TOMS Asks You to Go ‘One Day Without Shoes’

On Thursday, TOMS is asking people to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes, barefoot, to experience a life without shoes firsthand. Photo: TOMS Shoes

TOMS Shoes mixes the eco-friendly ideas of recycled content and vegan footwear with a commitment to donate a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold, and on April 8, TOMS is asking you to walk a mile in no one’s shoes.

Thursday is the third annual “One Day Without Shoes,” an effort to raise awareness of the lack of footwear for children worldwide.

This involves children walking miles barefoot and the medical conditions that result. For example, in Ethiopia, 1 million people suffer from Podoconiosis, a disease that is contracted by walking barefoot in volcanic soil and is 100 percent preventable.

The premise is simple: Pledge to go barefoot for all or even just part of the day on Thursday. You can also spread the word by hosting barefoot events or attending an already scheduled event.

The TOMS Club Ohio State walk already has nearly 700 people registered for a barefoot awareness walk, documentary screening and concert.

As an added bonus, anyone who pledges a commitment online to One Day Without Shoes will be entered into a sweepstakes for an all expenses-paid trip to a TOMS Shoe Drop. The winner will get to accompany TOMS representatives as they drop off shoes to children in a foreign country, which in the past has included Argentina and Ethiopia.

Among those who have already extended their support for the campaign are actress Kristen Bell and Brittany Snow. But some celebrities choose to get involved in other ways.

Last year, TOMS teamed up with the Dave Matthews Band to market shoes made with sustainable hemp, recycled PET plastic plastic bottles and recycled rubber. They were designed by Matthews himself and available as part of the TOMS Vagabond Tour.

Read More
8 Ways to Green Your Wardrobe
Eco Designs We Want to See at the Next NY Fashion Week
H&M to Launch Eco Fashion Line