There is a hole in my shoe- on the left one- right in the front- where my white sport sock peeks through the black leather toe guard. (I wear it to work everyday---among other things- it keeps me down to earth)
you see , in 2006 I bought a Columbia All terrain running shoe for 40 dollars.
I have run 50 mile weeks in this, gone fishing, heck!-sky diving !! I know a shoe is supposed to be thrown away after 150- 200 miles (every serious runner will tell you that)- but I have something against that (being from the third world). And so , till last month my main complaint was that these shoes just wont tear!
Then they did, and the sole wore away and I spent 19 dollars to get a pair of insoles to make my shoes comfortable again.
Why spend 19 dollars on a 4 year old 40 dollar shoe? The answer to that question is the basis of my economic-environmental outlook.
(1) the shoe does not go to the landfill for atleast another 6 months(2) I can even take it to a shoe repair shop and spend some more dollars to make it last 1 whole year (promote local business) (3) I reduced the demand for new shoes by 1 (reduced use of world resources) (4) I helped America reduce its trade deficit with Indonesia while buying insoles made in America (which can also be used for my next shoe) - money to be used for health and education.
Ultimately- IT WILL (most likely) COST ME MORE THAN BUYING A NEW SHOE!- but I think I am doing the right thing. As in my last blog I am trying to think OUR MONEY and not MY MONEY. So even if it costs me more- it will cost the world less if I keep that hole in my shoe.
well done...this post makes a lot of sense...the shorter things last the more we have to buy them over and over again...the logic of buying made in china that breaks in a year but costs 1/5th versus (in the past) made in (insert own country) that costed 4 times more but would never break makes sense...we are caught up in a consumerist cycle...
ReplyDeleteps- the yellow colour to comments is seizure inducing!