Did you know shoes can grow!

Good morning!

Our daughters feet are growing and I found a clever solution from Africa.

Here's what we've got for you today:

• The Shoe That Grows

• New Zealand, First To Ban All Plastic Bags

• Sell Your Old Clothes Via This App

• 12 Best Eco Friendly Shoe Brands For Men

• A Wild Cat Comeback — Thanks to Vultures

🛍️ New Zealand has become the first country to ban all plastic grocery bags, including thinner bags used for fruits and vegetables, preventing the use of an estimated 150 million plastic bags annually.

🌿 Customers are encouraged to use paper bags and reusable mesh bags, but the goal is to eliminate single-use bags entirely.

The banning of plastic bags may seem like a step in the right direction, but its effectiveness has not always been reliable and can sometimes make the problem worse. Take Kenya, for instance, where the ban on thin plastic bags led to an uptake in the use of their thicker, more plastic-intensive alternatives.

It is important to mention that although these bans show some progress, reducing bag consumption is just a small part of the huge task ahead of us.

Read the full article here.

Let's continue with the footwear theme of this week's newsletter. Recently, I've been experimenting with going barefoot - well, nearly. Of course, depending on your location, you might require some form of foot protection. Wouldn't it be great if such protective wear could also be eco-friendly?

BeCause International

🌍 Because International aims to alleviate poverty by distributing impact products and supporting entrepreneurs.

👞 The idea for the first product, The Shoe That Grows, came after noticing a girl in Nairobi, Kenya cutting her small shoes to fit.

🔄 The Shoe That Grows can adjust and expand its size; it grows five sizes and lasts for years.

🧒 The nonprofit aims to provide The Shoe That Grows to kids in desperate need of adequate footwear.

😮 From a small hobby, Because International has grown into a global cause and movement.

📍 The organization is based in Nampa, Idaho, and has a diverse team managing different organization roles.

Read the full article here.

☠️ Both lions and vultures share a common threat: poisoning. Vultures serve as an early-warning system, enabling rangers to act quickly and potentially save wildlife from poisoned carcasses.

🏞️ Kafue National Park forms part of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), the largest terrestrial conservation landscape in the world. It spans Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

🤝 Protecting wildlife involves community education and development. Initiatives include offering rewards like veterinary expertise and solar systems to locals for harboring vultures, and providing synthetic furs to tribes for ceremonial use to prevent hunting of wild cats.

📸 Advanced camera trap stations and geo-tagging technology help in regulating animal movements and numbers in the park, and aid in law enforcement operations against wildlife poaching.

💲 Monitoring and law enforcement operations garnering data from vultures cost about $211 per square kilometer, a cost-effective method compared to typical wildlife protection efforts which can range from $1,000 to $2,000 per square kilometer.

🌐 The satellite tags on vultures, in conjunction with new technology, provide live information on animal movements. This real-time data helps in immediate action in case of emergencies and better protects vulnerable wildlife species.

🌿 In the face of various threats to wildlife, the goal is to expand the vulture program across Eastern and Southern Africa. Vultures, the unsung heroes, could become key to saving Africa’s big cats.

Read the full article here.

I don’t know why men cant sell their clothes on thredup but it is certain that women are more into fashion than men, I guess.

🛍️ thredUP is an online consignment and thrift store offering high-quality secondhand clothes at up to 90% off.

📍 They stock a broad range of items, including women's, kids', and maternity clothes, plus shoes, handbags, and accessories.

🌍 thredUP seeks to inspire a new generation of shoppers to choose secondhand clothing first, contributing to sustainability and reducing carbon emissions by an average of 25%.

📲 Users can download the thredUP app from the Apple App Store and Google Play for real-time alerts, exclusive sales, and more.

🔄 The company provides hassle-free returns, ensuring a risk-free shopping experience.

Go to their website here.

P.s.: Please give me feedback on what you liked, didn't like, and what changes you'd like to see. I'm eager to learn from you. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!

 📣 You can submit any suggestions to my Twitter or just hit reply.