In an effort to raise awareness on Earth Day, the Pedestrian Shops in Boulder, CO, is filling its windows with decorated old doors. But these are no ordinary doors. The project titled BOLD Doors showcases used doors as pieces of art adorned with pairs of old shoes, custom-built by the Center for Resource Conservation (CRC) as part of its recycling endeavor. Students from Casey Middle School in Boulder aided “Scrapsisters” Ashleigh Hitchcock and Leslie Whiteside in creating the doors to bring attention to the usability of worn objects.
Pedestrian Shops is also celebrating its annual Earth Day Shoe Drive, which it’s hosted for more than two decades. In cooperation with the CRC and Patagonia, the store has urged customers to bring in worn shoes (from April 9 to April 23) to donate to the Deacon’s Closet at First Presbyterian Church to help dress those transitioning into the workforce and to One World Running, which provides athletic footwear to less developed countries around the world. Shoes that are deemed un-wearable will be made into playground turf. Footwear was also collected at the CRC’s 10th Annual Earth Day 5K run/walk this past Sunday.
The “green” retailer, which uses solar energy and implements a “closed door” policy to reduce its carbon footprint, is giving the CRC 5 percent of the amount paid for each shoe bought in its stores. Patagonia is also donating $10 to the CRC during the two-week promotion for each purchase of the brand’s shoes at Pedestrian Shops or on the retailer’s website, comfortableshoes.com.
“It’s a win-win for everyone,” says Richard Polk, co-founder and president of Pedestrian Shops. “We are delighted to help CRC in its efforts to conserve resources in the community.”
