Recycle your Shoes!

Do you remember last year when I told you about my crazy Go Commando first 5k ever but if not, it looked a little like this:

I’m in the black

It was so muddy! But that was the point, after the mud slide (which is when that pic was taken) we also had to wade through a bog!  Anyway the point is, when everyone was done running there were some nasty shoes around… but they had a plan for them. Before the race they suggested that people where their oldest shoes and then at the end they had a place for you to donate them to Green Sneaker!

Last year I didn’t run enough to have shoes to donate so I just ran in my kayaking shoes I knew they would come clean. But this year is different, I’ve got shoes to donate! Woo hoo for worn out shoes!

But maybe donating at the Go Commando race with me in June isn’t an option for you, no worries I have two other recycling options for you!

Where can I recycle my shoes?

First is the Nike Reuse a Shoe/Grind Program they use your old shoes in the following ways.

• Nike Grind Rubber, made from the shoe’s outsole, is used in track surfaces, interlocking gym flooring tiles, playground surfacing and even new Nike products, such as the outsoles of the Nike Pegasus or the Jordan XX3. It’s also used in trim items like buttons and zipper pulls.
• Nike Grind Foam, made from the shoe’s midsole, is used as a cushion for outdoor basketball and tennis courts, as well as futsal fields.
• Nike Grind Fiber, made from the shoe’s fabric upper, is used in the creation of cushioning pads for facilities like indoor synthetic courts and wood courts. So if your shoes are completely worn out and no good to any one you can donate them individually or as a group.

  Or if they are in decent condition consider donation them to Soles4Soles. They are  either donated to people in need if they are in good condition, or to small businesses in other countries to rehab and then sell supporting their economy. Cool huh?

Buy Greener Shoes

Here are a few options I’ve found for ‘green’ shoes.

Brooks has a great running shoe with lots of green features. I’ve been reading about Brooks and how amazing they are and now with the added ‘greenness” I have a good idea what my next running shoe will be…although I still want a crazy colored pair.

I also found this website that has lots of options of eco friendly shoe companies. Including ones that use bamboo, organic cotton, cork, coconut, hemp, recycled rubber and much more. I would imagine a cork sole would be very comfy. So check out Planet Shoes!