How to Have Fun While Protecting the Planet

If you think caring for nature is all work and no play, you haven’t met Hannah Tizedes and Ryan Harris. These two water lovers are very different—one favors lakes, the other oceans—but they share a common goal to fuse their joy outdoors with protecting the places they love. It’s a passion we all share at some level—they just do it better than most, inspiring us to go outside, play hard, and care for the planet and each other. It’s a time-tested spirit, one that KEEN has adopted to build footwear that lets you play outdoors while minimizing your impact. Learn from Tizedes and Harris below, and find out how their KEEN shoes align with their mission.

The Sculptor: Hannah Tizedes

Mission: Clean Up the Great Lakes

When Hannah Tizedes tells people she makes art out of trash, they usually frown with skepticism. Then she shows them her work—bright, playful mosaics made of colorful microplastics—and watches those expressions transform.

Tizedes, a Michigan-based artist and environmental advocate, grew up near the Great Lakes. Like other kids, she splashed in the water and camped on the shore. And ever since she can remember, she’s roamed the beaches, amazed by all the unique stones, shells, and plastic treasures. “All this color was literally washing up on the shore,” she says.

Around 2015, Tizedes started arranging the plastic pieces to make mosaics and sharing the images on a social media account. Her message wasn’t just about upcycling. She wanted people to know about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, America’s largest source of freshwater, and show that something could be done about it.

“I realized that if I wanted to make my life my passion, I had to tell people,” Tizedes says. She started speaking up and launched a nonprofit to help clean up the lakes, rivers, and communities in Michigan. Her work resonates with people, and not just because it’s beautiful. Instead of doom and gloom, she takes a playful approach to plastic waste. Her work combines the time-tested, traditional method of mosaic-making with a colorful, modern twist.

“You can make an impact wherever you are,” Tizedes says. “Get involved, and make it fun.”

Tested: KEEN Newport

“They combine the best of a water shoe and a hiking shoe,” says Tizedes. “They let me tackle all the different types of terrain in one trip without having to pack multiple pairs of shoes. They’re so lightweight and breezy, and the Aquagrip makes me feel really sturdy and safe when walking along wet surfaces. I’ll definitely be wearing these shoes on beach cleanups so I can walk along slippery rocks and access trash in hard-to-reach places.”

Consciously Created

Building anything authentic and sustainable—anything that will stand the test of time—starts with intention. Intention to apply a planet- and people-first philosophy that acts as a north star for any endeavor, from making art to designing products. KEEN calls it Consciously Created—a way of reimagining how gear gets made so it supports both humanity and the environment from start to finish. Here’s how that approach resulted in the Newport, a hybrid shoe that’s free of forever chemicals.

The Shaper: Ryan Harris

Mission: Make Sustainable Surfboards

At 22, Ryan Harris thought he’d landed his dream job as a product designer at a big firm. But the corporate culture made the gig more like a nightmare, so Harris moved to Los Angeles to start over. Shortly after, a close friend took him surfing. Harris fell head over heels for the sport—and immediately realized that he was too tall for most of the boards available. So, he decided to make his own.

And that led him to a life-changing epiphany. “Surfboard manufacturing is pretty hypocritical. We wouldn’t have surfing without the ocean. And yet the boards are very toxic,” he says. “We’re poisoning the thing we rely on.” Harris started speaking up, advocating for the use of eco-friendly resins and recycled materials in the surf industry and following his own version of the Consciously Created ethos.

Harris used the eco-resins to sculpt custom boards, adding color and details with the care of an artist. Today, he also upcycles old boards, makes new boards from salvaged marine plastic, and runs the Educational Center of Sustainability in Surf to share his skills. He’s also pioneering new ways to turn plastic waste into durable furniture and planking.

Of course, Harris still makes time to catch a few waves. “Not only do I go to the water and get immersed in Mother Nature to calm and center myself, but it’s also super inspirational to what I’m doing,” he says. The movement of the water gives him ideas for new shaping elements, and the colors and patterns inform his designs.

Tested: KEEN Hyperport

“The ocean is my church and my sanctuary. I’m in it daily,” says Harris. “So I feel good about wearing these sustainable sandals to the beach—in and out of the water. I love the protected toe feature, especially when hiking or slip-sliding across rocks, and the adjustable drawstrings work great for cinching them up tight.”

KEEN is a shoemaker with purpose. Family owned and values-led for more than 20 years, KEEN has been consciously making unapologetically comfortable, innovative footwear that lasts and using its business to do good. In 2003, KEEN started a revolution with the introduction of the original hybrid sandal, the Newport. As a revolutionary, thoughtful shoemaker, KEEN is determined to reduce the impact of how it makes shoes. The brand has been PFAS-free since 2018 and envisions a shoe industry that has a net-positive impact on lives. To get there, KEEN is sharing its sustainable innovations to do more good together. Learn more at keenfootwear.com.