Fair tread

Josh Whedon is a visionary — back in 1992, the screenwriter inserted a bit of dialogue in his film Buffy The Vampire Slayer about throwing an environmentally-themed school dance. One girl suggests the tagline, “‘Don’t tread on me,’ you know, and a picture of the earth?” Buffy responds, “How do you not tread on the earth? I mean, you kinda have to.” The Slayer was right, of course, but now we can tread lightly, and leave a footprint that’s less ecologically damaging. Simple Shoes, a company from the same sunshiny state as the Buffyverse, has been around since 1991 producing 100-percent sustainable footwear.

Being sustainable means capable of being continued with minimal long-term effects on the environment. Simple uses a plethora of green materials like recycled car tires for its outsoles (salvaged for the salvation of SUVs in the afterlife), bamboo, which is a naturally antimicrobial, smell-repelling, renewable resource, organic cotton grown without the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, hemp, cork, jute, silk, carpet padding made from scrap foams, and recycled inner tubes that would otherwise occupy a landfill for the next century.

There are a few styles that recall the brand’s hippie roots, but the new sneaker designs, ballet flats and car shoes Simple has rolled out for its Green Toe and Eco-sneaks line look anything but granola. Go ahead and hug a tree — no one will accuse you of having stinky feet.           — ANC