The CarbonFund credits offset the carbon dioxide emissions from driving. The next stage is to reduce my carbon and trash-based footprint from everyday life. 

A couple weeks ago, my faithful Sketchers pooped out after four years of frequent, yet faithful service. About the same time, I came across an advertisement for the North Face All Mountain Sneaker in Backpacker Magazine.  

The North Face All Mountain Sneaker is a “green shoe.” Not really green, but greener than most. The shoe is made from post-consumer recycled materials, including bamboo/canvas uppers, cork midsole and a bamboo shank for stability. It aligns with my commitment to lower my impact on the planet. 

The problem with the All Mountain Sneaker is finding it. My feet are narrow and hard to fit, so I don’t like buying shoes online. Unfortunately, two weeks of casual searching turned up nothing at REI, Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Sports Authority. 

The latest issue of Men’s Journal features two additional “greener” options – the Keen Ventura and the Teva Keagan. 

The Ventura is Keen’s first vegan shoe. The shoe features recycled aluminum eyelets, natural canvas uppers, cork and natural latex footbed, natural rubber outsoles and water-based glues. I don’t know what “natural” means, so don’t ask. 

The Teva Keagan “turns trash into treasure.” The shoe features post-consumer recycled PET canvas uppers, recycled PET canvas lining and recycled rubber outsoles. 

All three offer a stylish, greener new shoe option. I planned to conduct additional research to find out which is the greenest option. For this, my research was based solely on finding the shoes in real life. The green movement is growing in popularity, but evidently it has yet to reach mass consumption. 

I set out to Park Meadows on Saturday to see what I could find. Surely consumption junction would have one of the three. I left empty handed.

On Sunday, I went to REI for one last search. REI carries the woman’s version of the Keen Ventura, but not the men’s version. To my giddy amazement, I found the suede version of the Teva Keagan. REI did not have the canvas version, or any color of the suede version other than dark brown. After finding a good fit, I picked up a pair.  

At REI, I also picked up a pair of the store’s Slickrock pants. The pants mix a blend of organic (pesticide-free) cotton with recycled PET polyester sourced from old soda bottles. Another greener clothing option for everyday life. 

I quickly changed into the Slickrock pants and Teva Keagan shoes when I got home. After taking the dog for a long walk, I can report that both are comfortable. I’ll let you know how they work out over time.