Though we can avoid buying many things that add to our landfills, sneakers are a necessity that cannot be avoided. While there have been a few attempts to make partially compostable shoes, a majority of sneakers end up in trash, where they sit for many years before they decompose, if ever! With billions of sneakers being purchased (and probably tossed) each year, this is a problem that cannot be ignored.

Now Dutch entrepreneurs Christiaan Maats and Dirk-Jan Oudshoorn have come up with a brilliant solution - Sneakers that compost completely, all the way down to the laces. Aptly named Oat shoes, they are made from natural materials like hemp, cotton, chlorine-free bleach, biodegradable plastic, and other, non-toxic materials.

When they are ready to be retired, the sneakers can be simply buried in the garden. To demonstrate truly how 'green' these shoes are, the first batch of shoes that will be available this spring, will sport seeds inside their soles, so that the sneakers will sprout into wildflowers, following their demise!

And, the best part is, that these good for the environment sneakers are good-looking too! It's no wonder they have won several awards, including a second prize at the recent Green Fashion Awards in Amsterdam.

In keeping with their green stance, the inventors wish to keep the carbon-emissions used in transporting the shoes to stores to the minimum, which means that at least for now, Oat sneakers will be only available in Europe.

Having said that, they are planning to sell them online, which may be the saving grace for all us who live overseas. While the price hasn't been confirmed yet, it is rumored to range from $187USD - $200USD - A little steep, but worth every penny, don't you think? To read more about these amazing sneakers go to: www.oatshoes.com.

Resources: treehugger.com,gizmag.com,green-talk.com