Friends and I have often joked light-heartedly about tap water being unsuitable for drinking purposes…never again. Think back to the thirstiest you have ever been, now imagine if your only option to quench that thirst was to drink out of murky waters like the Hudson. Yuck, right?! Well lets take it a step further because in order for you to even get your hands on a drink of this less than savory liquid you have to hike a few miles with a water jug (which weighs roughly 40 lbs once full) as there is no faucet or plumbing to easily obtain it. Welcome to everyday life for over 15 communities and 350,000 indigenous Guatemalans living near Lake Atitian.

Once named the most beautiful lake in the world Lake Atitian was a beautiful body of water filled with laughter and life, but has now become a discolored bay of disease filled with toxic green algae, trash and other household garbage due to years of contamination. Francesca and John Kennedy are a siblings whose family hails from Guatemala. On a trip back to visit family Francesca happened to read Start Something that Matters written by TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie.  Call it fate or divine intervention but this trip back home Francesca had seen enough and she vowed to bring clean drinking water to the children in these communities.

That is where Ix Sandals comes in! Ix is the mayan word for water and the Kennedy’s way of making a difference. For every pair of sandals sold they contribute a portion of the proceeds to organizations brining water filtration systems to Guatemala and other countries in similar conditions, not to mention fair wage jobs for the communities involved in making Ix possible! Inspired by Mayan textiles these sandals are hand crafted by Mayan artisans and take 3 hours to make! They are super lightweight are the perfect travel companion for weekend get aways, trips to the beach or a casual day around town. Ix has already graced the feet of Gweneth Paltrow and Bar Refaeli not to mention features in Vogue, Bazaar and People’s Style Watch! Fashion for a cause? Whats not to love?! Score a killer pair of Ix Sandals and share your good deeds with a friend!  Buy one pair, and get 25% off  for a friend using the promo code “REFER”