Super Eco

Photo credit: SXC

Q: Where do your old shoes go to die? A: They don't die, because they have soles.

Whether it's an old joke or just a new reality, we're learning to hesitate before just throwing something away. Sure, you can donate your old, outgrown, or just-never-got-around-to-wearing shoes to charities anywhere, but ... is it just me or do people seldom really ever buy them? So maybe we're a little squeamish about the thought of squeezing our tootsies into a space once shared by someone else's toes, but plenty of people around the world would love to have our old shoes. Or any shoes. Here are some options that will give new life to your old shoes:

1. Soles4Souls is "changing the world one pair at a time." Their mission? Simple. To get shoes and then give them away. You can donate your gently-worn shoes at locations around the U.S. or ship them to a central point. Donated shoes are cataloged and end up on someone's feet somewhere in over 45 states and 61 countries.

Want to know where your shoes are going? You have choices. How about to youth runners in Kenya? Or to homeless people worldwide? Or to shoe-poor people in Mexico, Morocco, or almost anywhere? Here's a huge list of organizations that will help get your gently worn shoes to people all over the world.

2. Want to make something out of your old shoes? Maybe you have some that were worn a bit more than gently. No matter. Don't throw them out! They're still good for something. Nike slices up old shoes and creates athletic surfaces from them. Reuse-A-Shoe drop-off recycling bins are available at around 300 locations in the U.S as well as locations in Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Your old shoes could become a basketball court. Or playground surfacing. Add your shoes to the million and a half collected annually and make something out of them!

3. Create something new yourself. Art. Display. A toy for your dog. A lamp. A doorstop. Want to know more? Read here.