WalMart Going Green

This from CNN.com: NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Wal-Mart Stores hosted former Vice President Al Gore at a conference Wednesday evening that the company said is the next step in its efforts to improve the environment. The company said the conference at its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters, dubbed the quarterly sustainability network meeting, included Gore's presentation on the dangers of global warming, as well as one from officials of the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Evangelical Environmental Network. The meeting also included discussions with Wal-Mart (Charts) suppliers on how sustainability can impact the supply chain and benefit the customer, according to the statement from the world's largest retailer. Suppliers who were at the meeting included Procter & Gamble (Charts), Sara Lee Apparel and Paramount Classics. "We are all passionate about making real progress regarding the environment," said a statement from Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. "By working together, we can help each other save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pass the savings on to our customers. Sustainability is good for the environment, and it's also good for business." In addition to his remarks to the conference, Gore screened his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," about the threat of global warming. Earlier this year Wal-Mart announced that it would seek to eliminate 30 percent of the energy used by stores, with the corporate goal of eventually being fueled 100 percent by renewable energy .The retailer also plans to eliminate 25 percent of the solid waste from U.S. stores in the next three years, with the corporate goal of producing zero waste. (read the rest of the article here) It is good to see that large corporations are jumping into a conservation strategy and I hope that they are consistent in their efforts and make a large commitment to this. There are many people, it seems, that feel this is a ploy to detract people from their labor issues they have been having. One of these groups includes WakeUpWalmart.com who says: "While we are glad Wal-Mart is talking about environmental sustainability, Wal-Mart's long record of inaction and empty rhetoric leaves us deeply skeptical about Wal-Mart's true intentions," said the group's statement. Here is how I see it. Maybe Walmart does have a big problem with their business practices. Can we give them at least a bit of an applaud for at least trying? I understand that many people want to see these big companies do a lot but it also seems that when they make a step in that direction, the get ridiculed. Not much incentive to drive these companies that are being attached for not using more Fair Trade Certified products or being a green business into better practices because they get more heat for doing "just a little." While I agree with many that it seems like a lot of words, I do hope that Walmart will follow through with their promises and help make a difference. ..be bold Tagged: walmart, bozeman, montana, al gore, wakeupwalmart.com, green, tea, fairtrade, cafe evoke, catering