MA'ALAEA, Maui — Pacific Whale Foundation has announced that it is working with Crocs Inc. to serve as a certified Crocs recycling center.

Used Crocs may be dropped off at any time during store hours at either of Pacific Whale Foundation's two Ocean Discovery stores, located at the Harbor Shops at Ma'alaea and at 612 Front St. in Lahaina. The Ma'alaea store is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. while the Lahaina sore is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.. To reach the stores, call 808-856-8323 (Ma'alaea store) or 808-667-7447 (Lahaina store).

In January 2008, Crocs Inc. launched SolesUnited, the first-of-its-kind, recycled footwear donation program dedicated to providing new quality footwear to people in need. The worn-out Crocs collected by Pacific Whale Foundation will be sent to the Crocs recycling center, where they will be cleaned, ground into new material, and manufactured into new recycled shoes.

Once manufactured, the shoes are distributed to those in need with the support of SolesUnited shipping and charity partners, including Brothers Brother Foundation and Feed The Children. Crocs has already donated more than one million pairs of recycled Crocs shoes to people in need and disaster relief victims, and has set a goal of donating two million pairs of shoes in 2008.

Customers can show their support for the program by visiting the SolesUnited Web site, www.solesunited.com, where they can pledge to donate their Crocs footwear to the program when they are ready to be replaced with a new pair. In signing this pledge, consumers can join other Crocs enthusiasts committed to making the world a better place, by providing quality footwear to those in need, event organizers said.

Pacific Whale Foundation is one of only two companies in Hawai'i to be a certified Crocs recycler. The other company is the shoe store Journeys, with a Maui location at the Queen Kaahumanu Mall.

Pacific Whale Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting appreciation, understanding and protection of whales, dolphins, coral reefs and our planet's oceans. This is accomplished by educating the public --from a scientific perspective -- about the marine environment. Pacific Whale Foundation supports and conducts responsible marine research and addresses marine conservation issues in Hawai'i and the Pacific. Through educational ecotours, Pacific Whale Foundation models and promotes sound ecotourism practices and responsible wildlife watching. To learn more, visit www.pacificwhale.org or call 800-WHALE-1-1.