It’s that time of year again! The holidays provide a moment to pause and reflect on 2011’s accomplishments, renew your mind, body and spirit and set new goals to make 2012 an even more productive and joyful year.

When drafting your New Year’s resolutions, choose a goal that’s good for both you and the planet this year. Set yourself up for success by finding an eco-friendly promise that you’ll actually keep!

Here are 5 easy ways to leave a softer footprint on our earth this year.

1. Update your cosmetic bag

Rotate eco-friendly options into your regular makeup rotation. Check out model and eco-entrepreneur Josie Maran’s cosmetic line – full of luxurious products that are pure, gentle, nontoxic and eco-friendly. (www.josiemarancosmetics.com)

2. Tweak the energy efficiency of your home

The U.S. Department of Energy’s energysavers.gov site gives step-by-step instructions on conducting a home-energy assessment and shows how a few easy changes—closing the fireplace damper, lowering the hot-water heater to 120 degrees—can save water, energy and dollars.

3. Makeover your wardrobe

Give your closet an eco-makeover and shop second hand whenever possible. Pare down your wardrobe by donating what you haven’t worn in the last year. Donate those back-of-the-closet shoes you never wear to Naya’s Renew Your Soles program. When you donate a pair of gently worn shoes, receive $20 off an $80 purchase at shoes.com. (blog.nayashoes.com/renew-your-soles)

4. Eliminate trash by reusing your flatware

Reduce your “forkprint” and avoid disposable plastic utensils during your next desktop lunch. An easy fix: keep your flatware at your desk, like To-Go Ware’s bamboo utensil set with a handy storage pouch. (to-goware.com)

5. Filter the junk

Each year the average U.S. home receives 1.5 trees' worth of junk mail—mostly unopened credit card offers, solicitations, and catalogs that just end up in the trash. Avoid adding to our landfills by registering to block your junk mail at dmachoice.org.

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The holidays are the most exciting time of year! All of the shopping, parties and family gatherings can be fun, but overwhelming. Are you feeling stressed? Be sure to stay grounded this holiday season with a few tips to keep you balanced amid the merriment and celebrations.

1. Simply your schedule.

Don’t overbook and give yourself plenty of time to tackle that holiday to-do list. Plan ahead with this eco-friendly day planner from Brownline.

2. Stay balanced.

Eating sensibly and getting plenty of rest will keep you calm and focused. Take a moment to renew and relax with this sleep therapy lavender roll-on by Primavera.

3. Don’t sacrifice comfort for style.

Putting together a glamorous outfit during the holidays doesn’t require back-breaking stilettos. The quail wedge boot, available at Zappos.com, will take you from a day full of shopping straight to your holiday cocktail party. Just throw on some sparkly accessories and you’re good to go!

4. Give back.

Whether you give time or money, find a way to give back to a greater cause. Looking for a quick, easy way to help out? Naya’s Renew Your Soles program gives you the opportunity to make a choice that matters. Donate a pair of gently worn shoes and receive $20 off an $80 purchase at shoes.com.

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Yuka Yoneda is a writer and designer from Queens, New York. She is an editor of Inhabitat, contributor to eco-fashion site Ecouterre and the winner of this year’s Naya Renew Your Soles 5-Day Style Challenge! Learn more about the contest here.

In 2008, Yuka looked in the mirror and didn’t like what she saw. Always feeling like there was something missing from her life, she had turned to excess, amassing a mountain of clothes, shoes, bags, and random tchotchkes to fill the void. Yuka knew she had to make a difference, so she started Clossette, a site for vintage, thrifted, refashioned and handmade garments. When she isn’t writing about sustainable design, Yuka amuses herself by making trash into treasure, hunting for goodies at her favorite thrift shop, and offering up vintage, secondhand and refashioned clothes from her own closet.

How do you like to relax?

I like to relax by making stuff – dresses, glow in the dark shoes, clothes with cat ears on them, you name it. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the repetitive motion of sewing or even just cutting out shapes with scissors lulls me into a wonderful stupor that even watching TV can’t replicate. A big heaping bowl of mac n’ cheese is always nice too!

How do you help soften your footprint on our earth?

My website Clossette.com is all about “re-lovable fashion.” My mom and I take our own old clothes and preloved clothes that people send in to us and turn them into sparkly new treasures. There are so many perfectly wearable clothes that end up in landfills, and other garments are made by workers under terribly inhumane conditions. I came up with Clossette to show a different model of where clothes could come from.

Sleep is a huge part of renewing your mind body and soul. What is your routine before going to sleep each night? Any tips on how to sleep soundly?

I usually lull myself to sleep by reading a good mystery, but keeping some truly boring literary materials on hand is an easy way to knock yourself out. I read somewhere that winding down by not exposing yourself to anything electronic – your TV, smartphone, laptop,etc. – is a tip to falling asleep more easily and tend to agree. It’s also a good idea to make it clear in your mind that your bedroom is a place specifically for sleeping. If you constantly work or watch TV in there, it might put you into other mindsets that aren’t conducive to sleep. I live in a studio apartment where my whole room is the bedroom, so that’s been kind of tough for me!

What is your favorite drink to help you relax?

While I love my boozy beverages as much as the next girl, my favorite calming drink is water that isn’t too cold. Drinking water helps flush the toxins that might make you anxious or antsy out of your body without adding any sugars, chemicals or other nasty stuff.

Do you have a favorite song that helps you renew yourself?

Anything that’s 90s rap or hip hop. I wouldn’t say it’s relaxing but it definitely brings me back to sitting in the warmth of the sun on a basketball court in lower Manhattan without a care in the world. No taxes, no rent to pay. Just feeling good.

Do you participate in any outdoor activities that renew your mind, body or spirit?

To be honest, I am probably the least outdoorsy person ever. Unfortunately, I rarely even leave my house since I’m online all the time. But when I do, I love just walking. It’s an easy, low impact exercise that even the laziest person can do!

What is your favorite Naya shoe and why?

The Kasha is my favorite Naya shoe because it’s a timeless color and silhouette that will look just as good 20 years from now as it does today. I love the smart almost menswear-ish details like the buckle and it’s a great height that seems comfy enough to take you around the city without having to buy bunion pads.

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To celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15, we asked five of our favorite stylish bloggers to recycle five pairs of unwanted shoes in exchange for one pair of Naya shoes. Their challenge: Create a week’s worth of outfits around one pair of Naya shoes!

See how our bloggers demonstrated that a single pair of beautiful, comfortable, well-made shoes can replace a closet full of throwaways and help you leave a softer footprint on our earth.

Tell us which blogger is your favorite and you could win a pair of Naya shoes! Vote for your favorite on the Naya shoes Facebook page for your chance to win.

Starre Vartan stays down-to-earth and
fashion-forward at Eco-Chick

Naya Lark ankle boot in black

Vote for Starre on Facebook for your chance to win a pair of Naya shoes!

Shop for the Lark ankle boot at shoes.com

Julia DiNardo blogs about her style obsession
at Fashion Pulse Daily

Naya Quail wedge boot in black

Vote for Julia on Facebook for your chance to win a pair of Naya shoes!

Shop for the Quail boot at shoes.com.

Yuka Yoneda shares her DIY wares and eco-style
on Clossette and Ecouterre

Naya Genesis bootie in graphite suede

Vote for Yuka on Facebook for your chance to win a pair of Naya shoes!

Shop for the Genesis bootie at shoes.com.

Casi Densmore-Koon gushes about her love affair
with fashion at CupcakeMAG.com

She styled her assistant, Katie, in the Naya Kasha bootie in oxford brown

Vote for Casi on Facebook for your chance to win a pair of Naya shoes!

Shop for the Kasha bootie at shoes.com.

Sarah Wetmore updates her style status daily on
Kaboodle.com’s social network.

Naya Quail wedge boot in bordo

Vote for Sarah on Facebook for your chance to win a pair of Naya shoes!

Shop for the Quail boot at shoes.com.

Love these looks? Join our bloggers in their commitment to building an environmentally-thoughtful wardrobe. Through our Renew Your Soles program, donate a pair of gently worn shoes and receive $20 off an $80 purchase at shoes.com.

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Happy Earth Day! We have a lot of exciting initiatives going on all over the nation. From in-store shoe donation drives through Renew Your Soles, Walt Disney Earth Day celebrations and planting trees with Nordstrom – we’re definitely celebrating Earth Day in a big way!

Renew Your Soles

Today marks the launch of our first in-store Renew Your Soles initiative this season! Hanig’s Footwear in Chicago is hosting a nine-day shoe donation drive from Friday, April 22 to Sunday, May 1 (during store hours). For those of you in the Chicago area, help us celebrate Earth Day by dropping by Hanig’s at 2754 N. Clark Street or 1000 W North Avenue.

All shoes collected will be distributed to people in need by national non-profit, Soles4Souls. Shoes that are unwearable will be recycled. RSVP to the Chicago event at http://on.fb.me/eyblM8.

Not in the Chicago area? You can participate online! Go to NayaShoes.com, fill out the online donation form, mail in a pair of old shoes and you will receive a coupon for $20 off your next purchase of $80 or more at shoes.com.

Walt Disney Company has even joined in for Renew Your Soles! Naya is hosting a booth for the employees to donate their old shoes! Stay tuned for pics from the event!

Plant A Tree

Interested in giving back to Mother Earth? If so, plant a tree with us! From now until May 3rd, for every pair of Naya shoes purchased at Nordstrom or on Nordstrom.com we will plant a tree!

Make today a great Earth Day! There are so many wonderful initiatives and events going on across the country – get involved and make a difference!

Filed under: Eco-Friendly Living, Events, Naya, Renew Your Soles, Uncategorized by Jessica
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Today is America Recycles Day and this year’s theme is “I Recycle.” Millions of Americans have pledged to boost their recycling efforts at home and at work in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint.

We launched our Renew Your Soles shoe recycling initiative back in October and it will be running until the end of the year on shoes.com. If you are unfamiliar with Renew Your Soles, it is an initiative we fashioned to recycle shoes (5,000 pairs is our goal) to keep them from ending up in landfills. Read more about Renew Your Soles here.

At Naya, we are committed to softening our footprint on the earth by making thoughtful choices that matter. We choose natural and eco-friendly materials whenever possible throughout the Naya collection.

And this is just the beginning. As part of our dedication to the environment, we will continue to make choices we can all feel good about.

We’d love to hear what you are doing today to honor America Recycles Day by posting a comment below!

Filed under: Eco-Friendly Living, Renew Your Soles by Chevis
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Little’s Shoes in Pittsburgh, PA (5850 Forbes Avenue) launched their weeklong shoe recycling initiative, Renew Your Soles, on Saturday, November 6, with a Naya shoes trunk show.

The women shopping at Little’s on Saturday simply fell in love with the beauty and comfort of Naya shoes! In just 7 hours, FOURTEEN pairs of Naya shoes were sold! One woman said, “It’s so nice to find a shoe that meets all of my requirements (comfort, fashion and a reasonable heel height) and then there’s an added bonus that it’s good for the earth!”

The kick-off event brought in nearly 10 pairs of donated shoes in just three hours. KDKA-TV (CBS) was so intrigued by this earth-friendly initiative that they stopped by to get some footage of shoppers donating their shoes. They even did an interview with one of our Naya representatives AND a shopper that came to donate her gently used shoes! To view the footage that ran in the evening news on Saturday, November 6, click here.

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by the event on Saturday, no worries! The bin will be available for donations until this Saturday, November 13! It’s the perfect excuse to do a little shopping and clean out your closet!

Just bring the shoes you no longer want or wear and drop them off at Little’s Shoes. Since Saturday, nearly 500 shoes have already been collected! All shoes donated will be distributed by Soles4Souls to people in need all over the world! Shoes that cannot be worn will be recycled.

Those who donate will receive an earth-friendly gift from Naya as a thank you for your contribution. It’s a win-win situation – cross a task off of your to-do list (the dreaded cleaning of the closet), help people in need, soften your global footprint and do a little shopping!

Join our effort to help people in need and keep shoes out of the landfills!

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This week Clayton High School, located in our hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, has launched a two-week shoe drive,  for our Renew Your Soles initiative.

Each class (freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior) as well as faculty are competing to collect the highest number of shoes this week and next. All shoes collected during this two-week period will be distributed by Soles4Souls to those in need all over the world. Shoes that are not wearable will be recycled.

The group (class or faculty) that brings in the most shoes will be awarded $250 to be given to their earth-friendly charity of choice.

The students and faculty of Clayton High School are softening their global footprint and helping us reach our goal of recycling 5,000 shoes during this nationwide shoe recycling program! The drive is going great and we’d like to continue to cheer them on!

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The Renew Your Soles kick-off event at Hanig’s Footwear took place this past weekend on Saturday, October 23. This event marked the launch of a weeklong shoe donation drive at Hanig’s Footwear. Attendees enjoyed a Naya trunk show and those who donated shoes were entered in the Naya shoe giveaway contest.

In just three hours, we collected nearly 30 pairs of shoes so imagine how many we can collect in an entire week! All Chicago shoppers interested in donating shoes can drop their old shoes off at the following Hanig’s Footwear locations:

1. 1000 W North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60642

2. 2754 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614

*The recycling bins are available in-store until Saturday, October 30.

Help us recycle 5,000 shoes during our nationwide shoe recycling tour - Renew Your Soles!

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Last weekend we had our first Renew Your Soles event and it was a great success. We had bins at two MetroShoe Warehouse locations in Oklahoma and we collected over 300 pairs of shoes in one week! This weekend we will be at Hanig’s Footwear in Chicago and Jack’s Shoes in Westlake Village, CA.

We already have a few hundred but help us recycle 5,000 pairs of shoes! Bring your gently worn shoes to Jack’s or Hanig’s on Saturday, October 23 from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Those who donate shoes on Saturday will receive an eco-friendly gift from Naya. You will also be entered to win other fun prizes. Additionally, at Jack’s Shoes you will be entered to win a $150 gift certificate for donating your shoes and at Hanig’s you will be entered to win a free pair of Naya shoes!

If you can’t make it on Saturday no worries. You can swing by each store any time before October 30 and drop your shoes in the bin (pictured above right). All shoes will be picked up at the end of the week by Soles4Souls.  

RSVP to the Westlake Village Event: http://on.fb.me/arJPR0

RSVP to the Chicago Event: http://on.fb.me/9nd86m

We hope to see you there and bring your friends!

Filed under: Eco-Friendly Living, Renew Your Soles by Chevis
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