Cute Vegan Shoes for Spring

I love the 70's vibe that's happening this spring.  A wish list...

olsenHaus from endless.com, $219.95

 olsenHaus from endless.com, $265

Beyond Skin from endless.com, $250

Forever 21, $14.80

Forever 21, $24.80

Forever 21, $34.80

Payless, $24.99, also in denim

Lulu's, $20

Lulu's, $32, I love that coral!

Alternative Outfitters, $38

Eco-friendly Simple shoes from Alternative Outfitters, $55

Neuaura, $135

Vegan Running

Though I've maintained a gym membership for years, last summer I decided to start running for real.  I went for the longest run I could handle in the humid Jersey Shore heat on the boardwalk.  Though I went far, I felt like my lungs were turning inside out and my leg muscles turned into jello!  Bad way to start running.  I was sore for a week, and I quickly realized that the way I went about it was all wrong.  Zero to 5K=bad idea.  Even though I ran on the treadmill for months and felt ready to run outside, I wasn't really prepared for the difference between treadmill running and real running.  

I had a busy summer, but by the time August rolled around, I was ready to start running outside again.  I  got an 8 week plan by googling "how to start running" and clicking on the first link that popped up.    Starting out slow is the way to go!  As the weeks went by, the summer humidity gave way to cool autumn breezes, the crowds parted, and the boardwalk became filled with mostly runners. 

Walking back from a run in November.

Now that I'm officially a "runner", I find that I feel stronger and have more energy.  These days, the challenge lies in staying warm when it's in the 30's and super windy and dark.  After running outside for months now, I tried treadmill running again to beat the cold.   Weirdly, I hated it.  I used to enjoy running on the treadmill, but now that I'm used to the sound of the boards under my feet and the waves on the beach, the wind and the fresh sea air, I couldn't deal with the stale and boring treadmill.  Outside, the yoga pants that provided enough warmth for the fall are now woefully inadequate.  I did splurge on a rain jacket after a chilly rain soaked me to the core, but now I'm thinking I need running tights, long sleeve shirts, and gloves.  Thankfully, most running shoes and clothes are vegan, and it's pretty easy to avoid leather or wool.

Here are some vegan/vegetarian blogs I've been reading for running inspiration: 

No Meat Athlete- Matt Frazier is a vegetarian marathoner.  As a beginning runner, I'm learning a lot about endurance reading this blog.

The New Me-  Chrissy is a vegan runner in East Texas.  I especially liked her recent post about a perfect run. 

Run Fast. Run Vegan. is written by a 15+ year competitive vegan runner whose accomplishments are waaayyy beyond anything I could do or care to do, but it's cool.

Jeffrey Eggleston is another crazy accomplished runner that's vegan. A 14 minute 5K?  Damn.

Healthy Ashley-She's an ironman!

Vegan Things I'm Thankful For This Thanksgiving

In no particular order...

• Vegan MoFo-It has been challenging but fun to try to come up with a blog post every day of the week.
• Are You Sure That's Vegan?-I was sent an e-book to review, and I had a new reason to bake lots of cookies.  Review coming soon!
• Tons of vegan blogs-There are so many amazing vegan blogs that are well written by sincere people, and I'm super thankful for that.
• My vegan running shoes-Surprisingly, lots of running shoes are made out of entirely synthetic materials. 
• Tofurky-A ready made vegan alternative that I'm starting to see everywhere.
• People that leave nice little comments on my blog-I get super happy whenever I get a comment.  Thanks for reading!
• People that read my blog but are too shy to comment-Thank you for reading too!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I can't wait to read about what you cooked, baked, and ate.

Vegan and Eco-Friendly Boots for Fall

Boot shopping season is upon us in most of the northern hemisphere.  My fake Uggs from a couple of years ago are getting worn out.  Even though they are so easy and warm, I'm getting sick of them.  I bought these earlier in the fall and love them, but I want more options.

Alternative Outfitters, $48, also in grey

My boots have to be vegan, and I prefer eco-friendly materials whenever possible.  There is an argument that leather and suede is never good for the earth, and synthetics are always less polluting.  In this list, I generally consider boots to be eco-friendly when they are made from recycled products.  Price is always one of the final determining factors for me, so this list basically starts with the cheapest and ends with the most expensive.  Here's what my search turned up:
 

Not exactly marketed as eco-friendly, but cheap and vegan:

Payless is mostly vegan by default.  I'm guessing from their numerous options of accidently vegan boots that it's cheaper to use man made fibers to make shoes.

$34.99 on sale, also in brown and black

$29.99.  Also in purple, black, and brown

Forever 21 has quite a few vegan boots that are described as "leatherette". 

Forever 21, $32.80

Alloy has quite a few options too.

$42.90, also in chocolate, black, mocha, and taupe

 Sometimes eco-friendly, always vegan, a bit more expensive:

Lulu's has an amazing selection of over a hundred vegan boots, including these.

only $31!

$69

Moo Shoes has a large collection of vegan boots, including these from Madden Girl.

Moo Shoes, $89, also in tan

Sometimes you can find vegan boots in surprising places, like Victoria's Secret.  They have a long list on non-vegan boots, but sometimes they carry brands like Report that use synthetics in place of leather and suede.

Report, $59

Report, $65 on sale

Colin Stuart, $99

Planet Shoes has a vegan brands section that includes a "why vegan?" link.  These Jambu boots are made with partially recycled rubber.

Planet Shoes, $169, also in brown

If you look at all of their boots, you can find vegan boots from brands that aren't entirely vegan.   These Blowfish wedge heels are made with faux leather and also come in black or "whiskey".

Planet Shoes, $79

Cri de Coeur is an entirely vegan company that makes shoes and other accessories.

Cri de Coeur, $150

Eco-friendly and vegan:

Bourgeois Boheme, a UK brand, has information on their website explaining why leather is never eco-friendly.

£110.00, also in black

£45.00, also in black

Beyond Skin, another UK company, offers these boots made from recycled plastic.

£159.00, also in purple

Vegan boots that are priced way beyond my reach, but a girl can dream:

Olsen Haus has a page on their site that explains that synthetic materials are always more eco-friendly than leather.

$360

Stella McCartney...cruelty free, fabulous, but so expensive.

Are you ready for this?  $595

Though it takes some effort, it's easier than ever to find vegan boots these days.  There are other sites I haven't mentioned yet that are devoted to vegan shoes.  Ragazzi Vegan, Vegan Chic, Vickery, Great Green Shoes are some favorites.  You can also search under the vegan category on Online Shoes, Endless, and Zappos. 

Now it seems like the hardest part is narrowing it down to only one pair of boots!

Onlineshoes.com Contest Winner!!!

Thank you to everyone that left a comment on my last post. We have an Onlineshoes.com contest winner! The random number generator came up with number 10, and the tenth comment was from:



Syn of the blog Vegan on Stage!



Congratulations on winning the contest, Syn!!! Please e-mail me (vegansnorkeler@gmail.com) with your last name so I can forward your info to Onlineshoes.com. Have fun shoe shopping!

Eco-Friendly Vegan Shoe Contest and a Sea Turtle

I'm back from Mexico, and I'm officially scuba certified! I meet this handsome sea turtle about 50 feet under the surface of the Caribbean Sea. It was a thrilling, crazy, awesome experience that I will be sure to detail as soon as I get a little more settled back into life in New Jersey. It's weird going from gorgeous warm water and tropical beaches to winter in one day!

In the mean time, I have a fabulous contest to share with you! The people at Onlineshoes.com are offering a $50 gift certificate to one lucky reader of The Vegan Snorkeler. Onlineshoes.com offers free shipping, a 90 day unconditional return policy, and over 200 vegan shoes!

Check out the Onlineshoes.com Earth Page. Earth shoes are eco-friendly (70% recycled content) and use negative heel technology. That's supposed to help you get more toned and burn more calories while you walk while promoting healthier posture. I've worn Earth shoes before, and they really are comfortable.

If you'd like a chance to win, simply leave a comment! The winner will be randomly selected and contacted on Feburary 16th. Unfortunately, this contest is open only to U.S. residents. If you are a winner, I'll need to give Onlineshoes.com your first/last name and valid email address. Good luck!

Earth and Animal Friendly Vegan Boots

It is freezing out here. My cheap vegan boots from last year are falling apart, not to mention they provide little in the way of insulation against the bitter cold. It's time for new boots! I've found many promising vegan options, and I thought I'd share them in case you're looking for vegan boots too.

I found these at Zappos, which has free shipping and a nice return policy. They are Earth shoes, made with microfiber and faux shearling. They look cozy and sturdy, are Vegan Society certified, and are at the top of my price range ($138.95).

Over at Ragazzi Vegan, everything seems to be $68.00. Out of the many vegan options, I'm considering these:

I like that these can be folded over, scrunched, or worn up.

These are water-resistant faux suede, which I love (since wet boots=misery!):

These look similar to the grey sweater boot from Ragazzi, but they're $50 from Alternative Outfitters:

Love 'em or hate 'em, these Ugg style boots sure keep your feet warm ($48 from Alternative Outfitters):

These boots, $44.50 from Alloy, come in many colors:I love these shoes by Simple, offered at $110 on Moo Shoes. Not only are they vegan and super cute, they're made with hemp, organic cotton, bamboo, coconut, and recycled car tires:

Over at Endless.com, they offer free overnight shipping and free returns. It's amazing how fast they send out their shoes! I found another sweater-style boot at $49.95:

Here's another one from Endless.com, also at $49.95:

Vegetarian Shoes and Bags had these cozy options at $54.99:

and more sweater boots, these are $49.99:

Over on Planet Shoes, I found these Earth shoes that are Vegan Society certified at $114.00:

I love these from Amazon.com:

Over at Payless.com, I found these for $39.99:

These canvas boots won't keep you that warm or dry, but they're so cute ($88 from Urban Outfitters):

There are so many vegan options out there, it seems like every year there's more and more. It's funny to think back to when I was first vegan, I used to freeze all winter in my Converse low tops. Thank goodness for vegan boots!