I told you about? SolesUnited – Crocs takes back all worn Crocs and grinds them up and recycles them into new Crocs for donation to shoeless peoples in 3rd world countries and such. They also sell recycled models. Yes – i realize they’re 100% plastic. At least they recycle they’re own stuff.

So if any of you have old crocs laying around – they can be turned in!

I like Birkenstocks. The cost a bit but last for a long long time! Plus most of them are very eco friendly :)

How did you get that overhead picture…was Michael shooting from a window above? Did you have your new camera tied to a balloon and on a timer?

Walking is grrrrrreat! I was thinking about that old ad line “I’d walk a mile for a Camel” and realized that a mile is really no big deal, so I think less of Abe Lincoln, too, who is supposed to have walked a mile to return a penny…or was it three miles? My sin is walking a mile to get a Dr. Pepper, but at least that’s less harmful than a Camel.

It’s the irony of the use of cars that has made us think small distances (1 – 2 miles) are very large even as we think of large distances (100 miles) as small!

One of the best parts of walking is it detaches you from the umbilicals of phones and PC (but only if you let it).

Spring is here so we all should be walking our feet off right this minute – gotta go walk, bye!