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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."

21 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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  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. 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.

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

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

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    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  6. 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 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.

  7. 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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  8. 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...

  9. 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.

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

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

  11. 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?

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  12. 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.

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    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  13. 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.

  14. 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.

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  15. 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.

  16. 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.

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    Stupidity is its own reward.
  17. Re:Obligatory by clem · · Score: 4, Funny

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

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  18. 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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    Pain is merely failure leaving the body
  19. 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.