April is ALL About Being GREEN!

ST. LOUIS - April 2, 2014 - PRLog -- Beginning in 1970 Earth Day has been a celebration on April 22 in hundred of countries with a focus on environmental challenges, and St. Louis has participated for the last 25 years.  To many, the celebration has expanded beyond April 22 and become Earth Month - a time to focus on being green during the entire month of April.

Shoeman Water Projects International (SWP), a local nonprofit that converts shoe donations into clean water sources for communities in developing countries, considers every day Earth Day with over 200 shoe collection locations.  This April SWP is helping celebrate Earth Month with some local companies and organizations that celebrate and encourage sustainability.

Whole Foods Market – Galleria (April 1 – 30)
*Accepting shoe donations during normal store hours

St. Louis Cardinals Green Week Partner (April 25 – 27)
*Accepting shoe donations at ALL stadium entrances
*Trailer on-site for drop offs
*SWP will throw out the first pitch on April 26

St. Louis Forest Park (April 26 – 27)
*Visit the SWP booth during the St. Louis Earth Day Festivities for a water demonstration and free temporary tattoos.
*April 26  4 – 7 pm and April 27  11am – 6pm at The Muny – Forest Park

Recycling Extravaganza (April 27)
10am – 4pm
 at St. Louis Community College – Forest Park Campus, off Oakland Avenue

We recognize images like wind turbines, solar panels, and electric cars as ways to help the environment, but we seem to forget that some of the best ways are small gestures like donating shoes and keeping them out of landfills. According to Brooks Running Shoes a standard shoe can last 1,000 years in a landfill. The Environmental Protection Agency has said that 21 billion pounds – about 70 pounds for each person on Earth – ends up in landfills each year.  Upcycling shoes helps to create local economies and jobs and provides water to those who have none.

The SWP shoe drives will go to street vendors in other countries to be resold, providing local residents with access to affordable shoes and helping to boost the developing economies.  The funds from exporting the shoes will help purchase well-drilling rigs and water purification systems so communities will have access to water.

Since 2008, SWP has been able to collect nearly 4 million pairs of shoes and keep them out of the landfills, thereby creating sustainable solutions to the global water crisis.  In 2013 shoe donations paid for five water purification systems in Haiti, provided water education to the local communities, and built a dam and drilled a water-well in Kenya.

Visit Shoeman Water Projects International to learn more about the organization at www.shoemanwater.org.

About Shoeman Water Projects International

One pair of donated shoes serves two! One pair of shoes provides affordable shoes and clean, fresh water. Shoeman Water Projects International is a project of Eagle Wings Ministries, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, working to alleviate as much human suffering as possible. Shoeman Water Projects International picks up donated used and new shoes from businesses, churches, schools, special events and shoe drives. Once collected, The Shoeman exports the shoes to street vendors in South America, Haiti, Kenya and other places where people need affordable shoes. Shoe resale builds the local developing economy with retail businesses and affordable shoes.  The money The Shoeman receives from exporting the shoes is used to purchase well-drilling rigs, water purification systems, and other supplies to bring clean, fresh water to those who thirst.  Additionally, groups and organizations planning mission trips have the opportunity to purchase a water purification system and receive training on water purification, health and hygiene that they can pass along to the people they serve.