Long-Time "Green Retailer" Holds 20th Annual Thanksgiving Shoe Drive

In celebration of all we are thankful for, Boulder's Pedestrian Shops encourage their customers to donate shoes they don't use, to help people in need. From Saturday, Nov. 15, through Sunday, Dec. 7

Boulder, CO (PRWEB) November 9, 2008 -- In celebration of all we are thankful for, Boulder's Pedestrian Shops encourage their customers to donate shoes they don't use, to help people in need. From Saturday, Nov. 15, through Sunday, Dec. 7, customers are asked to bring new or slightly used shoes to the Pedestrian Shops to donate.

In exchange for a donation, the Pedestrian Shops offer a 10% discount on any pair of new shoes, including footwear already SALE PRICED.

"It's great when people who don't need new shoes take the time to bring us shoes they don't wear," said Richard Polk, president of the Pedestrian Shops. "They want to help someone in need, and because it's Boulder, they don't want the materials and energy used to make their footwear, or anything else, to be wasted."

The Pedestrian Shops donate the shoes to local assistance organizations, including the Deacon's Closet at Boulder's First Presbyterian Church. Pedestrian also collects old worn Crocs for recycling year-round as a part of the Crocs Soles United program www.solesunited.com , which distributes shoes in response to natural disasters around the world.

This is Pedestrian's 40th shoe drive. The shops also conduct a shoe drive each April as part of their Earth Day celebration. A total of 25,000 pairs of shoes have been collected in the twice-yearly drives over 20 years. The comfort shoe retailer's "green business" practices also include recycling and use of compact fluorescent light bulbs. In addition, with its own 10 kw photovoltaic solar array, the company generates energy equal to half of its flagship shop's energy use.

"In the future we hope to increase our alternative energy generating power and become the first retailer in the world to sell shoes without leaving a carbon footprint," Polk said.

This year Pedestrian adopted a simple closed door heating and cooling policy, which if implemented by small retailers nationally, could save millions of dollars in energy while keeping millions of tons of carbon out of the atmosphere. See www.comfortableshoes.com/blog for details.

Pedestrian Shops background: The Pedestrian Shops have been family owned in Boulder, Colorado, for the past 40 years. They operate two Boulder stores (one on the Pearl Street Mall and the other in The Village shopping center), as well as the website www.comfortableshoes.com.

The Pedestrian Shops sell the world's most comfortable brands of shoes. They recommend that customers enjoy life and take a walk.

On the Downtown Mall:

1425 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO 80302

In the Village:

2525 Arapahoe (Facing Folsom)

Boulder, CO 80302

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