Pie Footwear: Save Our Gulf

Save our Gulf: Shoe Recycling Drive for Oil-Spill Clean-up

Sponsored by Pie Footwear

Help clean up the largest oil spill in US history off the Gulf of Mexico, by dropping off your old shoes at Pie Footwear.

• For every pair of shoes collected Pie Footwear will donated $1 to the National WaterKeeper Alliance for their front line efforts in the Gulf clean up. www.waterkeeper.org
• Drop off a pair of shoes between June 5- June 26 and receive a 5% off your purchase.
• Enter in a raffle for a FREE pair of Keen's for every pair of shoes dropped off.
• Shoes collected will be recycled or sent to Wipers Plus to be ground up and made into oil spill kits for the clean up efforts.

June 5-June 26

Drop off at Pie Footwear

2916 NE Alberta St.

www.piefootwear.net

Pie Footwear Finalist 2010 BEST Awards: BEST Practices for Sustainability (very small company)

This morning Pie Footwear was announced as one of two finalists in the 2010 Portland BEST Awards: Best Practices in Sustainability (very small company). Though we did not win (congrats to Belle Epoque Salon on Mississippi Street!!), it was a tremendous honor to be selected as one of two finalists out of six applicants.

About Pie Footwear & what makes us a BEST Awards Finalist

Pie Footwear is an environmentally and socially conscious footwear boutique for men and women, offering year around in-store shoe recycling programs and a wide variety of vegan friendly shoes. Pie Footwear encourages consumers to indulge responsibly and join them in supporting footwear companies actively working to change industry standards, by innovating sustainable corporate practices, producing products under safe, fair, legal and humane working conditions and offering environmentally conscious footwear collections.

Employees in Portland metro area: 2

Type of business: Retail

Unique features:
• Leading environmental and socially conscious retail shoe store in the Pacific Northwest. Pie is the first concept store to focus solely on environmental and socially conscious footwear. What is unique to the Pie Footwear concept is instead of first judging a shoe or a brand on its offerings in style, Pie evaluates products and brands first on their environmental and social impact.

Energy conservation:
• Switched from halogen track lighting to 100% LED lighting reducing their energy usage by 75%
• Participates in Pacific Power’s Blue Sky Renewable Energy Program

Water efficiency:
• Native plant rain garden installed in the courtyard of their building (Building Owner)

Waste reduction:
• Recycles/re-uses all shoe boxes and paper/cardboard product.
• Purchases from brands that utilize alternative packaging (biodegradable bags instead of shoe boxes)
• Offers year-round shoe recycling program.
• Though repurposing, Pie has eliminated their need for garbage/recycling services. They make one trip a month to a recycling center 2 miles from their business to recycle what could not be repurposed.

Alternative transportation:
• Petitioned for the installation of the bike corral in front of their store
• Maintains a bike at the store for running errands.
• Owners are a one car household who uses public transportation as often as possible to commute to and from the store.

Purchasing practices:
• All products sold at Pie meet one or more of their Sustainable Ingredients Standards, which evaluates each item on its environmental and social benefits at the product level as well as the corporate level.

Encouraging sustainability in others:
• Pie posts information on each brand in store along with their Sustainable Ingredients Standards.
• Pie currently does not sell product online, instead they provide links to their brands and ask their customers outside of Portland to shop for their brands locally.

Promoting social equity:
• Communicates with Footwear Brands on the sustainability of their products.
• Participates in the ASBA advocating for the Alberta Street Business & Neighborhood District

Community service:
• Held Shoe Recycling drive for Soles4Souls.
• Raised money for the Columbia Water Keepers Alliance.
• Donates product and time for local charitable causes.
  

  
  

  About the BEST Awards

  Since 1993, the BEST Awards have been presented annually to Portland area companies demonstrating excellence in business practices that promote social equity, economic growth and environmental benefits.

  The mission of the BEST Awards is to inspire the business community by showcasing innovation and commitment to social, environmental and economic sustainability.

  The BEST Awards recognize businesses with significant and unique achievements in the following categories:

  • BEST Practices for Sustainability: Very Small, Small, Medium and Large companies
  • Sustainable Products or Services
  • Green Building
  • Sustainable Food Systems

  BEST AWARD WINNERS 2010

Vegan Love Sale: February 1-February 28

Vegan Love Sale: February 1-February 28

We greatly appreciate all the support we have received from the Vegan Community this past year and to say thank you we are having a Vegan footwear sale the month of February. Come in during February and get 20% off your Vegan footwear purchase!

Bargain Hunting 101 & Pie Footwear

Come see Pie Footwear at Bargain Hunting 101 and get great deals on Fall 09 product.

Sunday, February 7

Crystal Ballroom & Lola's

12-5 PM

www.bargainhuntingpdx.com

Our store will be closed this Sunday for the sale, so come down and see us at the Crystal Balloon and check out the mother of all indie clearance sales! We will be up in the main ballroom.

Art Reception: Karl W. Kaiser

We are having an Art Reception for Karl W. Kaiser this Thursday (1/28) from 7-9 PM. Come check out his vibrant encaustic art and enjoy some wine and good conversation. If you can't make it Thursday the show will be on display from Jan 28-Feb 21. Remember supporting your local artists is sexy!!

www.karlwkaiser.com