In his column last week, Jacob Lundborg pointed out an unpopular truth: Fair Trade products earn more for corporations than workers and perpetuate the myth that developing countries are in need of rescue by “whites in shining armor.” Interestingly enough, CAB is offering money from our student activity fees as a subsidy for students to buy two pair of expensive canvas shoes and send one to the shoeless. The truth about TOMS, though, is that they are bad for local economies, bad for the environment and only marginally helpful to any formerly shoeless children.

Shoe donations hurt local economies because shoes are not a specialized product. They can be, and are, made all around the world: a functional pair of flip-flops can be made from broken tires! Flooding local markets with free products eliminates local sellers’ ability to sell shoes and provide for their families.

TOMS, a “Buy One, Give One”(BOGO) model charity, does nothing for the environment by shipping so many shoes overseas. This is also true of donation campaigns for clothing, etc. Except in the case of specialized products that cannot be produced locally (i.e., condoms), BOGO is bad aid. If you must donate clothing, give to your local Goodwill.

But, some ask, what about all of those poor people suffering from “shoelessness?” Tukeni writes on the Project Diaspora blog, “In all my sixteen years of living in Nigeria, I never met one person who didn’t have a pair of shoes to his/her name.” For those who are without shoes, in most cases this is the least of their worries.

While CAB often does good work, this isn’t their best effort. Instead of buying into the “TOMS: Style your Sole” event, try investing in local economies through programs like Kiva.org.

Mary Cooley, ‘11