Green Feet

Shoe shopping is one of the great feminine joys of life.

Except not for the people who don't have the means to protect their feet from the filth and the cold, much less buy an adorable new pair of kicks/Uggs/flats/stilettos/cleats/crocs HA/gladiator sandals/converses/what-have-you every time a new season rolls around.

And what do we usually do with our old shoes? Toss 'em, stuff 'em in closets, maybe give them to the dog to chew if we're feeling especially generous.

NO.

Recycle your shoes, people! You'll feel better about buying more! There are lots of ways to do this.

Exhibit A:

If you know me, chances are you know my cowboy boots. They're pretty average, nothing to write home about...in fact, they're kind of beat up and old, seeing as I bought them second-hand. And that's what makes them awesome. I mean sure, wearing some Texan lady's boots so I can pretend to be a cowboy is weird. But not as weird as buying some made-in-china faux-cowgirl boots at the mall so I can pretend to be a cowboy. AND IT WAS ECO-FRIENDLY. I saved my shoes from a landfill, and I saved the life of half a cow, I saved the energy used by the shoe-making machines, and I saved Xiao Li, the little orphan girl in the sweatshop, from working the machines. Not to mention like 60 bucks.

So yeah, if your used shoes are still in good condition, you can sell 'em to a vintage or second-hand store. Or, even better, donate them to soles4souls, which will pass them on to people in need (like wildfire victims, victims of domestic abuse, and orphans in developing countries).

Exhibit B:
Ouch. If your shoes look more like this, not even freezing orphans will want them. You're better off donating your sneakers to Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe project, which will recycle them into new ones, or playground and athletic court surfaces.

Exhibit C:

If your shoes look like this, then your life is pretty darn good, and if you're wasting, I hope the little green demons are going to come and KICK YOUR BUTT -- sorry. I repeat, if you have a pair of new shoes that don't fit and you can't return, or your dog chewed the left shoe to pieces, or you're just feeling charitable...send them along to the National Odd Shoe Exchange. It's a non-profit started in 1943 which donates un-matched shoes to amputees, polio victims, and people with club feet, missing toes, or mismatched shoe sizes who can't afford shoes that meet their needs. Disclaimer: Obviously, you're not going to be sending your YSL stilettos to an amputee in Appalachia. But you get the idea.