Everything that man wears is made from
natural resources of the natural environment, more so sneakers and their part
in sustainability, as the focus of this post.
In so far as the natural resources of
the natural environment are available man will have wearables made from those
available natural resources. Sneakers should continue to be produced as such.
The life span of man is short. And
since the life span of man is short, man reproduces for the perpetuation of
their lives. In so far as perpetuation through reproduction is a fact, and philosophy
and technique required for the sustenance of human life, and human life derives
from the availability of natural resources of the natural environment, sustainable
perpetuation of human life must then be linked to, and necessarily depend on
the availability of natural resources of the natural environment.
Since man depends on the resources of
the natural environment for perpetuity and sustenance of life, man must of
necessity provide for that which is perpetuated. Man must and ought to cater
for that which they perpetuate. Sustenance of that which is perpetuated
involves the wearing of sneakers, as shoes! Wearing of sneakers could prevent a
frostbite. Sneakers protect the feet. Sneakers enhances the feet.
The million dollar question is, in
using the natural resources of the natural environment to sustain and
perpetuate human life, is the natural environment compromised to the
disadvantage of future generations? Is the now generation using the natural
resources of the natural environment such that future generations, perpetuated
by the now generation, inherit deficiencies in the natural resources of the
natural environment?
I am afraid that has been the
disposition of many a generation, including the now generation.
Stemming from such dispositions over
time (from 1850), a concept, trend and era called sustainability has of
necessity been spawn! Therefrom erupted the realization that the use of the
natural resources of the natural environment is being varied to the
disadvantage of future generations. In plain language, man is running out of
resources, resources provided by the natural environment, knowing that man
cannot do without resources provided by the natural environment, it means man
is self-destructing. If man is then endangering themselves thereby,
sustainability becomes a necessity.
As far as this post is concerned, and
in specific terms, in producing, using and disposing of sneakers, is man
endangering the natural environment for future generations? If that is the
case, then patronage of sustainable sneakers must be a necessity!
So in wearing sustainable pair of
sneakers, and in consciously doing so, you are acknowledging that hitherto man
has not managed the natural environment as is expected of them, and the
realization is to turn to sustainability to attain an equilibrium not only for
the now generation but for generations yet future! There lies, broadly, the
deep need to wear sustainable pair of sneakers now! In deed sustainability is
an all-encompassing need.
The Free Dictionary Encyclopedia
speaks of sustainability thus: The concept of sustainability can be traced
back to President Theodore Roosevelt, who stated in 1910, “I recognize the
right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of
our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by
wasteful use, the generations that come after us.” In 1987 the United Nations
World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission)
defined a sustainable development as one that “meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.” Sustainability has three interdependent dimensions—the environment,
economics, and society—often referred to as the triple bottom line.
What I have said so far forms the
foundation for that which follows (and that which follows are 4 specific
reasons why you should patronize sustainable sneakers):
RECYCLING
Sneakers companies are recycling worn
out sneakers into brand new sneakers! Instead of taking firsthand from the
natural environment natural resources to make new sneakers, they are recycling
the worn out sneakers, thus preserving natural resources of the natural
environment for future generations. It reduces the toll on the natural
resources of the natural environment. Also, it reduces the amount of plastic
waste in the natural environment. If that worn out sneakers had not been taken
out of the natural environment to make brand new sneakers, more waste could
have been generated! That worn out sneakers which was taken out of the natural
environment to make the new sneakers made the natural environment that much
cleaner. Out of a pair of sneakers (worn out), another pair of sneakers in
generated, a sustainable pair of sneakers at that!
Through the link https://fashionista.com/2020/02/how-to-recycle-shoes-sneakers-heels
we are informed by an Elizabeth Cline article dated February 13, 2020 thus:
If your shoes are truly beat and you
can't fathom another person loving them — a good rule of thumb is that if the
uppers are still in good condition, the shoe can have a second life — toss them
into a recycling bin instead of the trash. Footwear recycling is not nearly as
common as clothes recycling (apparel can be shredded and turned into new fibers
or insulation, for example), because shoes are more complex. However, there are a
handful of programs attempting it. And the options are expected to grow in the
next few years.
Nike's Reuse a Shoe program,
running since 1993, recycles worn out sneakers by any brand.
They've processed 33 million pairs of shoes to date. After separating the shoes
into leather, foam, plastic and rubber, the pieces are ground down and reused as surfacing for
playgrounds, track tops, carpet padding and even new Nike gear, like maybe the
soles of your Air Jordans. You can get in on the action by dropping your shoes
at participating Nike and Converse Factory stores (here's a list of them).
Again, through https://fashionista.com/2020/02/how-to-recycle-shoes-sneakers-heels
let us get a peep into the future of footwear:
Luckily, the shoe industry is working
on new ways to help curb this cycle of waste — and make it simpler to part with
shoes without all the guilt. From upstarts like Veja and Everlane to
industry stalwarts like Adidas, Nike, New
Balance, Converse and Saucony,
more footwear companies are moving
towards non-toxic, biodegradable and recycled components. It's
also easier than ever to give a pair of shoes a second life by listing them on
resale platforms like TheRealReal, Depop and ThredUp or on sneaker
trading platforms like Sole Supremacy, StockX and Fight Club.
CLEANING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMNET
If you have been to the beach lately,
you should know how infested our oceans are with plastic wastes. The sneakers
companies in finding in plastic wastes resources to make brand new sneakers are
helping to make our beaches clean. Beaches without plastic wastes are pleasant
to look at, and attract tourists. Plastic waste deposited in water bodies are
swallowed by fish in the water bodies. Plastic waste swallowed by a fish cannot
be digested, eventually killing the fish. If the fish does not die, and ingests
plastic that can be ingested, humans catch such fish and eat it, thus taking
into their body plastic! Plastic wastes when taken out of the water bodies do
not only make beaches clean, they make the waters themselves clean as well. And
the ecosystem thrives in a clean natural environment.
Let me share with you a National
Geographic article on how plastic has infiltrated the natural environment
through the link https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/you-eat-thousands-of-bits-of-plastic-every-year/
:
THE TINY PIECES of plastic
scientists call microplastics are everywhere. They sit at the bottom of the
sea, mix into beach sand, and blow in the wind. They’re also inside us.
Last October, microplastics were found
in fecal samples from eight people participating in a pilot study to research
how much humans might be inadvertently consuming plastic.
Now, a new study in the journal Environmental
Science and Technology says it's possible that humans may be consuming
anywhere from 39,000 to 52,000 micro plastic particles a year. With
added estimates of how much microplastic might be inhaled, that number is more
than 74,000.
Through the same link let us hear what
researchers from Johns Hopkins say: When researchers
from Johns Hopkins looked at the impact of eating seafood
contaminated with microplastics, they too found the accumulated plastic could
damage the immune system and upset a gut's balance.
These quotations are intended to underline the intensity of the invasion of, and permeation into the natural environment of plastic, and for that matter the significance of the efforts of the sneakers industry in dealing with such monstrous issue. According to the National Geographic information, even humans themselves are contaminated!
GLOBAL WARMING
To know how global warming is related
to the making of sneakers you should know how the making of sneakers is related
to the natural resources of the natural environment. That knowledge ought to,
and should tell you that sustainable sneakers are a prerequisite to a
sustainable natural environment as are other things sustainable. Pursuant to
that knowledge https://www.businessinsider.com/sustainable-sneaker-brands?IR=T
informs us as follows:
More than 23 billion pairs of sneakers
are produced every year, but behind the great demand for footwear is an
industry so wasteful it's almost beyond measure. Most of these new pairs use
virgin plastic, rubber, and petroleum, producing alarming amounts of carbon
dioxide. According to sneaker startup Nothing New, about 300 million pairs of
shoes are thrown out every year and, on average, it takes 30-40 years for a
pair to fully decompose in a landfill.
From the foregoing paragraph we know
that the main materials used in making sneakers are virgin plastic, rubber and
petroleum. This same paragraph tells us that these materials produce “alarming
amount of carbon dioxide”. And carbon dioxide is very much a contributor to
global warming, and for that matter climate change! So right away the
production of sneakers has been linked to global warming!
In using plastic waste, for example, instead of virgin plastic, rubber and petroleum, to produce sustainable sneakers, the release of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, should be reduced, in addition to the reduction of plastic waste in the natural environment.
PLASTIC BOTTLE TWIST
The Chuck Taylor All-Star is cemented
in footwear as one of, if not the most timeless sneaker on the
planet, but Converse has proven that it's able to stay in touch with modern
demands. Using 100% recycled plastic bottles to make up its canvas upper, the
Renew Collection is the latest example of its commitment to produce more
carefully.
The process starts with plastic
bottles sourced by the US-based recycling company First
Mile. The plastic is then ground up into flakes, melted, rolled into
bales, spun into yarn, and weaved into canvas.
All those plastic bottles used by
Converse to make the canvas upper could have ended up in the oceans. All those
recycled bottles could have settled on ocean beds. When those bottles end up in
the oceans they are swallowed by fish, which eventually kill them. Plastic kill
fish because the plastic cannot be digested by the fish. Waste bottles also make the oceans and for
that matter the natural environment dirty, and upset the ecosystem.
That Converse is helping to prevent
all those adversities, by the use of waste bottles should tell you the
significance of sustainability, and Converse’s effort thereof!
CONCLUSION
Man finds themselves in the natural
environment. Man has realized that the sustenance of their lives depend on the
natural environment. Man has realized that it is from the natural environment
that they get sustenance of life. The natural environment has become a sine quo
non for man. However, in sourcing natural resources from the natural environment
for the sustenance of human life, an imbalance has been created! Man has used the natural resources of the
natural environment such that the natural environment is becoming endangered.
It so endangered that the fear is that future generations may not have their
fair share of the very natural resources that should sustain their lives. This
path man has carved for themselves and are treading, which is self-destruct has
precipitated another path called sustainability. The path of sustainability is
intended to steer man away from the path leading to the endangerment of the
natural environment. Sneakers which are shoes and a wearable deriving their raw
materials from the natural environment find themselves gravitating into the
path of sustainability. Sneakers must be made, and are being made, from
resources or raw materials that do not contribute to the endangerment of the
natural environment. Indeed sneakers like any other human need must be met
without depriving future generations of their fair share of the resources of
the natural environment. This post has
shown ways by which the sneakers industry is achieving sustainability, by
producing sustainable sneakers, and thereby contributing to the restoration of
the required balance in the natural environment, particularly for future
generations! What do you and I, as consumers of sneakers, then do in this era
of sustainability, when endangerment of the natural environment must be
reversed, and stopped, and required balance restored? I have given you in this
post 4 reasons forming a to-do list. Follow
the to-do list, and go for sustainable sneakers! If possible, always go for
sustainable sneakers!
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