One of the things that I had not factored in when the shoe drive started was how much space 55,000 shoes takes up!! This then lead me to the question of where these shoes would have gone if they had not been donated to the Butterfly Movement? I would guess that 90% would have eventually ended up in landfill and believe me when I say - that is a LOT of a landfill!
When this is combined with the amount of ‘rubbish’ we encountered by way of boxes and plastic bags, it is simply quite incredible and has really made me think about my personal contribution to landfill and how I live my life.
A customer at Levant recently told the story of how her Grandmother had grown up in the depression and that her rule was that no food could go into the rubbish bin. All food had a purpose even to the point of collecting the crumbs from the kitchen table to give to the ants!!
Now that may be a little extreme for some, but for me, it served as a reminder of how important it is to live consciously and be aware of not only what we consume but of how we dispose of it. While our 2nd hand shoes may not find a home in Australia, thanks to the thousands of people who have donated and to the tireless work of the Butterfly Movement and volunteers, thousands upon thousands of people will have a useful pair of shoes and we will have consciously contributed to extending the lifecycle of a useful item and minimising harm to our environment by way of landfill.
Perhaps more importantly, we have expanded our circle of connection and given the premise that there are 6 degrees of separation between us and any other person, one day we might know first hand the difference we made. How awesome would that be!
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your circle of connection.
Corrine at Levant
