MoneySavers & Green Products...

As a marathon runner I go through athletic shoes once every two-to-three months. Running shoes are generally only good for 300-to-400 miles. Worn out shoes can cause injuries.

And yes I have heard of those that run barefoot. They claim that it is ‘natural’ to do this. To which I say there is nothing ‘natural’ about running 26.2 miles when nothing is chasing you. My sport of choice is beyond ‘natural’. There is a link between the popularity of marathon running and the advent of EVA foam and Ibuprofen.

Anyway, I should trade my shoes out more than I do but I find the waste an embarrassment. They pile up quick. Then I have all these tired, dirty and sad looking shoe mounds in my closet. There are lots of places that recycle old running shoes.. The track I work out at has a program to turn old running shoes into - a new track! And the circle continues…

So being such a heavy consumer of running shoes means finding a brand that works for you and a brand that is the least egregious on the environment. National Geographic’s Green Guide has researched the issue and broken down the good and the bad (what no ugly Nat Geo?) of the major athletic shoe makers.

What’s interesting is that Nike, bruised from its sweatshop rep in the ‘90’s, is now a leader in the reduction of toxic chemicals and shoe recycling. And now they are (gasp) finalists in the Ceres-ACCA awards.

"The Ceres-ACCA awards recognize companies and organizations that report sustainability information in the most complete and credible way," said Ceres President Mindy S. Lubber."We are looking for organizations which document their key impacts and clearly explain changes in performance, positive or negative, and set a vision and targets for future progress."

As for my brand of utter and undying loyalty? Lets just say that they’re made in the USA and that is buying locally.