voa on YouTube
Diner's Guide
quotes
There's a lot to say about the meat-free diet, about stopping the suffering and slaughter of our friends, the animals, about the eco-slaughter of our planet, and we must get ourselves educated on the subject and speak out.
Once past the food...
becoming vegetarian/vegan
Howdy.
I think this fits in this forum because I'm a thinin' that by being vegan, you are also in the process of becoming vegan.
But on with the show/shoe:
Speaking of shoes...what are your thoughts? Have you gone out of your way to get vegan shoes? If so, how did you get them? Where did you get them? EGS? Has anyone gone to Gravity Pope? Somewhere else? Online? Don't you hate ordering shoes online?
The Broader Vegan Ethic
Submitted by Roy on May 28, 2007 - 8:32am.
I was hoping to find an answer that also addresses issues of exploitation. And, cool enough, I just received a newsletter from The Vegetarian Site that has an article about it.
http://www.thevegetariansite.com/ed_shoes.htm
I am guessing that Payless/Zellers doesn't quite satisfy "the broader vegan ethic" that the article is referring to.
tough to know for sure...
Submitted by drupadmin on May 30, 2007 - 12:42pm.
Upon brief review of this article, it seems very tough to know for sure, even if you are shopping in a non-retail outlet, whether the products you buy are derived from exploitation practices.
I have had a hard time finding shoes as well - but still need to wear them, and would not knowingly buy products directly linked to exploitation. To me it is a step in the right direction, but not ideal - until there is more transparency in the way products are made and marketed.
You can extend this argument further, in that there are animal ingredients in tires and other common everyday items. Are you not going to drive? Some people could not make a living otherwise, especially in rural communities, where transit is not an option.
I think it is near impossible for everyone to be fully "vegan" in the purest sense and function in today's society. I think we must take the strides that we can however, and try to change the market by reducing demand where possible.
My 2 cents...
Last summer I was on a hunt
Submitted by anna on May 30, 2007 - 12:37pm.
Last summer I was on a hunt for vegan, non-sweatshop shoes (or at least not made in China) and found some hemp shoes by Gravis at Gravity Pope. They were very simple shoes so I was a bit choked at paying $70, and unfortunately they were made in China. But I was desperate since my current shoes had holes in the soles. The hemp got ripped up after only 3 months (but I still wear 'em) and they soak up snow (just like all canvas shoes). I'm on the lookout for new shoes again.
Some interesting sites:
www.leftfeet.ca (store in Toronto)
www.wornagain.co.uk
(buy online or in Van, Montreal, Victoria, Portland)
I know these aren't vegan but they are reducing a lot of waste by making their shoes out of recycled materials so I'm into that (tuning into that 'broader ethic')
www.veja.fr (buy online or in Montreal)
Site is in french, so if you're uni-lingual, note that the EcoLeather collection is real leather (they call it Eco because the tanning was done without chrome). All other lines are organic cotton with rubber soles :)
http://groups.myspace.com/veganskateshoes
Forum to find some comfy vegan skate shoes. There are many vegan skaters that will do a line of vegan shoes for a company. Most sales clerks at the skate stores know this and can help you out.
Ah, Skaters!
Submitted by Roy on May 30, 2007 - 9:26pm.
Thanks. I wasn't aware of the numbers and clout of vegan skaters!
Skate Shoes and The Impossibility of Veganism
Submitted by Roy on May 30, 2007 - 9:24pm.
anna, the link with the article on shoe sourcing might be interesting. Country of origin does not come close to telling the full story on the shoes.
Also, look up Ecolution's Evergreen hemp shoes; they're all waterproofed and stuff.
DA, I get what you're saying, but I guess shoes seem to be one item in which we can get very close to finding an ideal vegan product. Close enough that it feels silly to not try.
For other items, you are right to say it's nearly impossible. Still, I would not simply accept the use of animal products as part of survival. When we start to do that, we're not much different from people who justify their lifestyle by the fact that it's their living. If you make your living through something that you must concede is unethical, isn't it time to find a different way to make your living?
No, I can't say that I'm ready to leave mainstream society for my beliefs, but it is probably the the right thing to do. I would certainly support and respect someone who does.
Payless Shoes
Hi,
My fiance and I bought winter boots and shoes (both dress shoes and runners) from Payless that were completely non-leather/vegan.
You can also get non-leather belts from Zellers.
Cheers!