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Biodegradable Sneakers Sprout Flowers When Planted

Zothecula writes "People may joke about their dirty old sneakers turning into science projects or mini ecosystems, but once OAT Shoes' compostable sneakers become commercially available within the next several weeks ... let's just say, those same people may no longer be joking when they make those kind of statements. Made using hemp, cork, bio-cotton, certified biodegradable plastics, chlorine-free bleach and other nontoxic materials, the shoes are designed to completely break down when buried in the ground – the first batch will even come with seeds in their tongues, so that wildflowers will sprout up in commemoration of users' planted, expired kicks."

38 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. Life Time by KermodeBear · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How long are these shoes expected to last under normal use? I have shoes that I bought four years ago, and aside from replacing the insoles a few times, they're perfectly fine. No reason to toss them out. I'm not sure how viable a product these would be if they need to be replaced every few months because they're disintegrating.

    --
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    1. Re:Life Time by heypete · · Score: 2

      How about the Doc Martens For Life shoes?

      Sure, they're made in Thailand, but they've held up really well for me. Not like the cheaper Chinese ones. For $20 in shipping/handling, they'll replace them for life. Not a bad deal in my view.

      The Vintage line of Doc Martens is still made in England. While not guaranteed for life, they're still better quality than the Chinese-made Docs.

    2. Re:Life Time by peragrin · · Score: 2

      that is my problem. i usually break the sole every 6 months or so no matter how much money i spend on them. Doesn't matter if it is 100 dress shoe, $100 cross trainers, or $30 cheap sneakers, 6-9 months is all the last. and then I have cracks in the sole that lets water seep through, the sides are well worn, and I have replaced the laces once.

      I am on my feet 10 hours a day, every day. My feet don't hurt when i get home unless the insoles break so I know I need replacements simply because my feet get wet and are sore.

      --
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    3. Re:Life Time by hedwards · · Score: 2

      The answer to that, is don't waste your money on running shoes. The cushioning actually causes you to strike the ground harder as your feet can't sense that they're on solid ground. Despite what shoe companies might tell you, the reality is that most of those injuries didn't become prevalent until the introduction of running shoes.

      As long as the shoes are still level they're still perfectly good. The one thing you do want to avoid is where they cause your ankles to get out of alignment.

  2. Flower Power! by iRommel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let's not kid ourselves, this will get you laid in the right social circles.

  3. It's a trap by zoobaby · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Good way to introduce invasive species.

  4. The important question is... by bwayne314 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How much of a pollution footprint do these generate *during production*?

  5. paul stamet's lifeboxes by arbitraryaardvark · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Fungi fun guy paul stamets has invented and sells a cardboard box then when planted first grows a crop of mushrooms, then old growth forest trees.
    http://www.lifeboxcompany.com/

    1. Re:paul stamet's lifeboxes by Obfuscant · · Score: 4, Funny

      Fungi fun guy paul stamets has invented and sells a cardboard box then when planted first grows a crop of mushrooms, then old growth forest trees.

      That explains a lot. My backyard has been infested with a large number of tree-hugging hippies and I didn't know why.

      I was mildly surprised to see a large of mushrooms come up where we buried Tabby when she died. Then a bit more surprised to see my backyard turn into an old-growth forest. But the last straw has been these hippies driving spikes into the trees at all hours of the day and night.

      I should have gone down to the FedEx store and bought a real box to put her in instead of using one I had lying around.

  6. Seeds on my shoes? by Octopuscabbage · · Score: 2

    Last time i tried to put my seeds on someones shoes I was put in jail for a quite a long while. So unfair :(

  7. Re:Obligatory by spun · · Score: 4, Informative

    Hemp grown for fiber does not contain enough THC to get a fly high.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  8. Seeds in the Tongue by theelectron · · Score: 4, Insightful

    'Bio-cotton?' As opposed to what? Is that a way of saying organic cotton in other cultures? Also, what advantage does organic cotton have over regular cotton when used for shoes? The feel good factor, I suppose. Anyway, wouldn't the seeds in the tongue be a problem when they start sprouting from the moisture/sweat from your feet?

    1. Re:Seeds in the Tongue by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      I would imagine the advantage is to the people living near the cotton field more than the wearer. When we lived in Georgia as kids my bother always had "asthma" when they sprayed the cotton to kill it. Growing cotton is nasty business. As an army family we moved a lot and no where else did he ever have "asthma". I call it that as it is what the DR claimed it was.

    2. Re:Seeds in the Tongue by geekoid · · Score: 2

      Ah yes, the strong voice of anecdote.

      Sigh.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    3. Re:Seeds in the Tongue by sirrunsalot · · Score: 2

      'Bio-cotton?'

      Biocotton(?):

      BioCotton is the brand name of a new semi-manufactured finished product derived from organic cotton, which is obtained using bio-dynamic cultivation techniques. This form of cultivation substitutes chemical fertilizers and pesticides with certified natural fertilizers and with a programmed rotation of the cotton fields . Bio-dynamic cultivation takes into account the lunar phases best adapted for sowing. This is preceded by the introduction of homeopathic substances into the earth (such as mineral silicon) which reinforces soil structure. From this type of cultivation comes a high quality and easily worked product. The pure biological nature of the cotton makes this fiber both non-allergic and usable without warning indications even for people who are hypersensitive or affected with special skin pathologies (it doesn't alter neutral Ph), by breastfeeding or future mothers, by hospitals.

      P.S. I'm just the messenger. Don't shoot.

    4. Re:Seeds in the Tongue by RancidPeanutOil · · Score: 3, Funny

      My Mom's old boyfriend did a study on anecdotes and it turned out that anecdotes are generally accurate. That's just one study, but it's pretty easy to extrapolate to a larger sample.

  9. Re:Obligatory by Velex · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh, good grief. Not all cannabis plants contain THC, just cannabis sativa.

    And why do teenager need to smoke their shoes? Can't the free market step in and provide a more cost-effect alternative to meet this demand...?

    Oops, I see what I did there.

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  10. Hmmm ... I wonder where the seeds come from ... by jc42 · · Score: 2

    What will most likely happen when you plant your shoes is that you'll get a crop of plants native to Asia, which will quickly become agricultural pests in your part of the world.

    --
    Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
  11. Re:Obligatory by geekmux · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hemp grown for fiber does not contain enough THC to get a fly high.

    Someone wanna explain that to the Government, or are we just going to continue to deforest ourselves right out of existence because lawmakers are too fucking stupid to know the difference between hemp and weed?

    Damn, I hate it when my sig speaks so loudly...

  12. Re:Obligatory by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How about we stop legislating what I am allowed to consume as an adult?

    How about those supposed small government types stop worrying about what people ingest and what people do in there bedrooms.

  13. Re:Obligatory by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Informative

    Dammit! I meant "their bedrooms", of course.

  14. Re:Makes Sense by icebike · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Packaged with seeds in the tongue doesn't sound too promising either.
    People wash sneakers. (Well, ok, Moms wash sneakers). And it rains.
    I'm not sure walking around with feet looking like a Chia Pet is going to be that big of a fashion statement.

    Still there is a wide variety of what people consider biodegradable. Rock is biodegradable. Years ago
    several grocery chains came out with biodegradable plastic bags which they claimed would be degraded by sunlight.

    Stapled to the side of my house, they showed not the slightest sign of weathering or degrading for
    5 years till my wife made me take them down.

    Out of sight out of mind. But how long in the ground?

    --
    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  15. Re:Obligatory by spun · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ah, so you think that marijuana was outlawed simply because it is a drug? Haha, no. The fact that hemp is so useful at producing fiber and paper is actually one of the bigger reasons it was outlawed in the first place. Basically, there were three real reasons: First, it is an effective treatment for many minor conditions, but is not patentable, and therefore, even though big pharma companies all sold it, they would rather sell patent medicines for a higher profit. Second, at the time of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, nylon had just been invented (1935) and DuPont wanted people to buy nylon rather than hemp ropes, especially with war looming. Thirdly, William Randolph Hearst's newspaper empire had begun to crumble when he flipped political positions and began viciously attacking FDR: Hearst's readership were mostly blue collar workers, and not happy with his editorial slant. But Hearst had huge timber holdings, if he couldn't make money selling newspapers, he could still make money selling paper, even more if hemp were out of the picture.

    The legislators who outlawed the demon weed Marijuana at the behest of wealthy interests probably had no idea that marijuana and hemp were the same thing.They were told that it was a drug used by Mexicans and Blacks that made them want to rape white women.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  16. Re:Easier method: by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

    What device do you use to detect very small pieces of glass, especially the clear kind from car headlights that often ends up on sidewalks after accidents?

  17. Re:Obligatory by spun · · Score: 2

    There is some debate as to whether indica is a separate species, or merely a subspecies. In any case, if indica and ruderalis are both subspecies, then sativa is the only cannabis species.

    There are over 170 species of Cannabaceae, including cannabis and hops, perhaps that is what Velex was thinking of.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  18. Re:Obligatory by ArcherB · · Score: 2

    How about we stop legislating what I am allowed to consume as an adult?

    How about those supposed small government types stop worrying about what people ingest and what people do in there bedrooms.

    As a "Tea Party", Fox News Watching, conservative, I agree completely.

    Hmmm. Guess that makes me more of a Libertarian.

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  19. Re:Makes Sense by icebike · · Score: 2

    I've had teenagers.
    They've had sneakers.
    So.... Yeah, not only a good idea, but an absolute necessity.

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    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  20. Re:Makes Sense by jshackney · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Or wearing them in the rain?

    I don't know about you, but I keep my sneakers for a VERY long time. I can count on one hand the number of pairs I've purchased over the past 20 years--and still have a couple free fingers. I love the biodegradable idea, and I really like the photo of the shoes. They look great! I just don't want to take a chance that flowers are going to sprout from my shoes before I'm done with them.

  21. Re:Obligatory by ShavedOrangutan · · Score: 2

    You can legally get a prescription for THC in the US, the trade name is Marinol and assuming that the doctor is willing to go along with it, you can get it without any trouble. Which sort of discards the view that it's about big pharma.

    I'll bet the trade name on the bottle makes it expensive.

    --
    Godaddy is a scam and a ripoff.
  22. Re:Easier method: by DigiShaman · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Go barefoot. It is healthy, clean, fun, cheap, easy, etc

    No no no NO! Wrong! The use of the shoe has been used going as far back as 8000 BC and maybe even to 40,000 BC. And there's a reason. Thorns cut and rocks hurt. They also lead to infection and WORMS should you be walking around in shallow freshwater with a cut. Some regions on Earth maybe more safe than others, but it's always risky regardless. Hence why man invented the shoe so long ago.

    Now with modern materials, you can still have that free feeling of running barefoot with barefoot running shoes. Just Google them. They're supposed to be the next fad in sportswear.

    --
    Life is not for the lazy.
  23. Re:Obligatory by geekoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually it makes you a social moderate. It doesn't speak at all of your fiscal views.

    If you're fiscal view are the same as the Tea Party, that makes you a dumb ass.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  24. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    It is a common myth that one would be able hide marijuana among hemp plants, but it is an absurd myth to anyone who's read about the issue instead of watching people on TV talk about it. First off, simply comparing the pictures of Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica will show you they don't even look alike. Secondly, hemp grown for fiber is harvested before it ever flowers, as fiber quality will drop if it does. For those grown for seed or oil I am unsure, but the first point stands even if they were harvested at a similar time in relation to flowering. Finally, cross-pollination would render the cannabis recreationally useless. One can only conclude that if it is true growing hemp is banned so nobody hides cannabis in hemp fields, that it is a law made in ignorance that should be repealed.

    With regards to your point about there being no law against importation, it's plenty enough to make it too expensive to compete and gain any significant market share. Have you ever tried to purchase imported hemp cloth or hemp seed? The very cheapest hemp cloth I have run across is about $12 a yard, and it averages about $20 a yard. Compare with $2-$4 a yard for similarly plain, unbleached/undyed cotton. Hemp seed commonly runs $8 to $14 a pound. I would be surprised if they could not be produced at under $2 a yard and under $2 a pound if made inside the country by a well-established hemp industry, which would have been present had it never been banned.

    I was not familiar with Marinol and had to look it up just now. It is true that it is isolated THC, but that's all it is, and cannabis contains dozens of cannabinoids with varying actions. People prescribed Marinol that have used Cannabis describe Marinol as harsh and not very fun, and totally unsuitable for recreational use. Additionally, four deaths have been attributed to Marinol. Maybe I haven't been looking hard enough, but I've never heard of any deaths attributed to cannabis.

    I'm not going to argue it's all a conspiracy for profit, but I will say the details of the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 are all extremely convenient and fishy. Just how many decades more do we have to suffer Anslinger's personal crusade against hemp, even after his death? This lunacy has gone on so maddeningly long that many people don't even question it.

  25. Disinfo by rusl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The reason it is called weed is because it is and yes, it is potent. Obviously a wild plant is not going to be as intensely potent as something bred for potentcy and grown in "optimal" conditions. However, the potency is plenty sufficient. The same goes for Papovar Somniferum aka the Opium Poppy. The DEA and other anti-drug liars like to say things like it is a "fact" that these plants do not grow wild except in Colombia or some place like that. But that is just their little way of rationalising their absurd law that actually criminalises weeds. Because these plants are so prolific and common it is common for "innocent" people to be growing them in their garden - especially the poppy flower. The only difference between "evil" drug cultivation and "innocent" flower gardening is the awareness of the full use of the plant. Hence, it is the knowledge that makes it illegal. Effectively the DEA then has the job of fighting against knowledge with disinformation or "drug facts" that conflate Heroin with Opium, Hemp with THC Cannabis etc etc.

    As well, the prohibition is what leads to the higher potency as more dense narcotic effect is really most useful when you have contraband that needs to be hidden. Heroin, crack, and other high potency drugs are going to be a lot less popular if they are legal. Alcohol is a good analogy. Alcohol is partially criminalised. For underage drinkers it is, adults not. Adults mostly drink beer and wine with relatively low potency. If they drink hard liquor it is more often a sipping drink or mixed with flavours that weaken the potency. Underage drinking is a different story. The cheapest most potent gutrot is the best formula for booze when your supply is limited. Of course its not like this across the board (for instance addicts) but generally when people are allowed to take what they prefer (instead of just what they can get their hands on) they are going to choose something more moderate. One could go on.

    --
    Stupidity is its own reward.
  26. Re:Obligatory by morgauxo · · Score: 2

    Even in states where it is legal licensed farmers are heavily regulated and can only grow so much. This means it cannot be grown in the quantities necessary to replace wood which grows back much slower or petroleum. Also, it is not legal in any state. That was the point that got this thread started, not getting high. Also, the federal government still officially bans it in the entire US even if a state allows it. Whether they are currently actively enforcing it or not in those states there is still the possibility of the feds breaking down your door at any time they chose to.

  27. Re:Obligatory by clem · · Score: 4, Funny

    You're sure you didn't mean "them thar bedrooms"?

    --
    Your courageous and selfless spelling corrections have made me a better person.
  28. Re:Obligatory by haruchai · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You can't expect the judiciary of a great christian nation to not care that you might be jerking off in your bedroom with a giant dildo up your asshole for you aren't truly alone in your bedroom but are a naked offense in the sight of the LORD, the omnipotent omnivoyeur

    --
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  29. Re:Obligatory by lieden · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you use the phrase "If you're fiscal view are the same as the Tea Party", then you are also probably a dumb ass.

  30. Re:Obligatory by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    You might want to lay off the stuff, I think you've had enough. Hemp is banned in the US because it's easy to conceal pot plants next to them

    You have no idea what you are talking about. When you plant hemp you don't separate males and females. A pollinated male isn't commercially viable as marijuana. The market wants its weed sin semilla.

    there is no law against importing the stuff, and AFAIK, never was, which really leads me to question the DuPont conspiracy angle.

    Imported hemp with import tariffs (which contradict the constitution) cannot compete with the local alternatives, just as Mercedes (which are just another car in Germany) cannot compete with Toyota because of high tariffs against german imports as opposed to Japanese ones. (Consequently they don't compete with Toyota... Lexus being no competition for a MBZ.)

    You can legally get a prescription for THC in the US, the trade name is Marinol

    Marinol is a synthetic substitute for just one of the many psychoactive compounds in marijuana and it is about an order of magnitude less effective than the real thing. Also, Marinol comes from big pharma, so they make money on it. Which pretty much proves that it's about big pharma. I can't even believe you said what you said. How much did big pharma give YOU?

    At the end of the day, couldn't this really be just a matter of politicians viewing pot as being dangerous?

    Yes, but only completely fucking ignorant ones who have no business voting on anything marijuana-related.

    --
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