Ideal Bite

Is the summer sand too hot to handle?

Submitted by tmeronek on Tue, 05/20/2008 - 1:00am.

The Bite:

Get a sandal on it. Beat the heat on the sand (or pavement) with our top summer footwear picks so that your soles can chill while the rest of your body gets a little sunkissed.

The Benefits:

Biodegradable beachwear. Natural materials such as jute and cork won't hang around 'til summer vacation 2208.
Reused materials tread softer on the earth. We toss 250 million tires every year in the U.S. alone. Reusing this rubber for summer shoes keeps trash out of landfills.
Supporting toe-tally good biz. More and more companies are putting sustainability in business, including giving profits to green causes.

Personally Speaking:

Incredibly durable Chacos were Jen's sandal of choice for waterfall repelling and other sporty adventures in Costa Rica.

Wanna Try:

Chaco - Teva-like sports sandals made with 25% recycled rubber; the company also collects old-but-still-got-some-mileage-in-'em shoes, then delivers them to shoeless feet around the world ($50 and up).
Camper Petra - the Spanish company supports green causes and earned the EU's first shoe-brand Eco-Label ($135).
Melissa Sin - fancy T-strap flips in black, gold, or silver; the maker minimizes water use during production and repurposes all unsellable shoes into new ones ($49).
Simple Toe Foo - casual flips made from bamboo, hemp, and organic cotton. Also: a men's version (both $45).