Want to ditch that pair of old running shoes stinking up your closet, help the environment and beat Ohio State? This week on campus there's a way to do it all.
Nike is sponsoring a competition between the University of Michigan and Ohio State University to see which school can collect the most pairs of used athletic shoes for Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program.
The University will ship all of the old shoes to Nike headquarters in Oregon, where special devices will grind them up and turn them into synthetic soccer fields, tracks, basketball courts, gymnastic mats and playgrounds around the world, Nike Communications Manager Dawn Leonetti said.
Often these playgrounds and courts are built to help inner-city youth, said Campus Nike Representative Randy Raisman, an LSA senior.
"Nike has a commitment to athletes, the environment and society. We are killing two birds with one stone by helping out the environment and children," Raisman said.
Students can drop their old shoes, which do not have to be Nike products, in boxes set up in Mary Markley, Alice Lloyd and Couzens residence halls until Wednesday.
Nike has also set up donation sites in the North Campus Recreation Building and the Central Campus Recreation Building.
"I'm glad I could participate in a project that helps out inner city kids," Ohio State Student Government President Josh Mandel said. "It's a good cause, and I'm glad Ohio State and Michigan are partnering up to do this together."
Last year, the first time Nike extended its Reuse-A-Shoe program to college campuses, Ohio State won the competition, collecting more than 200 pairs of shoes.
Since 1993, Nike has worked in conjunction with retail stores, placing boxes in athletic stores where customers could recycle their old shoes.
In contrast to Raisman's enthusiasm, environmental science Prof. Khalil Mancy said he questions the impact of a shoe recycling program.
"I'd be skeptical to think of it as a solution to the problem of garbage," Mancy said. But he added that the principle was commendable.
Nike remains hopeful and would like to bring the Reuse-A-Shoe program to more college campuses in the future, Leonetti said. Currently, Michigan and Ohio State are the only campuses participating in the program. But Nike has bigger plans than simply bringing the program to more schools.
"Our long-term goal is that the athletes will bring in their old shoes, and they will be turned into completely new shoes," Leonetti said. The goal is part of the company's sustainable initiatives.
Eventually, the hope is to have a no waste system of production, with products being reused continually, Leonetti said.
Mancy said the concept of a no waste system is valid, similar to Volkswagon using the metal from used cars to produce new ones.
11-18-99
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