Green Options » toms

Amazon Launches Buy One Get One XO Laptop Campaign

Amiel Blajchman — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:42:43 +0000

Amazon has launched the second version of the popular XO Laptop campaign. The what campaign? Basically, this:

Buy an award-winning laptop for $199, which is donated directly to a child in the developing world; or
Buy two for $399, and keep one.

Why a laptop? Well, the very impressive mission statement says it all:

To create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.
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Blog Action Day :: Shop to Stop Poverty

Lucille Chi — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:48:13 +0000

Today is Blog Action Day, and this year the focus is on poverty. Here are some ways you can help people in need, as you shop for your own needs:

Numbered above:

TOMS Shoes for Tomorrow, Giving Gifts to the Poor as You Shop: Starting from May 2006, TOMS Shoes for Tomorrow has given well over 10,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina and 50,000 pairs in South Africa through the purchases of caring customers. They’ve recently been nominated for the Cooper Hewitt People’s Design Award and they Need Your Vote! In 2008 TOMS plans to give 200, 000 pairs of shoes to children around the world. For each pair purchased, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need.
Give the Gift of Sight with KAYU’s New, Hot Line of Ethical Sunglasses: KAYU, a line of ecological and ethical sunglasses handcrafted from bamboo. By partnering with Unite for Sight, the organization is eliminating preventable blindness which is one of the world’s most urgent
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TOMS Shoes: Buy One, Donate One

Amiel Blajchman — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:32:33 +0000

TOMS Shoes: Shoes for Tomorrow, based in Santa Monica, California wants to give its products away. And you can help.

When TOMS’ founder Blake Mycoskie went to visit Argentina on vacation, he discovered more than he expected. While touring, he was exposed to the Argentinean soft shoe called Alpargata. He was also challenged by the poverty he saw, including the villages with children who did not even have shoes. As a result, he decided to create an organization that would be able to fill the simple, but necessary, need of putting shoes onto the feet of children who needed them.

Green Style Spotlight: TOMS Shoes

Victoria Everman — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:42:57 +0000

There are some fashion traditions that just aren't comfortable (i.e. corsets), but one classic Argentinian-style shoe is helping to reshape the future for thousands of kids. With all the press out there on Toms Shoes, I'm pretty sure you have heard of them before. If not, here's the gist: buy a pair of affordable, comfortable Toms Shoes and a child in South America no only gets a free pair of shoes in their size, they are put directly on their feet during the company's annual Shoe Drop. October 2006 was Toms first Shoe Drop, where they gave away over 10,000 pairs of shoes to those who desperately need them. The only way I can describe the video of this stunningly generous trip is breathtaking - the joy of giving has never been so beautiful and heartfelt. The personal touch is just one of the many reasons that the brand has been selling like hotcakes, both in the company's online store and in retail stores.

Just two weeks ago, company founder Blake Mycoskie began a United States Tour of in-store and speaking events. Called the "top new video blog of the week" by TV Guide, the trip is being recorded both on video and via a company blog. A full tour calendar is available in PDF format on the blog site as well (I've already added the San Francisco date to my calendar). So far, the tour seems to have been quite eventful, from stinky toilets and no hot water to meeting Mischa Barton.

But what about the shoes? Men's and women's Toms are available in nearly 20 different colors and prints at only $38 a pair. In the next few months, Tiny Toms will be available in the company's online store as well - the perfect shoe for those beginning to walk for the first time. Limited edition Toms, hand painted by artist Tyler Ramsey sell for $68. In the first tour video, other limited edition Toms are mentioned, such as upcoming velvet styles for the holidays. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the shoes being made from sustainable fibers or vegetable/non-toxic dyes. As a brand struggling to get off the ground in its second year, it is understandable that the social and charitable parts of the company are highlighted. Even with this, my fingers are crossed that Toms becomes more than just a giving brand and something of a diverse, green business model for many to aspire to.

Having tried the shoes on myself, I can safely say that "comfortable" really doesn't do Toms justice. Meant to be worn without socks, the shoes are based on the Argentinian alpargatas shoe style, which is now over 100 years old. Personally, I see them as the ultimate casual shoe - a seamless blend of tennis shoes and house slippers. As a fan of classic Converse (especially the ones made from hemp), I think they will have to make room for a few pairs of Toms in the near future.