Did you know that depending on how leather is tanned, it can actually be considered an eco-friendly product?
Some tanning methods are pretty toxic, but vegetable tan leather is generally considered the safest process.  It leaves the leather with a great finish that works well for shoes and boots.
Besides – leather is a renewable resource, unlike most synthetic shoes, which are made from petroleum products!
Check out Born’s line of fun, flowered shoes – available in the flat “Plumeria” from Zappos:

Or the “Hibiscus” from Zappos, which sports a 3 – 1/4″ heel:

images: Zappos

It’s April – Earth Day month, so we’re continuing with eco-friendly accessories this week!
Patagonia makes a line of Earth-friendly shoes using recycled materials in the soles and low-chemical tanning methods for the uppers.  They also ensure that the companies that create the materials for their shoes are eco-friendly as well.
With all that attention to environmental friendliness, what do the shoes end up looking like?
Pretty darn cute!
The “Gilia” is a simple flat shoe, perfect for walking around the city, hanging out with friends or “casual Fridays”.  They also come in several colors including the pink “Poppy Fields”:

And the soft “Retro Khaki”:

images: …read more

I mentioned how impressed I was by these Hush Puppies boots a couple of weeks ago – Hush Puppies is obviously working on their designs these days!
Well, not only are Hush Puppies working on their designs, they’re also working on their environmentally friendlieness.
They’ve come up with a new line of shoes for men and women called “Harmony”.  The shoes are created from eco-friendly or recycled materials (like natural rubber soles, reduced toxicity leather dyes).   Best yet – they look awesome!
Here’s the “Poised” shoe in black:

And red:

images: Zappos