Students in North Star Elementary School’s Green Team recently conducted a recycling drive for used sneakers, collecting over 400 shoes from families and from the broader Bend running community. Consisting of 3rd through 5th graders, the sustainability-focused club chose to collect athletic shoes with a dual mission of keeping them out of the landfill and raising money for a local nonprofit. The Green Team voted to direct all funds raised to The Environmental Center.
“We are proud of our Green Team members, school community, and Bend for embracing our sneaker drive fundraiser,” said Trina Grube, a teacher at North Star Elementary and leader of Green Team. “We know that most people have shoes stashed away in their closets they would prefer to recycle rather than throw away. By doing so, we raise money for The Environmental Center and promote sustainability. It’s a win-win for everyone!”
Athletic shoes with all levels of wear and tear are collected and shipped to GotSneakers, a social enterprise that issues funds in compensation for the sneakers. Depending on the level of wear and the brand, shoes can earn up to $7 per pair.
North Star families turned out their homes with over 250 pairs of shoes.
Members of the Central Oregon Running Klub (CORK) and Bend Run Club also participated, cleaning their closets of 100 shoes between the two organizations.
North Star Elementary’s Green Team students decorated posters and presented at a school assembly in support of the cause. They also formed a natural partnership with North Star’s Running Club, where students run laps over the course of the year with the goal of earning prizes and accomplishing a marathon.
GotSneakers reports that, in the U.S. alone, 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in landfills every year. Meanwhile, more than 600 million people worldwide don’t own a pair of shoes. Donated shoes that are barely worn are recirculated to the secondhand economy, increasing access to quality shoes. The rest are recycled, keeping them out of landfills where they would spend years decomposing and leaking toxic chemicals into the environment.
“Our primary goal at The Environmental Center is to give objects a second life, with recycling as a last resort,” said Mary Pantenburg, communications manager for The Environmental Center. “The Got Sneakers program is the best of both worlds. We have a strong running community in Bend and it’s amazing to see them turn out in support of recycling and fundraising.”
With the end of the school year approaching, the shoe recycling program has wrapped up at North Star Elementary School, but local store FootZone offered to serve as a collection point, so anyone in the community can continue to recycle running shoes at their location in Downtown Bend. While FootZone recycles shoes year-round, they are temporarily redirecting their efforts to support North Star Elementary and The Environmental Center through Sunday, June 14.
So far, FootZone has collected more than 50 athletic shoes in the past week.
Anyone can help by simply dropping off gently worn, used, and new sneakers at FootZone at 842 NW Wall Street, 97703. Note that non-athletic shoes are not accepted, including, but not limited to: dress shoes, heels, sandals, wedges, water socks, rain boots, Crocs, and other styles. Single shoes are also not accepted. Volunteers will collect them and ship them to GotSneakers.
This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.
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