--- description: Find out why Allbirds Tree Dasher is one of the best inventions of 2020. title: Allbirds Tree Dasher: The 100 Best Inventions of 2020 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415336f5dda6a2d0/698a144ce76ad2227e6384ef/best-inventions-of-2020-Tree-Dasher-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 19, 2020 # A Greener Running Shoe Allbirds Tree Dasher by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Jessica Pettway for TIME; Prop styling by Stephanie L. Yeh Running shoes are incredibly wasteful, relying heavily on oil-based synthetics like plastic. The [Allbirds](https://www.allbirds.com/ "undefined") Tree Dasher is made almost entirely from natural materials, with a carbon footprint estimated at almost a third lower than that of the average sneaker. But using eucalyptus, merino wool, castor-bean oil and sugarcane isn’t just about “stuffing nature into a performance shoe and hoping that it doesn’t degrade the performance,” says Jad Finck, Allbirds’ vice president of innovation and sustainability. Instead, these materials actually boost performance: the eucalyptus fibers are cooling, the wool regulates temperature, and the sugarcane midsole provides performance cushioning. And while the Tree Dasher is not meant for marathons, the shoes— priced at $125—are well suited for a weekend jog or a morning dash to the grocery store. _—Sanya Mansoor_ **Buy now:** [Allbirds Men’s Tree Dasher](https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-tree-dashers "undefined"), [Allbirds](https://www.allbirds.com/products/mens-tree-dashers "undefined")[ Women’s Tree Dasher](https://www.allbirds.com/products/womens-tree-dashers "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911347/tree-dasher/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911347/tree-dasher/"},"headline":"A Greener Running Shoe","datePublished":"2020-11-19T13:54:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:46:27.888Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911347/tree-dasher/","keywords":["list","franchise","best inventions","Best Inventions 2020"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415336f5dda6a2d0/698a144ce76ad2227e6384ef/best-inventions-of-2020-Tree-Dasher-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415336f5dda6a2d0/698a144ce76ad2227e6384ef/best-inventions-of-2020-Tree-Dasher-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911347/tree-dasher/","name":"A Greener Running Shoe"}}]}] ```