Green shoes and accessories will be affordable and available to the masses if Payless Shoesource has anything to do with it. Beginning early next year, several locations of the retail footwear chain will offer eco-friendly shoes and handbags priced at an average of $30 and under per item.

Summer Rayne Oakes, fashion guru for Discovery's Green Channel, will serve as the line's "eco-consultant." Materials used for the new line will include organic cotton, hemp, organic linen and recycled rubber outsoles, while the production of the shoes will include the use of biodegradable glues. Even the shoeboxes will be earth-conscious and made from recycled materials.

"At the end of the day, what you're trying to do is really democratize 'green' here," said Matt Rubel, chief executive of parent company Collective Brands Inc. "We want to bring it to the people in a way where it brings compelling value and compelling good things for the planet."

"One of the things that came out of that was how can we lead by example," he said. "We make more shoes than anyone, so why don't we start there?"

Rubel says these efforts comes as part of the company's efforts to reduce their environmental impact by adopting green business practices and using sustainable materials.

» Associated Press