Beach Week

Beach Week - Eco-Sandals

Head in the Sand-als - Beach Week

The Bite:

Face it - your kid's feet grow faster than the tides change. This summer, choose beachy green flip-flops for kids. Our picks are comfy and fun, plus by using recycled and sustainable materials, they don't ignore the planet.

The Benefits: 

• Burying less in landfills. Americans generate almost 300 million scrap tires a year, but recycle fewer than 7%. Some of these sandals divert a few from the dump.
• Not hiding behind synthetics. Many conventional flip-flops are made with petroleum-based synthetic rubber. Sustainable finds often use natural rubber (yup, from a tree), hemp, and organic cotton.
• Acknowledging good business. These shoes are walking the talk, since the companies that make them sponsor beach cleanup projects and take back old pairs to recycle 'em.

Wanna Try: 

• Patagonia Kids' Cygnet - recycled rubber outsole, inner, and midsole and eco-tanned (according to ISO 14001 standards) suede upper; in green, pink, and blue; sizes toddler 10-3 and kid 4-6 ($35).
• Planet Flops - made with sustainably tapped natural rubber from a managed Brazilian rain forest; in five colors; send old Planet Flops back for recycling and receive a 10% discount on the next pair; sizes toddler 10-13 and kid 1-4 ($24). 
• Bakura Hemp Sandals - uppers and footbed made from 100% organic hemp canvas; sole made from a 100% recycled bicycle tires; in five colors; sizes toddler 6-10 ($23).
• Ocean Minded - fun striped and solid flip-flops made from recycled plastic bottles and car tires for boys and girls; OM organizes beach cleanups all over the world; sizes kid 4-13, junior 1-5 ($22).