Eco Lesbo Vego

Eco Shoe Choices

May 25, 2010 at 11:03 pm Leave a comment

I received this article from ecorazzi.com in my RSS list today, and it got me thinking about vegan shoes, and whether you could get animal-free leather-look shoes that are durable and environmentally friendly. Here’s some background to my thoughts:

My work shoes are starting to wear out. The upper seems to be ok (although it is getting thinner in some places), but I have nearly gone entirely through the sole. They have lasted almost a year, which is pretty good for me. The last two pairs of shoes I got lasted about six months each.

The difference? My current pair are made of leather (not vegan), and the previous two pairs were synthetic (vegan).

I thought long and hard about whether I should buy leather shoes. I eventually decided to do it because I felt it was more eco-friendly to buy a pair of shoes made from a natural material (cow skin) that would last a year, than it was to buy a pair of shoes made from petroleum that lasted for only six months. Note: I am not particularly hard on my shoes (unlike Mr Teeny-bop, who wears out his school shoes in three months, sometimes less).

Vegan shoe (Roma from Vegan Wares*) similar to the shoes I wear. They are expensive and what are they made from? How long will the last?

However, all year, any time I have thought about my shoes, I think about the poor cow that died to give them to me. I’m determined to make them last as long as possible, to make this sacrifice worthwhile (as much as it can be). I am going to take them to the local cobbler to have him fix the soles, if he thinks the uppers will last me another year or so – if the uppers will only last two more months, I don’t see much point.

I stand by my conviction that it’s better for the environment to use fewer resources, and natural resources at that, but I wish there was a third choice – natural, long-lasting resources that were of plant origin, or alternatively, that would last for ages and ages (or even better, both). So far all I’ve seen are hemp shoes, which would be great for casual wear, but will not work in my semi-corporate work environment.

Does anyone know of shoes that would fit the bill, provided the bill is not exorbitantly expensive (I have seen ok-looking vegan shoes for a couple of hundred dollars, but I don’t want to pay that)? If the cobbler says it’s not worthwhile fixing my shoes, then it might be time to go shoe shopping again, and if I can avoid leather or petroleum, that would be my preference…

*Image comes from Vegan Wares website.

Entry filed under: Reduce. Tags: cows, oil, shoes, veg*nism.