Students raise funds for Environmental Center through sneaker drive
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) - Students from North Star Elementary School's Green Team, recently collected more than 400 used sneakers. The sustainability-focused club undertook the recycling drive to keep shoes out of landfills and raise money for The Environmental Center, a local nonprofit.
The Green Team, composed of third through fifth-grade students, voted to direct all funds raised from the sneaker collection to The Environmental Center. The collected athletic shoes are shipped to GotSneakers, a social enterprise that provides compensation depending on the wear level and brand, earning up to $7 per pair.
Trina Grube, a teacher at North Star Elementary and leader of the Green Team, highlighted the community's support for the initiative. "We are proud of our Green Team members, school community and Bend for embracing our sneaker drive fundraiser," Grube said. "We know that most people have shoes stashed away in their closets they would prefer to recycle rather than throw away. By doing so, we raise money for The Environmental Center and promote sustainability. It's a win-win for everyone!" North Star families contributed more than 250 pairs of shoes to the drive.
Members of the Central Oregon Running Klub and Bend Run Club also participated, donating 100 shoes between their organizations. Green Team students decorated posters and presented at a school assembly to promote the cause, also forming a partnership with North Star's Running Club. Mary Pantenburg, communications manager for The Environmental Center, explained the organization's focus on giving items a second life. "Our primary goal at The Environmental Center is to give objects a second life, with recycling as a last resort," Pantenburg said. "The Got Sneakers program is the best of both worlds. We have a strong running community in Bend and it's amazing to see them turn out in support of recycling and fundraising."
GotSneakers reports that 200 million pairs of shoes end up in U.S. landfills annually, while more than 600 million people worldwide lack shoes. Barely worn donated shoes are recirculated to the secondhand economy and others are recycled to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking into the environment during decomposition. The Environmental Center, a local nonprofit, aims to embed sustainability into daily lives in Central Oregon through five programs: Youth Education, Advocacy, Climate Solutions, Garden for Every School and Rethink Waste Project.
The shoe recycling program at North Star Elementary School has concluded with the approaching end of the school year. However, FootZone, a local store in Downtown Bend, has offered to serve as a community collection point until Sunday, June 14. FootZone, located at 842 NW Wall Street, has collected more than 50 athletic shoes in the past week and is temporarily redirecting its year-round recycling efforts to support North Star Elementary and The Environmental Center. Only gently worn, used and new athletic sneakers are accepted; non-athletic shoes and single shoes will not be collected.
