Can you believe that the US throws away over 300 million pairs of shoes every year? This is according to the US Department of the Interior. If you consider that shoes generally take about 30 to 40 years to decompose then that’s a huge lasting black mark on the environment. The good news though is that you can actually do something with your old shoes before sending them to the landfill. A shoe fundraiser means you can maximize the life of shoes whilst raising money for a local cause at the same time.
Why a Shoe Fundraisers Promotes Sustainable Living
Leading a sustainable life means keeping your negative impact on the environment to a minimum. Essentially, it’s about reducing the amount of natural resources we use.
- Maximizing shoe lifespan
- Reduce landfill time
- Minimize impact on resources
Maximizing Shoe Lifespan
Most people change their shoes every 6 months or so mainly due to changing fashions. On average, this is about half the lifetime of a pair of shoes. Although, many pairs of shoes can last for much longer even though they might not look perfect on the outside. Having said that, a good cobbler can do wonders on pairs of shoes.
This is why a shoe fundraiser is so great. You donate your old pairs of shoes and get to enjoy the ongoing fashion trends. At the same time, people in emerging countries get to afford shoes and are able to make sure those shoes last as long as possible. Of course, at some point these shoes will go to a landfill. Nevertheless, through a shoe fundraiser, you’ve helped make sure that shoes aren’t unnecessarily wasted.
Reduce Landfill Time
Depending on how much shoes are used, they can last many years. This necessarily reduces the number of years they spend on the landfill. Sadly, they will at some point be thrown away and create waste. Another idea though is to work with your nonprofit organization to see how you can help make sure those shoes are responsibly thrown away or recycled when they truly meet the end of their life. Why not think about the long-term impact and not just the short-term?
Minimize Impact on Resources
The more we reuse old shoes and develop a secondhand market then the less likely we are to overuse our current resources. Essentially, a shoe fundraiser means that you’re not wasting the resources that you’ve already used to make your shoes. In the long run, this has a positive impact. This also makes people stop and think about how many pairs of shoes they’re throwing away every year. After all, if they can also reduce this number then they’ve also played their part in limiting how much we waste our resources.
How a Shoe Fundraiser Supports the Global Community
- Raise money for your local cause
- Support emerging country micro-entrepreneurs
- Provide foot protection for people
Raise Money for your Local Cause
A shoe fundraiser is a fun and relatively easy project to collect all the old shoes in your neighbourhood. You then swap these for money to support whatever local cause you decide upon. Furthermore, these events are also a great way to raise awareness about shoes and how we waste so much.
Can you believe that some of the materials used in sneakers can take up to a 1000 years to decompose? Furthermore, the materials used are particularly tough to recycle. With people often told to change their sneakers regularly to provide the right protection to their feet and limbs then this adds up to a lot of waste. What better way to make sure that these resources are at least used properly once produced than through a shoe fundraiser?
Support Emerging Country Micro Entrepreneurs
The best part of doing a shoe fundraiser is that you’re not just supporting your local community. You also support the global community. That’s an amazing thing to be able to claim. Essentially, the nonprofit organizations who pick up your collected pairs of shoes then send these shoes to micro-entrepreneurs in places like Africa and South America. Those people have small businesses that sell your second hand shoes to people in their towns and villages. This provides much needed protection to people’s feet and general health.
Provide Foot Protection for People
Many of us take shoes for granted. Nevertheless, about 2 thirds of the world relies on second hand shoes. Think of those towns and villages across India, Nepal and the depths of Africa or South America where you’re walking in what can only be described as sewer waste. It’s very easy to catch diseases or various injuries through our feet. That’s why a shoe fundraiser is a great way to help our global family across the world.
Final Thoughts on Promoting Sustainable Living with Shoe Fundraisers
If you want to help the planet then you should be thinking about how you use your resources. The more you can get out of them without getting new stuff then the less you use. It’s also a huge benefit to spread the word and get everyone to do their little bit. A shoe drive is the perfect opportunity to bring the community together and see how much waste you create. Being able to then use that waste to help others create businesses and build their own lives is an amazing thing to do. You’ll feel proud that you’ve done your part and hopefully you will have convinced others to do the same so slowly changing this world for a better place.
A shoe fundraisers means that you raise money whilst supporting the planet and its community. You essentially make sure that old shoes are put to good use and that the resources that were used to make them do not get wasted. Furthermore, you support people to build businesses rather than relying on handouts. Last but not least, you actually raise money for your own local cause. What more could you possibly hope for?