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Owens Environmental Club to host Shoe Collection Drive, Sept. 6-16
Owens Community College’s Environmental Club is encouraging area residents to bring their used shoes, previously destined for the overcrowded landfills, to the Toledo-area and Findlay-area campuses in support of environmental awareness as the student group hosts a Shoe Collection Drive, Sept. 6-16, 2011.
The shoe collection drive initiative is part of a nationwide effort with USAgain. Founded in 1999, the environmental organization is committed to providing consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of excess clothing, which is then diverted from landfills for recycling or resale in the United States as well as abroad.
USAgain operates over 10,000 collection bins in 15 states. In 2010 alone, the organization collected over 56 million pounds of discarded clothing.
At the collection drive’s conclusion, all shoes will be presented to Erek Hansen of Curtice to assist with his personal goal of promoting environmental conservation and awareness. Earlier this year, the Environmental Club presented over 200 denim materials to Hansen as part of a collection drive initiative with the “COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN. ®” program. Last year, the ten-year-old collected 4,154 denim items.
All types of shoes will be accepted as part of the collection drive. Donated shoes will either be reused or processed and recycled into material used in synthetic turf, playgrounds, running tracks, tennis courts, rubber mats and filling for car insulation.
Owens has set up a variety of collection points around the Toledo-area and Findlay-area campuses. Area residents can drop off their shoes on the Toledo-area Campus at the Student Health and Activities Center and the College Hall Bookstore. On the Findlay-area Campus, collection points are in the College’s Commons area.
For more information about the collection drive, or to donate, call (567) 661-7583 or 1-800-GO-OWENS, Ext. 7583.
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