Eco-Friendly Running Shoes and Clothes that Perform
Running may be good for your health as well as an inexpensive and harmless way to burn calories, but it’s often the accessories, from the clothes to the shoes, that make the sport a burden for the evironment. The following shoe and clothing brands allows you to run with a conscience without compromising performance.
For high-performance running shoes, look no further than Brooks’ Green Silence. It’s a running shoe that takes 41 percent less energy to make, is 75-percent post consumer recycled, and has an outsole made from sand instead of petroleum, which reduces volatile organic compounds by 65 percent and protects the environment and workers’ health. Other features include BioMoGo, which is the world’s first-ever biodegradable midsole for running shoes, packaging that is 100 percent post-consumer recycled, water-based adhesives, and non-toxic colorants and dyes.
Other shoes made to perform with the environment in mind include the Vibram FiveFingers, which are made from renewable New Zealand merino wool and a rubber sole made with 50 percent scrap material. Creating minimum frabric waste, shoes from Vivobarefoot Eco have a 50 percent recycled antibacterial insole. Another lightweight option includes Kigo, which is constructed by water-based adhesives and post-consumer recycled plastic bottles as well as recycled nylon. Newton’s Sir Isaac is designed with a thin base so your foot can feel the ground below. It is also made of 100 percent recycled PET mesh upper, 100 percent recycled laces and webbing as well as 10 percent recycled rubber outside. Sockwa allows you to hit the ground running in both dry and wet weather. Fit like a second skin, Sockwa shoes plants a tree through the UN Environmental Programme’s Billion Tree campaign with each purchase.
To match your running shoes, consider running in eco-style. These days there are plenty of eco-friendly clothing brands out there that let you run with quality, high-performing gear that has a conscience. Gaiam, Lululemon, and Patagonia are brands that boast a selection of clothing that are made from relatively sustainably-produced fibers such as organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, recycled and soy fibers.
Photo Credit: JSDavis82
