Utne Exposes The True Cost of Leather

Utne recently posted an article that exposes the true cost of leather, a somewhat ubiquitous item found on the feet of most people, except, you know, vegans. But while most non-leather sporters tend to complain about the effects that leather production/popularity has on animals, surprisingly, the toll it takes on both the environment and the human workers toiling everyday to make these items seems far worse. It's surprising that more red paint's been thrown on fur (something usually found on the backs of those richer than most) than on something that almost all of us can claim to own.

For the future, if I ever purchase some leather I'm going to make sure it's recycled, either from a thrift store or from designers like this or this. Or maybe someday I can afford some of Natalie Portman's vegan shoes....probably not. :-)