Sneakers with a social conscience

June 8, 8:27 PMBoston Inclusive Style ExaminerVeronica Vidal Praeger

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Nike Musique IV

Conventional wisdom states that athletic sneakers be replaced every 6-8 months, depending on the wearer’s level of activity. Following this advice, anyone exercising regularly stands to purchase about two pairs of sneakers per year. That may not seem like much until you multiply that number by several years; after only five years, that’s 8-10 pairs of used sneakers. If you’re anything like me, your old sneakers are then relegated to the darkened back corners of your closet to collect dust and use up precious storage space because it just seems so wasteful to throw them into the garbage. Luckily, there are a couple options available to clear your clutter and possibly do a good deed in the process.

“I use [my old athletic sneakers] for working in the yard,” says Marie Hoyt-Pariury, owner of Pixel Artists Design in Norwood. “Otherwise, I would consider donating them.”  Indeed, it’s a wise idea to keep a pair of old sneakers handy for gardening, washing the car, or painting. But how many pairs of washing-the-car sneakers do we actually need?

If your sneakers are still in reasonably good shape, are structurally sound (without holes or treads that are completely worn) and fairly clean, you might consider donating them to One World Running, a non-profit based in Colorado dedicated to providing athletes in developing countries with proper fitness apparel and shoes. Find more details and read inspiring anecdotes on their blog at www.oneworldrunning.com.

Local centers for organizations like Goodwill or The Salvation Army will also accept tax-deductible donations, and Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) will allow you to offer up your used athletic sneakers to someone in your own community who may need them.

If your used sneakers are more suited to a ride in a garbage truck than a jog around the block, check out Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe recycling program, which repurposes used athletic sneakers of any brand and condition (with the exception of anything damp) into Nike Grind, a material used to create playground surfaces. Drop off up to ten pairs at Niketown on Newbury Street, or find out more at www.nikereuseashoe.com.

Don’t hesitate to get involved; it’s about time that we reduce our footprint, carbon or otherwise.