The Distance Project

Riding the Bus - DC to NYC

Posted on July 16th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Urban Planning.

For anyone not living in the northeast corridor of the US, you may not have been watching the incredible rise in bus travel options. In the past 6-8 months - new low-cost bus services have been springing up between Washington DC, New York, and Boston.

When I was in college (and spent too much time on buses) you had essentially two options - you got your Peter Pan and your Greyhound. Peter Pan was always the better option because they were newer buses, and typically had a terrible movie playing to distract you. (Note: Clearly this dates my college experience - no portable DVD player or iPod…what!?!). Then there was the rise of the Chinatown buses, which early on, you were just as likely to sit next to a box of Chicken cutlets as anything else. These buses were cheap, dropped you off on the sidewalk in funky areas of the city, and were fun for the risk of when the last safety check was, and the amazing Kung-Fu movies onboard.

Clearly the Fung Wah/Lucky Star services ate into the old guard bus routes, and as a result you have seen a mainstreaming attempt of this biz model. Enter new services like BoltBus and Mega Bus - who are still picking you up on the random corner, but have new buses with claims of Wifi and other services.

As it happens, I find myself currently sitting on a BoltBus headed to NYC from Washington. I have to say, not a bad experience at the moment, as I blog this over their WiFi system, with a 30 Rock episode playing in the background. Not bad at all.

Getting on was easy - it is right at Metro Center in DC, so the Metro access from anywhere in the city is cake. They leave every hour on the hour and it costs about $20 when you reserve on the internet. If you register early enough, there are even some $1 tickets on each bus. Twenty bucks is cheap for this ride, the train would cost me a minimum to $100. Planes would be a little bit more, plus you have to pay for the taxi on both ends. Even driving, between tolls and gas I would bet I can’t make this trip for under $30.

As I have posted before, I am huge proponent of trains. There is no mode of land based travel that I would rather be on than the train. Not only that but the serious downside to the bus has always been that you are still beholden to bad traffic as you are in the car. Trains don’t have that problem, and I am always appreciative of that.

Yet as I sit here posting this, checking my email, and watching David Schwimmer play Greenzo, I have to say that this ain’t that bad - especially when I can take 5 trips for the price of one train ticket.

Oh yeah, and it reduces your carbon load, as well as reduces the amount of oil consumption per person in this country too –gotta get the enviro and national security hits in there!

Check out BoltBus if you are trying to get back and forth from New York to DC.

0 comments.

T Boone Pickens, Wind Power, And National Security.

Posted on July 14th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Renewable Energy, Systems of the World, Industry.

Does this look like the traditional face of an environmentalist? Take a look at this interview with T. Boone Pickens about why he is investing in Wind Power in West Texas:

Pickens Article on Investing in Wind

The concept of viewing our dependence on foreign oil as a historically massive transfer of wealth is excellent. It allows people on every side of the energy debate to frame it in a way that shows what is critically important about our dependence on oil.

I am a fan of locally produced energy. Even when we mine and burn coal, at least as a country we see the impact on our soil. Divorcing ourselves from our consumption (and consumption of anything, not just oil) is one of the first mistakes we need to rectify, and in a hurry.
I am a firm believer that once you frame consumption, reduction becomes a set of quantifiable goals. If you don’t have that frame, you have no place to start.

Now I am not naive enough to think that a lifelong oil guy like T. Boone Pickens is doing this out of the goodness of his heart. Like all of us he has larger motives - in his case mainly profit motives. In fact I would put money on the fact that this story is way more complicated than it seems.

Pickens has been taking advantage the odd regulations regarding drilling in Texas and is buying up land above a set of aquifers. So along with lobbying himself into a Water Authority and distributing water into the Dallas metropolitan area, I have no doubt that wind generated electricity can be easily transmitted down those same pipe lanes.

Eminent Domain is a wonderful concept.

If it turns out that there is Natural Gas on his land, then you can see the whole plan come together - one $2 billion pipeline, three critical services.
There is big money in this thing for Pickens, and all in all it is pretty brilliant if totally shady.

But in the end, I sit here and ask myself; “Do I Care?” And the answer is no. From the outset of embarking on this journey, I told myself that I didn’t care why people came to the table as long as they came. Well Pickens, came to the table because he saw huge money in wind power. I may not personally love all of his reasons, but his reasons frame the problems in ways many other people can identify with. And for that I am excited to welcome an old Oil Wildcatter to the party.

Let’s talk more about the transfer of wealth, it is a great point and one that I never would have conceived of if not for Pickens’ approach. It is simple and straight forward, and it matters.
Here is the You Tube explanation of the plan.

Here is the full website: www.pickensplan.com

Judge for yourself.

2 comments.

Watching the Change and Getting the Message - Why Wall-E Matters.

Posted on July 7th, 2008 by hg.
Categories: General, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Pop-Culture.

For those of you who don’t have a youngster in the house, aren’t a fan of cutting-edge animation, or just don’t get out much, you may be interested to learn that the movie WALL-E is perhaps the greatest environmental film of all time. I write this not as a steadfast environmentalist (which I am) or a shill for the Disney Company (which I am not), but as a student of mass communication , in general, and message framing and mass opinion, in particular.

Released to near universal critical acclaim for its animation, story and general creativity, the film was produced by Pixar/Disney for $180 million with a global marketing budget estimated at 20-30% of that number. The movie’s made $130 million since its release June 27^th (10 days ago). Industry estimates are that the film will gross a minimum of ½ a billion dollars globally, and may well bring in close to twice that much by the end of its theatrical run.

Whether it will or not I can’t say, but what’s fascinating is that we are now at a time, globally, where we can see the world as a whole engaging in the act of mass opinion change; in this case, with regard to moving from how we have historically powered our lives to a new, cleaner, more earth-centric system.

The movie does more in its 97 minute running time for the concepts of renewable energy, conservation, recycling, and consumer awareness than any 97 minutes of anything I can think of. I would challenge anyone to come up with an article, speech, ad or lobbying effort of the last 30 years that does as much for spreading…globally and to a wide swath of the human demographic…the awesomeness of solar power than does the 10 second bit that takes place in the first 30 minutes of this film.

There aren’t many times in life where you can look behind you to see what was, and forward to see what will be, but that’s exactly what’s happening at this time in history, as is evidenced by the production, release and embrace of a movie—ostensibly made for children and about two little robots in love—that tells its story using the backdrop of a dark, dystopian future of an earth rendered nearly uninhabitable by lack of environmental care, and that calls out to you to consider where you stand in the midst of the change occurring around you. Are you a part of the problem, or a part of the solution? Are you an apologist for the oil and gas industry? Are you a lobbyist at Bracewell and Giuliani, paid to discredit climate scientists? Are you a political appointee, dragging your feet on global warming, air quality, progressive energy policies and true energy security?

While our matinee showing was heavily populated by kids of all ages, my wife and I were surrounded by 5 and 8 year olds; people who will, perhaps—if everything goes well– never drive a vehicle that runs predominantly on polluting fossil fuels, and may actually drive to Prom in a “plug-in electric biofuel hydrogen fuel cell solar charged” number made by a company that actually “gets it”. (A discussion as to whether that company will be either of the current Detroit-based crew is best saved for another day).

I won’t give away the plot or ending, but I will tell you that the film is both aggressively “green” and elegantly not. It’s for the viewer to decide. It’s sometimes uncomfortable to watch, with its themes of consumerism gone amok, the melding of corporations and government, and idea that humans lack appreciation for the difficult and natural in favor of that which is easy and packaged. But don’t get me wrong, it’s also a joy to watch and experience this little gem of an American film, so don’t think you have it figured out before you even go see it.

That said, it’s possible that those people existing at the edges of the political spectrum will find things to dislike and diminish about the film. I’m relatively certain that the defenders of our historically “brown” system will find much to pooh pooh about a silly cartoon with the temerity to suggest the current system isn’t working just fine, thank you very much. But If that’s the case, then I don’t think they really understand the meaning of a movie like WALL E.

WALL E means that the world has changed. That if you’re still fighting on Capitol Hill to keep CAFE standards low, you just don’t get it. If you’re trying to get a coal plant sited, you’re on the backside of the curve, dude. If you’ve been running a car company where people call your main product “The Extinction”, or “The Bummer”, then you’re about to be extinct yourself, my friend. And, if you think it’s OK to spew filth into the air, make money without regard for the only planet we have, and work to blur any intelligent dialogue about the need for us to move to a new system as fast as we possibly can, then you are, quite frankly, old, and WALL E just ain’t for you. But that doesn’t matter anyway.

WALL E is for those kids born after 2000, who someday will ask what you were doing when the world changed. They’ll ask what it was like burning black rocks and liquids to heat your house and get to the supermarket. They’ll ask what a gas station was, and wasn’t it a drag to have to go to one all the time. They’ll ask why so many people had asthma and what acid rain was and to explain the Exxon Valdez; and why the people you chose to be in charge didn’t do more to clean things up and change things more quickly.

And they’ll ask, to gauge whether or not you’re really “with it”, whether you’ve ever seen the best environmental film of all time.

0 comments.

Stealing Your Waste Oil

Posted on June 26th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Systems of the World.

Can someone tell me if this is a good or bad thing?
There has been a rise in the theft of old cooking oil from restaurants according to the New York Times piece of a little while ago. So this is where we’re at is it - The stealing of waste stream material?

This is one of those times when the glass is half full or half empty. You know, those tests that are supposed to tell you whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist depending upon how you view a situation?

A pessimist would look at this filet-o-fish filled oil theft as disasterous. Fuel prices are rising at epic proportion making the waste stream oil look like a good option for fuel. They would say a dark storm approaches - home heating oil is astoundingly expensive and this kind of theft of basic materials is only the beginning of a downward spiral for the country. Fire and brimstone I tell ya.

An optimist sees the better angels of the situation. Imagine that, a waste stream being so coveted that it is even WORTH stealing. That hasn’t happened in a long, long time in this country. Not since one of the lesser known Adams brothers - not John Quincy - was indicted in that great cow manure scandal of the early 1800’s.

No, an optimist would say that rising fuel costs will force us to address unsustainable approaches to everyday life. That it is past time we dealt with these sorts of systems. That this is the rise of small cars, mass transit, and a return to local economies.

And really, who doesn’t want al of those things, I know I do. But big transitions hit people with the least amount of financial stability first, and that makes this transition pretty scary for many.

So I guess I am splitting the distance? Short term pain that is ultimately good for as all.

What we need is good leadership, that people believe in, and that can usher the country through the pain that is coming. Enough bickering, big things are happening around us - do I really care about this political “gotcha” crap that the campaigns are playing.

One other note:  Let me know when people start stealing the Dunkin Donuts oil to restrain and cook with. That’s when you know we are in serious trouble and it is time to fortify the house World War Z style.
Until then, it is time for all of us to put in some work.

0 comments.

The Weeds Pt. II: Energy Level

Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Industry.

The second point about The Weeds stage I wanted to bring up is energy. Every day I bump into people who are so pumped up about their product or idea, that it seems like they have been snorting NoDoz for 72 hours. I don’t understand these people. They are like happy little elves, you just want to smack them.

Now I’m not talking about the start up phase here, because we all feel like that to begin with. Start Up is frenzy. It is a set constant firsts. First press coverage, first product roll-out, it is like raising an infant - everything is new. It is a constant adrenaline rush basically, you feel like you are going to change the world in some way.

No I am talking about the people who are four, five, six years in and are still gonzo over their idea. I don’t get these people. Now maybe that works well for them, and if so - great. For me four years in, the novelty has worn off. I still love what we have started, I love what we make, but I can’t be on that high anymore. It’s kind of like claiming that your are “just experimenting” with heroin in your forth four year. I hate to break it to you buddy, but four years in, what you got there is called a habit.

My feeling is that in The Weeds, you need to try and remove yourself from the extreme highs and lows of the startup. The Weeds are a grind – product development takes time, you have little freak outs where you panic that you may have invested four years of your life into this thing and you can’t see the horizon (stability, reward, etc.). In these moments it is essential that you not be riding the wave of startup adrenaline. On the good days you get all crazy (see the NoDoz reference above), and on the bad – well let’s just say the lows can sometimes be rough.

It is difficult, but these days I try and remain somewhere in the middle, avoiding the highs and lows that are so tempting. I try and socialize as much as I can where work is not the topic of conversation, where every interaction feels like something I should take advantage of in the work context. I am trying to find a set of things that have absolutely nothing to do with work to keep me grounded. I learned this lesson the hard way in the late 90’s trying to start a Non-Prof in San Francisco. The highs were high, but the lows were really hard, both on me and I assume the people around me. Live and learn.

Yet this is all fine and good, but somewhere you have to mix in enough passion to keep what your business moving forward, and that is an equally difficult task. So how to balance? Where do you find inspiration? Vacations help, they give you a little space to reinvigorate. But I was also recently was reminded of a good solution when I walked into a new cupcake business around the corner.

I am totally jealous of their simple business model – bake cupcake, sell cupcake, how deliciously simple.

I managed to fight the crowds at the door on the first day, and said hello to one of the founders. Her eyes were bugging with excitement as they had sold out of their full day’s worth of cupcake supply in the first 45 minutes of the day. The space wasn’t quite done, and in the frenzy one of the guys who was building out the space (clearly a friend, or husband, or relation) stopped to pitch-in, running the cash register. So much excitement, so much frenzy, I returned to the office with a proximity startup high…and of course an excellent Red Velvet cupcake.

Mmmm… Go on with your bad self Georgetown Cupcake.

0 comments.

In The Weeds

Posted on March 27th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Industry.

I have been in The Weeds recently. It’s a place that start-up addicts know well because it happens to us all. In my humble opinion, The Weeds are that stage between the start-up frenzy and the full fledged company. I am not actually sure if other people use the term, but I like it because that’s exactly how it feels.

In our case the weeds have huge upsides - everything we have going, seems to be booming along: Reware and Juice Bags are going global with growing sales around the world, the PowerCube’s first couple of units are rolling off the assembly line and are due to be deployed this summer, and a couple of new projects are looking like they are set to pop in a big way.

That’s the upside of the weeds: If you make it this far, you have settled into a model that actually works. You have figured out your processes and managed to the survive the huge challenge of covering expenses. Every business in the startup frenzy has enormous obstacles that look like total doom. If you make it into The Weeds, then you have managed to avoid most of those. Congrats.

But there are serious downsides to The Weeds too. The vast majority of these arise from the fact that in The Weeds you suffer from having all of the problems of the start-up stage nipping at your heels, while at the same time “real company” issues are booming onto the stage for the first time. There are two that pop instantly into my head as I write this; the never-ending challenge of managing cash flow, and managing energy level.

Managing Cash Flow

In the startup stage you don’t really worry about this, you are so psyched to be selling anything, so excited to be in existence at all, that this doesn’t come up all that much in discussion. Overhead is lower in your garage, you beg/borrow from friends on an almost constant basis to get what you need done. Life on the cheap. The hustle.

The Weeds bring office space. Friends are not quite as excited to loan out their services the fourth time, and you are tired of asking. The Weeds bring cash crunches where larger transactions from customers and suppliers don’t always overlap in time to pay the bills. Cash Flow management is a fascinating thing to ponder from the outside and a total pain from within. You see plenty of money coming and going, there might even be a fair amount in the bank account, but there is also something always looming on the horizon that is going to suck that cash away. In The Weeds while your overhead is pretty mature, your networks of distribution and overall sales need to catch up.

Cash flow management is the single largest challenge to companies. Recently I have been talking to people who run successful businesses much larger than ours, and it is frightening to realize that these issues never go away. The numbers you are dealing with just get bigger. Oh Joy.

Founder’s salaries are always the first casualty of cash flow. The Weeds often force a decision between your own paycheck and something that will help the company grow. You own the company, you believe that it is a great investment in your future, so of course you are going to sacrifice a small, short-term paycheck for long term success. But there comes a point where you need to pay for the day-to-day of your own life, you can’t always be working for the future.

Reluminati, has had two points where we have had to make a leap of faith in the cash flow department. The first was a couple of years ago when we needed an office big enough to grow into. We were worried that our sales per month would not cover the rent, but the space made us a real company and so we took the risk anyway and made it work.

The second leap came recently in trying to figure out how to pay ourselves consistently, essentially factoring in our work as a cost to the company. We have taken that leap as well, and though it is stressful at times, it seems to be working. I’m not sure if this is as huge a step for everyone as it is for me, but I really think this is when a company becomes real.

Managing this has nothing to do with the amount of money coming in, because there is always plenty of that. It is about managing the flow of cash successfully. This is when it feels like you have a job, that playtime is over. It feels good.

0 comments.

Managing The Clock

Posted on March 14th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Renewable Energy, Systems of the World.

Something special happens this time of year - the days are long, the air is warm, and of course that happiest of days, the “Spring Ahead” day hits. As far as I am concerned Spring Ahead day should be a national holiday. There is nothing like the feeling of that first time you get out of work and still have 3 hours of daylight to run around in. Oh happy day!

Yearly though my happiness is slightly muted by the raft of articles like this one in the Wall Street Journal, showing that Daylight Savings Time wastes energy.

Noooooooo! See this is why the world has such a negative opinion of environmental causes, they take away all our fun.

Damn you Indiana and your crystal clear data. If ever there was a fight that was worth creating more renewable energy for, this is it. I think I will start a “Save Daylight Savings” cause right now. In fact, what I really want is to never have Fall Back day. That day sucks.

Time and clocks play such huge role in how we consume energy, how we plan for usage in the future, and what it causes the average user. Another example that just popped up today is in the concept of the Plug-In hybrid.

There has been a lot of noise about the Plug-In Hybrid recently and with justification - the average Mile-Per-Gallon that some of the modified Prius’ (is this the plural of Prius? Prii, anyone?) are getting is straight up astounding.

But I always look at the over-taxed grid in this country, and think “Where are all these cars going to get plugged in?” Oak Ridge Labs had the answer in this study identifying the impact a move to Plug-Ins would have on current infrasturture as well as future growth.

Again it comes down to clock management. ORNL sees minimal impact of the Plug-In as long as they charge at certain off-peak hours of the day. They see a large need to increase production if charging happens during peak times.

If the energy infrastructure increase is rooted in a basket of renewable energy technologies, then no problem. In that case we are trading the combustion car for clean energy and I am down with that. If the increased electrical need is fulfilled by the construction of new fossil based power plants then welcome my friend - welcome to the age of the coal-fired automobile.

So maybe we could start with a timer for Plug-In charging? Yeah that would be good.

Ah the power of the clock. From its usage in the industrial revolution to regulate work, to our current issues of electrical consumption, the clock is seminal to the management so many facets of our lives.

I find it fascinating and annoying simultaneously. Have to go now- Almost 5:00 and spring is in the air.

0 comments.

Solving Meat Guilt?

Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Water.

My mom raised us on meat. I love a good burger. Turkey sandwiches make up about 30% of my overall diet I would guess (Add turkey sandwiches to bowls of cereal and you get the majority of my diet. Hmm, and probably an odd window into my world)

But meat production is an issue, both environmentally and socially. I think we have all heard the arguments - huge land, water, feed issues with meat. Plus anyone who has been following the meat industry’s woes recently or seen some of the video from that story knows it is enough to gag slightly on your Sloppy Joe.

The reality is that I will probably never be a complete vegetarian, but I would like to solve some of the cognitive dissonance between these issues mattering to me and the volume of delicious BBQ ribs I cram into my face.

So what to do?

Recently I was up in New York, and caught a lunch with Josh Dorfman - the Lazy Evironmentalist himself. Being the enviro lifestye guru that he is, we ended up at Josie’s on 3rd. Josie’s has a kind of cool/chill vibe with a slight green twist. The food is good, making it a good spot to hang in Murray Hill if you are looking for a place to eat.

On the menu was quite a bit of meat, and this inevitably led to my asking Josh about different approaches to the issue. What he came back with is a simple starting point for lazy people: Meatless Tuesdays.

I love this! I can manage one day without meat pretty easily without upsetting my lifestyle, so in terms of actually sticking to the concept is shouldn’t be that hard. I might actually set a goal of reducing meat consumption that I can consistently stick to. Very exciting.

And it can build - maybe when I am hardcore it will be Tuesdays AND Thursdays.

Ah, but I am nube, so Tuesday’s it is, and actually, I have chosen Wednesday, so all you fools keep your Kabobs to yourself on that day.

For those looking to figure how to manage meat, I also really like this article on Grist. Worth checking out - especially the part about how sustainably managed, locally produced meat might have a lower overall impact than processed veggie action. This may lead to a whole other piece about the power of localization, the in terms of working out a healthy reltionship to meat, I found it to be a help.
Apparently Umbra and I share a love of Bacon.

0 comments.

Junk Mail Sucks. CatalogChoice Rules.

Posted on December 13th, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Systems of the World.

What is up with junk mail this year?

It seems worse than ever before - especially around the holidays. At my house, because the people upstairs have been there since 1962, we must get 35 catalogs a day during the holidays and probably 15 - 20 a day any other time. The worst part is, NONE of them get used. We literally pull them out of the mail basket and toss them straight into the recycling bin - it totally sucks.

Over the last year or so I have been looking for some sort of system to deal with this. There are a bunch of paid services which, for a monthly fee, will continually remove you from lists, but somehow this is annoying to me. Why should I have to pay to ensure I won’t get something I never wanted in the first place. It is these types of systems (and double negative sentences) in the world that drive me most crazy.

19 Billion catalogs are mailed every year. No I didn’t stutter, that is billion with a “b”. If my house is any indication, exactly 12 of those total catalogs are actually useful.

And while I am on the subject..WHY DOES THIS WORK !?! I don’t get it, it is just like spam - who is clicking on all the Russian Brides, Viagra, and Penis Enlargement emails and saying to themselves; “I sure am getting a good deal!”, I mean seriously who is that?

Hmm…actually looking at that list, I see a clear consumer profile emerging. That one lonely guy is ruining it for the rest of us - he must be found and stopped.

Before I get all hopped up on a rant longer than the average blog attention span, let me move on to the solution. Recently a coalition of enviro groups put together a catalog list, somewhat like the “Do Not Call” list for phones.

Check out CatalogChoice.org. Simply enter in the catalog name and your customer number. Then sit back and watch the mail become manageable. It is freaking great, and CatalogChoice is my new hero.

FYI, it does take a while to process the unsubscribes, so don’t get discouraged if you still get the catalogs for a while - some take up to 10 weeks to take you off the list.

It is still totally annoying to me that I have to go in and get rid of something I never wanted, but at least someone is providing me with a solution. Plus, I have found that once you get into the thing, it is totally addictive to reduce all this crap from your mail.

Love it.

Big up to JR for reminding me to post this.

0 comments.

Dressing Well.

Posted on August 1st, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Pop-Culture.

So I have had this small secret goal to make everything I wear have some sort of environmental story - Organic fabrics, low toxicity, made locally, or by Co-Ops somewhere for a fair price, recycled materials - you know, all that hippy crap. The challenging part has been that it has to fit into what I like to wear. I am not a big Tie Dye or Birkenstock wearer, I don’t really like the traditionally “natural” look. No offense to that stuff, but it just not my scene.

Oh yeah, I also hate to shop. There is almost nothing worse than trying stuff on in a store. It sucks; nothing ever fits right, you have to spend the whole day just to find one or two things you like, in the end it is always the most expensive thing in the store that fits the best. I mean, come on I am on a start-up budget here people, I can’t be buying expensive clothing. So generally anything I can do to reduce my time in a clothing store is great.

I have been trying to work this into my clever plan by looking for things that can be worn for more than the six minutes that fashion trends seem to last these days. This concept of the “timeless classic” is probably harder than trying to find eco-fashionable wares. It rarely exists, so in the cases where I am buying on trend I have been trying to buy only one of those things and wear it into the ground. (This is known to many of us the River’s Vest Phenomenon - sorry for the inside joke)

No industry has been more successful with the concept of “planned obsolescence” than the fashion industry. Very clever of them, the clothes don’t wear out in their plan - they just go out of fashion. This is brilliant! Basically you shame people into not being cool becuase their clothing is 3 months old. Fashion is the most second grade concept in adult life.

By the way, that Juice Bag of yours is SO last season, have you seen the new Daylight Series?

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about the little secret plans I come up with when I have to much time on my hands (and, let me tell you, have I got a million of ‘em…). Nevertheless there is some cool stuff out there right now, and my little task has been greatly reduced. Thought I would take some time to point out some of my favorites.

Levi’s Eco
Loomstate

Edun
Mission Playground

Nau

American Apparel Sustainable Edition
Patagonia
Simple Shoes
Terra Plana

Shoes are the hardest, but I just got a pair of WornAgain sneakers from Terra Plana (big up to Riv for the gift). Love these things, I have them on right now. Recylcled rubber soles. Leather from that used to be waste product. Recycled cloth innards. Designs with some funk, how can you beat it!

As I sit blogging in a coffee shop in San Francisco (could I be more of a stereotype right now?), I am feeling right at home with my shoes. At one with the shoe universe you might say. Now hopefully they will be on trend for the next 15 years.

They will right?

0 comments.

Older »