As long as people eat meat, leather can be an industry byproduct and a realistic sustainable proposition. A huge shift in cattle culture, however, needs to happen first. While there is a move toward “sustainable” leather sourcing from free-range cows, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. To really impact change, we still need a mass-market solution.

Cattle and deforestation

One of the main issues of late, as raised by Greenpeace’s “Slaughtering the Amazon” campaign, is that it’s the fashion industry—rather than the meat one—that is driving an increase in cattle farming. The result is that swathes of the Amazon continue to be cut down for grazing lands and growing soybeans for animal feed.

It’s the fashion industry—rather than the meat one—that is driving an increase in cattle farming.

The demand for leather products will increase until leather supply is properly restricted and much higher prices are reached in the hide market (which is effectively a commodity market). It’s critical that the price increase and restrictions go hand-in-hand so that it doesn’t become even more attractive to raise cattle for leather. Otherwise, leather will be a byproduct of an environmental disaster.

Our Vivobarefoot Kids shoes were in the May/June edition of Right Start parenting magazine.

Here’s a little snippet of what they said:

“Vivobarefoot Kids footwear range is now available in all Terra Plana stores. Developed by podiatrists in South Africa where they were first introduced, the shoes are based on the principle that being barefoot is the healthiest and most natural way forchildren’s feet to be.”

As the barefoot revolution continues we’re making inroads into the running community. The Evo, using VivoBarefoot technology, according to Stuff, is one of the 5 best running shoes for the London Marathon.

Here’s what they said about the Evo:

Unlike the others here, the Evos have no support or cushioning. This may sound like madness, but there’s a growing following for barefoot running-style shoes. They’ll take a bit of getting used to, but in theory they encourage you to run in a way that reduces impact and strengthens the muscles in the foot itself.

Here’s what Meryl Levin from Parentdish.com said about our VivoBarefoot kids shoes.

By now you’ve probably heard that the best thing you can do for your children’s feet is let them run around barefoot. Well, depending on where you live, this presents varying degrees of impossibility (at the beach, perhaps; in New York City, not a chance).

Enter shoe maker Terra Plana and their VivoBarefoot line, which now includes styles for kids. Developed by podiatrists, they are as close to being barefoot as shoes can get, but offer the necessary protection of a thin puncture-resistant sole. Benefits can include improved posture, circulation, foot health, and strength.

Plus they are pretty darn cute.

View the full, original, article at Parentdish.com

Keep in the loop, become a fan of our Terra Plana Facebook page

Here’s an interview, with Terra Plana‘s very own Galahad Clark, about being barefoot and VivoBarefoot shoes, from the Ottawa Citizen Newspaper.

Here are a view extracts, for the full article, visit the Ottawa Citizen:

“Edenism is the new word,” the Britain-based Clark said as he strolled lower Manhattan shod in his thin-soled creation. “Our shoes are not as good as barefoot, but they’re as close as we can get.”

Clark’s line of running and walking shoes, called Vivo Barefoot, feature a three millimeter (0.11 inch) sole that, he contends, frees the wearer to walk and run as evolution intended.

“We just tried to make the least shoe we possibly could,” said Clark, in what might seem a counter-intuitive move from a man whose family has been making shoes for almost 200 years.

Keep up to date with Terra Plana – become a fan of our Facebook page.

Read in the Financial Times about how Terra Plana is part of a new awareness for sustainable footwear. Glueless technology and minimum components is pioneered with our POP range!

A great review of the Dharmas by adamblacknow on Youtube.

Summed up very well by the guys at Barefoot Running Shoes (barefootrunningshoes.org)

“This video talks about the Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot Dharmas. The reviewers first impression upon opening the box is that it is fashionably bright and super light weight. The soles of the Vivo Barefoot are nice and thin with a hexagon pattern for the platform.”

A detailed summary by barefootrunningshoes.org

• The Dharmas are very flexible and comfortable
• The insoles of the shoe are also removable and washable
• It took four days before Adam received it from Amazon
• The review was done after a few days of wearing the Dharma Vivo Barefoot shoes
• Overall, Adam labeled the shoe as a good one and he liked the way he felt when he wore the shoes the first time
• The sole or bottom is a little harder but as you walk around it feels more like you are in barefoot
• Vivo Barefoot is available in different colors and can be worn in different attires
• He feels the shoes are quite pricey but worth it
• The designs are high quality, stitching is nicely done and the leather is nice and soft
• They seem like they are durable and can last for a long time
• The Vivo Barefoot Dharmas have a unique style to them although not everybody will like the style
• Adam scores Terra Plana’s Vivo Barefoot shoes a 8 or 9 out of 10