Click here to see this feature displayed with
photos of each shoe.
I've been so caught up with unhealthy toys and baby food and
formula lately, I've been neglecting my (e)mailbag. If
you've written me lately, I promise to answer your question
shortly. Here's one:
I read what you wrote about what Crocs are made of. I get
tempted by cheap things at Target and stores like that because the
kids grow out of everything so quickly, but I don't know what
they're made of either. Are there green shoes for kids out
there? Will they break the bank?
-Anne, mom of two
Anne, I hear you. My weakness has been the Payless website from
time to time, especially when our fabulous and endless supply of
hand-me-downs comes up short, or the used shoes in her current size
aren't exactly gently used. I'm all for secondhand gear -
what could be greener? - but I don't like putting my kid in
really dinged up kicks. I especially draw the line at holes! I
wouldn't wear them myself. Still, I resist the urge to go as
cheap as possible and vote with my dollars by buying from companies
that appear to be walking the sustainable walk.
First up, have you seen Simple Shoes? They even have those adorable
soft slippers for early walkers that everyone else makes in
leather. Depending on which style you choose, they might be made
with hemp uppers, certified organic cotton linings, recycled PET
and latex elastic, outsoles made of recycled inner tubes, and
packed with 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms inside a post
consumer recycled box that looks like a truck. That pair will set
you back $30, which is actually extremely reasonable in the world
of kids shoes. Why are the teeny tiny well made things with leather
uppers so insanely expensive? They cost as much if not more than
adult shoes!? Speaking of, as long as you're ordering Simple,
check out their shoes for mom and dad. Cute stuff, and they have
excellent sales.
Next up, Toms Shoes. Their Tiny Toms come in prewalker and toddler
sizes, are quite adorable, and for every pair you purchase, the
company gives a pair of shoes to a kid in need. Their website says they've given away over 60,000
pairs of shoes to children in Argentina and South Africa since
2006. They do use recycled rubber, but the canvas is regular old
cotton. The price point isn't too bad -- $35ish will cover the
kids. Ten bucks more will cover you.
For the littlest that need more than socks, check out IsaBooties. They aren't made of a natural fiber (a
minus in my book) but they list on their site why they refer to the
product as eco-friendly:
* are 100% animal-free;
* are formaldehyde-free;
* are made in the USA with fair labor;
* use fabrics that far exceed the Standard Consumer Safety
Specification for Toy Safety (ASTM F963-07);
* come in packaging that is recycled/recyclable and printed with
soy ink; and
* are 100% machine-washable/machine-dryable just like socks
offering a clean, healthy choice in footwear.
While we're on the topic of not wanting to buy cheap goods at
places like Target, I'd like to highlight these adorable frog
rainboots that cost under $20 sold at Target
because they're PVC-free! So are the $34 rubber boots from
Hatley(Canadian company, go figure). Just make
sure you click on the "rubber boots" as the rain boots
don't say what they're made of.
Patagonia also makes kids shoes - check the line out onPlanet Shoes. The line doesn't quite sound
as green as, say, Simple Shoes, but they're doing some
interesting things on various shoes like stitching on the outsole
construction to minimize the use of solvents and adhesives (and
adding durability), using outsoles with 20% recycled rubber, and
insoles with up to 15% recycled EVA, and materials like hemp.
Meanwhile, Payless itself is jumping on board and will offer a
"green" line of shoes sometime early this year, including kids items, and all will be
around $30 or under. They will use sustainable/eco-friendly
materials (organic cotton, natural hemp, recycled outsoles) as well
as green packaging. Obviously the rest of the company has a long
way to go, but I'm certainly interested to see what they've
come up with.
posted by Alexandra
Related links from the Daily Green:
Everything You Wanted to Know About Organic Wine
How to Pay $1 A Gallon for Gas (Or Less)
Take the Quiz: How Green Do You Want to Be?
Go Green Today: 10 Easy Eco-Tips
For More Parenting Advice, Subscribe to Good Housekeeping &
Save up to 75%!
Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
