As the University of Oregon’s track season kicks off,  so does the annual “A Step in the Right Direction” shoe-recycling campaign led by masters’ students in the Lundquist College of Business. This year’s campaign hopes to collect a record number of shoes between March 16, the beginning of the UO’s track and field season, and the final day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships on June 8, in support of environmental awareness and sustainability.

Depending on their condition, shoes donated to the campaign are either recycled by the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program, where they are ground into athletic track and playground surface, or to Playing for Kickz, where they are distributed to children in need of athletic shoes. According to “A Step in the Right Direction,” last year’s campaign generated 1,409 pairs of shoes to be recycled or donated to charity.

Students and community members are encouraged to drop off their shoes — regardless of brand, condition or size — with representatives at any of the UO track meets occurring at Hayward Field between March 16 and June 8, at the Eugene Marathon on March 24 or at the Prefontaine Classic on the weekend of May 31. In addition, the campaign is in the process of installing shoe collection bins in athletic buildings and residence halls around the UO for student convenience.

Elizabeth Brock, coordinator of the initiative, encourages students to participate in the campaign as an easy way to give back to the community without much effort.

“Honestly, it’s easy,” she said. “Bins are on campus … and there’s no reason for students to throw shoes away when it means they’re going to a landfill. If they give their shoes to us, they’re going to be reused and be repurposed. It’s really easy, all you have to do is drop them off.”

Although the official campaign ends on June 8, coordinators encourage students and the community to continue to donate year-round by dropping used sneakers in the permanent shoe-collection box in the Student Recreation Center or at the Nike Store on Oakway Road.