Earth Day

Let's talk about reducing your Carbon Footprint*. These adorable shoes for kids are called Pedoodles. We sell them here at The Jungle Store, and I think they are a great example (even visually) of leaving a small footprint.

These tiny shoes are about as eco-friendly as you can get. The leather uppers are made from reclaimed couch scraps, the flexible rubber soles from recycled shoe soles. (Pedoodles takes the irregular shoe soles that other factories would throw out and melts them back down for their shoes.) The interior of the shoes are currently the same reclaimed leather, but will soon be made from PET – material created from recycled plastic bottles. Pedoodles are currently packaged in a gift tote made from plastic. The Pedoodles company is changing over to a new tote that will be made from recycled boxes. Using recycled and reclaimed materials is just one way to reduce carbon emissions.

We live in a consumer driven economy. If you become an educated consumer, your buying power will reward companies that are working to find solutions for a healthier planet. Here are some places to start:

Carbon neutral clothing - http://www.carbonneutralclothing.com/
Yarn and fabrics - http://www.prairiewools.com/
Local Organic Food - http://www.localharvest.org/
Drinks - http://www.treetini.com/
Music - http://www.tunesfortrees.com/


And while you're leaving those small footprints, take your dog along with you. All dogs, big and small, need proper exercise, not just a romp in the backyard. Dogs are pack animals and travelers by instinct. They need to walk and they like to walk with you. So go for a stroll, you'll be helping your dog's mental state, reasserting your position as the leader of the pack and getting some great exercise for yourself. Good, daily walks may mean you don't have to drive your SUV to the gym anymore.

*Carbon Footprint: "the measure of the impact of human activities on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide."