Walking Through Nature

Before I talk about today's green tip, I just have to say how cool it's been these past two mornings coming out of the house early and hearing the owl that lives down by the cove behind our house. When I don't hear "my owl," for awhile, I get a little worried he's gone. My husband reminded me we hadn't heard him because we just haven't been going outside in the cold. I also heard the coyote pack very early yesterday morning and was awakened after a mid-morning nap by some song birds that sounded as if they were in the room with me. The woods are coming alive for spring!
That leads me into today's tip. Thanks to the warmer weather, we've had more of an opportunity to getting back to our twice daily 1-mile walks with the dogs. I'm hard on sneakers, and I need extra support. Because my feet are so tiny (a child's size 4), I have to buy kids' basketball shoes. They're a little clunky and have extra rubber on the soles and I often worry about sending them to the landfill when I need a new pair.
Now I have to worry no more. Jodi Helmer suggests in "The Green Year" to recycle shoes through the Nike-Reuse-A-Shoe program. The program turns the soles of used athletic shoes into surface material for basketball courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds. Jodi says that as of the writing of the book, the program had recycled approximately 20 million pairs of shoes. Find more information at www.letmeplay.com/reuseashoe.

On Wednesday, more tips about walking "green" with dogs.

Don't forget your green tomorrow for St. Paddy's Day, Have a Happy One!