Through its Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree campaign, etnies will be selling their new line of Jameson 2 Echo shoes and planting a new tree for every pair that is sold. Etnies is teaming up with one of the native tribes in Costa Rica called the Maleku and a reforestation organization, La Reserva Forest Foundation, to make this project a success. Etnies team members such as Ryan Sheckler, Kyle Leeper, Chris Del Moro, CJ Kanuha and Benji Weatherly all recently visited Costa Rica alongside etnies CEO and owner Pierre-Andre Senizergues to plant the first trees in what will eventually become the etnies rainforest.

Using recycled tires and plastic bottles as well as old rubber gloves, etnies produced the Jameson 2 Echo shoe. Plastic bottles are used in the making of the shoes PET shoelaces and old bike tires and rubber gloves make the shoes outer sole.

The goal is to reverse deforestation in Costa Rica and help repair the earth’s lungs by lowering the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. The Maleku tribe is committed to reforesting their native land, with etnies helping out by providing the proper amount of trees to allow them to reach their goal.

This outside of the box campaign is just one of many ways we as a community can give back to ourselves by restoring our home and keeping our planet as healthy as possible.

To learn more about the Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree campaign or to purchase a pair of the Jameson 2 Echo shoes, visit http://etnies.com/blog/2011/2/14/the-etnies-rainforest-is-coming/