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Sandals are as ubiquitous as bottles of sunscreen during the summer, so protect your feet and the planet by choosing eco-friendlier options.

COCKTAIL FACT

Flip-flops are also known as "slops" (South Africa), "slippers" (Hawaii), "pluggers" (Australia), and "jandals" (New Zealand).

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home ›   tip library ›   Summer Sandals

Is the summer sand too hot to handle?

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).

May 20,2008


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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.


Don’t Hate, Aerate

I embarked on the predictable post-graduation tour-de-youth when I finished college a couple of years ago. I rallied my two best girlfriends and packed my reasonably sized backpack with the goods I thought I needed to get me through Central America in six months. Included were my favorite pair of jellies. Yes, jellies. Along the way, people gave me a lot of flak for my jellies: “Oh my god – are those jellies!?” Yes, they’re jellies. “Are they comfortable?” Yes, they’re comfortable.

They mold to my feet, they’re waterproof (take that Chaco), and they have little breathing holes to keep my feet aerated. Plus, in the life of my closet, anything without a heel constitutes a walking shoe.

-Assistant Editor Hanah…off to explain to Toshio that there is a world beyond eco-sneakers…


Biter Comments...
Come on, guys, how could you miss this one? In Australia, flip-flops are also referred to as "thongs". My kids thought it was hysterical to remind each other to wear their thongs when we headed out to the beach.

Posted by: Dina | May 20, 2008 at 07:45 AM

Another thing about Chacos is they can be re-soled. My first pair lasted years and years (what do you mean their not waterproof? I GOT them for the river), with one re soling of vibram hiking treads. Second pair hasn't needed it yet. Glad to hear they have a re-use program - that's great. Have you ever seen how many perfectly good shoes there are in second hand stores?!

Posted by: D | May 20, 2008 at 08:57 AM

Check out Thomsshoes.com For every pair of shoes you buy they donate a pair to a needy child in Africa or Latin America. Over 70,000 pairs so far. Plus they support fair trade and living wages (per there website) I don't know how green but they do use canvas and burlap for instance, both biodegradable. The fair trade and independent monitoring of there factories is enough for me to support over alot of other companies. Oh and if you think you buy an expensive sexy shoe and they they give an ugly pair away. Forget it. They give the same shoes away you are buying. Which is to say fairly ugly but darn they look comfortable. Buy online or look up a store location on there website. You can also by a feedbag (very green) which is a really great reusable shopping bag...price 65 bucks, seems steep but you will be paying for a childs school meals for a year. Yes a child in africa for instance gets meals for a year. Not so steep a price now.

Posted by: april | May 20, 2008 at 11:03 AM

Another option, although a little pricey, for some awesome and funky shoes that hold up well in water and are also rugged enough for light hiking are Vibram FiveFingers. They're about as close as you can get to walking barefoot but still offer plenty of protection for the soles & sides of your feet and even have a smidge of arch support.

Posted by: Rob O. | May 21, 2008 at 07:17 AM

They look pretty good to me, maybe i'll go out of my depth a little and purchase a pair. www.bytemysite.com

Posted by: peak performance | October 04, 2008 at 04:16 AM

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