How to Go Green Shoes for Kids
A look at a few options for eco-friendly shoes when buying green for kids.
Not too long ago anyone asking how to go green by buying eco-friendly shoes for children was severely limited in the answer. Pretty much the green choices available were hemp and canvas or canvas and hemp. Try wearing those with your spiffy new First Communion garb. Aside from being just plain ugly, the choices in green for kid's shoes often meant sacrificing comfort along with style. Locating green shoes for children posed even more of a dilemma and a commitment some of us just don't have. The good news (for me anyway) is the supply and demand theory is alive and well, and today the choices in green shoes for kids won't have you sacrificing on style, and those precious little feet will be comfy cozy and green.
The dance of supply and demand between consumer and manufacturer has never been performed more gracefully than in the area of echo friendliness. Often used as a tool by manufacturers to keep things scarce in order to drive up prices, when it comes to going green, manufacturers are indeed willing participants in the effort to do their part. The fashion industry has received some of the greenest infusion yet, and big name companies like Nike, Timberland, North Face, Converse, and Payless have all joined the dance, by offering green choices for kids at affordable prices.
Realizing that going green has various levels of devotion; manufacturers of children's shoes have covered a lot of ground getting a product out there to suit every level. There are vegan shoes, vegetarian shoes, and shoes simply made from recycled materials. In your quest for green shoes for kids, how the shoes are made should play as much a role in the decision making process as proper fit and ultimate cost.
Sometimes the answer to going green is as simple as a consignment shop. Taking into consideration children's feet are works in progress, and what we buy today won't fit a few months from now, gently worn shoes are often items in abundance. Some of the consignment stores in my neck of woods will even allow you to swap out a pair of outgrown children's shoes for a pair that fits. Since green choices are on the rise the odds of finding vegan and vegetarian shoes in this fashion are increasing.
For those of you looking for green shoes for kids of a tender young age Pedoodles may be a good place to start. Everything about this company screams green, from how the materials used in manufacturing are processed to the boxes the shoes come in, it's all eco-friendly. Pedoodles is limited to infants and toddlers, and does not have vegan or vegetarian offerings, but what it does have is a great concept and a dedication to green shoes for children addressing support, durability, and the environment.
Simple Shoes is another commendably green company providing shoe options across the board. Here you'll find shoes from infant to adult. Most of what you'll find here comes in the way of sneakers for children. All of them vegan friendly, made with no animal products bi or otherwise, all cotton is organic, the laces have been made from recycled plastic bottle caps, and the outsoles were once attached to a rim. The ethical standard this company holds itself to would be enough to make me do business with them; the fact that the sneakers are actually attractive and durable almost seems like a bonus.
Today it is easier than ever to find green options for almost any footwear occasion a child might have, from cleats to slippers. All except for one, which would be the elusive and dreaded by children around the world, dress shoe. Sneakers, flip flops, hiking boots, and ballerina slippers can take a kid a long way but occasionally something comes up and only a dress shoe will do. Unfortunately here is where the dance of supply and demand gets clumsy. Your odds increase slightly if you are searching for a girl, if it's a boys dress shoe your after the pickings are slim. Timberland, Hush Puppies, and Pantagonia all offer limited options in the dress shoe venue, but unfortunately few of them are vegan or vegetarian. You can visit any of these websites to get a look at the new green lines.